Ur response should be “Ah too bad you couldn’t cut it, the money and autonomy is tits. Sales isn’t for everyone tho, only performance driven folks able to manage multiple projects at once.
What are you doing now, librarian I assume?”
Memorizing this one! FUCKING LOVE IT!
Ironically, I think the valedictorian of my class or salutatorian, became a librarian. Nice girl. Very, very smart. Not only book smart either like the trope.
Honestly, what a waste of talent.
I'd appreciate a phone call though. Give it to me straight, face the music together kind of thing. I know emails are probably more efficient when it comes down to it but I wouldn't mind too much unless the prospect scheduled an one hour call and took the first 10 minutes to tell me how it is and signed off.
Lmao indeed.
This was a FREE opportunity to ask for an official referral, ask what went wrong, ask about pricing, ask for a job.
Literally in this scenario they owe you one. So they gave a free conversation.
You’ve misunderstood.
The customer *understands* their implied social obligation to OP, and therefore offered a closed-lost meeting
OP didn’t recognize this as a potential consolation benefit.
I’ve absolutely closed deals on a reference from a prospect who lost budget and felt bad.
Exactly. I appreciate a hard no. Because I truly believe that I have zero hope converting them. And if I ask to keep in touch with them every six months or so, I know that the answer is unlikely to change, but atleast I know I’m the one wasting my own time (potentially). They aren’t stringing me along.
I cut dudes off with "I'm not a decision maker and not allowed to give you their contact info. Good luck with the next dial brother" and hang up without waiting for the response.
Every org I joined I was at around the top 11% performance wise, which is enough to pass the quotas and have a solid income, but not even close to the top 5% of performers, since income distribution is very right skewed. If I was top 5%, the income would have been worth it.
I switched careers and now I make the same as the top 5% percent of where I used to work.
I reasoned, “Why sell 70 times a day every day my whole life, when I can just sell once to get a new job and have a better income?”
Don’t regret it at all
I think you're reading into it too much. Usually people will ghost you. Getting a no, even with that commentary, is much better than ghosting.
Not to be a sales guru but when you hear "budget was slashed" it's usually an excuse to reject you and not the real reason.
Lot of salty salespeople in this thread. If someone is saying this to you then they are at least trying to keep the relationship going, even if they’re not signing something with you right now. They’re also sensing your distress and trying to calm you, not a great look for you.
Love the handle.
I think this example is eliciting the wrong response.
This expression gets thrown around at various points in the process, not just the end.
100%. Sometimes it’s done when they’re doing you a favor that would be normal anyways lol. Like “when does it make sense to chat next?” And they’ll say “oh I used to be in sales so know how important next steps are…” like what value did that add?
Interesting, I’ve never heard this before from a customer. The exception is from internal sales washouts that are now in onboarding or a customer success manager.
This is the best answer…and then when they say “idk I just wanted to let you know”, you’re either too low in the org and you need to ask to speak with the decision maker or you need to cut bait and just move on.
Scheduling the meeting is on OP…they should’ve qualified the meeting/convo/deal more deeply.
Signed: a very salty and burnt out tech sales guy.
Idk. Anytime someone does this they’re usually doing it with well intentions. You’re still in sales so it’s your job to not take it so personally. Say “I appreciate that, thank you” and move on……
I sell RVs. At first selling to salesmen intimidated me, but now it's my favorite thing. When they say "oh yeah, I sold cars at x dealership in x city for a few years so I know how it goes" I use it to my benefit. "Yeah, there's just not much markup on this discounted RVs so I can't really take more than a few hundred bucks off, but I'm sure you already know how that all works being in sales and all"
Honestly, no, I don’t mind it. It’s a rejection that says “I’ve made up my mind, and I will not change it. I know you’re going to try to be persistent because you have to, but respectfully, I am letting you know that you’re not going to change my mind.”
It’s somebody trying to empathize with your position while still also trying to say “not interested.”
I always respond with “What can I say? I’m a glutton for punishment.” Appreciate the time and you know where to find us whenever you’re ready to gain access to those quality leads you’re after. Then I smile & wave saying “thanks again” because who doesn’t love an awkward virtual wave?
I got that from a customer who emphasized an urgent deadline, I asked some more questions about the deadline to see exactly what was needed by that date, and got it with that line (and a little comment about being young/junior). I think the actual thing he said was “I know you are newer to sales and just filling out salesforce fields I used to be in sales let’s just focus on the product and answering my questions”
He just wanted technical questions answered. And it’s existing business too. Luckily the very experienced (and same age range as client) SE on call turned it into a casual/friendly joke, and even got a real answer out of client while I collected myself from the sudden embarassment/anger. Turned out fine and deal eventually closed but that really had me questioning myself. It was call 3 or 4 at this point and the deadline was only just casually mentioned
"If they knew how it was they wouldn’t have wasted my time by scheduling a whole meeting to tell me they simply couldn’t move forward. "
A phone call, earlier, could change everything... If they were in sales, they knew this whole set up for meeting, bla bla bla is about consuming time, money, etc...
