I’ve bought a couple of dumb things off of this one mediocre daily-deal site that always has a crazy story to go along with whatever dumb thing it’s selling.
@AlexBeefgnaw for me the pitch was I saw the table outside Walmart so I walked up with $20 asking what i can get for that, and at least one box of Thin Mints. Those girls have mad selling skills.
@elimanningface Yes. I always have to buy them. There’s a peanutbutter one I like.
Also, the Cub Scouts sell expensive popcorn here once a year. I get suckered into that also…
@spitfire6006006 that’s the only way to win!! One time had a trial at lifetime fitness and in the closing sales pitch I was straightforward and told them I am in school with no cash so I thanked them for the trial but started to walk away. End of the story the sales guy hacked the system and put me on a plan for $10 a month!!! So having no cash or no budget for that type of an item is the only way to not get suckered!
When I was in my 20’s I bought a membership to one of those expensive catalog discount private shopping clubs.
Not Sams or Costco. One of those expensive private things with no products on site, where you had to sit thru a presentation in order to get the camera or a trip or some such garbage.
“Discounted direct from the manufacturer!!! Wow!!!”
: p
“Talked” them into a huge discount for the membership. Like 80%.
@f00l We had one of those here, too. My wife (at the time) and I went a couple of times to the pitch. We got SO CLOSE to signing up! And then there were the vacant, undeveloped lots overlooking the lake…damn those people were SO GOOD. We barely made it out. Got us a grill, a meat slicer and something else…I think she kept that shit in the divorce.
When I moved here, Pensacola, 25 years ago, hustled for $20, because car broke down. Did the Amway thing, TWICE, 35, 40 years ago.
I did, however, by Bitcoin @ $5600, it Is $$10,643 as I write this.
@PocketBrain Yes, I have been familiar with bitcoin for couple of years. Only now do I have a little cash that won’t be devastating to lose. A big win on bitcoin could shorten my time to retirement from full-time work!
I chose the “no, I’m too clever” option, but it really has nothing to do with cleverness. I am so socially awkward that no salesman can get more than 5 seconds into his/her spiel before I start dismissing them, almost to the point of rudeness. Except for a car, I can’t even recall ever even dealing with a salesperson.
@jmoor783 i generally try to politely say no, having been a salesperson and charity/fund drive caller. But some days they call when i am hip deep in a big task, and i get very curt if they dont take the initial “not interested.” I might have been rude once or twice, but, imperfect. (Evidence: see above that i bought a timeshare).
@elimanningface i have a time share but i didnt buy it my dad did for lole 15k + yearly dues of like 300$ . Sense he passed i now have to pay the yearly dues
@elimanningface Kind of similar boat here. My best friend and I bought a Las Vegas timeshare, because they promised us the ability to trade it in on properties all over the world. Turned out to be bullshit, so we were stuck with a Las Vegas timeshare. Great location, nice unit, but I hate Las Vegas. My best friend passed so now I’m stuck with the entire annual dues of almost $1,000.
@jerk_nugget It’s an older property in a prime location on the strip right across from the new mall, so I’m hoping someone decides to buy it and knock it down.
@f00l You pretty much can’t even give them away. I haven’t even had any luck just subletting my week to try and make up part of the annual fee. I don’t understand why as it’s basically a 1br apartment with full kitchen right on the strip with covered parking and a concierge. There’s an online place called TUG that’s a sort of owners co-op where you can sometimes give them away or trade them. I just get so frustrated and angry whenever I have to deal with it that I mostly just pay the fees and forget it.
It’s difficult to buy anything from someone I don’t like Most salesmen come off as douchebags. That makes it easy to say no most of the time. I don’t think I’ve ever been duped into buying anything I didn’t already plan on buying.
At Sam’s club, they always have some sales rep representing some company or another that’s trying to sell me something I clearly don’t want. I’ll say “I’m not interested” and they sometimes reply with something clever (or at least what they think is clever).
My favorite response for the DirecTV or Wireless sales reps is “I’m Amish”. I don’t look remotely Amish, but they never seem to have a response.
For the guys selling knives, “I don’t believe in violence against meats, fruits and vegetables” seems to stun them long enough for me to walk away.
I’ve only had a handful of door-to-door salesmen over the years. I always buy from youth programs (baseball, softball, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, etc), but I refuse to even listen to a spill from anyone else. A simple “No thanks” normally works, but I’ve had to make threats before.
