Warning: Sacred Cows will be tipped in this article. If you are an old-school sales leader, proceed with caution.
Mark Twain once said, "It's not what we don't know that gets us in trouble. It's what we know for sure that ain't necessarily so." In terms of make-up and behavioral characteristics of great sales performance, this rings true. Most sales leaders and executives have a profile in mind of what makes a great sales rep.
And often, they are wrong.
If you ask most sales managers or owners what they are looking for in a good sales team member, the conversation will almost always include some version of "someone with great relationship-building skills and enthusiasm for our offerings." What's not to love?
What would you say if I told you that is an epic red flag? Would you believe me if I said that sometimes these are the characteristics of someone who may really struggle in sales?
Now, no one will deny that the ability to build strong, trusting relationships is important. And it's true that energy and vitality are important. But it's like the Goldilocks story. Too cold is not good. But too hot is not good either. Often, sales professionals who are really - and I mean REALLY - strong at relationships and have that "everything is wonderful" mentality often struggle in sales. How could that be?
A salesperson who is really strong in relationships will often value the relationship over the task at hand - which is to move the process forward to get a decision. Sometimes, the desire to maintain the relationship can cause the salesperson to lose control of the process, to acquiesce to the needs of the buyer. Rather than equal business stature, it's more of a subservient relationship that develops. Chances are, they have a high need for approval. They will likely be willing to accept stalls, objections and "think it overs." They care more about being liked that discovering if a prospect has a problem that he or she can fix. Sales calls look more like social calls or a visit with friends.
And enthusiasm. Another sacred cow of sales. Salespeople must be enthusiastic! Not so fast. enthusiasm equals emotions. And that is a red flag for sales success. Great salespeople are not emotional! In fact, one of the great attributes of a solid salesperson is that they are emotionally uninvolved in the outcome. Think of a smiling Cool Hand Luke. I'm curious. I'm skeptical. And I'm emotionally uninvolved. When I get emotionally hooked, I lose control of the process.
Ideally, we want salespeople who have a talent for building relationships (but not so relationship focused that they forget their own agenda) and modest levels of empathy. We want them to establish equal business stature. The prospect's time is no more (or less) important than my own. Finally, it's crucial that they do not get emotionally involved in the sale. At Sandler, we say "Leave your child in the car when making a sales call."
To be great at sales, you don't need to be the life of the party or to have 1,000 Facebook friends. It's not necessary to have the warm, fuzzy qualities of a people magnet. No...sales is a science. More than a particular personality type, you need a process that can be followed on every call. A proper way of thinking. The ability to maintain control of the process so that those who need their product or service can self-select along the way. Every prospect is not qualified to be a customer.
Cool Hand Luke with a smile. Not too hot. Not too cold. Just right.
Robin Green
Robin Green is the President and Owner of Ascend Performance, Inc., a certified and award-winning Sandler Training Center in Richmond, VA. He specializes in helping companies of all sizes to develop the Attitudes, Behaviors, and Techniques that will help them reach new levels. Robin is a keynote speaker and podcast host. You can reach him at robin.green@sandler.com. We help companies and motivated individuals with sales, management and customer service training.
