Black Sales Journal

Always conduct yourself ethically and conduct yourself as if someone is always watching, because they are!  Separate yourself from the rest.  Always do the right thing!

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A few years ago I received a call from someone selling promotional items.

The call went like this:  “Mr. Parker this is Jim Carr from Midwest Promotional Products (I have changed the name).  When we last spoke, you advised me to call you back this October to discuss our organization providing you with some of your branded items for the upcoming year…”

I will stop here for a moment.  I knew right away that my organization did a great job of providing promotional items, and that was the only source that we used.  The fact is, that the opening line from this sales person was an simple unadulterated lie.

I responded, “Mr. Carr, I don’t remember having talked to you.  I would not have asked you to call me back as we are not in the market for branded material.  We buy from a central source within our organization.” He responded with lie number two, “Maybe it was not you but one of your managers that I talked to that referred me to you.  I just wanted to share with you our line of…”

I quickly dispatched of the call for one simple reason…if this sales ‘professional’ was going to start off this conversation with two lies and misrepresentations, when was the third going to happen?

Sales ethics is lacking overall in many  industries, and you have the ability to make sure that you do your part to make the sale profession ethical and honorable.   If you sell a product or a service, you must recognize the importance of ethics in your ability to not only have longevity in this fine occupation, but also to be successful and prosperous.   In the example above, the rep only needed to say that he wanted to find out my interest in his product.  Sales professionals consistently used that approach with me and got an audience.

The Bright Line of Ethics

Note an important fact: The distinction between ethical and unethical will appear as a ‘bright line’ once you internalize your desire to act ethically in all situations.

This rep did what was akin to attempting to ‘sneak through the back door’.  I would want to start a relationship with someone who would so quickly and comfortably start out with a lie.  This may not seem to be large, but think about it,

Ethics: The principles of conduct governing an individual or group (Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary)

The need for ethics in sales is real, and will set you, as sales professional, apart from those who fail to recognize its importance.  Even more, it will allow you to sleep at night.

You will look to be fair, equitable, and transparent when you work with a customer.   Avoid exaggerations and untruths and communicate well, following up with correspondence.

Once you are there, the ‘smell test’ will become part of your quick review.  Once you internalize ethics, you will become sensitized to how everything affects not just the customer, but also all other parties (your employer included).  At that point you recognize that you work for an organization, but also are an advocate for your customer.  The customer has no other voice.  There is no doubt who pays you, but we need to make sure that your customers are treated ethically. Put yourself in the shoes of the customer, and articulate the situation to your organization.  If you were the customer you would want to be working with professionals who you have credibility, trustworthiness, and a desire to do right even when no one is looking.

Ask yourself these important questions:

• Do you feel lying is acceptable? (BSJ 6/30/11 - Telling the Truth – It works Wonders for a Relationship)
• Do you want credibility? (BSJ 3/31/11 Credibility – The Ultimate Goal of Black Sales Professional)
• Do you want the customer’s trust? (BSJ 5/26/11 – The Black Sales Professional – Closing Two Sales at Once)
• Can you hold yourself to a higher value?

These questions are simple but the impact is huge.

Even When No One is Looking!

I was once riding in a company vehicle with a sales rep and the customer to a business lunch in the Chicago area.  We were coming to a toll both and the rep reached into a bag and grabs a coin, which he deposited in the automatic toll basket and we were allowed to proceed.  At that time the toll was 25 cents.  On the way back from the successful lunch, he did the same.  As he did it, I looked at the bag, which must have had 200 or more coins and inquired as to how he got that many quarters.  He indicated that they were not quarters, but after a recent trip to Mexico he had a bag of centavos that were essentially worthless here.

Remember, this is in front of the customer.  Our customer heard him admit to using worthless foreign coins in the toll basket.  If you were the customer, how would you feel about this reps credibility?  What would you think about the organization that you were doing business with as you witnessed him doing it in front of his manager?

We had to terminate the rep (I refuse to call him a sales professional).  Let’s look at it from an employer’s view.  This unethical individual did the following:

• Sullied his image and the organization’s image in front of the customer creating doubt as to our ethics and credibility
• Engaged in a civil wrong which might have carried criminal penalties as well
• Committed expense fraud as he also received reimbursement for fraudulent expenses

I contacted the customer as I introduced the new sales rep.  I apologized for the fact that our representative did what he did, and explained that I had someone who was solid who would take care of him.  The customer said the following to me, “I really wondered about what organization would allow its employee to cheat like that.  I liked [him] but realized that I did not know him well enough to trust him.”  The customer was watching my response as much as he was watching the actions of the rep.

Black Sales Professional – Rise Above It All!

As a Black sales professional you should demonstrate sound solid ethics, and be the advocate of the customer in making sure that your organization is fair with the customer.  With a sound ethics ‘compass’ you will be able to ‘feel’ whether what you are doing meets the ethics tests.