@capguncowboy I was out walking my dogs and ran into a guy selling solar panels on my street. I told him we were interested in putting them up in the near future but had to clear trees off the property first. He turned and looked at my house and agreed.
I was at Costco a few days later and another guy tried selling me solar panels. I told him the same story including what the other salesman said. He asked me if he could Google my house and see for himself. I said “You think I’m lying?” and walked away.
My betrothed and I used to have late night living room picnics. We’d sit on a blanket eating expensive cheese and watching infomercials. I can honestly say I was never tempted by a single one.
I am still a sucker, but it’s an internal thing, involving state of mind and probably dopamine, or something, (particularly late in the evening, when I am tired), rather than being about susceptibility to a pitch. I think I can smell a sales pitch when one is happening, now, and my once-budding skepticism has turned nearly entirely to cynicism.
A couple of years ago I was thinking about doing some marketing for my company, and I got talked into a monthly plan that I really couldn’t afford. He really used the hard sell on me, I must have been in a bad state of mind. I’m still kicking myself. I cancelled as soon as my contracted 6 months were up. I don’t trust anyone anymore.
@narfcake I actually did go for a while… But any place that you have to pay an up front fee so you get locked into a monthly fee, is absolute bullshit. I won’t do that again.
I was a marketing major. Sales pitches don’t work when you learn why they do. I’m about as hard sell as you can get. (But doing marketing research got me into I.T. and that became my career)
Having been involved in “persuasive communications” (ie sales & marketing) as a tangent to my radio news career, I appreciate an excellent pitch. Far too many salespeople are just idiots, with no knowledge or subtlety whatsoever. I will sometimes buy something just to reward a stellar pitch (and gain some retail therapy for myself). Sales is a difficult job, and I have no problem rewarding someone who does it extremely well.
@MrNews You sound like my Dad. He was a salesman to the oil companies here in Oklahoma and was very good at it. My Mom said one time he was a little bit of a sucker for other salesmen…but you describe the process very well.
wasn’t duped, and they weren’t charismatic, by i have guilted myself into buying at least a few things over the years.
if it’s a small shop or god forbid a table of some kind, if i go in and look at all i feel like i HAVE to buy something or i’ll feel incredibly bad and awkward. all summer there was a table set up outside the whole foods i stop at for milk and eggs by a local farm. every time i walked by i would try to get a glimpse of what was on it and for how much without anyone seeing me do so. if i had gone over to the table and had a look, even if they didn’t have anything i wanted, i would have had to buy something or suffer low grade physical anxiety attack symptoms the rest of the day. it’s annoying.
once i was in a little two person owned pet ‘boutique’ looking for a raincoat for my dog at the time. both women doted on me and my dog and tried on all kinds of things and gave her free snacks, etc. we talked for awhile. they ended up not having anything i wanted but i felt so guilty that i bought a couple things anyway and later donated them to my rescue group for an auction. all’s well that ends well i suppose but damn.
@jerk_nugget As someone who sits a vendor’s table from time to time selling my art, especially this time of year, I appreciate your sentiment. On days when I’m having trouble making up my booth fee, I’m more than happy to take a pity sale. However I don’t do any kind of sales pitch aside from occasionally extolling on the beauty of this or that stone, which is genuine admiration for nature’s artistry, not a sales pitch. When my friend is able to come and sit the booth with me, she does a good job of talking up my stuff, but I don’t feel comfortable doing that.
I got talked in to buying a piece of shit BMW 3 Series (E36 for you car nerds). Door panels were coming off, clear coat was almost all off, and the transmission was pretty much shot. But I think that was less the seller’s effort and more me being blinded by the blue and white circle on the front.
I tend to be indecisive, which usually helps me avoid making large unnecessary purchases. However, one time my wife and I almost got talked into buying a $1200 set of cookware. We went to this party at a friend’s house knowing some guy selling kitchen products would be there, but we figured it would be $20 spatulas or something. Nope. The salesman was hawking super-overpriced pots and pans that had a layer of oil inside the metal that supposedly made stuff cook better. I Googled the company later, and there was almost no record of their existence. I still feel a little embarrassed by how close my wife and I came to actually buying that junk.
