Let’s face it. When you’re in the sewer industry for decades you see a lot. One thing I’m tired of is negative selling. This destructive sales technique threatens the growth of old and new technologies and endangers the entire trenchless technology industry.
It’s negative selling when a salesperson takes down the competition by providing negative and false information to an engineer in order to win business. Young engineers or others who specify projects are easily influenced and sometimes honor the information they receive. A salesperson who builds a business case this way is no different from a person shaming someone else to build himself up. It’s unethical no matter how you look at it.
Case in point
I recently observed an older engineer who was not completely comfortable with trenchless technology but found the need to use it thrust upon him. After listening to several salespeople tell him how bad other products were, he concluded that none of the trenchless solutions available to him were worth the risk.
He recommended a cut-and-cover solution to his boss because he knew it worked. Fortunately, he was directed to do some research, and in the end he specified a trenchless solution for the project. All went well, and the engineer now knows how misleading negative selling can be.
Both salespeople and engineers have an obligation in the selling process. When salespeople visit with engineers, it should be their intention to educate them about the aspects of their product or service that will ensure a successful project in the most cost-effective way.
Salespeople should speak about the unique selling proposition their products offer. They should tell why their products offer a competitive advantage and a viable solution for the job at hand. At no time should a salesperson provide misleading information about a competitor.
Engineers cannot submit to intellectual laziness during a sales pitch. Trained to think critically, they have a responsibility to learn the positive and negative aspects of each product or service they consider by obtaining engineering facts and checking references through independent sources. No product or service is perfect for every application. The job of deciding what is best for the project should not be based on a salesperson’s perception of the competition.
Take the pledge
Years ago, I called on an engineer to get my product into a list of approved bidders. The engineer opened by saying, “Your competition has told me about the problems with your product. You tell me about the problems with his product.”
I replied, “My competitor’s product is a good one. Let me tell you why mine is better.” I convinced him that he had been given wrong information, and ultimately I was placed on the approved bidder list for his project.
I wish I could say I won the bid. I lost on price, but the good news was that the engineer understood, perhaps for the first time, that he was doing his job of selecting qualified bidders by using biased and misleading inputs. That engineer is now known in his area as one who takes control of meetings and does not accept product information from competitors about each other.
I understand these are challenging economic times, and many people in our industry are concerned about their businesses. But negative selling is not the answer. People do business with people they like. That will never change, no matter what the economy is doing.
On behalf of the leading organization for the trenchless technology industry, I urge you to join me in this call to action: If you are using negative selling in your work, stop it. It is destructive to the entire trenchless industry.
If you are an engineer who allows salespeople to provide information about their competitors, stop it. It diminishes your professionalism. I encourage you to share this article with your employees and colleagues, incorporate best selling techniques at your next sales meeting, and educate engineers to identify negative selling.
Every NASSCO member has signed a pledge statement that includes a phrase worth repeating here: “Our integrity, ethics and technical competence are the source of our strength. They provide the industry’s corporate intelligence and determine its reputation.”
Whether or not you’re a NASSCO member, I hope you adhere to this statement. It’s the rising tide that will lift all boats. Our industry will only benefit if all of us do the right thing. Please join me. F
Irvin Gemora is executive director of NASSCO. He can be reached at director@nassco.org. The NASSCO headquarters is at 11521 Cronridge Dr., Suite J, Owings Mills, MD 21117.
