Dispelling The Salesperson Stereotype: The Key To Being More Effective In Today's Economy

As salespeople, we can get very enthusiastic about our business and offerings. As tempered as this enthusiasm may be, we run the risk of being overwhelming, or worse being too “salesy.” This has contributed to the stereotype of the average salesperson as pushy, aggressive, and overly excited.

The result is, invariably, a degradation of the sales process. By virtue of this stereotype, internal feelings of pressure and tension are instantly created within prospects and clients alike. The prospect feels he or she would rather be anywhere else other than speaking with you. The reality is that both parties are bringing to the table inherent pressures and tensions that already exist within the buyer/seller interaction. This pressure and tension will result in the prospect retreating.

The Retreating Effect

So, what is this “retreating effect”?

This retreating effect is defined by the prospect saying things such as, “Sounds interesting …Why don’t you call me later and we can talk about it,” or “Sounds interesting …Why don’t you send some information. I’ll look it over and you can call me say, later next week.” Really the prospect is saying, “You know what? I’m really not interested, but I don’t want to hurt your feelings, so I’ll just brush you off.”

Without realizing it, the chase has begun. Based on this false interest perceived by you as genuine, you proceed to follow up a week later with the prospect by calling, leaving messages, and sending emails. If only you had a more gracious way to get to the truth, you could have saved each other valuable time and a whole lot of stress.
In this instance – and in virtually all instances – the sale or the opportunity to close a sale is not lost in the middle or at the end but at the very beginning!

If we, as sales professionals, don’t change our mindset, our approach, and learn to dispel the stereotype right from the onset, we will continually experience pressure and tension, and our sales will be just as they are right now. The secret toll of frustration, rejection, and discouragement will continue.

So what are we to do?

Dispelling the Stereotype

Simply put, we must dispel the stereotype. In order to do this, we must first change our mindset. This begins by differentiating between the short-term objective and the long-term purpose.

What I mean by this is that if your objective is to make a sale and to close a prospect, then you will fail more times than not – pure and simple. If your objective is to make a lot of money, then you will fail more times than not. If your objective is to maximize your margins and profits only, then you will fail more times than not. These are all important considerations to be sure, but they are all very egocentric.

People who focus exclusively on objectives are pretty easy to pick out of a crowd. The tell-tale sign is the way they sell. They are the ones who love to pitch, present, show and tell, and try to convince and persuade. In short, they love to present their entire offering and how we can benefit from it in the hope that something will spark an interest. Not only is this the least effective way to communicate in sales, but it turns people off immediately.

In contrast, if we focus on our purpose, we will succeed on many levels. By “purpose,” I mean the desire to really help people and organizations overcome their actual issues, pains, and business challenges. We must put the other person’s needs and wants first and foremost. If the solutions we offer do not help solve real business issues and pains, then we can be of little to no value to our clients.

To summarize, where the objective is egocentrically focused on driving to the close, people motivated by purpose naturally strive for the truth in order to be of real service and of real value.

People who focus on objectives will be those who pitch or present, and people who are driven and motivated by a deeper purpose will be those who ask questions to determine needs, wants, values, desires, and whether there is a fit for a collaborative working relationship.

By focusing on your purpose, you will be in a much better mental place regardless of the outcome. You will be more comfortable asking questions, the rapport will be greater, and you will start realizing more positive, longer-lasting results. Oh, and not to mention having people and prospects be attracted to you as opposed to retreating from you — I guarantee it!

Xavier
www.nonlinearselling.com