Ah good ole’ Reliance Home Comfort. A company which has been sued for offering little to no value to their customers. Generally acknowledged to be bad business by most Canadians, my innocent immigrant parents invited a Reliance salesperson into their home.
This was their first mistake.
They almost signed up to get their furnace replaced for $6000 — but likely I intervened and told the salesman to get out of their house and found them a reputable contractor who replaced their furnace for half the price.
No harm done to my parents this time, but what about the many other families out there that might fall victim to malicious sales techniques? This article explores a few techniques, and by understanding them you can protect your self or your loved ones.
1. High Contact
The more contact you have with a salesperson, the more opportunity they get to convince you to purchase their offerings. It starts with an ad, which becomes an email, then a phone call, and finally they are inside your home.
Of course, several follow-ups as well.
Being high contact helps create familiarity, as if the salesperson is becoming your friend. It also makes it increasingly difficult to say no, because you’re beginning to feel that they are spending their time and effort to “help you”.
This is all just part of the game, and they are not your friends.
2. FUD — Fear, Uncertainty, Doubt
This is the most common sales tactic used. There is an incredibly powerful motivating force that comes from fear, uncertainty and doubt, aka FUD. When you are afraid, you will make hasty decisions. When you are uncertain, you will listen to a confident voice. When you have doubt, you will dismiss naysayers.
Tobacco companies, payday loan providers, boxing day, etc. are all designed to prey on this natural human weakness.
Here are some examples the Reliance salesperson used on my parents:
Fear
- If you don’t book now, then I can’t guarantee you will have the option to get this $1500 discount
- If I don’t take a deposit now, I…
