What's a Pitch Slap? Avoiding ethical selling gaffes
A seller and buyer are at their best when two individuals, or a group, are genuinely interested in solving each other's problems.
Some questions we want to see from this include:
What isn't right though is leading straight into a pitch. This is what we affectionately call the pitch slap since they listen to you, there is no connection present, and an immediate pitch is given.
A real-life example
Election season is in full swing and I got a call today for a local race. The point isn't about beliefs as it is about how things were handled on the phone.
Caller: Hi, is this Brad Messer?
Me: This is Brad, how can I be of service?
Caller: I'm calling for <insert_name_here> and <long_drawn_out_speech_to_rile_me_up>. Can we count on your vote?
Me: I'll be out to vote, but please don't pitch-slap me.
Caller: Ok, well <bad_objection_handling> hang up call mid-sentence
What's evident here is they didn't care about me, they were only interested in hearing themselves talk and wouldn't hear otherwise. The minute we got into speech, my eyes began to roll.
A better sales script
Sales isn't just about getting your client's problems solved, it's also about them deciding with an increasing level of confidence that you should be the person to help them.
Done right and I mean truly correctly, feels like collaborative problem-solving and aligns people toward a shared goal.
Here's an example we could change to:
Caller: Hi, is this Brad Messer?
Me: Yes! How can I be of service?
Caller: I'm with <local_candidate_name> and we did research showing <insert results_here>. You know how it's always hard to verify these things though. Would you have time to talk about this?
Me: I would! Goodness knows there are breaks in the work day and I have a moment.
Caller: Perfect! Continue with dialogue here
...
Me: You're right. That is weird and I do appreciate you making me aware of it.
Caller: I'm glad to hear that. Can we count on your vote?
Me: Yes.
This is how you conduct an ethical sales call.
The difference - How it feels
The first example was jarring and illustrated the caller didn't care about me; the second example was refined, classy, and even felt soothing to be in the conversation.
The person who asks the most questions controls the conversation, not the one who talks the most.
Due to this, there is a stark difference in whether I want to collaborate with the seller.
Getting into the proper flow
As hinted above, it's all about how we treat the people we work with and how we want them to feel based on their work with us.
When I finish up, I want people to feel like they've been treated incredibly well, and so I make sure to adjust the scripts quickly if we make a mistake.
Even in closed contracts, we will still make learning gaffes, but we all get there in the end.
Best of luck in your travels!