In David Mattson’s book The Sandler Rules, Mattson shows us some of the best techniques and warnings about selling. One rule in particular, rule #2, “Dont spill you candy in the lobby” can be difficult to avoid. Mattson shares this Sandler rule as a warning to salespeople that revealing too much in the beginning can cost you the sale. The imagery used to describe this is waiting in line to buy a movie ticket, then waiting in another line for candy and then just before entering the theatre you spill your candy everywhere and the movie just isn’t as enjoyable. If we don’t wait to hear the true needs and pains of the prospect we may not discover the value of the product or service.
I have been in this position myself, it can be really easy especially during a cold call to unload everything you know and can offer as soon as you get the opportunity. However, this has made prospects overwhelmed by the information instead of feeling heard and needs understood. As the sandler rule describes, we need to ask questions first so that we can confirm that there is a sale opportunity before sharing the benefits of our product or service.
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I think that this is really good advice that can be very hard to pull into practice. Often, we get so excited we kind of forget that they may not care, but having this patience that Mattson encourages us to demonstrate allows us to really listen and bring the candy to the table when it will be appreciated.
It is not something that we typically think about when in a selling situation. You think you should let the buyer know all the details, but this can backfire. Letting them know everything can bore them and leave them wanting more. Instead, we can tell them the bare minimum, something they will want to hear, and have them come to us for more information. Spilling your candy in the lobby leads to a boring sale or no sale at all.