You're a Scum Bag!

Sales Rep: "I had the worst day ever! This bitch at XYZ Corp. kicked me out of the building and told me she was going to call the cops."

Me: "That happens all the time when you're new at this. I've only been kicked out of maybe three buildings in my entire life. What could you have done differently?"

Sales Rep: "Nothing. I was polite. I told her I was from _______ and then gave her a brochure and started telling her why we are better than their current provider."

Me: "What else did you tell her?"

Sales Rep: "I told her we would save her money and that we've been in the business for 75 years and, I don't know...a bunch of stuff. She kept saying she wasn't interested so I kept telling her why she should give me 5 minutes of her time."

Me: "Did you ask her anything?"

Sales Rep: "Not really, I didn't get the chance. She kicked me out after me being there for only 5 minutes."

I have conversations with salespeople just like the one above about once a week. They give me the same excuses as the week before, take no responsibility for the prospect's actions and they whine. Why do cold calls sometimes end with the salesperson being kicked out of the office? That's easy: BECAUSE THEY ARE A SALESPERSON.

In order to be successful at selling, (or any form of persuasion for that matter) you must be able to mentally trade places with the person you are speaking with. You have to understand their mindset, trade places with them and be sympathetic to what they are feeling.

Every training session I conduct, I ask the salespeople one question: What do people think of when they hear the word 'salesperson'? The answers vary, but the following four come out every single time:
-Pushy/Closers
-Greedy/Only worried about their commission
-Fake
-Slimy/Greasy/Used Car Salesmen/Scumbag etc.

This exercise is beneficial because it is a HUGE wake up call for many salespeople. It shouldn't be. We've all dealt with a salesperson like the one described above. However, for some reason, as soon as you get your business cards many of you adopt a holier than thou persona.

The facts are these:
-You are a salesperson.
-You are stereotyped to be the typical salesperson.
-The typical salesperson is the one we've just defined.
-The typical salesperson is a failure.
-The typical salesperson scares people.
-The typical salesperson puts people on edge and makes them put a wall up.
-The typical salesperson is the last person people want to talk to. You're right up there with ex-wives and mother in laws.

Now that you have this information, it is your goal to separate yourself from every other salesperson out there and become a Sales Professional. You can start separating yourself by asking questions instead of stating facts. Next, you can do the exact opposite of what a your think the typical sales person would do. Every interaction with a customer is a chance to change what they think about you and your profession.

Next time you are with a customer, remember, they hate you and you are a scumbag - until you convince them otherwise.