Why are salespeople so aggressive?

June 6, 2017

1785

We all know the stereotype of the used car salesman. Pushy, poorly dressed, aggressive, smells like too much cologne… you know the type. But, the reality is the only salespeople that fit that profile are the unprofessional ones. Those who don’t train daily to improve their skills and don’t continually push themselves to dominate with skills rather than pushy tactics. Regardless of your previous opinions, ideas, or evaluations about sales and salespeople, you need to fully adopt the idea that you’re going to have to sell no matter what your position or job is in life. Male or female, on salary or on commission, you’re always selling something to someone in order to advance in life. This doesn’t mean that you have to start wearing polyester slacks, white patent-leather shoes, talk fast or pressure people to do what you want them to.

Will you be a stereotype or a pro?

Stereotype: Talks more than he listens. Professional Salesperson: Seek to understand your customer’s needs and create custom solutions to meet those needs. Listen more than you speak! Stereotype: Over-promises and under-delivers. Professional Salesperson: Over-commit and over-deliver! Stereotype: Looks for the quick sale and will never worry about getting another sale from you again… not that you would want to buy from him ever again after using his disappointing product or service. He won’t bother following you up for a sale. Professional Salesperson: Leverage the last customer into more customers. Each customer is valuable, so treat them that way! People might not buy immediately, but they will be buying 3 months from now, 6 months from now, or even a year from now. That’s why you must make every effort to make people feel valued, respected, and important!

Don’t believe sales and salespeople are all about the stereotypes.

Many years ago, I was told not to move to California because “it was so expensive and the people were very strange.” People who had never lived in California told me this! The same thing occurs with sales, and it’s given the whole profession and the skill itself a bad name. It’s a shame because everyone needs the skill of selling to get along in life and the profession itself offers so much freedom and so many financial benefits. The receptionist who wants a raise, the actress who wants the part, the guy who wants the girl—all rely on selling themselves, whether they know it or not. When you’re driving to work and want to get to the freeway, you have to negotiate and sell the other drivers so you can access the off-ramp… no polyester suit required for that! Get great at this thing called sales. And if you’re brand new or a seasoned veteran, you need to read (or listen to) Sell or Be Sold. It has revolutionized people’s idea of sales and salespeople and created entirely new opportunities for those willing to make them. For those of you who want to commit now and dive right into some deeper stuff that will really skyrocket your income, grab your seat for my upcoming Sales Boot Camp… seats are extremely limited.