This stance and advocacy will help create the strongest of relationships.  Don’t miss the chance to do it.  It is a responsibility that may test you, but will also strengthen you and your relationship.

Be consistently ethical and you will be the best.

Your comments are welcome.

In most sales positions, you are the relationship expert. You are the true  expert on the customer!  You may know well the product and process, but you may need someone who is intimate with procedures, tolerances, and even engineering and legality.  The call is yours, so know how to frame it!

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Whether you are you taking your manager or a specialist (such as an engineer or technician) on a call to see your customer, there are rules to follow.

This is normally done to facilitate a product or service with complicated nuances and utilizing this assistance correctly could push you toward consummating the sale.  No matter how much assistance you get, the sales call is yours to control, and the deal is yours to make.  This instant credibility and expertise could be very helpful to the Black sales professional because you strive for the credibility that happens when you put together company resources to produce a win.

If you are wise, you will learn how to master the assisted sale because in the end, the credit is all yours, and the compensation is usually not split.  Having someone else do much of the work is a benefit; having someone with you that gives your customer instant solutions coupled with your continued credibility is even more beneficial.  It also gives you a solid opportunity to learn more about your products that will benefit you on future calls.

You’re the Quarterback!

There are a few methods that you can employ to make sure that yourassisted sales call goes smoothly:

• Always have a pre-call meeting - Whether it is with your manager, his manager, or an engineer or specialist who is there to explain technical information, a discussion involving all participants before the sales call is essential.  Make sure you delineate call objectives and what information will be shared.  Make sure your people know who they are meeting with, the hot buttons, and discuss how you collectively should handle them.
• Do an agenda and the written introductions – You all know that the most important activity is to advise everyone who is going to be present, what their roles are, and what their credentials are for providing solutions.  This is not as necessary with your manager, yet with technical people, you want to make sure it is known how they will help your customer.
• Information must be from the same source and same dates – Make certain that you review all information that will be disseminated and that it is necessary and appropriate.  There should be one set of facts, and no situations where you are quoting numbers from different sources and with varied evaluation dates.  Nothing is more embarrassing than to watch a meeting derail while the participants joust about information facts and origins. You want to see each piece of information that will be handed out.
• Monitor the sales call – We all technical sales support people.  Whether they are in financial services, office equipment, machinery, or otherwise, we know that they may be very focused, and maybe not as solid in the role of communicating to the customer.  When you have one that does it well, you will want them as a ‘sales partner’ every time.  Your role is to watch your customer’s expressions and reactions to make sure that those assisting the sale deliver information in a format that is readily understandable.  You can clarify points, restate issues, and direct the conversation correctly to make sure your customer gets the information they need.
• Ask for the Business – It is the sales professional’s responsibility to close the sale, if the sale is at that stage.  No one should ask for the business but you.  As you are keeping tabs of the open issues, outstanding follow-ups, as well as any questions that can affect the sale.  Make sure that your pre-call meeting includes discussion about your responsibility in this important area.
• Open and close the meeting – The sales professional in the capacity of the relationship manager opens and closes the meeting.  Never give up that responsibility as that increases the control that you need.  You will do the requisite introductions, openings, summaries and, if appropriate, closing statements.
• Do the written meeting follow-up – As the quarterback, your summary with follow-up items once distributed gives the “now what do we do” and next steps that will shape the timeliness and quality of the response.  Do it within a day after the meeting.

Always Show Your Value

Part of the value that you will show is that you can bring the people that can make the difference to your accounts.  When your customers are consistently satisfied, you have value.  Be an integral part of that solution by assuring that the call goes well, and the results are achieved.  Know your company’s people and how to use them in a way to consummate the sale or provide solutions.

There is evidence of teamwork when a sales professional puts everything together well.  The customer sees a coordinated attempt to provide his/her needs, or solve their organizations problems, and you are the beneficiary.

Monitoring the Sales Call Revisited

I am going to focus on this aspect from above, as a result of its relative importance.  When you are on that call, you are doing no one any good if you don’t make sure that your customer gets what they need.  If the talk is technically too lofty for your customer, you must insert yourself into the conversation.

Saying to your own people, “Can you break that down for us?” is a start.  You can say, “Once more, can you help us clarify how we can get this solved, I don’t understand?” Don’t hesitate to force the issue.  Remember, you are the advocate of the customer, and if they don’t understand the commentary, they you are a part of the “circus”.

If you are adept at explaining, do so using terminology that your customer will understand, then ask your technical person if they agree.

Always remember the best sales professionals are not the most technically oriented, but they are the ones who understand best how their products, are perceived by the customer.

Create solutions for your clients, and you will prosper.

We would enjoy your comments.