Myths In Sales
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Sales is an art rather than a science. Sure, there are trainings out there that may give newbies a leg up, but a lot of the learning is done by being mentored by experienced salespeople and observing salespeople in action.
Unfortunately, there are several bad examples out there of "gems of wisdom" that are anything but. I am discussing a few of them.
Schmoozing Your Way To Your Clients' Hearts
There is certainly a stereotype of the salesperson as a master charmer. They know precisely what to say and how to say it to achieve their ultimate goal: sell.
I guess sales have been achieved purely because of such a charm offensive. Just not that many.
Behind the idea of the schmoozer is an assumption: Sales is the art of manipulating a client into entering into a business relationship. That supposes that most clients can be manipulated—if only you turn on the charms and deploy your "secret tactics."
That is a terrible, very dangerous assumption.
In my decades of experience, clients are generally bright. They see right through attempts at manipulation and will hold manipulation against any salesperson foolish enough to attempt it.
I can tell you I have been on the other side of that fence, as we all have at some point in time, and made sure the manipulators would not get any of my budget. And I am not alone: I have also heard clients complain about salespeople who felt they were too "foxy."
Some don't go that far. They do not attempt to manipulate. But they want to become their clients' best buddies, so they keep buying.
Obviously, people like to buy from people they like or at least don't hate. But relying on friendship to carry the day is a sure way to miss quota. People buy to either solve a problem they have or gain a tangible advantage, neither of which has anything to do with friendship.
Find the right accounts, the clients where your products and services can make a positive difference. Then, treat clients with respect and work hard to ensure their success. They will like you for it, and you will achieve quota.
Leading The Conversation
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Other salespeople have a much more authoritarian approach. They want to be perceived as the definite reference for whatever they sell, and are ready to play hardball in the process.
They will explain (not always patiently) how the customer should think about their challenges. Of course, these explanations will always lead the clients to the inescapable conclusion that their offering is the best and that the client would be a fool not to purchase it.
Some will even try to shame you into a sale!
I saw this approach employed multiple times: follow-ups on LinkedIn stating, "Since I did not hear from you, it must mean you like to lose money" (no kidding!); a salesperson telling an important organization leader that she was wrong in front of her reports; another salesperson, visibly scripted, not giving a prospect a chance to engage in a meaningful conversation.
This results in a poor customer experience. Once again, it is about the salesperson being manipulative.
But in fact, it is even worse. Here, these salespeople are simply not listening at all.
Why is this worse? Because information is power, and your customer has information that can be worth gold to you. Yes, even if they provide you with details that disqualify them as potential customers.
By not having a conversation, these folks deprive themselves of valuable information. Instead, the best salespeople are excellent listeners. They try to understand what their clients are going through. They empathize first and then think about whether they can lend a helping hand.
They do not put together a dog-and-pony show. They can do demos and presentations, but they monitor their audience's reactions and collect feedback to enhance their value to their clients. In other words, they keep the meetings conversational. By doing so, they build trust, the currency of choice for closing deals.
Closing Will Take Care Of Itself
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Keeping it conversational does not mean not putting sufficient effort into a deal. Sales are not easy, and momentum can be lost for a number of reasons. Without proper follow-up and a sense of urgency, one salesperson may miss quota.
It sounds like incentive plans should prevent this. And yet, I have seen this happen for many reasons, in the form of opportunities left in the funnel whose stakeholders were not contacted for months.
In some cases, that was because this was a big deal that was likely lost—and the salesperson did not want to confront that most uncomfortable realization. In others, it was a lack of stamina and drive.
Unfortunately, self-delusion and lack of determination will not help you meet your quota. There are enough external reasons why a deal may hit a snag and lose momentum; you don't need to add self-inflicted injury to the list.
I tell the ones I manage this: We can fail, but we must try perfectly every time.
Lying Your Way To A Sale
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All of the examples above are sure ways to lose accounts and sales momentum. But I feel this one is in a league all of its own. So much so that it is frankly incredible that anyone—ANYONE—would feel this is acceptable at all.
That ought to be the worst stereotype in the world: the salesperson selling snake oil.
Yet, I saw this with my own eyes, like when a competitor told a prospect of mine that their tool was the only one that could achieve a certain software standard because of a feature unique to their tool.
Technically, their argument was built on sand: in fact, other tools lacking their unique feature were used to meet that standard.
This was also done in bad faith, not ignorance, quite a few times. The idea: if anyone pointed out this was not the case, the customer would chalk it off to that someone being defensive.
This is sometimes called planting a landmine. The problem is that it may maim those who planted it.
I called their bluff, listed a number of accounts that proved them wrong, and said I was really angry because they obviously gave our whole industry a bad rap.
We won that deal.
That is why lying is never a good way to win a sale. Chances are someone will call you out. It may happen immediately, with your client knowing better and showing you the door. They are smart, after all.
Even if they don't detect it immediately, it is bound to bite back, one way or another. And when it does, it will be perceived as a breach of trust.
No trust, no deals. It is really that simple.
And you? What are your top sales myths? Leave them in a comment—they will certainly inspire me for future parts!
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Is your job search turning into a grind with no end in sight? It may be time to take a step back and reevaluate your entire approach.
In cold weather climates, the beginning of spring is a time to clean the house and get organized—a practice known as spring cleaning. Through the years, spring cleaning has taken on a larger meaning with people using the time to organize and declutter things in their lives.
