Black Sales Journal

You have seen in previous posts my comments about telling the truth in the sales process.  It is without fail that when a sales professional gets immersed in small lies, they graduate to being able to tell the larger ones with aplomb, and without much hesitation.

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I will clarify what I mean, and I am almost certain you will know someone who engages in the practices that we are talking about.  The truth has a strange way getting in the way for some sales professionals.  Being honest about the fit of your product and the customer’s needs is an essential part of the process.  If you are caught in a lie in the sales process, your chances of a good relationship are diminished.

What Kind of Lie?

There are several different types of lies that are common in the sales process.  I would suppose that it would be simple to say this a prohibition against lies should apply only to the “big ones.”  To be truthful, that is not correct.  Sprinkling your encounters with customers with lies cannot result in any great advantage worth losing your credibility over.

We spoke in Black Sales Journal 3/31 Credibility – The Goal of the Black Sales Professional,regarding this issue, which is so important.  It cannot be denied that credibility is the “pot of gold at the end of the rainbow” for the Black sales professional.  You cannot manufacture it, you must earn it, and it can be fleeting if you are not careful.

Lies of Convenience

I am sure that we all believe that there are small imperceptible lies to customers that don’t matter.  They are small, and meant to be “convenient” type lies.  This is convenient for whom? I think you get it.  The small lie, which is told to the customer, is for the convenience of someone else.  It may be that you cannot get delivery until next month, even though the product is needed next week.  Missing this sale would be better than losing the confidence of customer.

If you are lying for convenience, rethink it.  That small lie for convenience can break any confidence and trust you have if you get exposed.  Think of your relationship with the customer based on the “life value” of the customer.  The total amount of business that you can get from this particular buyer, whether he/she stays at this current organization or not, is what should be considered, this year, the following year, and the years after.  The total of this is the life value.  To guess at it, multiply the value of the average sale (in dollars) times the average amount of transaction or sales that will occur in the life of that relationship.  Sometimes, you might find yourself surprised by the size of that number.

The confidence that you maintain with the buyer will go well past the fact that you don’t deliver in a particular instance.  Tell the truth and you will be recognized for delivering “when you say you will.”

Lies in the Middle

Obviously, these are not necessarily big, but they do happen. Yes, there are sales professionals who would tell something other than the truth about their product or service to get the commission or bonus. The problem comes when the performance is not there, and someone loses confidence in you and your product or service.  Knowing the features and benefits of your product or service, is what you do.  You can easily substitute, or contrast a different feature when you know your product/service is not the leader in particular area.  When you say things about your product/service, or your organization that are misrepresentations, it may be sales talk, but it is still a lie in the eyes of a customer.

Lies to avoid embarrassment or cover for mistakes are lies told which could be avoided.

Lies for Profit – The Big Ones

If you know someone who is telling lies to consummate the sale, and thus pocket commissions or bonuses, then they are involved in the “big one.”  I only say this because if they can twist the truth for the self of self-aggrandizement, I suppose that they have decided that this is a job, and not a career.  It will catch up with them at some point.  Obviously, no suggestion in a journal like this will change their mind.

I will say a couple of things about the process of lying in sales.  In a profession where relationships change everything, a lie can change the landscape.

A Case for the Truth

The energy expended on the lie, and the “maintenance of the lie” are consuming.  Additionally, the truth is easy to remember.  No need to expound on this issue.  So it is noble to tell the truth, and may expose you to some chagrin, yet we all make mistakes, forget, and have errors in judgment.

Resort to the truth and you will find that the best customer is the one that appreciates you because you are an honest professional.  Sales professionals who tell the truth don’t always get the business, yet they secure and grow relationships.

This is a relationship game.

We welcome your comments. Write me at michael.parker@blacksalesjournal.com.

For this post I could not have picked a more important topic. Unfortunately there are many of you out there who have a strong belief that there is nothing less desirable than a morning or afternoon of prospecting.

Prospecting – You Can’t Do Without It!

There are many aspects of cold calling and prospecting that drive Black sales professionals nuts, especially if you are cold calling in person.  This is already a lonely task, especially if you are faced with any aspects of racial preference or racial discrimination.

In the long term, there is no substitute for prospecting.  Networking is productive, and we will  talk about the benefits of networking and its uses in a future post, yet prospecting is a necessity.

Prospecting is a numbers game.  You have heard it, and realize it is true.  Know your numbers.  Know how many calls you make and how many result in an appointment.  Fine tune your approaches for more success.

Note the following:

• Prospecting, over time, is the only way you are going to succeed in sales.  Without this sourcing of new potential customers, you will not have a chance to show your talents
• Whether you are a long-term sales professional or fledgling, your devotion to sourcing new prospects is important
• Even if you closed two sales this morning, there is no better time to prospect because of the new energy you generated

There is no doubt that prospecting is a requirement of the majority of sales jobs.  I want to throw out some tips that might help with this truly necessary evil.

A Few Tips for Success

Here are a few tips that I would like to share regarding telephone and in-person prospecting:

• Master the Telephone - The telephone is your ultimate tool as a Black sales professional.   You probably already know this.  Master its uses and advantages.
• Practice, Practice - Work on your telephone introduction/presentation.  Use a ‘dead’ phone line to work on it over and over.  Try it with a friend or confidant.  If you have a mentor, express your desire to work on it with them.
• Create Interest - You must create interest, anticipation, and curiosity.  You need to be able to draw someone into this meeting and dialog.
• Make Realistic Claims - As you do your sales points, make realistic claims.  You may need to prove them one day.
• Be Confident - Find your comfort.  Sound confident, informed, and race neutral. Be personable and not mechanical.
• Be Concise - Know your sales points.  It is in essence your elevator speech.  Be able to say why someone should work with you and your organization in 15 seconds or less.
• Know the End Game - The end game of all prospecting is to get in front of the buyer.  Always remember this.  You want an appointment!
• Have Knowledge - Know what your organization can do for a particular industry even if you don’t know the client’s needs.  Be prepared to talk about it.
• Name Dropping - Be prudent about dropping names, but do so when it makes sense.  Remember, some buyers do not want any information shared with their competitors.  Just know the landscape.

One point that I don’t need to tell you about is that as a Black sales professional in B2B you should avoid putting your picture on your business card.  It is not required, and most employers would give you a choice anyway.  Why create situations that can lead to preference or prejudice?

More Prospecting Discussion to Come

We will be covering some important prospecting activities later in January, February, and March.  Items such as:

• Getting past the gatekeeper
• Understanding Your Sales Metrics
• Selling A Commodity? How to Build Value!
• Networking Your Way to Prospects

Make sure you check them out.  Your comments would be appreciated.

Write me at michael.parker@blacksalesjournal.com.