Part of the
foundation of a successful business is intimate relationships with customers
and prospects based on honesty, integrity and loyalty. Right?

The reality
is that most companies are unprepared (and even unwilling) to deliver on that promise. Consider a recent article in Computerworld
about the stereotypical sales styles practiced by technology vendors that ostracize
the very prospects they target.

The 6 Most
Infuriating Tech Sales Styles

http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=316012&source=NLT_AM&nlid=1

Last month
at the RSA Conference in San Francisco I chatted with the Chief Security Officer
from a university based in Ohio who explained he spends his time at trade shows
ducking vendors. He was there for the
peer networking and continuing education courses, and viewed the companies
hawking wares as merely a nuisance.

This
morning I read about an encryption software firm called Mobile Armor that
employed a misleading product comparison matrix in its sales process that
implied its product was better than competitors’. Mobile Armor
officials declined to comment for the article, yet have acknowledged that a
consultant, who no longer works for the company, created the matrix without the
knowledge of company executives.

Vendor
Assailed for Unfair Marketing

http://www.fcw.com/online/news/152496-1.html

The natural
(and easy) reaction is to be outraged by the blatant lack of respect many
companies display for integrity in the sales and marketing process. Yet, as comedian Chris Rock once said in a
skit about OJ Simpson’s alleged double murder, “I am not saying he should have
killed her, but I understand.” (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8Y7GlSmi3Q)

That’s
because in many instances prospects -- because of a lack of expertise and time –
are forced to make uneducated decisions.
As a result, vendors are placed in the uncomfortable position of balancing
complete honesty in the sales and marketing process with the ability to
effectively compete the marketplace.

Do you
think I am off base? Has a prospect ever
asked if your firm has a particular competency and, to ensure you remain in the
running for the business, you overstate your capability? Any sales executive that answers “no” to that
question is most likely on the street looking for work.

At
Strategic Communications Group (Strategic), our policy is to never misrepresent
our clients’ capabilities, track record or competitive advantages. Yet, we also position our clients based on
the company they are striving to become, rather than what they are today.

Marc Hausman is president /CEO of Strategic Communications Group, a public relations consultancy based in Silver Spring, MD. Read more at : http://www.strategicguy.blogspot.com