Aditya Kothadiya’s Blog

Seth Godin says ‘All Marketers Are Liars’. As per his book, every marketer tells a story. And, if they do it right, we believe them. We believe that wine tastes better in a $20 glass than a $1 glass. We believe that $225 Pumas will make our feet feel better than $20 no-names… and believing it makes it true. Successful marketers don’t tell the truth. They don’t talk about features or even benefits. Instead, they tell a story. A story we want to believe.

In my recent trip to India, I came across couples of incidents which made me to ask this question – are all salesmen also liars?

In one of the incidents, I was in a shoe shop and wanted to buy a formal shoe. Salesman showed me one with size 10. After trying it, I requested him for one size bigger shoe for more comfort. He said he will get it and went away with that shoe. After 3-4 minutes, he came back with a new pair and asked me to try that. That also didn’t fit me very well, so I looked for its size on the shoe. There was no such specification so I asked the salesman for the size of the new pair.

“10.50”, he replied.
“As per my knowledge, Indian shoes don’t have 9.50 or 10.50 sizes. Generally they comes in 9,10,.. and so sizes.”, I questioned with a puzzle.
“Yes. But this brand has it. It’s an imported Italian shoe.”, he defended my claim with confidence.

Well, I was not an idiot to buy that argument so easily, so I asked him to show the ‘previous’ pair of shoe. The ‘smart’ salesman brought the smaller size pair to prove that both sizes are different. That ‘previous’ pair didn’t fit me at all, which he was claiming to be size 10. That made my doubt clear that he was lying. 

The fact was, that salesman didn’t have anything bigger than size 10 but he didn’t accept that fact. Instead, he argued with me that 10 and 10.50 are of same size only. He was trying to sell the size 10 shoe by lying it to be size 10.50.

I understand the spirit of salesmanship. I also understand that you want to convert a visitor into a customer so you try all possible ‘convincing strengths’. But this was the height of an unethical salesmanship. If you want to sell it, sure, go ahead and sell it with a big mouth, but with the real facts. What was the point in making customers fool? What made you to think that lying is also one of your selling strengths? 

This was just one incidence. I came across similar at least 3-4 experiences, and every time I had to prove to the salesman that he was not selling something, instead was lying. I am not exaggerating.

At the end of my trip, it became very hard for me to believe that someone can sell with the real facts. Whenever someone tried to sell something, I saw a lair in him or her. 

What do you think? Did you come across such experience before? Did anybody try to make you fool? Do you also think that all salesmen are liars? Please share your views and suggestions to make salesmanship spirit an authenticate spirit.

# 1. On matters of style, swim with the current; on matters of principle, stand like a rock. — Thomas Jefferson

# 2. Integrity without knowledge is weak and useless, and knowledge without integrity is dangerous and dreadful. — Samuel Johnson

# 3. If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants. — Isaac Newton

# 4. Unless commitment is made, there are only promises and hopes, but no plans. — Peter Drucker

# 5. God will not give you a burden that you can’t handle. If you ever find yourself in a mess, which seems impossible to resolve, take it as a complement. God thinks you can do it.