Absolutely!
I was 19 when I landed my first Canadian sales job working at a bookstore. I was scared out of my wits, but I knew I had to get my foot in the job market door.
On my first day at work, I was told to stock up the shelves which I thought was perfect because I was nervous and wasn’t ready.
I was sweating profusely from lifting boxes when a customer approached me and asked, “Is this book good?” Like a deer caught in the headlights, I blurted something like: “Well…honestly, I don’t know… why don’t you buy it and find out?” Then I cursed myself for saying such a dumb thing.
The guy looked at me in disbelief, made an about face and headed for the cash register, where my boss was standing. I thought I was finished—fired and thrown out the door.
But he bought the book.
From that day on, I knew that there is no reason to be fake; that it’s okay to be really honest and say it like it is.
Exaggeration May Get You a Quick Sale But It’ll Cost You Loyal Customers
Sales people sometimes say the darndest thing when trying to sell something.
“Top of the line”, “proprietary”, “250K First Year Potential” etc. sounds like a bunch of BS that can turn off real prospects.
So unless you have a proven cure for cancer, don’t make the claim that your product or service will save lives. It will come back to bite you.
The phrase “under-promise and over-deliver” maybe a cliche, but it’s the best way to gain more customers in the long run. When you do, you’ll surprise and delight them and turn them into loyal customers.