It is deeply embarrassing to admit this but when I bought my first new car in 2009 (after 30 years of driving used cars) I let the bastard F&I guy talk me into buying the extended warranty for $3000. I cursed that guy every time I got into the car. I owned the car for seven years and, of course, didn’t benefit one penny from the warranty. When I bought another new car last year I just shut the F&I guy down as soon as he brought it up. That was an expensive lesson to learn.
@SSteve It depends on the vehicle and the luck of the draw. Think of it as an insurance – you hope to never need it, but if something happens, you’re glad it exists.
@narfcake It’s very nice of you to try to make me not feel like such a dumbshit. You are correct about it depending on the vehicle. If I was buying a used Range Rover I think I’d be smart to get the warranty. But a brand new Prius is unlikely to need it. The battery is already guaranteed for 100,000 miles. My friend’s battery died at 99,900 miles and it was replaced for free.
@SSteve Given that the first gen Prius’ battery wasn’t as robust, it was a valid concern for the time. Many years later and they’ve proven themselves – so sure, it looks like wasted money now. I still don’t fault the purchasing of the warranty, though.
And this is coming from someone that to replace the clutch on the wagon. 1,500 miles shy of a quarter million and the clutch fork tore from metal fatigue. Fuck!
@SSteve You are right to feel taken…the F&I guys make 6 figures because they are good at it…
When I buy a car I negotiate the “out the door” price that includes taxes, title and all fees. Every time the F&I offered something I asked if it was included in that price, because if not I didn’t need it. Dealers sell at/below/just over invoice on the car because they make their money on the financing and the ridiculous add ons (extended warranties, window etching, paint protection, under coating etc)
@callow rofl my son just did a native american porject and had a work cited paper and my step mum said dont you I have encyclopedias at your house I burst out laughing saying no I have Google!
I’ve bought some dumb shit. There may have even been some charismatic salesperson involved. But having spent a few months in a shitty job that required seriously manipulative sales trickery I know exactly what I’m getting into.
Aggressive sales I consider as one of the most discreditable business practices. It literally includes exploitation of someone’s ignorance, hesitation, un - assertiveness (…), for making him to buy something he realistically don’t need.
That practice really leads to ‘win - win’ agreements between company and customer, so it hardly can bring to the sustainable business development. Indeed, many companies face losses in the long term, due to loss of reputation, relationships with customers ect.
As the Abe Lincoln said: ‘You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time.’
Of course, this doesn’t mean that sales activities in general are unethical or discreditable. However, the purpose of it is to help customer to get a product which he needs and which will give him ‘value for money’, not just to extract as much money as you can on short - term period.
I’ve bought a couple of dumb things off of this one mediocre daily-deal site that always has a crazy story to go along with whatever dumb thing it’s selling.
No, but one time this dude smooth talked me into refrigerating my batteries…
/image girl scout cookies
@elimanningface
Forgiven.
Justified.
Same, and the slick sales pitch in question was something like “we only have two boxes of thin mints left.”
@AlexBeefgnaw for me the pitch was I saw the table outside Walmart so I walked up with $20 asking what i can get for that, and at least one box of Thin Mints. Those girls have mad selling skills.
@elimanningface Yes. I always have to buy them. There’s a peanutbutter one I like.
Also, the Cub Scouts sell expensive popcorn here once a year. I get suckered into that also…
I find the lack of having any money prevents having to deal with salespeople
@spitfire6006006 - I’m afraid only the lack of a phone/computer would prevent that entirely!
@spitfire6006006 that’s the only way to win!! One time had a trial at lifetime fitness and in the closing sales pitch I was straightforward and told them I am in school with no cash so I thanked them for the trial but started to walk away. End of the story the sales guy hacked the system and put me on a plan for $10 a month!!! So having no cash or no budget for that type of an item is the only way to not get suckered!
When I was in my 20’s I bought a membership to one of those expensive catalog discount private shopping clubs.
Not Sams or Costco. One of those expensive private things with no products on site, where you had to sit thru a presentation in order to get the camera or a trip or some such garbage.
“Discounted direct from the manufacturer!!! Wow!!!”
: p
“Talked” them into a huge discount for the membership. Like 80%.
It was worthless tho. Entirely garbage.
Over it tho. Was young.
@f00l We had one of those here, too. My wife (at the time) and I went a couple of times to the pitch. We got SO CLOSE to signing up! And then there were the vacant, undeveloped lots overlooking the lake…damn those people were SO GOOD. We barely made it out. Got us a grill, a meat slicer and something else…I think she kept that shit in the divorce.
