Free Advice

I just got a call from a sales rep who wanted to set up a 30 minute web demonstration with me to view their research database. He began by saying, "It's the perfect tool for your organization."

How does he know what's best for our organization without having a preliminary discussion?

So I told him how we conduct research, the access we already had to competitive tools and the varying types of projects for which we employ secondary research.

Because he had his talking points and his script, he didn't quite understand what to do with that information that I had given him. With no ability to deviate from his intended path, he again tried talking me into watching his demo. Not gonna happen: not on my billable hours and certainly not on my personal time.

I dropped to the bottom line: how much does your database cost?

He responded by saying that, since it's newly introduced, it's being aggressively sold for only $12K per year. So I asked him, for that much money, why we should invest. I was expecting a benefits-related sale but he restated that it is the best tool for our organization. Oh really?!

I told him that he was wasting his time with me and then gave him some free (read: unsolicited) advice: 1) ask probing questions to find out more about any organization's needs before pitching them, 2) target larger companies that are more likely to have budgets to support this solution, and 3) provide a back-of-the-envelope cost-benefit analysis to justify the expenditure.

If my billable rate is $1500/day and his solution can save me eight hours of research on a per-client basis, I can breakeven after only eight projects.

Here's where he could have potentially engaged me in conversation*:

• The quality of the data I currently employ -- often from myriad, conflicting sources and frequently a source of confusion
  
• Concerns around the ability to find critical pieces of data needed to ensure the recommendations we're offering, and the assumptions on which they are based, are solid
• The potential ramifications/consequences to my clients of a misguided strategy
  

Nah. Instead, he thanked me for my time and hung up.

I'm now left wondering why his company either didn't hire more qualified sales reps or provide adequate training for those on board.

What a waste of time and money.

*Note: not strong concerns. We're extremely careful and conservative with our assumptions.