Start with "Lie"
This Tuesday, I am going with a rant, an apology to Simon Sink for paraphrasing his “Start with Why” and a cold call....
For context, as I wind up to this, I should share that if you phone me on my mobile/cell phone, in my mind, I feel it's an intimacy that you might think is peculiar. I really am not the call-me-out-of-the-blue sort of chap unless we are pretty tight.
And, if I don’t recognise your number, I won’t answer.
I am pretty confident that if your number is not recognised and you are calling to say my house is on fire, you’ll leave a message.
Although, I can’t claim to be that strict, as this rant will expose.
Soooo…..
My wife was in London, as her father was unwell.
I got a call from London.
I answered the call from London.
They said:
“Hello, I am <whatever> from <vendor>"
We then played the whole “who/what” game. I was confused by why I had answered, as this was clearly not news about my wife's mission in our capital city.
“You’ve recently become the CMO at Dodona Analytics and…”
That's a fair point. I just started a new gig a few days prior to the call. Well done fella on that. However, I still feel like I have walked into a bar, and someone has offered to, you know, do things we are not quite ready for, at least buy me a drink first.
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He continues, “…..one of your business development representatives has been in touch about our solution, and I should give you a call to continue the conversation”.
I’m thinking… Hmmmm... We are a very small company. We do have someone in business development, but I’m so new that he doesn’t have my mobile number yet. Plus, we are a startup. I know the marketing budget, so this is not something we’d be considering for now.
Aside from my feelings of intimacy invasion from calling my mobile, my bullshit spidey senses were tingling, and so I brought the call to a close, suggesting I would check this out (as I am so new), and he should connect with me on LinkedIn.
Which is perhaps how this communication should have started.
Maybe that’s what this rant should be about—the channel.
Why call me on my mobile cold when this could have been warmed on LinkedIn?
Or maybe it’s about privacy.
This chap had GDPR “legitimate interest” on his side. It was probably perfectly legal. But just because you can, should you? Is calling someone on day 3 of a new job because you have the data and their mobile number the best way to go?
I understand, I'm in B2B, and business needs to get done. Of course, as we are all remote(ish)—(and I'm sorry if your employer is getting all 20th-century on this and trying to chain you to a desk)—I understand why I got the call.
I no longer have a desk phone, your father's legitimate place to call me to flog something. But good lord, when your father had a desk phone, he was not publicly available to woo on every social media channel or email.
But no, my rant is that this conversation was based on a lie.
As you’ve probably guessed.
You’ve had these conversations countless times yourself; no, our BD had not been in touch with this company, let alone shared my details.
You might think this is a little thing, and all is fair in love and sales.
But with all the ways we have to connect today - why start with a lie?
VP Marketing // I simplify complex products & brands for greater reach & impact
12 个月I love the auto-generated emails that have old data and refer to it in the present tense. Like, my guy, our company hasn't been called that for a couple of years now. That was my job title back in 2005. Talk about giving away the lie immediately. If you're going to participate in unethical business practices, you should at least attempt to do it well (but it should come as no surprise that people who are willing to take the lie shortcut also don't do a good job in other areas of their work).
Helping B2B Sellers and Teams Transform into Top 10% Performers | From Good to Great: Hit Targets Consistently I Gap Selling Certified I SalesDoneRight.co
1 年Curious....How do People feel about being cold called on their cell phones? ......
B2B Marketing Strategy | Lover of animals, music, and complicated B2B GTM strategies in need of clarity.
1 年I don't care if a company could lose me 50lbs, win the lottery, and give me an unlimited supply of beach houses anywhere I want for free for the rest of my life. You start off with a lie with me, and your company will be *SCORCHED* by me until the end of time anywhere I go, and to anyone I talk to. EVER. Because all that tells me is that you KNOW your product or service is bullshit and can't stand on its own merit, so you'd rather be devious and spend more time crafting lies than a value prop. NO, NO, NO. I'd also terminate whoever's idea this was because while sales technique can be taught, ethics cannot.
So many of our communication channels are getting inundated with spam, phishing, robo-calls, and the like. Perhaps, Ian Truscott, we should disappear down the rabbit hole and hibernate until they go away.
MD, The Advertist new biz expert, Director SuperTalent Creative, podcast host | Linktree - keithjsmith
1 年So true Ian Truscott. It's usually down to a lack of maturity in the sales person. They - either privately or as a team - brainstormed a few openers and this was the level of sophistication they achieved; it should tell you everything you need to know about the company. If they have to lie to justify why they are making contact, then...conversation over. The fact that you answered the call, thinking it was to do with your father-in-law just compounds the issue. There are two problems but only one of them is the rep's - the lie to get your attention. I hope all is OK, family-side.