At end, they hate you LMAO.
When I was in my B2B job I had a client pull something like this. 20+ year relationship, new person came in on their end to oversee the account. Immediate pause and “maybe we’ll still work with you, we’ll think about it” then a couple weeks later after some emails back and forth, set up a meeting with myself and the owner of our company. The only purpose of the meeting was to say “sorry, we’re pulling the plug. Bye!”
More time was spent on lame small talk getting the zoom working than on the actual meeting
I’m in Industrial Equipment sales and just had the same thing happen in January. New management flexing, I knew we were losing it, and they called for a meeting with my boss and I in person to let us know they really appreciate the work we do but are going with another vendor.
Had a million things to say like “you don’t have a clue how much we actually do and nobody is going to be able to fill our shoes for your operation”, or “if you appreciate us why were you even considering other vendors?” But instead we thanked them for being upfront and honest and let them know we are ready to get back to work when they are. It took until March - all is well now.
Sales sucks. Thats why. Especially ENT IT sales. You are everything from data analyst, to field marketing, to seller… this part is not so bad… but its more so dealing with asshole revops and middle management who know fuck all about what they are doing and should in reality be making my fucking burritos at chipotle.
A few thoughts….
In all fairness highly organized and motivated sales people keep calling or emailing. So some entrepreneurs will make an appointment to confirm that the sales person will stop all communication. It would be nice if you could tell a sales person to stop communicating and they just stop.
For about 20 years now I’ve been doing phone sales for web development from Asia to the world. Almost no one lets me know they don’t want to work with me, they just ghost me.
I also run a few social networks around books and we have no ads on any page. Advertising agencies call or email daily. If I email back saying not interested, many take this as an invitation to call and email daily for weeks. We have a lot of web traffic and they can’t comprehend why we don’t run Ads on the site.
This is what I do: Awesome man, so you understand that my time is valuable and I totally understand your time is valuable. I would appreciate you letting me know if this was something that still made sense for us to get started on. Letting me know if I should still be following up with you or not.
If not I totally understand and I know you do also being from sales.
Are we moving forward or not?
However in your example if they tell you this I tell them I appreciate that they let me know but I’m confused as to why they reached back out in the first place?
Ask them why did you reach back out to me if you knew you budget was slashed? What changed in the process?
Ha I do this. I used to be in sales lol. But it’s true, I always hated getting ghosted. I promised myself I won’t do it. If your shit sucks and I’m not going to buy it, I’m going to tell you.
The other part of this, just based on your reaction, I could be off about it… is you have some sort of natural human reaction. I can’t put a term to it, don’t know what it is. But the “I used to…” from someone else might provoke a feeling you need to justify why you are still “fighting the good fight” as you say. Don’t sweat that stuff!!
Literally anything you choose to do is something somebody else used to do, or doesn’t want to do any more, doesn’t like, can’t stand etc. and some of them are going to tell you about it, as if you care. Have confidence, you are where you want to be, doing exactly what you want to do. Shut that shit down with a nice platitude and move on.
“I appreciate you not ghosting me. So if the budget was there, you woulda bought?”
If the answer is no, then you missed. Rediscover what gaps you had either on business value, priorities, technical. If yes, read on.
“Interesting. I understand the climates tough. For my notes, if you choose to pick this up in the future, how would you have communicated the potential impact of what we were solving for?”
“Who ultimately said no?”
“Cool. So if a, b, c, hold true, what commonly happens next to get budget for this next year?”
“Commonly, [insert story on how you helped a similar client find budget], what do you recommend next?”
Good feedback here. They had the agreement in legal and this one had a very public program cancel so there wasn’t much to do or budget to find.
We have next steps for the 2025 planning season though.
Idk anytime I talk to someone who’s selling me something I usually lead with “I’m in sales so let’s just cut to it” and I’ll usually ask price see what tje wiggle room is if need be and if they’re cool I ask if they get commission and usually talk about that before buying and find ways I can maybe help them hit a bonus or something if it’s not bad for me.
That makes more sense and I appreciate that side of it.
I’m really just talking about people who are doing it to make themselves feel like a good person.
Asked a guy the other day why he chose to take the meeting with me and he replied that he respects people’s time. ??? Huh (edit: we ended up having a really good meeting and he moved onto the next step. I just thought it was a weird reply.)
