Understanding the Sales Force

Maybe it’s just too damn hot down there.  Which ever one you choose, there are always plenty of blood-boiling, frustrating, aggravating reasons for hating Disney. So why are 70% of the visitors returning to the scene of the exhaustion?

My grandfather sold cars during World War II and until he passed away in 1968.  At one point he even owned an Edsel Dealership, which said more about his confidence in his selling ability than it did about his ability to make a good business decision. If you’re wondering, the selling gene skipped a generation and a half because my dad was an optometrist and I was an acute introvert for the first half of my life.

First, before you read on, you’ll need to read this post.

Next you’ll need to read Geoffrey James rebuttal post.

I apologize to Geoffrey James for making the assumption that he is not an expert on the subject of sales.  My research failed to turn up anything other than his blog and I’m very sorry that I did not conduct a more thorough research effort.  

A group of salespeople in today’s training revealed that their biggest challenge is dealing with prospects who tell them that they saw something similar for a lot less money.  When asked how they handle it, they unanimously said that they justify (read defend) their price.  They failed to realize was how weak their position is and that the prospects don’t really care. 

Geoffrey James, a freelance writer and author, but not a sales expert, has recently written about this subject and I strongly disagree with what he wrote.  In his most recent post, Is Your Sales Process Obsolete?, he makes some errant assumptions about the assumptions your salespeople are making.

Salespeople overcomplicate objections, giving life to a statement that is nothing more than someone’s temporary opinion.  They try to handle them, defend them, explain them, reframe then, minimize them, reverse them, and a myriad of other tactics to get around them.  It drives me nuts!

Seth Godin treaded on my turf (I love when he does this!) again by posting the two reasons why people say no to your idea.  Only two?

Seth’s two: “It’s never been done before”. “It’s already been done before”.

Here are ten more that you and your salespeople have to deal with when blazing a trail for your new product or service: