In sales, many bad habits have crept in somehow – and seem to propagate with every new crop of sales people. I have made many of these mistakes myself, and witnessed them being carelessly carried out by some of the worst in the business.
Here are some of the most useless habits of conversation I’ve seen and heard in sales, and what you can do about them.
These phrases add nothing to your client’s day. As soon as people hear this, they are thinking “another typical pain in the @%$^#& sales person.”
Instead, get creative. Find something valuable to say like: “Did you see the Bloomberg report about your customer X who just won a 2M bid with XYZ company? How does that impact your operation?” Don’t just “touch base”. Round that base with meaningful conversation that shows you are in the top tier of business – and work for a living just like them.
As soon as you say “I was just wondering if I could have a moment of your time” you have put yourself in a negative position. Nobody cares what you were wondering. They are trying to run a business, make money and keep from going crazy after getting a bazillion stupid phone calls a day. They probably already have a favorite charity.
Skip the apologetics instead and get to the point. How can you make it worth their time to listen to you?
Don’t confuse friendliness with idle chatter. Consider your audience. Be courteous of the incredible time constraints they face. The average executive receives 300 emails and 100 phone calls a day from marketers. He or she may have as many as 10 meetings to attend today.
Differentiate yourself by skipping the schmooze and moving straight to how you can help them grow their business. Your thoughtful business ideas will be a refreshing change from the typical death-by-blather they hear all day long from your sales brethren.
Don’t create more work for your clients by asking stupid questions like: “So do you have any projects going on currently?” First, this tells them that you have no idea what they do. Second, it tells them that you are not ambitious enough to even anticipate what they might need, based on your understanding of today’s business climate.
Instead, how about asking specific questions that probe into issues you have seen with other clients in similar segments? Ask about things you know they care about. If you don’t know what that might be, do a little research before you call.
Unless you know your client is familiar with the specific technical jargon you want to use, don’t use it. At the very least, it could confuse them or bore the snot out of them. At worst, it could make them feel uninformed and out of touch. Either way: not good.
When in doubt, skip the industry jargon. As an alternative, explain your case in simple terms that even an eight year old could understand. This is not to say that executives are uneducated or unwise, quite the opposite; they are very wise. However, due to their role they are quite possibly insulated from a lot of highly technical terminology.
Does this sound like someone you want to trust with your next high profile project?:
“Hi, uh, this is uh, Don, uh, with, uh, ACME Power, uh, Widgets. So, um, we were just wondering, uh, if you, like, um..”
If you want to be considered a valuable partner, confidently demonstrate that you are competent and knowledgeable about the subject matter. They may not say it, but business people understand that if you are not confident, they would be foolish to put their confidence in you.
Give yourself (and everyone else) a break. Just because no one is speaking, doesn’t obligate you to fill that void. In fact, one of the most effective sales people I know sets the tone in a meeting, asks a question and then sits silently.
It may seem uncomfortable at first, but this technique gives the client time to gather their thoughts – and they will often tell you much more than they ever would when faced with the constant pitchfest some sales reps feel they have to provide. Silence is your friend, friend. Trust the silence.
If someone is looking for friends, they usually don’t contact their sales rep. They might visit a bar or log onto Facebook, but unless they are really desperate they aren’t looking to you. Being friendly is one thing, but if you act like you’re more intimate than you really are you can appear shallow, insincere and kinda’ stupid.
Instead, work toward a professional long term business relationship. Earning trust and respect is a gradual process.
Some sales people act as if they are pleading with clients to please, please buy their stuff. It’s as though they are afraid of being slapped or something!
If your company has something of value, and you are providing a valuable service, then be bold about it. I’m not talking about being aggressive or pushy, but clients respect a sincere, confidently-spoken business case told with great poise.
Sales people can be in such a hurry to “close”they end up grilling their client with rapid fire questions. Calm down. Investigate, probe and implore – but don’t interrogate.
