Are buyers supposed to be fair?

"I see things written about the golf swing that I can't believe will work except by accident.” This is a quote from the late Harvey Penick, a legendary golf teacher and coach to several famous golf professionals.Let me rephrase his quote from a sales perspective.(Increasingly) I see things written and spoken about sales that I can’t believe will work except by accident.I was triggered by a video I saw online this past weekend that suggested what sellers should do when buyers weren't “being fair” to you. Being fair? Since when is sales, let alone life itself, supposed to be fair?Do buyers have an obligation to be fair to sellers? Of course not. The suggestion itself is preposterous. Do buyers have to be reasonable? No.Do they have to be logical about the criteria they use to evaluate your product or service? No. Or, equitable about how they allocate their time among competitors? No.Perhaps they would be more “fair” to you if you did a better job of creating a compelling scenario why they should buy from you.However, like everything in sales, it’s your choice. Feel free to challenge the buyer with your concerns about their “fairness.” See how that works for you.In Monday’s newsletter this week I shared my opinion about what you should do when a potential lead tells you they’re not interested. Are buyers being unfair if they reject you without first hearing your pitch? What are you going to do? Complain? Call the Sales Police? Or go find a willing prospect who’s prepared to move forward?I remember the first time I wrote about that topic a number of years ago. A fellow sales author basically accused me of being un-American and unpatriotic for suggesting that rage-selling an unwilling buyer was perhaps an unwise use of sales time…There are a lot of things written about sales that I can’t believe will work except by accident.If it seems too magical to be true, it probably is.If it doesn’t align with your core personal values, stay away from it.Selling is hard, difficult work. Why make it harder?Let's be careful out there. - Andy