It’s time to be real with customers. In other words, become an authentic peer rather than a “do-whatever-you-need” servant.
Since the beginning of commerce, salespeople have been conditioned to give and give to customers. That can be a good thing (who wants to buy from a jerk?). But it can also become a bad thing. How many salespeople cross the line between being nice and acting like a doormat?
Today, more than ever, positioning yourself as the salesperson who always says “yes” and showing any sign of desperation hurts your performance. The scary thing is, salespeople don’t see it coming. Their “customer-is-always-right” mentality is killing them, but no one ever tells a salesperson they lost a sale because they were too nice.
I developed a list of 10 reasons to be real with your customers, becoming an authentic peer rather than a “do-whatever-you-need” servant.
Hopefully, after reading this list, you’ll realize why you might have lost that sale last month, why you can’t get in the door with those three prospects, or why your closest customers still put out their projects for competition. It’s time to be real with your customers.
1. You’ll schedule more appointments
Your persistence has trained your prospects not to return your calls or emails. They may be interested in meeting with you one day, but not today. Since your persistence has illustrated that you’ll keep reaching out to them, they never respond. Why would they? They’re usually busy, and they know you’ll be there next month. You need to be real with them, as though talking to a friend. Send them a break-up email, letting them know very politely that this will be your last email unless they reply. Again, be real about it. Not rude, but authentic. You’ll be shocked at the responses
2. You’ll increase your gross profit margin
At the end of a sales opportunity, if a prospect asks for a discount, ask them for something in return. Don’t roll over and agree without asking for a concession. Let them know you’ll be able to do that (whatever “that” is), but you’ll need them to give up something. They may not expect this type of counter from you, but they do expect it from a professional.
3. You’ll win more sales during the final stages
In the same spirit as #2, your prospects will respect you more than your competition during the negotiating stage if you work with them rather than just giving them the farm. They’ll also appreciate that you weren’t trying to rip them off with the original price. Think about it: If a salesperson is willing to give in so quickly, then it looks like the original price was bloated.
4. People want to work with peers, not inferiors
Treat your customers with respect but hold your position as the subject-matter expert. Twenty years ago, you could be the doormat and still get facetime with your targeted accounts. Not today. Customers give their time only to salespeople they respect.
5. Experts don’t cower
The great salespeople today are subject-matter experts. Experts don’t allow themselves to be treated unfairly. Be the expert, and act like the expert, or fall into sales mediocrity.
6. You’ll get more return phone calls and emails
Think about the last email you read from an obvious salesperson (whether it was real or generated by AI). Once they went into their artificial pitch, how quickly did you delete their message? How about their availability? Did they email you about how much they’d love to meet with you? How quickly did you delete that one? Be straightforward, confident, and not so ridiculously available, and watch the return phone calls and email responses start to pour in.
7. Your customers don’t have time for your niceties
Again, don’t be a jerk, but don’t take 30 minutes to act like you care about your customer’s sorority experience at Syracuse in 1997. There is still a need to build rapport. But, like everything else today, it needs to be done quickly. Once you gain your customers’ respect, then you have permission to become friends, not vice versa.
8. One-sided relationships don’t create transparency
If your relationship is unidirectional, and it’s always you who’s bending over backwards for your customer, you’ll never have a transparent relationship. Transparency is found in conflict. Polite, professional, and friendly conflict … but conflict. Don’t be afraid to challenge your customer, because the outcome will be positive for both of you.
9. Your personal life depends on it
You can only get kicked in the teeth for so long at work before it starts to affect your personal life. Hold your own, and you’ll have more energy and joy when you come home from the field.
10. You won’t be violating the No. 1 rule of selling
All doormats are fake. No one really enjoys getting stepped on. If you stop allowing this type of behavior, then you’ll be able to follow the No. 1 rule of selling: Be yourself. Be your authentic, imperfect, awesome self. If that’s all you do, your sales will increase. Remember: You can’t be yourself and a doormat at the same time.
Chris Peterson is founder and president at Vector Firm, an NSCA Member Advisory Councilmember.
