It depends...did you approach them, or was it a cold call for something you may not need?
For the first:
- Do your research
- Know what you need (vs what you might want)
- Know what you can pay (conservatively, and at a maximum)
- Don't be afraid to say no
- Don't be afraid to ask questions
- Never feel pressured into a transaction - go away and think/process things
For the second:
- Don't be afraid to immediately tell them you're not interested (in fact, you should do this by default if it's something you don't need)
- Know your finances, so that you're aware of what you can and can't afford (this might be impetus to cut off the call sooner rather than later)
- If it's something you may need, or have looked at, the points above apply
An interesting thing I've discovered (anecdata) - salespeople are wary of engineers, because we rarely take something at face value. If you are one, make sure they know this early on (either state it, or make sure they know you know something about the domain). In the past it's done two things for me:
- The sales person is less likely to make wild claims, and will be more careful to make statements that can be backed up
- Often, they become less pushy, because they know they will have to work for the sale (rather than rely on emotion and ignorance)
One last comment: don't mistake courtesy for friendliness. Sales people are there to do a job. They are not your friends (you don't owe them anything), and it's the exception to the rule that they will have your best interests at heart. Keep this in mind while you're talking to them.
For the first:
- Do your research
- Know what you need (vs what you might want)
- Know what you can pay (conservatively, and at a maximum)
- Don't be afraid to say no
- Don't be afraid to ask questions
- Never feel pressured into a transaction - go away and think/process things
For the second:
- Don't be afraid to immediately tell them you're not interested (in fact, you should do this by default if it's something you don't need)
- Know your finances, so that you're aware of what you can and can't afford (this might be impetus to cut off the call sooner rather than later)
- If it's something you may need, or have looked at, the points above apply
An interesting thing I've discovered (anecdata) - salespeople are wary of engineers, because we rarely take something at face value. If you are one, make sure they know this early on (either state it, or make sure they know you know something about the domain). In the past it's done two things for me:
- The sales person is less likely to make wild claims, and will be more careful to make statements that can be backed up
- Often, they become less pushy, because they know they will have to work for the sale (rather than rely on emotion and ignorance)
One last comment: don't mistake courtesy for friendliness. Sales people are there to do a job. They are not your friends (you don't owe them anything), and it's the exception to the rule that they will have your best interests at heart. Keep this in mind while you're talking to them.