The Hard Truth About Soft-Selling: Restoring Pride and Purpose to the Sales Profession

George W Dudley and Dr. John F. Tanner, Jr.
Behavioral Sciences Research Press (2008)
ISBN 0935907092
Reviewed by Ron Standerfer for Reader Views (11/08)

 

The terms “hard sell” and “soft sell” are so imbedded in our society that they are commonly used to describe social and professional endeavors as diverse as the gentle art of romance and seduction to scoring a job after a series of tough interviews.  But to sales professionals, choosing between these two approaches to selling is serious business.  George Dudley and Dr. John Tanner think soft-selling is a poor choice for sales professionals and are not shy about saying so in their small but powerful book, “The Hard Truth About Soft-Selling.”

Hard-selling has been around for a long time and has contributed to the success of generations of sales professionals.  Hard-selling is easy to describe but not always easy to execute, namely:  gain access to the decision makers; pitch the product in a dynamic and convincing way; outscore the competition; and ask for the order as quickly as possible. Soft-selling is a relative newcomer to the game, having sprung up in the 1970s based on a variety of concepts including Rogerian psychotherapy and basic customer service principles.  Unlike hard-selling, soft-selling is a  non-confrontational approach that employs a variety of strategies packaged with names like; “consultative,” “client focused,” “win-win,” “relationship-based,” and “solution-based” selling.  As a working definition of soft-selling, the authors suggest the following: “Soft selling is a client-centered approach to sales in which the primary role of the seller is to create an atmosphere of trust and cooperation which enables the consumer to reach an informed buying decision free from pressure or manipulation.”  Notice there is no reference to pitching the product, outscoring the competition or asking for the order. 

Given that soft-selling continues to be popular with companies both large and small; and millions of dollars are spent each year on soft-selling seminars and training programs, it is logical to ask why this system continues to prevail if it is not effective.  Dudley and Tanner fashion the answer to this question over several chapters using both statistical and anecdotal evidence and draw a somewhat surprising conclusion.  It appears that soft-selling has flourished because it has a special attraction to sales professionals who suffer from sales call reluctance of one form or another or who would rather not be identified as “salesmen.”  “All too often,” the authors assert, “sales-ambivalent organizations are eager to disguise what they consider the unpalatable mission of their sales force to sell products and services.”The above is not to say that hard-selling does not have its place in the scheme of things.  In fact, Dudley and Tanner ask, somewhat tongue in cheek, “Have you ever seen the leading lights of the soft-sell industry pitching their soft-sell training programs by actually using soft-sell techniques?” 

The most important part of the book is the last chapter, which is titled “Selling With Radical Honesty” and begins with the declaration, “The Hard Truth About Soft-Selling” maintains that “selling is a noble profession and that sales people do not inherently dwell on an ethically lower plane simply because they are in sales.”  What follows are eight pages of recommendations, tips, and suggestions designed to reorient those caught up in the identity crises within the sales profession.

Dudley and Tanner promised to explain soft-selling in terms of where it came from, what it promises, and what it has delivered, and they succeeded admirably. “The Hard Truth About Soft-Selling” should be required reading for all sales professionals.

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