What are your prospects mental pictures of Salespeople?
Very often in sales training we look at the salespersons own perspective on what the term salesperson means. Very often the salesperson themselves is wary of admitting they are in sales. It is quite damming, in many ways, that a profession is so cautious and ashamed to stand up and say proudly
“I’m a salesperson!”
It’s a sad fact, but true, that the very thing that sales people fear is the initial gut reaction that the other person will have on finding out that they are a salesperson. And so they should because the vast majority of people have been put off by old, tired out and sometimes dubious sales tactics and now recoil at the very mention of that name.
This is not a new phenomenon by any stretch of the inagination. Monty Python were bang on the money way back in their hayday with this:
Would your sales prospects rather see you as a burglar?
In the modern selling world, it is by your actions and not your title that you can differentiate yourself from the instant recoil that many have when hearing the term salesman. Quite simply put – don’t do what the rest of the pack do!
- Do your market research and know your Industry backwards
- Develop an Information and educational approach to selling
- Never, ever, use the old cliched opening lines that poorly trained, underskilled and pushy salespeople use
- Understand current research into buying psychology and why people make the choices they do
- Develop a long term focus rather than a short term gain perspective to sales relationships
Above all – be a good human being!
Next time you are sales prospecting ask yourself “Am I an Encyclopedia Salesman?”
5 Comments
A great post and the Monty Python Sketch took me back! I have been selling proactively for 28 years now. I expect to make appointments and i expect to make sales. Then again, i 100% totally believe in our products. By being a decent human being and really listening to potential clients, taking the order really is very straightforward.
I have never forgotten that PEOPLE BUY PEOPLE FIRST AND WHATEVER ELSE SECOND. As well as THE PERSON IS PROFESSIONAL.
Great blog…i’ve bookmarked it.
Normally, people always think bad about the salesperson! Salesperson also need to work for a money. Correction “big money!”. A very great blog!
Listen to your clients, that is a major impediment. Any sales person should have an opened ear.
At the lowest levels the steps are the same find an interested prospect determine their needs present a solution that meets their needs and compels them to buy ask for the order. I can t necessarily do that in an hour or so that a car salesperson might have.
I wouldn’t say that I consider my job to be as worthwhile as a doctor or nurses but I’m reasonably confident that what I do makes a difference and is not all that easy to do.
I agree with everything you’ve said in your post but the point that I resonate with the most is “Above all – be a good human being!”.
I’ve been in sales a long time and I’ve worked for and with sales people where it seemed it was always about: their commission, closing hard, never taking no for an answer and talking loudly and importantly a bit too often.
I used to think I should be like that – aggressive, pushy, exuding confidence and superiority. It took me years to sift through all the ‘training’ there is out there to realise that sales is a very simple thing. It’s about getting your product into the hands of users of your product in exchange for a price that is reflective of the value of your product. And doing this in sufficient quantity and profitably enough to sustain doing it for a living, supporting your family and sustaining all the functions of your company.
Thannks for this article.