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I’ll admit: I’m obsessed with the iPhone. I almost bought one last week. But when I called Verizon to tell them I was canceling my service to buy an iPhone, the customer service agent launched a systematic, carefully-crafted slam of the expensive new gadget. And the funny thing is, it worked.
So this article is about how slamming your competition can be great for your business.
So taken was I with Apple’s flashy new iPhone and its touch screen, crystal-clear photo and video viewing and real-time traffic conditions color-coded onto Google Maps, that I called Verizon to cancel my service. I told Travis, the Customer Support Agent, that I had to quit in order to buy the cherished device.
Travis said fine, this is the process, these are the fines that I would pay for breaking my contract. He even told me that the 13th of the month is the best time to cancel with Verizon, as that is when their billing cycle begins.
Then, just before we ended the call, he pulled the iPhone Slam. He said, “Before you make the switch, I just want to make sure you know some of the problems with the iPhone."
For example, the iPhone:
Can’t send pictures (not true)
Can’t text (also not true)
AT&T’s wireless network, The EDGE, is slow (definitely true)
Can’t do over-the-air downloads (who cares?)
Has a weak battery that the user can’t swap out which, when it dies, will be a serious headache (definitely an issue)
He then said, “In fact, if you would like, I could send you a comparison sheet detailing all these points.” Seconds later, I got a PDF that highlighted many of the problems people have with “the Apple device from AT&T,” as they call it.
My Chat with Apple
Now I had some doubts about making the switch, so I called Apple. When I told their customer service agent about my Verizon call, he laughed and said that all the major carriers have iPhone Slam campaigns. An even more knowledgeable guy than Travis, he debunked some of the points above, played down some of the others and admitted to a few of the iPhone's faults.
Armed with these conversations, I went to CNET for an extremely thorough, objective review of the shiny device. In the end, I decided to wait until iPhone 2.0 is released so they can iron out some of the kinks, add some memory and maybe speed up the EDGE (not holding my breath on that one).
But I couldn’t help but smile when I realized that the reason I didn’t buy an iPhone that day was because the Verizon support specialist had been trained on how to slam it. Had he simply told me how to cancel my service, I would have done it.
Lessons About Slamming Your Competition
The lesson I took from this was not, of course, to slam my competition. In fact, I go out of my way to build alliances with my competition. I even send them referrals for work if I can’t handle it.
But there were a handful of great sales lessons to learn here:
1. Be prepared with answers to common questions, misconceptions and objections
2. Know your information so that you can be helpful, effective and don’t tell lies
3. Have your resources ready so you can fire something off during your call or immediately after
4. Always look after your client’s best interests
5. Be professional, courteous and ethical
6. If you’re going down, go down swinging
Robert Graham
Robert Graham is the Principal of GrahamComm, LLC (www.grahamcomm.net), a consulting and training company that helps clients increase their sales and deliver outstanding presentations. He can be reached at 415-652-0763 or Robert@grahamcomm.net.
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