Avoiding High Pressure Sales Situations
What are High Pressure Sale Situations?
High pressure sales situations are occurrences in which a customer is being aggressively encouraged to purchase an item, subscription for a service or magazine, or anything else that costs th customer money. Not only are these sales a big threat to your personal space and privacy, but they’re also a threat to your wallet. You can identify and avoid these aggressive sales techniques by first noticing the warning signs, and then using the appropriate refusal methods.
Different High Pressure Sales Examples
• The customer is at home and a sales associate arrives at their door. The customer answers the door and the sales associate recites information pertaining to deals and services they have to offer with a certain product.
• While in a store, sales associates will ask customers what they’re looking for or are interested in, and then recite information pertaining to the deals they have to offer.
• While a customer is at home, a sales associate will call their telephone and recite information pertaining to a purchase.
Why Aggressive Methods are Used
Aggressive sales methods are used because they work more than they fail. When entry-level sales associates begin a job, they receive technique trainings that will help them boost their sales. Not all people in sales are trained aggressive methods, so it should not be assumed that they’re all out to cause customers harm. Customers should recognize that sales associates earn money by completing successful sales. There’s appropriate responses customers can use to decline or avoid the high pressure sales approach.
How to Decline or Avoid
• The first step customers need to take in order to decline or avoid high pressure sales is being observant. Don’t open your door to someone you don’t know. Don’t enter your home phone number on any websites. If you plan on making a big purchase such as a television, consider buying it online or second-hand. This tactic could help you avoid associates at stores who are looking to make a big sale from you.
• Recognize the warning signs early in the conversation. If a sales associate is talking more than you are, interrupting you, or being intentionally vague about certain information pertaining to the product, consider yourself on guard.
• Once you have determined you’re in a high pressure sales situation, try to calmly take control of the conversation. Ask the associate for more information. Tell the associate that you’re not interested in the product, but do not reveal why. The associate has been trained to respond to your reasons for not making a purchase. If you are receiving a sales call on your telephone, ask to be removed from the calling list. Do not be swayed by deals the associate will offer you. Just simply say no. After you have declined, do not reveal any personal information or schedule another appointment in order to be polite. That will just make you vulnerable for another sale.
Peter Wendt is a writer and researcher working out of the great state of Texas. He has been writing about this subject for several years, click here to find his good resource.