Why do some people think selling is easy? Why do some companies continue to hire the wrong salespeople? I have to think this is due to not understanding sales itself, or just needing a warm body to fill a chair. Either way, this approach of hiring a “non-salesperson” to fill a sales role is detrimental to a business that relies heavily on salespeople.
It boggles my mind every time I come across a “salesperson”. A good salesperson has a rare talent, and they are a dying breed, in my opinion. That talent includes making you feel good about being there and making you feel like you are the most important person to them, because technically, you are.
Recently, I walked into a car dealership and was greeted by a salesperson; we will call her Rose…because that was actually her name. She was interested in what I had to say for about 13 seconds, and then it appeared that she was distracted. I couldn’t put my finger on it at that moment, but I very soon realized why my gut was throwing me signals left and right. The model I was interested in was not in the showroom. She pointed to the vehicle on the lot and said I could meet her outside, since she needed to grab the keys. As she came out, she unlocked the vehicle so I could sit inside. She was talking, but I couldn’t understand what she said, so I asked her if she could repeat herself. It was at this moment where my gut feeling was confirmed. She pointed to her ear and mouthed the words “I’m on a call”. She had an earpiece in (which I couldn’t see before since her hair covered it), and she was talking to someone on the phone…while trying to sell me a car!
Honestly, I was blown away. I immediately thought, well there is no way this person is successful, and I sure as hell am not buying from them. Even though I was pissed, I thought to myself, let’s see how this plays out. It had now become an experiment, and as the interaction started to disintegrate before my eyes, questions popped into my head like:
If she was on the phone with another customer, how could they be ok with not having the salespersons full attention on their end either?
If she was on the phone with a friend, why was that call more important than my potential business?
As the “conversation” continued, not once did she ask me about what I like to drive, do I drive more on the highway or the city, what is the most important requirement for my car of choice? In fact, I was asking all the questions. Which made me realize that this person is so out to lunch that if she were confronted by a manager about this, her response would likely be – “well no one told me I shouldn’t be on the phone…” These people exist, for real.
Once we walked back into the showroom we sat down and she started asking me some questions about my timeline, my name, my phone number, my email, etc. Again, thinking about how soon she can “close me”, not what I need or want in a car.
One more question popped into my head:
How do I know the person listening on the call wasn’t trying to gather information on her potential customers?
This thought is a little more far-fetched, but it happens more often than you think and because I am in the credit business and sometimes advise businesses on privacy, I am always thinking about these scenarios. I would rather not be a victim of identity theft, thank you very much.
The last part of the interaction came to preferred color of car. When I told her I like black or white, she made a face like my choices were poor. Lady, if I want half the car painted in cow manure brown and the other half in fluorescent green, you better have a poker face that could stump even Daniel Negreanu.
This is everything that’s wrong with sub-par salespeople and the lack of true management and training. In the end I felt I wasn’t heard or understood and that I was unimportant. So, I left.
I needed to interact with someone who would make me feel that there were still good, decent, helpful and personable salespeople left on the planet. Thankfully, my second interaction renewed my faith in humanity.
Enter dealership #2.
As soon as I met Lance, I knew this guy was good. And I don’t mean slick or smooth, he was just a good person all around. He greeted me like he cared. Asked how he could help, then drove the conversation in a direction like every good salesperson should – he asked me what I was looking for and what I needed out of a vehicle. He was a good listener, but he was also sizing me up without making it obvious. If done properly, you never notice it and doesn’t come across as sleezy, which this guy knew how to do. He picked up on the kind of person I was and figured out what kind of vehicle I might gravitate towards. Then, without hesitation, he brought a car around that he was sure I would like; he was bang on. All this without once being distracted by his phone, or other potential customers. I was his priority, even though there was no guarantee that I was going to buy a car from him that day.
THAT IS SALES.
He wasn’t hedging his bets by juggling two clients at one time. He wasn’t trying to get my information to call me later (classic sales approach that doesn’t always work). His focus was leaving me with such an impression that I will remember him and come back when/if I am ready. He made such an impact on me, that I remembered his name, even weeks after the interaction. I only remembered Rose’s name because she was memorable in a negative way…the worst thing to be remembered for, as a salesperson.
Understanding your client or customer is the biggest flaw when it comes to sales. If you don’t pay attention to them, you lose them, period. Lance’s product was higher priced than Rose’s, and even if I wanted to stick to a budget, I would go out of my way to buy from Lance, any day. That’s how much of an impact a good salesperson can have on your business, your team, and your customer.
In a competitive market where there are so many options and the same product can be purchased at multiple locations or dealerships or distributors, being better at understanding the customer and delivering a high service level is the only thing that matters.
The relationship is primary, transaction is secondary.
In our business specifically, we focus on understanding and relationship lending. How we made you feel throughout the process is where we set ourselves apart. That is our passion, your financing transaction is just a benefit of working with a happy client. When you do good and pay attention to the client, the transaction takes care of itself. This is almost scientific, and I wish more people understood this. In the meantime, those managers and team leaders who are suffering, need to be more observant of service they are offering, not necessarily the product.