Mom Hits Salesman

In a sales situation you should always try and find common ground/interests with your client.
It helps establish rapport, trust, and credibility.
Just don't take it too far!

Back in the 1960’s my mom, who had eight small kids at home at the time, welcomed a door-to-door salesperson into my family's small two-bedroom home. The salesman was selling portrait photography packages for Olan Mills. He showed my mom several packages and as a thank you for listening to his sales pitch gave her a present of a free family portrait and waived the studio sitting fee.

When it came time to try and close the sale, my mom insisted she didn’t want any packages and just wanted to take the free picture and studio session. The salesman kept trying different closes for several picture packages, including making passes at her and attempting to kiss her. In the meantime, after being well behaved for 45 minutes, my brothers and sisters (being young kids) began to get impatient and acting up. My mother just wanted to have the salesman leave so she could get back to the kids and get this scum out of the house.

The salesman continued in his pursuits. She took his samples to the door and told him she would hit him if he didn’t leave. The salesman went toward the door and stood in the door way and tried one more time to "close her" on  a package with a kiss. She said no and when he didn’t leave punched him in the face. He staggered backwards out the door with his sample pictures spilling on the porch while my mom shut the door.

My mom had the free portrait of my brothers and sisters hanging on her family picture wall for the next forty years, but never ever used Olan Mills for any family pictures again. 
That salesperson was scum.

This example may be a little extreme, however the point is when you can find things in common with your prospect (a shared interest or opinion, experience) that helps your credibility with the prospect and you are not struggling with ways to get the client to buy from you. Finding common ground and building credibility is important for you getting to the next step in the salesperson-client relationship. That next step might be a meeting or a sale.Just don’t press it.  When the client says it is time to go, it is time to go.
If you don't leave, the client's mother may punch you too!

Thanks mom!
Ev
A Heck of A Nice Guy