@therealjrn I’m so sorry for you losing that grill.
@daveinwarsh It was a nice grill :sniff:
@therealjrn
@f00l I did that for a year. We bought furniture- made it worthwhile. Otherwise nope.
When I moved here, Pensacola, 25 years ago, hustled for $20, because car broke down. Did the Amway thing, TWICE, 35, 40 years ago.
I did, however, by Bitcoin @ $5600, it Is $$10,643 as I write this.
@davido I kept telling myself to buy BTC when it was between $100-$1000. Kicking myself now. Can you imagine getting $1000 worth when it was $.08?
@PocketBrain Yes, I have been familiar with bitcoin for couple of years. Only now do I have a little cash that won’t be devastating to lose. A big win on bitcoin could shorten my time to retirement from full-time work!
@PocketBrain @davido I’m going to invest in tulip bulbs.
@therealjrn
Investing in Tulip Bulbs and Tulip Futures is a little Olde Worlde and Olde Skool.
How about buying shares in the Dark Web?
I chose the “no, I’m too clever” option, but it really has nothing to do with cleverness. I am so socially awkward that no salesman can get more than 5 seconds into his/her spiel before I start dismissing them, almost to the point of rudeness. Except for a car, I can’t even recall ever even dealing with a salesperson.
@DrWorm It’s never rude to say no to a salesperson.
@jmoor783 i generally try to politely say no, having been a salesperson and charity/fund drive caller. But some days they call when i am hip deep in a big task, and i get very curt if they dont take the initial “not interested.” I might have been rude once or twice, but, imperfect. (Evidence: see above that i bought a timeshare).
I used to pay this site $60 a year for shipping, regardless.
( @unixrab )
@Pavlov
Share your timeshare stories please. You are amongst “friends.”
@elimanningface i have a time share but i didnt buy it my dad did for lole 15k + yearly dues of like 300$ . Sense he passed i now have to pay the yearly dues
@elimanningface Kind of similar boat here. My best friend and I bought a Las Vegas timeshare, because they promised us the ability to trade it in on properties all over the world. Turned out to be bullshit, so we were stuck with a Las Vegas timeshare. Great location, nice unit, but I hate Las Vegas. My best friend passed so now I’m stuck with the entire annual dues of almost $1,000.
@moondrake gosh, so much of that is terrible. i’m sorry.
@jerk_nugget It’s an older property in a prime location on the strip right across from the new mall, so I’m hoping someone decides to buy it and knock it down.
Good luck, and if it DOES get knocked down I hope the old timeshare company doesn’t keep going after you for the empty air!
@elimanningface i came here to say this. Kick kick. And some of the companies that offer to help you get rid of it seem almost as bad.
@moondrake
Can your share be sold?
@mollama They are worse. At least you get something out of the timeshare, you get nothing out of those sharks.
@f00l You pretty much can’t even give them away. I haven’t even had any luck just subletting my week to try and make up part of the annual fee. I don’t understand why as it’s basically a 1br apartment with full kitchen right on the strip with covered parking and a concierge. There’s an online place called TUG that’s a sort of owners co-op where you can sometimes give them away or trade them. I just get so frustrated and angry whenever I have to deal with it that I mostly just pay the fees and forget it.
@moondrake
What about listing or auctioning it at a rediculously low price?
Or refusing to pay fees and taxes?
Just to get out from underneath?
$1000/yr sheesh.
@f00l It’s not that easy.
/google timeshare perpetuity clauses
Three things to consider about your timeshare contract
https://timeshareexitteam.com/three-things-timeshare-contract/
@moondrake You may want to consider one of those attorney services that deal with breaking timeshares.
@narfcake The problem is finding a real one in a sea of con artists.
@elimanningface My (ex) wife got the real estate. I got the fake estate.
It’s difficult to buy anything from someone I don’t like Most salesmen come off as douchebags. That makes it easy to say no most of the time. I don’t think I’ve ever been duped into buying anything I didn’t already plan on buying.
At Sam’s club, they always have some sales rep representing some company or another that’s trying to sell me something I clearly don’t want. I’ll say “I’m not interested” and they sometimes reply with something clever (or at least what they think is clever).
My favorite response for the DirecTV or Wireless sales reps is “I’m Amish”. I don’t look remotely Amish, but they never seem to have a response.
