Salesmen That Poach
Jan 6th, 2006 by Alex
I detest salesmen who poach at other vendors conferences. These people are precisely the reason that I don’t put my direct line on my business card.
A few months ago I was invited to an F5 Users Group in Northern Virginia, the topic being F5’s TrafficShield Application Firewall. It was intended to be an technical information session, presented by some of their engineers. Naturally a few of the local sales reps were there, but that’s to be expected at most events. It’s always nice to stay up to date with them as well; you never know when you’re going to need to make the next purchase.
To be invited, I’m guessing you had to be a user, customer, VAR supporting F5 products, or partner. You wouldn’t expect any outsiders to be present. While the sessions are designed to be a forum for users, they’re also a way to introduce new products to people with whom F5 has done business before. That’s fine by me. I’m rather fond of the F5 gear that I’ve encountered and I’m always interested in solutions from a proven vendor.
I had come to the Users Group with a problem that I hoped could be solved by them. During the first half of the session the presenter had touched on a possible solution and I had asked a few follow-ups. Throughout the morning I had noticed a guy sitting behind me. Out of the corner of my eye I can see that he’s spacing out, doodling, not taking any notes. At the break he introduces himself.
Him: I think I might have a solution for you.
Me: Oh? Are you an engineer with F5?
Him: No. I’m with Sun Management.
Me: Related to big-iron Sun?
Him: No, we’re a VAR.
Me: A VAR…
Him: Value added reseller.
I blink. Please, as if I don’t know what a VAR is. The goal of my hesistation was see whether or not this guy was a VAR that worked a lot with F5 products, a subtle nuance that the guy didn’t quite pick up. The fact that his company is a VAR doesn’t impress me. In any case we talk for a few minutes about my problem, the broad strokes, a bit of the technical reasoning. I leave out the specifics. I get the impression that the flashy young salesman is poaching on another vendor’s territory, fishing for someone else’s customers. This suspicion is solidified by the fact that he thinks he has a solution, but doesn’t offer the name of the product.
The second half of the session begins, during which time I make a point to speak with my sales rep regarding the product and the guy behind me. For some reason it really irked me that someone would woo new customers from another vendor’s conference. I don’t know why he was invited to begin with. I suppose it might be common practice to poach on conference attendees, although I wouldn’t know. My work usually requires that the vendors come and present to us directly, so outsiders wouldn’t even be a possibility.
After the event, we talk for a few more minutes. He doesn’t have the answers to some of my questions, but he’s taken some notes and says he’ll find out. As we’re getting ready to leave, he asks me if I’m interested again.
Me: I’ve got your card. I’m still looking at different solutions. I’ll let you know.
Him: I don’t want to waste your time, and I don’t want to waste mine. Why don’t I take you to lunch to discuss this.
Boom, the first attempt to butter me up with free lunches. He’s no longer got a chance. I tell him that I’ve got to run — that I’ve got to get straight back to the office — but to drop me an email with the answers to the questions I had.
A week or so later, I get an email from the young salesman. In it are not the answers to the questions I asked or the name of the product, but a few different questions. Questions that sounded like he was attempting to feel out whether his “product” would fit the bill. I answered them vaguely and asked a few security-related questions, items that was probably disqualify most vendors from being used.
A handful of exchanges later, he has still not named the product. The salesman is selling vaporware or just attempting to build his client list. I have half a mind to call my F5 rep and suggest that the salesman not be invited back.
Any reputable vendor or VAR would have provided the name of the product, so that a customer could request independant information and begin an evaluation. Even white papers aren’t completely free of bias. Most white papers are written by product advocates, after being paid a cozy sum by the vendor; so I take them with a large grain of salt. Keeping a customer in the dark about the product isn’t ever going to work, as if I’d suddenly purchase gear that I know next-to-nothing about.
A month later — at the beginning of 2006 — I receive a new email from him. He’s asking if I’m still interested in the technology. I send a rather confrontational email, more or less demanding the product name or not to bother at all. The following day I receive a reply with the product name, claiming that he didn’t know whether I was interested or whether I wanted more information. Naturally the solution isn’t an F5 product, but he does send two white papers for my perusal.
Now how would I have known what I was interested in? No product was mentioned, only a vague solution to my problem. Of course I’m interested. Would I be mentioning my problem if wasn’t? As it is the product doesn’t meet the security requirements that I mentioned in-person.
In fairness, I’m a tough guy to sell. I’ve found that stellar products generally sell themselves, as do salesmen who answer all your questions up front. If they can’t, they bring the engineers who can. Smart peoples in sales know that trust is key, and that omitting information will come back to haunt you.
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