Why Salespeople Lie

The world of business is currently mired in platform development, entrepreneurial risk taking, and cutting edge business planning. The most profitable companies are the best places to work because the culture is relaxed but the players are putting in long hours. Technology has streamlined the way we work. The politics and formalities are breaking down in favor of collaborative business improvement planning. It is as it should be.

Ties are not comfortable, meetings that tip toe around issues are not productive, and people who pretend to be experts are anything but. We are becoming more honest with one another because we have learned from the mistake of trusting the wrong people. Business partnerships are built on personal relationships. Mistakes are forgotten when the intent is right and partnerships are destroyed when the expert is revealed as a court jester.

In simplest terms, a lot of the things that used to be characterized as "professional" were a smoke screen. So how do we see through the smoke...?

Stop Lying
I have been in sales consulting and sales training for 15 years and I can tell you this....sales people are liars. It's the thing that makes people hate salespeople. So the process for success is incredibly simple:
Tell the truth!

In the movie, "In Good Company", the great Carter Duryea convinces a bunch of industry veterans that his education and youthful motivation have applicable relevance in the marketplace. It works for a while. But when he meets the boss' daughter in the elevator he admits to her that he has no idea what he is doing. It is a refreshingly human moment. While it is probably not best to completely reveal your cards, I can tell you that in time the pretenders are always revealed for their true selves. Why fake it?

As a salesperson, your target buyer will often ask you leading questions in an effort to measure your BS meter. Many salespeople see this as an opportunity to showcase their expertise (and it often might be). But if you talk yourself in circles, you destroy your credibility. Let me advise you are 3 simple things:
Allow silence to linger.....don't believe you have to keep talking
Address questions directly
Don't allow the past to sidetrack your strategy

We Weren't There
Have you ever asked a salesperson a yes/no question and gotten a 20 minute answer? Did the answer even address your question? In sales anticipating pitfalls is critical. If one knows their product cannot perform a certain function, they might seek to disguise that. In fact, they may overexpose their fact masking because they are so afraid that their past product failures will resurface. Often times, the aforementioned paranoia exposes an inefficiency that does not even apply to the situation. Then, you lose because you lied.

Quick tip: don't buy from someone who does not directly address your questions, they are hiding something.

So Then...
Be honest but don't reveal your hand. Sound contradictory? Not really.

The process is simple: Someone needs something and you have something to give.

Why complicate the issue?:
You do not want to leave any stones unturned...so ask good questions!
You do not want to miss a buying signal...so do your research!
You do not want to validate your buyers stereotypes....so be honest!

Don't Forget to Remember!

Dave

Be YOU

Business is unpredictable! But, there is one discernible fact that seems to always ring true:
If you act out of character, it will catch up with you!

People are commonly good natured. We all want to work harder, do a little bit more, make that sale, get that promotion. In our quest to go above and beyond the call of duty we sometimes cross the line. We take a chance...fairly sure it will work out...then it catches up with us.

Integrity is a core value of most every company....it's also an overused and misrepresented term! We hope to be looked upon as honorable employees but we don't covet our employees in the way we do our children....it is unfair to think we would. Integrity is a bold word, honesty might better characterize a general work expectation.

Sales people are commonly put in the 'slick talker' category. Sell something out of the box and leave it to your team to fix it (while you make all the money). I wish I could say the characterization was unfair but it certainly leaves room for differentiation.

What if you could double your sales by simply being honest. By having conversations with people instead of force feeding an audience 100 PowerPoint slides. If you could talk in sensible terms about a need, a solution, and their viability...? Sounds too easy? The thing is that we make it too hard.

You feel your stomach turning on Sunday night, "what awaits me in my office inbox". You stay up at night pondering when this big project will ever end or if it will be completed correctly. You sweat in your suit before an interview.

It doesn't have to be so hard.

I was once asked if I had trouble firing people. I answered, "NO". If you are honest with people they know whether their effort is measuring up or if their skill set matches their position. If we try to be something we are not, we act out of character, and our legacy is tarnished.

I have struggled in the past trying to be someone I am not. You would be surprised how easy it is to let go of that job, promotion track, or big sale if you are honest with yourself.

It's work. It can be a lot of fun if you understand what you do well and act accordingly.

Don't Forget to Remember!

Dave