I recently got a call from a salesperson and since I love to see salespeople in action I took the call. However, I quickly realized that this was going to be more of an education for my readers of The StreetSmartVAR than an effective sales call for the caller. Here’s how it went.

This person had sent some previous emails so I was somewhat familiar with what they wanted to offer but they made some serious sales mistakes over the phone. All of which, I warn my clients about.

Here are the two main ones:

1) Assumptions: As they began talking they made the assumption that I wanted what they were offering. They had helped other similar organizations like mine and they “assumed” they could help me.

We in the tech world do this all the time. We see a company similar to one of our current or past clients that we’ve helped and we assume we can help them as well.

But from the buyer’s perspective they may be thinking, how do they know me? Do they know my problems? Do they know my challenges? As a buyer, it can be quite insulting when a salesperson assumes that one solution fits all before even knowing or doing the due diligence of discovery or asking questions to determine what my problems are before assuming there solution will solve my problems.

Have you ever done this?

2) Need-to-Sell: As this person continued, I suddenly realized I didn’t want to talk to this person (ever get the feeling?). (Note: I love the sales profession and sales people. But I don’t like to be sold to; ever notice how the best sales people don’t sell you instead they solve your problems.) The biggest reason is that their “Need-to-sell” was greater than their “Need-to-solve” my problem.

Everything they said, even down to their tone was all about them. They didn’t care or even pretend to care about me or my company or my clients. I got the distinct impression that there main goal was the sale they wanted to make.

As a buyer this was a complete turn-off. I found myself raising that “sales resistance wall” (if your sales you know what I mean) and was not going to let it down.  As sales people, we have to remember that people can sense your intention much of the time by not just what you say but how you say it. So your desires to help solve your client’s problems need to be genuine.

At this point she had only spoken for 3 minutes but like the Jerry McGuire movie, “she had lost me at hello”.

At this stage in our economic recovery our clients and prospects require that they “trust you” in order to do business with you.  Take a look around you. People don’t trust their banks or financial institutions or advisors, the housing market, their employers, and the list goes on. Why in the world would they trust you if you haven’t earned it.

So unlike the sales person in this tale you should approach your clients and potential clients instead with:

First, “No Assumptions”. Keep human nature in mind when understanding that people want to feel unique. Never assume that what you have whether a product or solution is what your clients need. You know the old saying about when you assume: you make an @ss out of you and me (excuse the French).

Second, think “How to solve their problems” not simply how I can turn this person in to a commission payday (believe me, the sale will follow if you help solve their problems). Sure you can still make some sales by being aggressively salesy but think about how many potentially great customers would be turned off who would never become long lasting customers.

I personally believe that we are entering a new era where the tactics shown by the salesperson in my example just won’t fly anymore in technology sales.

Let me know what you think?

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