What is the first thing that comes to mind when someone thinks of a sales person. Honesty? Integrity? Service? Not in the world I am from. Sales meant: pushy, slick, lack of integrity. In describing a great salesperson one might say that the ”great salesperson was the one that could sell ice to Eskimos.” Excuse me, but I think that would be a con man. It is unfortunate that a profession that could be viewed as providing such a great service to the community is viewed more often as the group that is only concerned with meeting their quota and making money at all costs. Unfortunately, there will always be a group of people that lack integrity. However they are not isolated to the sales profession. They are presentt in every profession.
That being said, how do we overcome the negative perceptions of sales representatives? The answer is one sale at time. Integrity in sales requires a paradigm shift which suggests walking away from some sales will gain you more sales in the long run. The ability of the representative to let the customer know that the service or product that they are offering is not a fit goes a long way in building trust. In this act of walking away from the quick sale, the representative has demonstrated to the customer they are concerned about offering a product or service that fits the customer’s needs.
Telling the customer that what you have to offer does not meet their needs is one of the most powerful things you can do to build trust with a potential customer. Regardless of the sales cycle of the item you are selling, you will always need customers in the future. In future issues, I will discuss the many ways to build “cables” of trust with your clients. These “cables” will build strong loyalty to you and position you as a valued resource. Happy Selling!