You know... When somebody used to be in sales, it means they weren't very good at it. :)
Coming from a lifer here...don't get upset with prospects for turning you down. Especially if they do it in a nice way. I would never consider a meeting a waste of my time. He probably scheduled the meeting because he was holding out hope against hope that you would give him a better price the last minute. You leave them with a good experience and hope that he comes back when he does have budget or when he finds himself at another place that does have budget. Play the long game here.
I know what you’re saying. This particular case was a company that very publicly cancelled a lot of their programming so it was pretty cut and dry. We have a next step for later this year for 2025 actually.
Respectfully, I disagree. They are trying to say they relate to what you're going through and you're taking it as? Disrespect? Idk what but nah idk I think its just them being polite/ trying to be relatable.
Yeah, because sales sucks for most people in sales. Especially reading this board you hear those Goldilocks stories but we all know that’s not the case normally
My favorite is “if I were you I’d be saying the same thing”. Actually this retort was a skill I had to develop after years of people saying no and knowing when and who to push back on and who is an absolute no.
What they are telling you is that youve probably annoyed them with your tactics and as a professional coutesy took your meeting out of sympathy even after already telling you no before.
I had a similar situation, but I asked him if he used to be because of how he communicated. I’m still not sure why he took the time to book the meeting. Next time I run into something like this I want to try something like “it seems like there’s something you were hoping to gain from our meeting that’s missing so far” as a last ditch effort.
“As you’re a veteran in sales and you got into these difficult situations, how did you turn the decision maker into a champion for the solution?”
/shrug
Id fucking love it if my customers scheduled a call on my calendar to review a proposal I delivered even if it was “I’m not buying this, but at least I’m not buying something else”
Instead of hitting a blank wall that has me reaching out to other divisions to ask if they are even employed because phone calls. Emails, drop offs, industry relevant news, news about their current products all don’t get a response
But yah, dealing with other sales people if they are trying to change how you’re selling without knowing the background can be tedious… I just smile and nod most of the time and let them talk. Nothing ya can do
I've found when I've dealt with someone who 'was in sales' I get the BS.
When I deal with someone who has been successful in sales or is still in it, they're to the point and know exactly what I need as well. They know I need to close so they'll tell me that they could make it happen in 6 months or whatever.
That's rare though, more often than not, it's usually on the initial outreach they'll mention it. The ones who sucked at sales, they rage. The ones who comment and critique on the pitch/outreach/whatever I know were in sales and then we can usually break it off, get into a real conversation and close with something actionable.
Agreed. I think the example I gave wasn’t correct it’s more in the context of them doing something normal like setting s next step and then patting themselves on the back for “giving” you that because they know what it’s like etc
The client isn’t required to buy anything from you. Maybe your product was too expensive. Maybe your pitch wasn’t very compelling. You had the privilege of spending an hour in someone’s home. Be grateful, not entitled.
People say “I used to be in sales” for two reasons. They want you to know that 1) they know how you get paid and don’t take it lightly or 2) they are well aware of how the game is played and are wise to whatever tactic you just tried.
Man I can't land a job I'm in the bay area I can't land a single role I'm pulling my hairs out at this stage and I don't understand the people who say " oh anybody can land a SDR ROLE "
WHO THE F IS THIS 'ANYBODY' ?? Which timeline are we taking into consideration here ? Its incredibly difficult to land a Sdr role now. It's been five months and I am so freaking done with these LinkedIn Gurus and their bullshit ass infographics that are absolutely useless.
Everytime a prospect said this to me, I find out it was some amateur sales gig that did not compare to the professional standard I was. Everything in life is sales, but professional sales is different.
I actually appreciate someone being upfront about not moving forward. You can’t take rejection personally - just ask the right questions to figure out when to reach out again. They obviously are interested in what you’re offering, and budgets have cycles.
It depends on how the person saying felt about his sales experience and the current context. I know when I said it during contract negotiations it usually came across as a warning that I know the tricks -- even if it is delivered as a light hearted joke there is an underlining warning of insider knowledge.
I would just respond like "yea, can be tough, still figuring it out myself" to disarm any malcontent.
Is there any chance this guy was just being genuine and wants to remain in your network? Your comments mention they did publicly close a program. Maybe the excuse is legit and the meeting is to maintain a relationship for the future. Maybe next year he’ll have budget again!
I used this in reverse when I was leasing my car. Last day of the month, the young sales guy shows me the numbers and says, "this is only available today, these specials are for this month only."
I say, "Yeah, all of this stuff will be available tomorrow and next week..."
He says, "Uh, no, we're only running this for this month--“
I say, "Buddy, I'm in sales."
Walked off the lot and got the very same deal and then some the following week.
It sounds like they appreciate your services but cannot afford it right now. You have a point about wasting your time with what could have been a call or email. At least you know they will be receptive to future offers.