Enjoin them with pleasant, two-way conversation lest you run the risk of boring, irritating or overwhelming them. Get good at getting the answers you need in a way that is genial and gracious – and results in your client getting answers they want, too. Through your conversation – rather than interrogation – help them see not only the scope of their pain/opportunity, but also the value you bring to the table.
I was always amused by the auctioneer’s mile a minute delivery. Clients, however, are not so amused when auction-style banter comes from sales reps. So you’ve had four cups of coffee this morning and you are really, really excited. That’s no reason to blast your client with oratory vomit.
Slow it down, make it engaging and enjoyable. Match cadence with your client’s rate of speech. Notice their body language and try to naturally adjust your own to match. Show that you are listening – and thoughtfully considering what they have to say.
In sales, there’s a lot of pressure. A lot can go wrong. If you are heavy in heart, it shows on your face – and people can hear it in your voice.
One sales expert friend of mine says to smile when you call someone, because you can hear it on the other end. If you are bothered by something, you should get that taken care of before working with your clients. You want to meet them with a smile on your face and a spring in your step, even if you are just calling them on the phone. Whatever it takes, get a smile that covers your whole body, not just your lips. A happy, confident person is much more pleasant to talk to – and much harder to resist!
What useless habits have you identified during the sales process? Let us know in the comments below!
Don F Perkins is a Sales and Marketing Professional as well as Chief Reflection Officer at the Mindmulch.net blog Don has been solving problems, building systems and learning the stories of others in technology and business for almost 20 years. By building strong relationships, observing patterns and asking tough questions, he uncovers ways to help clients adapt to business challenges and create sustainable growth opportunities. Don is passionate about community and connections. Find out more and connect with Don at his landing page online
Great observations, Don! Seems like you have everything covered. Just by reading, it seems pretty tough to balance between those and not be pushy.
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@janwong Indeed. Isn't it interesting that a lot of these things start out as well intentioned ideas, but when we get out of balance, they do more harm than good?
Don, love these observations...and the suggestions, particularly on #1. Being creative about new ways to create value for someone is the key - and it keeps you focused on what matters (your customer) and what doesn't (um, uhh, interrogations, needlessly filling the silence, etc.) Just FYI, I put together a video on how to stop saying "um" and "uh" - you may have already seen it, but just in case the link is here: http://bit.ly/rLnDXu
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@westfallonline Good form. I believe this is a major issue for many of the junior sales people I meet. Your video gives some great practical ways of overcoming this.
Wow, I liked this one. Part of it is the retrospective on my own sales efforts and how I was guilty of a few of these. I was terrible at "following up" and "checking in" as well as begging for time.
I probably am a tad too friendly, but that is my personality. I've reached the point to where "if I'm too friendly for your tastes, I'm probably not your guy".
@dbvickery Don't get me wrong, I like friendly in a sales guy, but if that's all there is... I guess I'm saying that value has to be there. It seems like somewhere in the past sales could be done with a smile and a handshake, but the market place of the internet has changed all that. KnowwhatImean?
I hate the "touching base." I have a rep who does this often. Here's the deal, there are only two games in town. If ever there is a time when I'm not happy with the one I'm using, I'll make contact with you. It's not like you're going to miss the opportunity. But when you just keep bugging me, you look kind of sleazy because you're wasting my time and trying to steal someone else's business. UGH.
Can you tell that you hit a sore spot with me?
Thanks for the great (blood pressure raising) post!
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@PegFitzpatrick Only if you bring martinis!
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Good list. I love number 4, don't call and immediately start digging and asking pointless questions that demonstrate that you know nothing about the company. Is there a reason why you think my company might be interested in whatever you are selling? Start with that. Do your research and save yourself and your prospect some time.
@Elyse_D I wonder if this comes down to sales people sometimes getting so caught up in "closing" that they forget that they are dealing with a human being. If we stop and think about where the person we are conversing with is at, the natural result is a normal conversation, not just regurgitating a senseless generic script handed down by the boss.
