Typical Sales Guy
It’s interesting how often I’m unwittingly insulted by clients, people in my company’s staff, heck, even friends and family. If you’re in sales, you’ve probably heard the comments:
- “Oh, you’re in sales…” (Is leprosy associated with sales? It sure feels like I have it sometimes.)
- “We don’t need sales in this meeting.” (I’m looking behind me to see who else they’re referencing since I’m the only member of sales in the room.)
- And we can’t forget my favorite: “typical sales guy.” (In case you forgot, dear extended family member, I’m a salesman.)
As a salesperson, you’re always fighting to earn the confidence and trust of the client. It starts at the prospecting stage and continues after the sale. As you meet new people across an organization, it’s interesting to see some people’s initial reaction when you introduce yourself and your title, at least in my experience. You instantly get put in the sales penalty box. The sales penalty box is the place salespeople go because the client is skeptical of your motives, distrusts you or is in fear of being sold something.
These odd introductions and shaky initial relationships aren’t limited to clients either. I see it all the time in the organizations where I’ve worked. Here are few fun zingers I’ve heard many times: “Those sales guys,” “salespeople will do anything to get a deal,” or “sales only cares about money.” The nutty part is that I’m actually part of the conversation while being disparaged by my colleagues.
Yes, I’m guilty of being a “sales guy” until I’ve proven I can add value for you or your organization. It feels like my daily mission is to win over one person at a time, whether they’re a client or someone new in my own company.
Sales Stereotypes are Real
No matter the level of professionalism at which we perform, there are others in the selling world who seem to create such strong gravity that it pulls all salespeople into the same stinky bucket. Their poor techniques perpetuate those unwelcome sales stereotypes generation after generation. Here are a few poor sales tactics:
- Saying, I promise, followed by what you can’t actually promise. You’re not dating the client, so why use promise in any part of a discussion? All it does is conjure up ideas of a shady salesman in the client’s mind.
- Proposing a deal that goes away at the end of the quarter. Public companies are infamous for this tactic. Yes, proposals need to expire, but picking dates that benefit the seller and not the client make no sense.
- Saying, “to tell you the truth”. It’s likely we’ve all used this expression in casual and professional conversations. But this little idiom can be interpreted by the potential client as, “so everything else you told me might not be true.”
- Answering questions where you don’t know the answer. This is a surefire way to instantly lose credibility with your client. It’s perfectly okay to say you don’t know but you’ll get back to them.
Fearing the Salesman
Consider the following scenario: One of the people you’re working with at a prospective client stops communicating with you. Clearly, there’s something you’ve done wrong, or maybe they prefer another vendor, or maybe they don’t like your product or service. This is totally understandable; you’re never going to win over everyone or win every opportunity.
If you’re going to grow as a salesperson, getting honest feedback from these folks is really important. Most people seem to really hate giving people the bad news that they’re not buying their stuff. So instead of giving the salesperson a call to share their decision that they’re no longer interested and why all communication just stops.
There’s a good chance these folks have been on the receiving end of some crazy antics by a salesperson trying to salvage their deal during these conversations rather than simply learning why they lost. Sheepishly, I must confess, I contributed to this stereotype in my early selling days.
Jump in
Sales stereotypes will be a factor to overcome in every new engagement and conversation. Operating with the highest degree of professionalism, never compromising on your integrity and focusing on the client’s best interest will always win the day in the long run.
Go ahead and dive into the sales pool. The water could be cold and choppy. But over time, the commitment to preparation and learning from your failures will lead to superior results.