For the guys selling knives, “I don’t believe in violence against meats, fruits and vegetables” seems to stun them long enough for me to walk away.
I’ve only had a handful of door-to-door salesmen over the years. I always buy from youth programs (baseball, softball, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, etc), but I refuse to even listen to a spill from anyone else. A simple “No thanks” normally works, but I’ve had to make threats before.
@capguncowboy I was out walking my dogs and ran into a guy selling solar panels on my street. I told him we were interested in putting them up in the near future but had to clear trees off the property first. He turned and looked at my house and agreed.
I was at Costco a few days later and another guy tried selling me solar panels. I told him the same story including what the other salesman said. He asked me if he could Google my house and see for himself. I said “You think I’m lying?” and walked away.
/image pushy salesman
@capguncowboy The simple, quick response is “My HOA won’e allow them.”
I’m basically immune to sales pitches. I actually pretty much hate salespeople of any stripe.
Ah, another one in the “body slides in half” category
My betrothed and I used to have late night living room picnics. We’d sit on a blanket eating expensive cheese and watching infomercials. I can honestly say I was never tempted by a single one.
Good times.
Yes, when I was a child. Stupid kid.
I am still a sucker, but it’s an internal thing, involving state of mind and probably dopamine, or something, (particularly late in the evening, when I am tired), rather than being about susceptibility to a pitch. I think I can smell a sales pitch when one is happening, now, and my once-budding skepticism has turned nearly entirely to cynicism.
@InnocuousFarmer Cynicism is my best friend.
A couple of years ago I was thinking about doing some marketing for my company, and I got talked into a monthly plan that I really couldn’t afford. He really used the hard sell on me, I must have been in a bad state of mind. I’m still kicking myself. I cancelled as soon as my contracted 6 months were up. I don’t trust anyone anymore.
Gym membership.
@RiotDemon
https://shirt.woot.com/offers/gym-member?ref=meh_com
@narfcake I actually did go for a while… But any place that you have to pay an up front fee so you get locked into a monthly fee, is absolute bullshit. I won’t do that again.
@RiotDemon
@DrWorm
I WANT TO QUIT THE GYM!
@RiotDemon
I’m sure I’ve been fooled many times…
but not today, if I can just wait a little longer to click the “Buy” button.
@2many2no But It may be gone in the morning. BUY NOW!
@sammydog01 Oh, hell no!
I managed to resist this one, but I succumbed to the fleece robe.
I was a marketing major. Sales pitches don’t work when you learn why they do. I’m about as hard sell as you can get. (But doing marketing research got me into I.T. and that became my career)
Having been involved in “persuasive communications” (ie sales & marketing) as a tangent to my radio news career, I appreciate an excellent pitch. Far too many salespeople are just idiots, with no knowledge or subtlety whatsoever. I will sometimes buy something just to reward a stellar pitch (and gain some retail therapy for myself). Sales is a difficult job, and I have no problem rewarding someone who does it extremely well.
@MrNews You sound like my Dad. He was a salesman to the oil companies here in Oklahoma and was very good at it. My Mom said one time he was a little bit of a sucker for other salesmen…but you describe the process very well.
wasn’t duped, and they weren’t charismatic, by i have guilted myself into buying at least a few things over the years.
if it’s a small shop or god forbid a table of some kind, if i go in and look at all i feel like i HAVE to buy something or i’ll feel incredibly bad and awkward. all summer there was a table set up outside the whole foods i stop at for milk and eggs by a local farm. every time i walked by i would try to get a glimpse of what was on it and for how much without anyone seeing me do so. if i had gone over to the table and had a look, even if they didn’t have anything i wanted, i would have had to buy something or suffer low grade physical anxiety attack symptoms the rest of the day. it’s annoying.
once i was in a little two person owned pet ‘boutique’ looking for a raincoat for my dog at the time. both women doted on me and my dog and tried on all kinds of things and gave her free snacks, etc. we talked for awhile. they ended up not having anything i wanted but i felt so guilty that i bought a couple things anyway and later donated them to my rescue group for an auction. all’s well that ends well i suppose but damn.
@jerk_nugget As someone who sits a vendor’s table from time to time selling my art, especially this time of year, I appreciate your sentiment. On days when I’m having trouble making up my booth fee, I’m more than happy to take a pity sale. However I don’t do any kind of sales pitch aside from occasionally extolling on the beauty of this or that stone, which is genuine admiration for nature’s artistry, not a sales pitch. When my friend is able to come and sit the booth with me, she does a good job of talking up my stuff, but I don’t feel comfortable doing that.