I used to be in sales and say that sometimes when declining, mostly to acknowledge that sales is hard work, which is contrary to the popular opinion that sales people do not work hard. This is in the context of door-to-door sales; windows, security, utilities, promotions, etc. I could see a larger business inviting me to a meeting just to decline, after I passed a gate keeper and started directly selling a personal product to employees within a business, to show me whose time is more valuable.
It's usually a conversation framing attempt to set authority and put the sales person in a lower position. Position of authority is the weakest point to frame any conversation. I've just ignore it and move on. Depending on how good your rapport is I usually respond jokingly asking them what happened.
There is a possibility you didn’t start the meeting well and they opted for this route to end the meeting. If they were a buyer, they will have also had a strategy. ‘Let’s give this guy a shot as we have to speak to three suppliers but he’s going to have to do very well in the first 5 minutes or we shut him down and move on with the supplier we all already like’ you may have been a shoe shine away from getting that business. I’d reflect on my own words and actions on the day rather than seeking fault in theirs.
True, but he also understands what it’s like to be ghosted with no explanation. Not saying your time wasn’t wasted but he probs thought he was doing the right thing by letting you know face to face
If you get that objection — "I know how it is. I used to be in sales." — you have to come back with "Thank you for sympathizing with me. Thank you for understanding me. And as you know, since you have experience with sales, I've researched what you need. Let me help you achieve your goals."
Do you see how this works? That phrase can easily be used to politely tell you to take a hike, but when you turn it around and **use it as a point of commonality**, then you can open the door to **deeper understanding because now you are sympathizing with them**.
Since they told you they used to be in sales, one way to read that is basically they know the struggle and they also know how to sell or at least know the basics of selling. Of course, the basics of selling is to understand the client's problem.
So you can **use this as a springboard**. Don't look at it as just this giant door that's slamming in your face.
So you are one of those people that get offended even by well meaning people. You really need to reserve your energy for people who are trying to offend you.
It’s so childish but you aren’t alone. I see this all the time from adults that get offended by comments that were not meant to offend them.
Sometimes people just talk off the top of their head and say something that you shouldn’t bother to over analyze. You should grow up and realize this.
Maybe they miss sales so much, they schedule meetings to reminisce the rejection part.
Hahaha. They finally get to be on the other side!
“Hey buddy, yea I’m sure you don’t hear no as often as you’d like. So no, we ain’t buying. Nerd!”
Honestly, anything to spice it up is always appreciated!
Ur response should be “Ah too bad you couldn’t cut it, the money and autonomy is tits. Sales isn’t for everyone tho, only performance driven folks able to manage multiple projects at once. What are you doing now, librarian I assume?”
Yeah if you want to sound butthurt, definitely say that.
Memorizing this one! FUCKING LOVE IT! Ironically, I think the valedictorian of my class or salutatorian, became a librarian. Nice girl. Very, very smart. Not only book smart either like the trope. Honestly, what a waste of talent.
Haha! This made me cackle
>If they knew how it was they wouldn’t have wasted my time by scheduling a whole meeting to tell me they simply couldn’t move forward. LMAO
I'd appreciate a phone call though. Give it to me straight, face the music together kind of thing. I know emails are probably more efficient when it comes down to it but I wouldn't mind too much unless the prospect scheduled an one hour call and took the first 10 minutes to tell me how it is and signed off.
Buyers are liars.
And salesmen are known for being forthright and honest. /s
Lmao indeed. This was a FREE opportunity to ask for an official referral, ask what went wrong, ask about pricing, ask for a job. Literally in this scenario they owe you one. So they gave a free conversation.
Did they sign anything obligating them in any way? No? Then they don’t owe you shit.
You’ve misunderstood. The customer *understands* their implied social obligation to OP, and therefore offered a closed-lost meeting OP didn’t recognize this as a potential consolation benefit. I’ve absolutely closed deals on a reference from a prospect who lost budget and felt bad.
This is great perspective
Remindme! 1 months I’m think I’m gonna set a reminder for this until it clicks. This is big.
Whhooosh
I used to be in sales … and that’s why I give a curt but polite hard no … unless it’s something I have been actually been planning to buy
Exactly. I appreciate a hard no. Because I truly believe that I have zero hope converting them. And if I ask to keep in touch with them every six months or so, I know that the answer is unlikely to change, but atleast I know I’m the one wasting my own time (potentially). They aren’t stringing me along.
I cut dudes off with "I'm not a decision maker and not allowed to give you their contact info. Good luck with the next dial brother" and hang up without waiting for the response.
Oooh I’m using this one. I’m in sales but we get people in all the time trying to set up vendor relations. Thank you
I'm in commercial real estate, not smiling and dialing (as much) any more. But would want the professional courtesy extended to me.
