All the animals on the farm are equal. Except salespeople.
How should salespeople be treated?How does your company treat salespeople? How do you want you and your fellow salespeople treated?Are the treatments the same?I doubt it.
Here are typical salespeople “treatments”…
No common courtesy afforded them.
Lies regularly told to them (especially in price negotiations)
Rude gatekeepers who treat them like dirt, or make the corporate decision, “we’re not interested.”
Rude voicemail of purchasers who duck calls, and then don’t return them if it’s “just a salesman.”
Buyers don’t return their calls because, “If I had to return every salesman’s call I’d have no time to get any work done.”
Don’t want to appoint them.
Won’t appoint them if they are “satisfied with their present supplier.”
Will always try to hammer (reduce) the price, or simply take three bids.
Will abandon loyalty and relationship for a lower price.
Will make an appointment and not show up — or cut the time short.
Screen calls to eliminate salespeople
Have gatekeepers tell them “not interested” or “doesn’t see anyone without an appointment.”
Make them submit a proposal, they PROVE why they are the best even though they are not the lowest price, and still take the lowest price.
Ok we have established that for the most part, salespeople are treated like crap.
Let’s look at salespeople from another perspective:
Supposed they were customers? Would the treatment be any different? Why?
Letter from a reader: Dear Jeffrey, I just saw your Gatekeeper show on TrainOne. One personal experience came to mind: It was my first day on the job as a copier salesman. As part of my “initiation”, I was supposed to make 50 cold calls that day. During these calls, I was to persuade the gatekeepers to let me make a copy on their copier thus enabling me to collect valuable information on the prospect’s existing equipment.
My first call was to a doctor’s office. This doctor specialized in hair transplants (now here is a sales call I can relate to). I walked into the office and gave my spill. The gatekeeper proceeded to enlighten me, rather abrasively, about the building’s policy on soliciting. Rather than heading for the door with my tail between my legs, I lowered head, exposing the bald spot on my head and asked her if I was a candidate for a hair transplant. She laughed and assured me that I was. I asked for a brochure. Before leaving, she apologized for being rude and gladly allowed me to make my copy. Consequently, I wound up selling this prospect.
Just thought I’d share this with you. Keep up the great work, Jeffrey!
David VP Marketing
Funny, as soon as the (dumb) nurse saw he was a potential customer, the whole tone of the conversation changed. How pathetic is that? How two-faced is that? Why wasn’t she just nice in the first place? Same reason for all three questions: POOR (or dim) VISION.
She looked at James as a salesman. A pain-in-the-ass salesman. Her vision SHOULD have been: Potential customer, or, may live next door to our biggest customer, or may know people thinking about being our customer.
That SHOULD have been her vision when a salesman walks in the door, and so should yours.
Treat everyone as though they were a customer. A BIG customer. Or simply treat their salespeople like you would like them to treat your salespeople.
There isn’t one salesperson that wouldn’t like to say, “They didn’t buy, but they were the nicest people, treated me wonderfully, truthfully, and was one of the best places I ever visited.” That result is REPUTATION, and word-of-mouth advertising.
EQUAL OPPORTUNITY IDIOTS: Part of the problem is the salesperson. Many are not the most professional. Many are rude and abrasive.
EASY SALESPERSON’S REMEDY: Put better “reasons-to-get-through” into the sales process. Put more “value-for-the-customer” into your selling process.
Don’t worry about how you are treated.
That’s a perception issue — not a reflection of you.
Worry more about how you may be able to alter that treatment.
The power to make the sale lies within the power of you. It’s your ability to make and use that power to benefit and covert energy which will create an atmosphere where people buy.
Back to the jerks who don’t understand that everyone is a potential customer and should be treated like one. Can you imagine corporate America issuing an edict that said, “From today on, we have decided to treat all our customers like we treat salespeople. No returned calls to customers. Make customers bid for our business. Lie to them. Only deal with those customers that offer us the highest profit. And in the end — be willing to dump them for a different customer who offers us a bit more cash.”
Seems silly. But not as silly as not realizing that salespeople are customers, too.
IMMEDIATE SOLUTION:
Take this article with you when you sell.
Photocopy this article and send it to your people who purchase.
Photocopy this article and send it to your customers who purchase.
Photocopy this article and send it to EVERY gatekeeper in the world.
Free GitBit… Want three things of value that you (the salesperson) can begin to do that will reverse the trend of how salespeople are treated? Go to www.gitomer.com – register if you’re a first time user, and enter the word TREATMENT in the GitBit box.
Jeffrey Gitomer, author of The Sales Bible, and Customer Satisfaction is Worthless, Customer Loyalty is Priceless. President of Charlotte-based Buy Gitomer, he gives seminars, runs annual sales meetings, and conducts internet training programs on selling and customer service. He can be reached at 704/333-1112 or e-mail to salesman@gitomer.com