All this has led me to remember something I think is a much
more respectable approach. This is a
real life experience by a very respectable sales rep I will call Billy (because
Billy is the name I use for everything when I can’t think of someone’s name or
have not obtained their permission to use it).
Years back, I worked for a store that sold musical
instruments, PA gear, keyboards, drums, etc.
I was just about to add an audio compressor to my home studio and I had
one picked out from Company A. Before I
had saved up enough to make my purchase, Billy, a sales rep from Company B,
arrived to give us training on their compressor. I was pretty set on what I wanted but I
wanted to see what I could learn (also these were mandatory to attend, even if
you weren’t directly a sales person, which I wasn’t).
Billy gave a simple yet detailed overview of his product
and, at the end, asked for questions. I
asked why I should buy his product over the one from Company A, which seemed to
have more features.
This is brilliant!
Billy said he liked the audio compressor from Company A very
much. He praised their features and
price point and said it was a great deal.
He proceeded to compare the similarities and differences and then
finished with why he liked his product better.
Not only was his product knowledge through the roof but he was very
respectful and even encouraging about his competitor’s product. He never put them down. He never said they were made with low grade
parts or cheap overseas labor. He never
said anything bad at all. He simply
stated what he liked better about what he had to offer.
In essence, he did exactly what the politicians are trying
to do but he did it in a completely positive and respectful way. I really admired that and have always to try
to uphold the same ideals when I am asked about music or other composers or
products I don’t use or don’t care for.
Sometimes, you just have to call a spade a spade but it can be done with
decency and professionalism. What would
it be like for a politician to do
this? I would love to hear them say, “I
like what candidate X had to say about his plan and I think there are a lot of
solid ideas there. What I like about my
plan is…”
Thanks for reading!
Scott
