The $ales team at the company I work for likes to use the word “relentless” and tells sales reps to be “relentless”. Somehow that just rubbed me the wrong way when I read it and made me realize that most $ales people are motivated by one thing. I realize this is business but it was bugging the hell out of me. One guy even said his strong points were “employs relentless $ales tactics” Now I don’t know about you but I would be turned off to any $ales style labeled as relentless. Here is the definition of the word:
Relentless: adj.
- Unyielding in severity or strictness; unrelenting: relentless persecution.
- Steady and persistent; unremitting: the relentless beat of the drums.
Now I admit $ales pitches are often comparable to persecution but how can one be this way and truly not sell out their own integrity. I am not saying it cannot be done.
Way back in 1993 I had a $ales job with a computer store. Now I always considered myself an honest Christian but in order to have the money to pay the rent at that time I had to have the bonus for $ales numbers. I would lie, deceive, misrepresent whatever it took so that I could pay the rent. I felt downright dirty. I finally got tired of it and found another job. I don’t think I was particularly good at $ales. The management there thought I had potential. The worse my morals were, the better they said I was doing. Perhaps my technique was wrong. Though it seemed pretty relentless at the time. Before I had heard that word.
Any experience anyone with knowing someone who is or personally are successful at $ales without feeling like you “screw people for money”:
5 comments:
Why can't we have a Congress that is relentless in its duty to protect the Constitution and impeach already!
Sales is probably one of the hardest jobs, especially if you're working for commissions, but there is no excuse for misleading and outright lying. I don't think I could do it day in and day out.
I agree about congress
I dont in any way excuse or condone the things I did. I guess my point was at low level sales someone like me who I consider myself a moral person fell into the trap out of the need for money. What about the integrity of the greedy. I think a lot of sales people do lie and mislead. I am sure there are some good honest people out there in sales. I am very curious how they do it. You are right. It is a hard job. I got out of it after 8 months and never looked back.
I didn't mean to point that comment at you, I meant other people who do it day in and day out, and work on it and devote all their energy to making a sale.
there seems to be a common understanding that to succeed at business or any kind you have to be tough and cutthroat and ready to stab a friend in the back to get ahead. I think its systemic more than anything else. But it seems like it could and should change.
I did sales for awhile as part of my job as an office manager. I hated it. If someone told me "no" I'd say "ok". I also refused to lie or exagerrate. My boss used to encourage me to press, to turn that "no" into a "maybe". I refused. It was so awful, I'd have anxiety and stomach aches the night before I knew I was gonna have to go to work the next day and pick up that phone and make those calls.
Of course, it's also having passion for what you're selling that is so important. I was selling high-tech equipment, which would be, for me, like selling Dick Cheney as President.
Any retail job is a sales job, and even when I worked as a server at Olive Garden, the company was constantly encouraging us to "upsell." That is, if the customer wanted a drink, try to make sure they bought an expensive drink, rather than iced tea. If they wanted an alcoholic mixed drink, try to upsell a higher grade of alcohol for it. Offer suggestions on appetizers, drinks, and desserts. It was frustrating b/c I hate it when people try to sell me stuff I didn't come in for in the first place. I hated doing it, and I also suffered extreme anxiety (stomach cramps, depression) over my job because of it. It was definitely systemic: the company had a rewards-type of program set up if you sold the most appetizers, drinks, and deserts. Of course, I never got those awards, in spite of the fact that I did my best to be a good server otherwise.
I think there CAN be honest salesmen out there, if they honestly believe their product is the best, and worth having. For instance, a vacuum cleaner that they use in their own home and are just tickled pink about.
But I also think a salesmen, and the store they work for, will earn my respect more if they are honest that their product may not fit my needs. For instance, I was in a Clark's shoe store, inquiring about shoe inserts, and the salesman said they didn't sell those, but that I should try the Walking Co. on the lower level of the mall. I appreciated that he continued to try to help me even though he couldn't sell me anything. Clark's already had my respect for their good quality shoes, but they earned more by having an attitude of good service.
I wish more companies would take that long-view approach to building their business, rather than encouraging employees to just make the easy sell. Of course, that would also mean companies would have to offer better products in the 1st place.
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