For professionals on the job hunt, a little spring cleaning (metaphorically speaking) could be a great way to reinvigorate your job search. Here are a few strategies your job search spring cleaning should include.
Reevaluate Your Job Search Approach
BigstockMake a list of the last handful of jobs you applied for and see if you can identify any positive or negative trends. Consider things like:
- How did I learn about this job?
- How did I apply for the job?
- Did I earn an interview?
- What was the ultimate result?
A lot can be learned about your job search approach just by answering these questions and identifying patterns. For example:
Negative Trends
You discovered five jobs through job boards, applied to all of them via the job boards, and never heard back from any of them.
The common pattern here is applying through job boards. This isn't to say that job boards don't serve a purpose in the job search process, but they have their limitations, and you can't run your job search entirely off of them. When you apply through a job board, there's a good chance that your materials will never get past the applicant tracking system (ATS) and never be seen by an actual person.
One simple fix is to research who the hiring manager or recruiter is that posted the position and email your materials to them directly.
The more efficient fix would be to take a proactive approach by putting together a bucket list of companies that you want to work for and start making connections on LinkedIn with people who work at those companies. You may already know some people who work there or have connections that can refer you to some individuals.
This is a great way to network your way onto a company's radar.
Positive Trends
You applied to three jobs via referral, were invited to two job interviews, and made it through multiple rounds of interviews for one of the jobs before being passed over for someone with a little more experience.
The pattern here is that getting referred to a job by a professional acquaintance is a great way to land a job interview. This indicates that you're leveraging your network well and you should continue to focus on your networking efforts.
The next step is to review the interview process and determine what went well and what needs to be improved. Sometimes the interviewer will provide feedback, and that feedback can be valuable. However, not everyone is comfortable with giving feedback.
Chances are you probably have a good idea about areas of improvement and the skills you need to gain. Put together a plan for addressing those shortfalls.
The good news in making it deep into any interview process is that it indicates that the company likes you as a potential employee (even if the timing just wasn't right) and the experience could be a roadmap to a job with that company at a later date, or another similar opportunity elsewhere.
Give Your Resume & Cover Letter Some Much-Needed Attention
BigstockAre you continuously sending similar resumes and cover letters to each job opening with only minor adjustments? If so, your strategy needs some serious spring cleaning.
Let's start with resumes!
Every resume should be tailored to the position in order for it to stand out to recruiters and hiring managers. It may seem like a lot of work, but it's actually less work than submitting the same resume over and over again and never hearing back.
The reason why it's so important to tailor your resume is that throughout your career, you acquire numerous skills, but the job you're applying for may only be focusing on 6-8 of those skills. In that case, those skills must rise to the top of the resume with quantifiable examples of how you successfully used those skills at previous jobs.
Remember, recruiters go through hundreds of resumes. They need to be able to tell from a quick glance whether or not you're a potential candidate for the position.
While updating your resume, you could also spruce up your LinkedIn profile by highlighting the skill sets that you want to be noticed for by recruiters.
As for writing a good cover letter, the key to success is writing a disruptive cover letter. When you write a disruptive cover letter, you're basically telling a story. The story should focus on how you connect with the particular company and job position. The story could also focus on your personal journey, and how you got to where you currently are in your career.
If your resumes and cover letters aren't unique, now is the time to clean things up and get on track.
Build Your Personal BrandJust because you're looking for work doesn't mean that you don't have anything to offer. Use previous career experiences and passions to build your personal brand.
Ask yourself, "How do I want other professionals to view me?"
Pick an area of expertise and start sharing your knowledge and experience with your professional network by pushing out content on your LinkedIn and social media accounts. Good content can include blogs, social media posts, and videos.
By sharing content about your experiences and passions, you slowly build your personal brand, and others will start to notice. The content could lead to good discussions with others in your network. It could also lead to reconnecting with connections that you haven't spoken to in years, or making new connections.
You never know when one of these connections could turn into a job lead or referral. The trick is to get on people's radars. So, when you're cleaning up your job search, be sure to build a plan for personal branding.
Maintain Healthy Habits During Your Job Search
BigstockYour job search is important, but it's even more important to know when to pull back and focus on personal health and spending time with family and friends.
There are actually things that you can do for your own enjoyment that could help your job search in the long run, such as:
- Grab coffee with a friend - It's good to engage in light conversation with friends during challenging times. And if your job search does come up, remember that most people have been through it themselves and you never know when a friend may provide you with a good idea or lead on a job.
- Volunteer - Volunteering is a great way to get involved in the community and help others. In addition, if you develop a little bit of a career gap while looking for a job, you can always talk about how you filled that time volunteering, if you're asked about it during a job interview.
- Continue to focus on other passions - Are you a fitness nut? Blogger? Crafter? Continue to do the things that bring you happiness. And if you're in a position to profit from your passion through a freelance job or side hustle, even better!
Spring is the perfect time to clean up and improve your job search so you can land the job you want. If you're struggling to find a job, follow the tips above to reinvigorate your job search—and watch your career blossom!
Need more help with your job search?
Become a member to learn how to land a job and UNLEASH your true potential to get what you want from work!
This article was originally published at an earlier date.
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Originally posted on: https://www.workitdaily.com/myths-in-sales