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Sorry if this is in the wrong area, but I think it's best place here.

I joined a reasonably large, well known company and the first task was selecting a software package that we'll be using going forward. It will be a cost of around £10k to start, then on-going costs of around £2k a year.

I led the selection process, arranging demos with various options and then, as a team, we selected one and moved forward the purchasing process with that item.

Since making the decision to use suite A, I have been contacted by some of the other suppliers, asking how the selection process is going. Most have been fine with being told that we weren't going with them, one or two points as to why, and moving on. One supplier, suite E, however has been very pushy. He doesn't seem to want to take no for an answer.

The demo from suite E went on the longest (3hrs, rather than the 1.5-2hrs the other suppliers used) and the salesman I've been dealing with has phoned me and/or sent me emails about once a day since their demo. The one day I was out at an event, I had multiple missed calls from them, and they had managed to phone my manager and leave a message with them. Since being told that they were not the selected package, they have phoned me a couple more times, along with emails, which I can deal with. They are now trying to get hold of the technical manager, trying to get him to change the decision.

I'm not too worried about the managers over turning the decision, as we have all got on well and the selection process was very much as a team. I just want to know what I can do, either this time or next time, to convince them that the answer is no. The problem is, as I mentioned earlier, we're a well known company in the UK, so we would have been a good advert for the software suite etc.

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    Have you asked them directly to stop calling you? – Laconic Droid May 18 '17 at 14:35
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    @LaconicDroid sorry if it wasn't clear, it's not the calling me that's the issue, it's the salesman trying to phone my manager to get the decision changed. – Puffafish May 18 '17 at 14:44
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    Classic sales behavior. You need to align your mgmt chain to a sourcing strategy. If they are not aligned then there us nothing you can do. How did they get your manager's contact info? You probably have a sourcing departmrnt with negotiators. Become friends with these people. Find one ASAP and hand over all commercial discussions to them. Again, align management. DO NOT disclose available budget, time pressures, competing solutions, or contact info/names of your mgmt. Sales does not need that info to give you a quote. – acpilot May 18 '17 at 18:11
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    @Puffafish Ah, I see. Sounds like someone in your team needs to get the message to the salesman's boss that he is only harming his cause for future business. – Laconic Droid May 18 '17 at 19:37
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If you feel this is a real concern, you may want to express to your management that it would make sense for them to contact the salesman's boss at his company to let them know that his actions are not appreciated.

This is a legitimate concern because any appearance of impropriety may reflect poorly on your company and may damage relations with other vendors, but from the way you describe it, it may be above your actual level to address it. Express your concerns to management and let them deal with it.

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  • Spot on.. this sort of salesperson is a is extremely irritating but sadly not all that rare. I expect most mid-level upwards managers will have dealt with several of this ilk over their careers and doing so is part of their job.(BTDT) So let them handle it, they will also likely have a bit more latitude then a more junior member of staff in how blunt they can be in discouraging the salestwit from continuing. – motosubatsu May 18 '17 at 14:28
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    I have previously complained to a salesdroid with his boss on CC. They weren't the smartest cookies apparently as they did a Reply To All for what should have been an internal evaluation of my response (!) The chief point is, if you're an important enough potential customer that they waste a lot of time on yo now, you are probably also a potential future customer. Losing a sale now is bad, also losing future sales is worse. – MSalters May 19 '17 at 11:59
  • @MSalters I worked at a place where it was management was pushy, and I was the one telling them to back off. I told them that if you try to grab every last penny from a customer as they're on the way out the door, they won't be back. You're right, never sacrifice future sales for current sales. – Old_Lamplighter May 19 '17 at 12:24
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Answer his call once and tell him again that your company didn't choose his product and that his constant calls are reflecting badly on him and his company.

If this doesn't work just put his email and phone number on a ignore list.

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  • But that won't stop him calling the OP's boss. Seems like the only thing to do it inform someone higher than the salesman in company E that he is endangering their hopes of future sales – Mawg says reinstate Monica Oct 8 '17 at 10:10

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