I look around and see a lot of V badges around here…
@unixrab Mine’s hidden under my K.
@moondrake
I got talked in to buying a piece of shit BMW 3 Series (E36 for you car nerds). Door panels were coming off, clear coat was almost all off, and the transmission was pretty much shot. But I think that was less the seller’s effort and more me being blinded by the blue and white circle on the front.
@cpierce BMW = Broke My Wallet
I tend to be indecisive, which usually helps me avoid making large unnecessary purchases. However, one time my wife and I almost got talked into buying a $1200 set of cookware. We went to this party at a friend’s house knowing some guy selling kitchen products would be there, but we figured it would be $20 spatulas or something. Nope. The salesman was hawking super-overpriced pots and pans that had a layer of oil inside the metal that supposedly made stuff cook better. I Googled the company later, and there was almost no record of their existence. I still feel a little embarrassed by how close my wife and I came to actually buying that junk.
It is deeply embarrassing to admit this but when I bought my first new car in 2009 (after 30 years of driving used cars) I let the bastard F&I guy talk me into buying the extended warranty for $3000. I cursed that guy every time I got into the car. I owned the car for seven years and, of course, didn’t benefit one penny from the warranty. When I bought another new car last year I just shut the F&I guy down as soon as he brought it up. That was an expensive lesson to learn.
@SSteve It depends on the vehicle and the luck of the draw. Think of it as an insurance – you hope to never need it, but if something happens, you’re glad it exists.
/google Doug DeMuro CarMax Warranty
My Range Rover’s CarMax Warranty Is Now Half Over And It’s …
https://jalopnik.com/my-range-rover-s-carmax-warranty-is-now-half-over-and-i-1733772237
/youtube Doug DeMuro CarMax Warranty
@narfcake It’s very nice of you to try to make me not feel like such a dumbshit. You are correct about it depending on the vehicle. If I was buying a used Range Rover I think I’d be smart to get the warranty. But a brand new Prius is unlikely to need it. The battery is already guaranteed for 100,000 miles. My friend’s battery died at 99,900 miles and it was replaced for free.
@SSteve Given that the first gen Prius’ battery wasn’t as robust, it was a valid concern for the time. Many years later and they’ve proven themselves – so sure, it looks like wasted money now. I still don’t fault the purchasing of the warranty, though.
And this is coming from someone that to replace the clutch on the wagon. 1,500 miles shy of a quarter million and the clutch fork tore from metal fatigue. Fuck!
@SSteve You are right to feel taken…the F&I guys make 6 figures because they are good at it…
When I buy a car I negotiate the “out the door” price that includes taxes, title and all fees. Every time the F&I offered something I asked if it was included in that price, because if not I didn’t need it. Dealers sell at/below/just over invoice on the car because they make their money on the financing and the ridiculous add ons (extended warranties, window etching, paint protection, under coating etc)
Reminded me of the Twilight Zone episode One For The Angels.
But encyclopedias make you smart!
@callow rofl my son just did a native american porject and had a work cited paper and my step mum said dont you I have encyclopedias at your house I burst out laughing saying no I have Google!
Yeah-- Pearls from a company that sounded eerily familiar to Pacific Pearls. Lobby of The Luxor.
@caffeineguy Pacifik Pearlz
I’ve bought some dumb shit. There may have even been some charismatic salesperson involved. But having spent a few months in a shitty job that required seriously manipulative sales trickery I know exactly what I’m getting into.
No Man’s Sky though
I’m still paying for VMP…
@ELUNO
Welcome. Good to see you.
There’s still lots of room for more Mehmbers in the @F00l’s Club.
Aggressive sales I consider as one of the most discreditable business practices. It literally includes exploitation of someone’s ignorance, hesitation, un - assertiveness (…), for making him to buy something he realistically don’t need.
That practice really leads to ‘win - win’ agreements between company and customer, so it hardly can bring to the sustainable business development. Indeed, many companies face losses in the long term, due to loss of reputation, relationships with customers ect.
As the Abe Lincoln said: ‘You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time.’
Of course, this doesn’t mean that sales activities in general are unethical or discreditable. However, the purpose of it is to help customer to get a product which he needs and which will give him ‘value for money’, not just to extract as much money as you can on short - term period.