eBusinessBlog.org Leveraging marketing & technology to solve business problems.

What is so difficult about this sales process thing?

I deal with vendors on a daily basis, most of which are a pleasant experience. Then there are the others that are either, too pushy and only interested in the sale, and then there are others who cannot close the sale because of a simple question.

Take Peer 1, a managed hosting company who we are strongly considering to have handle SuperMotors.net hosting. Everything checks out on their website - professionally designed, up-to-date information, current press releases. Not much in terms of comments on their managed hosting service online, but that may be because this is still a relatively new market for managed hosting with not a lot of competitors and customers. The price looks good, the company looks good, but when I ask for 2-3 existing customer references (of equal or higher contract terms as we're considering) from the sales rep I've been working with, I get nothing. Last communcation from the rep was on November 13th. It's now December 5th. I've sent follow-up e-mails re-requesting 2-3 customer references on November 14th, November 26th, and December 1st.

I guess e-mails are not good enough and I'll need to call. It shouldn't be this hard for us to spend money. Not only is this annoying, but it speaks volumes about their commitment to customer service. Do they even have 2-3 customers that are going to give them top marks? Strike 1 for Peer 1!