Wait, what?
Real talk: I love turning down business. And you should, too.
Bad business, specifically. That might seem obvious. But you look around your company. (If you’re at a good one, think back a job or two). It’s not obvious at all. Certainly not in recruiting.
Let’s look at the buyer side. Any industry, any product:
👉All buyers are uneducated. It’s a matter of what degree.
You. Me. Anyone really. It’s the entire reason why review sites, case studies, and slide decks exist. None of this stuff actually educates anyone. It just makes us feel like we are.
So we can avoid buyer’s remorse. We did the best we could with the information available. Which is oftentimes sh*t.
We don’t know what solution we want. We only know what our problem is.
Especially first time buyers. We’re flying blind. How do we know what’s realistic, aside from what sellers tell us?
We don’t. Unrealistic expectations are rampant.
We give sellers the green light to tell us what we want to hear. And they drive right through.
Not to vilify salespeople. We’re all sellers too. Maybe not you specifically, but your colleagues. Your company.
Businesses are just trying to keep the lights on. Especially smaller and newer companies that haven’t found their fit. They’re excited when someone wants to buy. The “say yes and figure it out later” pressure is immense.
And it can work, in doses. Plenty of companies figure out their fit as they go.
But at scale?
You become the place buyers “had that bad experience with.”
The place that asks their team to do unrealistic sh*t the leaders would never do themselves.
The place that ties up resources on marginal work.
The place that doesn’t get any repeat or referral buying.
Why not flip the script?
👉Tell your buyers when they’re unrealistic. Not only are their asks bad ideas, but anyone who tells them otherwise is full of crap. We won’t sell you something that won’t work.
And be prepared to walk.
That’s something they don’t hear every day. And you’ll get one of two responses:
1. “Oh. What would you suggest then?”
At which point you can guide them in a way your team can actually deliver on. Something they – and your team – will be happy with.
2. “Naw we’re going with these other guys who said they can do everything we want.”
At which point LOL. We’ll keep in touch…✌️
Partner at Hirewell. #3 Ranked Sarcastic Commenter on LinkedIn.