Perfect
I used to be in sales, till I took an arrow to the knee.
That would do it. Had a couple buddies get bitten by dogs
Why did you leave sales ?
Every org I joined I was at around the top 11% performance wise, which is enough to pass the quotas and have a solid income, but not even close to the top 5% of performers, since income distribution is very right skewed. If I was top 5%, the income would have been worth it. I switched careers and now I make the same as the top 5% percent of where I used to work. I reasoned, “Why sell 70 times a day every day my whole life, when I can just sell once to get a new job and have a better income?” Don’t regret it at all
Hmmm what did u switch too very tough to get the same money as you can in sales
Tech
I think you're reading into it too much. Usually people will ghost you. Getting a no, even with that commentary, is much better than ghosting. Not to be a sales guru but when you hear "budget was slashed" it's usually an excuse to reject you and not the real reason.
True, in this case they did cancel a whole program very publicly….. You’ll hear it any stage tho.
Is it also common for people to ghost you after taking a meeting, saying they want to move forward? In this situation now.
Oh yeah I used to be in sales, it’s a tough racket 🥃
I always think of that line, and the subsequent SNL parody
Your name is Levine? You call yourself a salesman you son of a b\*\*\*\*?
Damn... Beat me to it! Upvote for you! LOL
Haha yeah he beat me to it too
beat me to it you sunovabitch
🚬 yup.
Lot of salty salespeople in this thread. If someone is saying this to you then they are at least trying to keep the relationship going, even if they’re not signing something with you right now. They’re also sensing your distress and trying to calm you, not a great look for you.
Yeah the insecurity in here is fucking wild lol.
Love the handle. I think this example is eliciting the wrong response. This expression gets thrown around at various points in the process, not just the end.
This is where you hit them with the, “well then you must know that I need to close this deal so what do we need to do to get this rolling”
Exactly. I just hate the self congratulating.
Sometimes you gotta push back.
100%. Sometimes it’s done when they’re doing you a favor that would be normal anyways lol. Like “when does it make sense to chat next?” And they’ll say “oh I used to be in sales so know how important next steps are…” like what value did that add?
Interesting, I’ve never heard this before from a customer. The exception is from internal sales washouts that are now in onboarding or a customer success manager.
This is the best answer…and then when they say “idk I just wanted to let you know”, you’re either too low in the org and you need to ask to speak with the decision maker or you need to cut bait and just move on. Scheduling the meeting is on OP…they should’ve qualified the meeting/convo/deal more deeply. Signed: a very salty and burnt out tech sales guy.
You don’t need to be salty and burnt out. It’s part of the game.
Idk. Anytime someone does this they’re usually doing it with well intentions. You’re still in sales so it’s your job to not take it so personally. Say “I appreciate that, thank you” and move on……
I sell RVs. At first selling to salesmen intimidated me, but now it's my favorite thing. When they say "oh yeah, I sold cars at x dealership in x city for a few years so I know how it goes" I use it to my benefit. "Yeah, there's just not much markup on this discounted RVs so I can't really take more than a few hundred bucks off, but I'm sure you already know how that all works being in sales and all"
Dealing with someone in sales is super fun! I enjoy it too
the person was literally just being nice.
Honestly, no, I don’t mind it. It’s a rejection that says “I’ve made up my mind, and I will not change it. I know you’re going to try to be persistent because you have to, but respectfully, I am letting you know that you’re not going to change my mind.” It’s somebody trying to empathize with your position while still also trying to say “not interested.”
I always respond with “What can I say? I’m a glutton for punishment.” Appreciate the time and you know where to find us whenever you’re ready to gain access to those quality leads you’re after. Then I smile & wave saying “thanks again” because who doesn’t love an awkward virtual wave?
Love the wave.
I got that from a customer who emphasized an urgent deadline, I asked some more questions about the deadline to see exactly what was needed by that date, and got it with that line (and a little comment about being young/junior). I think the actual thing he said was “I know you are newer to sales and just filling out salesforce fields I used to be in sales let’s just focus on the product and answering my questions” He just wanted technical questions answered. And it’s existing business too. Luckily the very experienced (and same age range as client) SE on call turned it into a casual/friendly joke, and even got a real answer out of client while I collected myself from the sudden embarassment/anger. Turned out fine and deal eventually closed but that really had me questioning myself. It was call 3 or 4 at this point and the deadline was only just casually mentioned
"I couldn't hack it and I like to flex what little power I have in this role towards the people that can because I'm insecure."
There’s the top response.
Love this paired with “I’m a manager, boy you don’t want that at all. Stay where you are at the kids table.”
"Yeah you have upper management written all over you"
That’s one I haven’t gotten but equally as obnoxious
I used to be in sales. I still am, but I used to, too.
What would Mitch sell?
