Anti-Biscuit Dunking Crusade

I’ve for a long time used term that represents the unacceptable face of selling and sums up sales peoples no-nos; Biscuit-Dunking.  It was coined by often encountering this kind of situation:

A salesrep has a number of visits to make this day, as they do everyday. Trotting along their milk-round they amble into yet another reception. They are kept waiting. So they accept the obligatory cup of coffee. And what a result, there’s a Biscuit on the saucer! Even better still, it’s chocolate! The prospect (who in this case is probably a customer in the broadest, yet official sense) eventually grants them an audience and they sit, chatting away.
And the salesrep sits there, Dunking away.
Not a single proactive, intelligent selling question ever leaves their mouths.  No conversation that approaches anywhere near the nub of an issue that will help the prospect gets underway.  No value is added to the prospect’s day by seeing this salesrep.  The salesrep acts as little more than a carrier-pigeon of gossip, a social secretary.
And they sit there. And they Dunk some more.
Then at last, Hallelujah! They ask a Closing question!
“Can I have another Biscuit please?”
They are completely unaware of what the prospect should or could be taking from them. It means they are grateful for any order, scratched randomly on their precious order pad. Which means that targets are always a struggle on the distant horizon.
This salesrep is a Biscuit-Dunker. They give all salesreps a bad name. Death to the Dunkers! 

So what is a Biscuit-Dunker? It is someone who embodies all that can make salesreps held in such low regard by others in their organisations.

My Anti-Biscuit Dunking Crusade will draw attention to where I see people making mistakes in sales, and hopefully showing how such can be rectified.  Don’t let the Dunker’s stain taint you….