She called me yesterday wanting to do an interview about the franchise opportunity for sales professionals that I oversee. She thought it was a great business for experienced salespeople looking to be their own boss, and of course I agreed.
She said she was from InFlight entertainment, which produces the little video vignettes you see on flights. I won't mention the airline that she did work for...you'll understand why in a moment.
She set up an interview for today.
She called, and asked quite a few questions. Stats, success stories, how much money an individual franchisee can make...the whole nine yards. I complied with all of her questions, which took about a half an hour.
Then came the fine print. To make a long story short, if we were "accepted" as a suitable candidate for the video spot, there was a small licensing fee we would have to pay up-front for a month on the airline.
$22,000.
That's twenty two thousand dollars. I told her I'd get back to her, which was met with a warning that I had better get back to her soon or our "spot" might be taken. Yeah, I'll hop right on that lady.
Here's my beef:
- She should have stated that this cost something up-front.
- She wasted a lot of my time, and - like most business people - I don't have time to waste.
- Her questions, more than likely, were secondary to our ability and desire to pay $22,000 to be seen on an airline video.
- She used an old-line tactic as her sales technique. What's worse, I fell for
it.
If you're a sales professional, please have respect for your prospect. Don't treat them like an idiot, and for God's sake don't try and trick them into thinking you are one thing (a reporter) when you're not (a salesperson).
Hey, I fell for it. No doubt about it. But there is some blame that needs to be pointed towards the person who initiated the sales call disguised as an interview.
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