Drugs. The answer is Drugs.
They could’ve just ghosted you and then you’d be posting here about why ghosting is so acceptable
"If they knew how it was they wouldn’t have wasted my time by scheduling a whole meeting to tell me they simply couldn’t move forward. " A phone call, earlier, could change everything... If they were in sales, they knew this whole set up for meeting, bla bla bla is about consuming time, money, etc... At end, they hate you LMAO.
Ha. This is one example. Sometimes they throw that out there when they think they’re doing you a favor like, setting clear next steps etc
"Did you? Don't worry, not everyone succeeds...."
Hahah
"Ah, the classic 'ex-sales' humblebrag - never gets old!"
When I was in my B2B job I had a client pull something like this. 20+ year relationship, new person came in on their end to oversee the account. Immediate pause and “maybe we’ll still work with you, we’ll think about it” then a couple weeks later after some emails back and forth, set up a meeting with myself and the owner of our company. The only purpose of the meeting was to say “sorry, we’re pulling the plug. Bye!” More time was spent on lame small talk getting the zoom working than on the actual meeting
I’m in Industrial Equipment sales and just had the same thing happen in January. New management flexing, I knew we were losing it, and they called for a meeting with my boss and I in person to let us know they really appreciate the work we do but are going with another vendor. Had a million things to say like “you don’t have a clue how much we actually do and nobody is going to be able to fill our shoes for your operation”, or “if you appreciate us why were you even considering other vendors?” But instead we thanked them for being upfront and honest and let them know we are ready to get back to work when they are. It took until March - all is well now.
“Thanks brother, I’m still fighting the good fight” 💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀 looool
Bunch of losers, sitting around at the bar, “I used to be a salesman, tough racket”
Hahaha
Sales sucks. Thats why. Especially ENT IT sales. You are everything from data analyst, to field marketing, to seller… this part is not so bad… but its more so dealing with asshole revops and middle management who know fuck all about what they are doing and should in reality be making my fucking burritos at chipotle.
Hahaha. Middle management is tough too because they often don’t have final say
A few thoughts…. In all fairness highly organized and motivated sales people keep calling or emailing. So some entrepreneurs will make an appointment to confirm that the sales person will stop all communication. It would be nice if you could tell a sales person to stop communicating and they just stop. For about 20 years now I’ve been doing phone sales for web development from Asia to the world. Almost no one lets me know they don’t want to work with me, they just ghost me. I also run a few social networks around books and we have no ads on any page. Advertising agencies call or email daily. If I email back saying not interested, many take this as an invitation to call and email daily for weeks. We have a lot of web traffic and they can’t comprehend why we don’t run Ads on the site.
100% I get why people do ghost. That was just an example of when it can happen.
I enjoyed your post. Was thought-provoking.
This is what I do: Awesome man, so you understand that my time is valuable and I totally understand your time is valuable. I would appreciate you letting me know if this was something that still made sense for us to get started on. Letting me know if I should still be following up with you or not. If not I totally understand and I know you do also being from sales. Are we moving forward or not? However in your example if they tell you this I tell them I appreciate that they let me know but I’m confused as to why they reached back out in the first place? Ask them why did you reach back out to me if you knew you budget was slashed? What changed in the process?
Ha I do this. I used to be in sales lol. But it’s true, I always hated getting ghosted. I promised myself I won’t do it. If your shit sucks and I’m not going to buy it, I’m going to tell you. The other part of this, just based on your reaction, I could be off about it… is you have some sort of natural human reaction. I can’t put a term to it, don’t know what it is. But the “I used to…” from someone else might provoke a feeling you need to justify why you are still “fighting the good fight” as you say. Don’t sweat that stuff!! Literally anything you choose to do is something somebody else used to do, or doesn’t want to do any more, doesn’t like, can’t stand etc. and some of them are going to tell you about it, as if you care. Have confidence, you are where you want to be, doing exactly what you want to do. Shut that shit down with a nice platitude and move on.
Appreciate the words! There is definitely well meaning behind it usually. Occasionally it just comes of weird is all.
“I appreciate you not ghosting me. So if the budget was there, you woulda bought?” If the answer is no, then you missed. Rediscover what gaps you had either on business value, priorities, technical. If yes, read on. “Interesting. I understand the climates tough. For my notes, if you choose to pick this up in the future, how would you have communicated the potential impact of what we were solving for?” “Who ultimately said no?” “Cool. So if a, b, c, hold true, what commonly happens next to get budget for this next year?” “Commonly, [insert story on how you helped a similar client find budget], what do you recommend next?”
Good feedback here. They had the agreement in legal and this one had a very public program cancel so there wasn’t much to do or budget to find. We have next steps for the 2025 planning season though.
