Information is powerful. We live in a great time in history as we are normally only a few clicks away from getting information on almost anything (I have personally lost [what seems like] a year of my life to Wikipedia). Fortunately or unfortunately, with knowledge comes responsibility. Once you know something, you have to choose whether or not to act on it. You might have to change (ouch!). You might even feel compelled to share your knowledge with others. That would mean that those others will have to choose whether or not to act on this knowledge. Most things you learn are not that important but every once in a while you learn something that is important, something that you feel compelled to share. Information of this type is so important that not sharing would be potentially dangerous or disastrous and if others knew that you knew this information and knew that you chose NOT to share it then they might be upset with (or mad at) you.
At a very high level, being a salesman is just conveying new information. You build your case for your product by explaining (or skewing) various facts about your product (or your competitor’s product) and hope that this knowledge transfer will convince your prey (this is a strong word but it applies most of the time) to take action on this newly dispersed knowledge. For the most part religion works this way as well. With religion, especially evangelical denominations, not sharing your information and knowledge is frowned upon (and a sin [resulting in guilt]). This brings me to my main point of this blog, guilt and the role it plays in making us act upon new, important information.
Recently I was invited to a friend’s house for a “free dinner”. This should have raised a flag immediately but honestly it was the wife that was invited and I was merely (as I found out later) needed to help the host qualify for a free gift. The whole evening was a sales pitch for Saladmaster cooking systems. There were 3 couples present (if you count the hosts) and 2 single folks (for a total of 8 of us). We started around 6 PM and we did not get home until close to 10 PM. While the meal was good, it did not take us 4 hours to eat so the balance of the time was filled with the sales pitch. The evening was initially presented as a “no pressure” event. I can almost agree with that statement depending on how you define “pressure”. It was not, however, a “no guilt” event.
Let me start with an obvious fact: Saladmaster products are extremely, horrendously expensive. They are not ashamed of this fact and do not take any great pains to hide it. They led with this information in fact and then began, over the next 3+ hours, to explain why an investment in their products is worth it. The Saladmaster representative admitted to reading from / following a script. She has some personal stories to tell from her home life and also from others that she had sold this product to during dinners just like this one. All the shared information was meant not only to force us to make a decision, but to appear ignorant if we did not make the (in their eyes) obvious decision; namely to purchase their product.
The main points that were made during the pitch revolved around things that you could measure (return on investment in lower grocery bills and medical bills) and things that you could not put a price on (better tasting food and your long term health as well as the health of your immediate family). Now, I can appreciate a good ROI (return on investment) sales pitch. You take your initial cost and compare it to some future savings to determine when you will break even. They had great information showing you ROI based solely on lowering your grocery bill by 20% – 30%. Depending on the amount of product you would buy and your current spending habits on groceries, your ROI was anywhere from 1 to 3 years (with some extreme cases going out further). If you throw in the fact that your health would increase and result in less doctor’s visits then the ROI might be shorter (I have not personally had to go to a doctor in several years so this is not really a savings for me). I also appreciated the taste of the food that was served (the food was non organic but had all the flavor of organic foods – the sales pitch was NOT to stop buying organic food, just that the food you have would taste better when cooked in their product – and I concur that it did). What I did not appreciate was the heaping helpings of guilt that they kept serving throughout the evening.
During the entire evening we were asked questions like “Isn’t it worth it (to buy this product) for your children’s health?” and “Studies have shone that (insert bad thing from the cookware that we use at home) have been linked to (insert appropriately dangerously sounding horrific disease here) and wouldn’t you pay just about anything to spare your loved ones from this?” She referenced study after study (the origins of which were in the fine print on a banner too small and too far away for me to read) that their product was rated highest in this or that and that this or that group endorsed their product. She referenced past law suits against competitors (like Dupont who makes Teflon) and how they supposedly covered up the dangers of their competing products. Time after time they kept hammering away. They made some crazy claims like a woman who tested so high in iron (from using bad pots and pans) that she was banned from a computer lab after merely entering the room destroyed 33 computers (of course after a month using Saladmaster she was allowed back in with no damage done to the new computers). If you assumed that everything stated was true you either 1) wrote a very large check / whipped out your credit card or (at a minimum) 2) swore off using your current cookware and converted to a diet mostly consisting of raw items.
Mercifully the evening came to an end but not after it was suggested that we also consider hosting a “free dinner” for our friends so we could share this wonderful information and allow them to invest in this product that (let’s face it) is worth every penny and you would be (at a minimum) doing a disservice to your loves ones if you did not buy it. Of course if you host a party (or two or three) you would get wonderful free hosting gifts. I knew two things heading into the evening. First, I knew I was not going to purchase though this would involve having to be the “heavy” with my wife in front of friends and the salesperson. Second, I knew that the discussion would not end at the event and would carry on back at my house that night and onto the next day. This “free dinner’s” cost would really add up in the long run.
Now, let me really get to the reason why I am writing this blog. For purposes of this discussion let’s assume that everything that was said during the sales pitch was true. What is my responsibility to my friends? Am I doing them a disservice by NOT telling them about this product (that is to say, host a free dinner)? I actually gave this a great deal of thought and have decided against hosting a party. Here is my reasoning: they are not going to buy this product for either 1 of 2 reasons…
- They cannot afford (at this time) to make the necessary financial investment
- They know that (based on their lifestyle) they would not use the product (to put it simply, they cook very little at home and are not interested in changing that lifestyle)
My choice is made (pending any further arguments put forth by the wife) but I cannot help but feel a little guilty for not telling them. Guilt upon guilt! Remind me to “thank” my “friends” who invited me to this “free (of pressure but not of guilt) dinner”.
Jon
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