A vendor rep reached out yesterday. This is a masterclass in how to permanently blacklist your company.
The Opening
"I was recently in contact with [your colleague] and he mentioned he was retiring."
Translation: He cold-called my colleague, got rejected, and is now framing it like there was actual interest.
I asked my colleague. He accidentally answered a cold call.
Starting with deception isn't bold—it's disqualifying.
The Pitch
"We help compliance teams reduce workload by 70% on average. We just raised a massive Series A."
70% reduction in what workflows? And I don't care about your Series A. I care whether your product solves problems I have.
The Follow-Up
"95% reduction in false positives through NLP. 50-60% faster turnaround."
What false positives? What turnaround? Buzzword bingo using percentages that could mean anything.
The Closer
"If you're free next Friday at 2pm, I think it's worth connecting."
I just told him our context makes this a non-starter.
This is the pattern: ignore what the prospect says, push for the meeting anyway.
His response after I told him off? A thumbs-up emoji.
What Actually Works
Do Your Homework
Figure out who owns the problem your product solves before reaching out. Don't shotgun 4 people at the same bank—we talk to each other.
Skip the Theatrics
No fake warm intros. Just: "We solve [specific problem] for banks your size. Here's how." Honesty is disarming. Deception is disqualifying.
Explain What You Actually Do
"AI-powered" and "70% reduction" mean nothing without specifics. Tell me what manual process your tool eliminates. What report it generates. What compliance requirement it streamlines.
Respect Context
Bank in major transaction? Not buying. Budget freeze? No deal. "Timing doesn't work" isn't "convince me harder"—it's no.
Know When to Stop
One "no" = stop. Persistence isn't determination. It's harassment.
Build Relationships, Not Transactions
The best vendor conversations start with: "Not trying to sell anything, but thought this might be useful." Then they send something genuinely valuable. Six months later when we had budget? I called them.
"In banking, trust is currency. Burn it with deception, and you've lost more than one deal—you've lost access to an entire network."
I get it—sales is hard. Quotas are real.
But in banking, trust is currency. Burn it with deception, and you've lost more than one deal—you've lost access to an entire network.
We all know each other. That reputation spreads.