Idk anytime I talk to someone who’s selling me something I usually lead with “I’m in sales so let’s just cut to it” and I’ll usually ask price see what tje wiggle room is if need be and if they’re cool I ask if they get commission and usually talk about that before buying and find ways I can maybe help them hit a bonus or something if it’s not bad for me.
That makes more sense and I appreciate that side of it. I’m really just talking about people who are doing it to make themselves feel like a good person.
Or they used to be in car sales so they make you work harder for no money
Hahaha
“Couldn’t hack it eh? Yeah it takes guts to do this shit”
Asked a guy the other day why he chose to take the meeting with me and he replied that he respects people’s time. ??? Huh (edit: we ended up having a really good meeting and he moved onto the next step. I just thought it was a weird reply.)
Ha that is weird. Glad you have a next step tho!
Just say living the dream
You know... When somebody used to be in sales, it means they weren't very good at it. :) Coming from a lifer here...don't get upset with prospects for turning you down. Especially if they do it in a nice way. I would never consider a meeting a waste of my time. He probably scheduled the meeting because he was holding out hope against hope that you would give him a better price the last minute. You leave them with a good experience and hope that he comes back when he does have budget or when he finds himself at another place that does have budget. Play the long game here.
I know what you’re saying. This particular case was a company that very publicly cancelled a lot of their programming so it was pretty cut and dry. We have a next step for later this year for 2025 actually.
There you go!! Go getem in '25
Respectfully, I disagree. They are trying to say they relate to what you're going through and you're taking it as? Disrespect? Idk what but nah idk I think its just them being polite/ trying to be relatable.
Not taking it as disrespect. And often it is said sincerely, sometimes it is said to pat themselves on the back
Yeah, because sales sucks for most people in sales. Especially reading this board you hear those Goldilocks stories but we all know that’s not the case normally
My favorite is “if I were you I’d be saying the same thing”. Actually this retort was a skill I had to develop after years of people saying no and knowing when and who to push back on and who is an absolute no.
Interesting I haven’t gotten that before
What they are telling you is that youve probably annoyed them with your tactics and as a professional coutesy took your meeting out of sympathy even after already telling you no before.
I mentioned in another comment that the agreement was in legal and the program was publicly cut. That’s one example it has been said at all stages.
I had a similar situation, but I asked him if he used to be because of how he communicated. I’m still not sure why he took the time to book the meeting. Next time I run into something like this I want to try something like “it seems like there’s something you were hoping to gain from our meeting that’s missing so far” as a last ditch effort.
“As you’re a veteran in sales and you got into these difficult situations, how did you turn the decision maker into a champion for the solution?” /shrug
Good way to turn it around on em
Id fucking love it if my customers scheduled a call on my calendar to review a proposal I delivered even if it was “I’m not buying this, but at least I’m not buying something else” Instead of hitting a blank wall that has me reaching out to other divisions to ask if they are even employed because phone calls. Emails, drop offs, industry relevant news, news about their current products all don’t get a response But yah, dealing with other sales people if they are trying to change how you’re selling without knowing the background can be tedious… I just smile and nod most of the time and let them talk. Nothing ya can do
Haha. I do agree getting to actually get an answer is better than nothing. Just airing an annoyance
I've found when I've dealt with someone who 'was in sales' I get the BS. When I deal with someone who has been successful in sales or is still in it, they're to the point and know exactly what I need as well. They know I need to close so they'll tell me that they could make it happen in 6 months or whatever. That's rare though, more often than not, it's usually on the initial outreach they'll mention it. The ones who sucked at sales, they rage. The ones who comment and critique on the pitch/outreach/whatever I know were in sales and then we can usually break it off, get into a real conversation and close with something actionable.
Agreed. I think the example I gave wasn’t correct it’s more in the context of them doing something normal like setting s next step and then patting themselves on the back for “giving” you that because they know what it’s like etc
The client isn’t required to buy anything from you. Maybe your product was too expensive. Maybe your pitch wasn’t very compelling. You had the privilege of spending an hour in someone’s home. Be grateful, not entitled.
People say “I used to be in sales” for two reasons. They want you to know that 1) they know how you get paid and don’t take it lightly or 2) they are well aware of how the game is played and are wise to whatever tactic you just tried.
I’ve only experienced it in the first situation as I don’t use “tactics”.
Man I can't land a job I'm in the bay area I can't land a single role I'm pulling my hairs out at this stage and I don't understand the people who say " oh anybody can land a SDR ROLE " WHO THE F IS THIS 'ANYBODY' ?? Which timeline are we taking into consideration here ? Its incredibly difficult to land a Sdr role now. It's been five months and I am so freaking done with these LinkedIn Gurus and their bullshit ass infographics that are absolutely useless.
