Suicide of the salesman. I’m sure many of you have encountered this. The product was ok, or maybe even great! But, the salesman was just so…bad. He or she was pushy and wouldn’t listen to you. Both these qualities make it obvious that the sales person is only in it for the money. Your money of course! But, for Pete’s sake! You are a person! This kind of behavior is insulting to your intelligence! A bad experience with a sales person can leave a bad taste in your mouth regarding a company. This happens all the time! Sales people kill their own sales!! Sales is high pressure too, so how is a balance struck?

Don’t sell junk

Before accepting that sales position, ask yourself ‘Would I use this product?’ ‘Would I buy it with my own money?’ If the answer is no than walk away. There is a lot of junk out there, and poop stinks no matter how much perfume you put on it. If the product doesn’t even provide you with the solution to your problem, how can you expect it to solve someone else’s problem? When I worked for big car company, former managers and employees wouldn’t even buy the protection packages the company sold. Why? They knew first hand they were redundant, and useless to nearly every customer! The only customers who would benefit from them would be customers who had no insurance. These were very high risk deals that usually lost the company money, and were not your normal customer.

Don’t insult your customer

When I purchased my Nissan Murano I had an overall really good experience. The only downside was dealing with the finance guy. I had paid for the car in cash, and didn’t need his services. However, I had to go to him to sign off that I was declining financing options. What he really tried to do was use scare tactics to get me to purchase a 100,000 mile warranty plan. “I can’t protect you with out this plan”. “If something major were to happen to vehicle before 100,000 miles you would be on the hook for the entire cost!” Today’s customers are far more savy than before, and I was no exception. I had the car inspected by a third party mechanic to ensure that there wasn’t anything major wrong with the car. There wasn’t. I had also done my research on these warranty packages as my husband had purchased one many years ago, and was essentially screwed over by it when his engine had a rod knock at 50,000 miles. For the most part they are worthless!

The insulting part

My husband and I were in the process of moving across the country. I arrived in MN before him so I was searching for transportation for us while we transitioned to a two car family. Thus, I was a female purchasing a vehicle alone at the dealership. The finance guy didn’t see me as a person, he saw me as someone he could intimidate into a sale. Frankly, that did not sit well with me considering it was the third time I had purchased a car on my own! That was part of the reason I was taking on that role, since my husband and I are a team, and that was something I had experience in. If you really want me to recommend your dealership to my friends interested in buying a car, don’t insult my intelligence.

Listen

If you are working for a company( or for yourself) that sells a variety of different products. (If not, I recommend quitting, and working for a more diverse company.)  There should be just about something for everyone. But, you have to listen to figure out what that may be. The customer may not tell you, because they may not even know. So, ask the right questions, and listen to their answers! The sale is in the answers that the customer is giving to you. Listening to your prospect shows you respect them, and their time. If you still get a no from them, that’s ok! Listening and giving them a good experience will make that person far more likely to recommend you to their friends and family.

Some will, some won’t, who cares so what!

According to salesforce not knowing when to stop perusing a dead prospect is a sign of a bad salesman. They are absolutely right! I’ve been down that road before too. Having to tell a relentless salesperson no a million times is really annoying! I never changed my mind either regarding purchasing the products. It just left a bad taste in my mouth. I’m sure many of you have been down that road before. There is no good ending to being an annoying salesperson. It makes you look bad, annoys the prospect, and wastes your time! Time that could be used gaining other prospects!

People can smell desperation a mile away!

And…it stinks to high heaven! There’s a number of reasons for this. If you don’t meet your sales numbers, you’re not going to be able to pay your mortgage this month! You’ll get fired!Be reprimanded by your boss again! There are a number of reasons one could be desperate to make that sale. Sales is a high demand, high stress industry. However, none of these are the customers problem. So, what is the solution to this, so you can wash off the desperation?

How does your company ‘grade’ good salesmen?

There are a couple of different structures out there for ‘grading’ salesmen that businesses use. One is where you are ‘graded’ based strictly on the number of sales you obtain, and the money you bring in. Sales is a numbers game! Often times it takes a lot of ‘no’s’ to get to a ‘yes’. A good business will know that, and will ensure that you have the resources you need to get to that yes, because it will pay off.

The wrong way to ‘grade’ sales

Some companies will grade you based on every single customer you come in contact with. If it’s a yes, it counts for you, if it’s a no, it counts against you. This is done by companies that don’t understand that sales is a numbers game! Some will say no, and if a business is unwilling or unable to empower employees to move on, and not waste their time on no’s; then there is an issue with the business. Don’t waste your time, and get out before things start to get really stressful, because they will.

Sales can be a stressful, but rewarding for the right person. I’m not really a sales person myself (I’ve worked in the industry, and didn’t enjoy it.) but I appreciate a good salesperson who does their job ethically, and well. It’s a tough job! Do it well and you’ll go far!