Fishy Salespeople? How to Finally Stop Handing Out FREE Fish to Your Sales People

The saying, "giving someone fish will feed them for a day," is true in many cultures, it seems. But when the customer wants to give you some of their own money, what do you do? Our law office has been getting a lot of calls from people who have been handing out free fish to potential customers for years and are now desperate for new sales leads.

A big problem with the practice is that even if the first sale doesn't come from this tactic, there's no guarantee that any of your other sales will as well. And even then, you'll be left with a bunch of hungry fish swimming around in tanks at home icky reminders about what could've been.

Free fish can only be used once

You'd think that giving someone a free fish would be off limits because it's not really a sale. But most salespeople in the corporate world are conditioned to believe the receiving of such small treats is normal, so some might still be tempted to treat their own people with such sweet, tasty morsels. The key is to understand that you give your sales people no more than one fish (and even then, you should only give them one) and that this is meant as an incentive not a reward.

You'd think that giving someone a free fish would be off limits because it's not really a sale. But most salespeople in the corporate world are conditioned to believe the receiving of such small treats is normal, so some might still be tempted to treat their own people with such sweet, tasty morsels. The key is to understand that you give your sales people no more than one fish (and even then, you should only give them one) and that this is meant as an incentive not a reward.

Giving away free items can trigger an unethical feeling in the customer

The ethics of handing over free items can be seen as somewhat questionable. The customer might feel that you are asking for something in return for free, which is definitely not what you want. You want the customer to see you as independent so they will trust you and your company.

In addition, when a customer feels that they should be grateful for something, they might not take it seriously. On the other hand, if they know it's something that is part of standard procedure or necessary in order to get their business, it's much more likely to be taken seriously and will be treated just as a new client would be.

Giving free fish can make your heart grow fonder and force customers to develop a better relationship with you

For some people, giving away free stuff is an opportunity to show how much they care about their customers. However, if you want to avoid the danger of creating an awkward and one-sided relationship that could alienate a client and lead to possible problems in the future, it's crucial that you do not give out any more than one fish per customer. Otherwise this tactic could induce a bad feeling where the client feels they were obliged to accept something from you. On the other hand, giving just one fish can actually create a more intimate connection with your prospects and increase their trust in your company.

The best time to give away free fish is when a new sale has just been made

Giving away fish can help create more sales opportunities, but it should be used only a handful of times. Giving out free fish at this stage in the process can be a little overkill and might even result in your sales people becoming too familiar with customers who are likely to buy their services. A better way would be to just make sure you put them into the market so they get some exposure. However, if you're giving fish out of necessity because you're short on business, then one free fish per customer is acceptable.

Giving away free fish will probably turn into a habit that you're not sure you can get rid of

Habit is one of the biggest issues that can prevent businesses from being successful. Even when a tactic has been proven successful in the past, it doesn't necessarily mean it will be viable in the future. Giving free fish could develop into a bad habit and unless you're careful, it might keep getting passed onto your employees. If this happens, it could leave them feeling comfortable giving away more fish like their sales are guaranteed no matter what. But you don't want your sales people to get comfortable treating prospects with such treats. You want them to treat potential clients just like new clients.

If you're not careful, giving away free items to your sales people might lead to several negative consequences on your end

A few years ago, I gave out a free pair of shoes to my sales people when we were short on business. We had only been in business for three months and by the time it came time for me to pay them for their shoes, I was forced passed a difficult time. Although the gesture was nice and the new shoes did make me feel more confident about approaching new customers, like you might expect from such a small act, it made us look desperate. We ended up doing just fine with the sale even though they had received free shoes. It was clearly a bad idea to give out the first pair of shoes, let alone the second. Luckily I had the courage to admit that this tactic hadn't worked and gave no more free shoes away. That was over four years ago and I still haven't had to buy my sales people any more shoes or any other free items they ask for.

With all these potential problems in mind, it's easy to see why most small business owners are not big fans of giving out stuff for no reason. I'm always on the lookout for what we can do instead of handing out free stuff to our sales people because we simply don't have enough money in our budget to waste on such things. But there are some products out there that can help you in this regard.

One product that is especially helpful for the generous type is a small fishbowl or jar filled with treats that can be given away to your sales people when needed. You can either buy them from a company like Cheddar's or from a wholesale supplier so you don't have to worry about whether your gift will be well received by your employees. You also shouldn't worry if they choose to pass it along because most sales people do treat their customers kindly and genuinely anyways.

Conclusion

Whether you're a small business owner or not, there are plenty of times when the idea of giving away free items can prove to be beneficial. But this tactic should be used with caution because it can lead to some negative consequences for both your company and your employees. The biggest problem I see with giving out free stuff is that it might create habits in your sales people that you might not be able to get rid of. Choosing the right tactics is key in making sure you keep selling while always being ethical. So if you're still on the fence about giving away free stuff, try taking a step back and make an informed decision before spending any money on anything.