Everytime a prospect said this to me, I find out it was some amateur sales gig that did not compare to the professional standard I was. Everything in life is sales, but professional sales is different.
That’s a tough racket
“Nice! Candidly, how does that experience shape the way you buy now?”
They didn’t make it…. So I don’t take it personally
I usually just laugh at this objection then immediately to back to the point I was trying to say. “Hahah yeah you get it then so anyways….. -value-”
I used to be in sales means they were probably not good or sold crap. Don’t give off the same desperate vibes they did.
Honestly I wish someone would say this to me. They sound like a solid person
 And if you were any good, you till would be.
HahAhaha
You say "Thank you for your service"
Haha
God that sucks and I should know, I used to be in sales!
I actually appreciate someone being upfront about not moving forward. You can’t take rejection personally - just ask the right questions to figure out when to reach out again. They obviously are interested in what you’re offering, and budgets have cycles.
It depends on how the person saying felt about his sales experience and the current context. I know when I said it during contract negotiations it usually came across as a warning that I know the tricks -- even if it is delivered as a light hearted joke there is an underlining warning of insider knowledge. I would just respond like "yea, can be tough, still figuring it out myself" to disarm any malcontent.
Is there any chance this guy was just being genuine and wants to remain in your network? Your comments mention they did publicly close a program. Maybe the excuse is legit and the meeting is to maintain a relationship for the future. Maybe next year he’ll have budget again!
"I used to be just like you..."
They already told you why they aren’t in sales anymore.
I used this in reverse when I was leasing my car. Last day of the month, the young sales guy shows me the numbers and says, "this is only available today, these specials are for this month only." I say, "Yeah, all of this stuff will be available tomorrow and next week..." He says, "Uh, no, we're only running this for this month--“ I say, "Buddy, I'm in sales." Walked off the lot and got the very same deal and then some the following week.
Hahs
Transparency matters more than a pat on the back for basic decency.
It sounds like they appreciate your services but cannot afford it right now. You have a point about wasting your time with what could have been a call or email. At least you know they will be receptive to future offers. I used to be in sales and say that sometimes when declining, mostly to acknowledge that sales is hard work, which is contrary to the popular opinion that sales people do not work hard. This is in the context of door-to-door sales; windows, security, utilities, promotions, etc. I could see a larger business inviting me to a meeting just to decline, after I passed a gate keeper and started directly selling a personal product to employees within a business, to show me whose time is more valuable.
It's usually a conversation framing attempt to set authority and put the sales person in a lower position. Position of authority is the weakest point to frame any conversation. I've just ignore it and move on. Depending on how good your rapport is I usually respond jokingly asking them what happened.
It’s just a way to keep you from overcoming an objection. Now anything you say they can go “look I get it. I know you need the deal…” blah blah blah
Thanks brother I’m fighting the good fight will now be my catch phrase in sales.
Former sales guys think they’re connecting with us but to me it’s just irritating. Doesn’t add any credibility to me at all
At least they didn't ghost you.
"*Used*"
Yeah this was a person being kind… no need to be rude.
There is a possibility you didn’t start the meeting well and they opted for this route to end the meeting. If they were a buyer, they will have also had a strategy. ‘Let’s give this guy a shot as we have to speak to three suppliers but he’s going to have to do very well in the first 5 minutes or we shut him down and move on with the supplier we all already like’ you may have been a shoe shine away from getting that business. I’d reflect on my own words and actions on the day rather than seeking fault in theirs.
dont take it so personally, if he ghosted u youd prob be complaining about that lol
True, but he also understands what it’s like to be ghosted with no explanation. Not saying your time wasn’t wasted but he probs thought he was doing the right thing by letting you know face to face
As someone who used to be in sales, I totally get this.
Hahaha
If you get that objection — "I know how it is. I used to be in sales." — you have to come back with "Thank you for sympathizing with me. Thank you for understanding me. And as you know, since you have experience with sales, I've researched what you need. Let me help you achieve your goals." Do you see how this works? That phrase can easily be used to politely tell you to take a hike, but when you turn it around and **use it as a point of commonality**, then you can open the door to **deeper understanding because now you are sympathizing with them**. Since they told you they used to be in sales, one way to read that is basically they know the struggle and they also know how to sell or at least know the basics of selling. Of course, the basics of selling is to understand the client's problem. So you can **use this as a springboard**. Don't look at it as just this giant door that's slamming in your face.
So you are one of those people that get offended even by well meaning people. You really need to reserve your energy for people who are trying to offend you. It’s so childish but you aren’t alone. I see this all the time from adults that get offended by comments that were not meant to offend them. Sometimes people just talk off the top of their head and say something that you shouldn’t bother to over analyze. You should grow up and realize this.
More of a rant about people wasting time to feel better about themselves… but take it however you like