If you’re in sales, you know the feeling. It’s the middle of the night about two weeks after starting a new job. You were enthusiastic and could hardly wait to get going. Now, your head is full of doubts. You try to shove them aside, but they don’t go away.
The gap between what you were told about the job and what is actually happening gets wider by the day. After about three weeks, you finally ask yourself, “Have I made a mistake?”
Salespeople seem to make more job mistakes than others, becoming dissatisfied faster and moving around more. Maybe it’s because they’re naturally optimistic, always seeing the possibilities and ignoring the problems. Or, could it be that they’re basically customers at heart and can’t resist a good sales pitch.
To avoid taking the wrong sales job, ask the right questions before taking a new position. Some may seem odd or even offbeat. Yet, the answers will give you the information you need to make the best possible decision.
• “May I see your resume?” This is a question you must ask the sales manager, who will be so flattered that you’ll have it in your hand almost instantly.
Now you have the SM’s employment record. Is this a job jumper? Have the moves been upward, lateral or downhill? Or, has the SM been in the same job for 30 years. Is it coasting time? Is the fire still burning?
• “Where will I get my leads?” If the answer is unclear, assume this is a “DIY” outfit. If you want to spend your time looking for your prospects, instead of making presentations and closing business, take the job.
If, however, you’re a competent salesperson, never take a sales job unless there’s an ongoing prospect-cultivation program.
• “May I see your office?” Don’t be bashful. If you haven’t seen the SM’s office, ask to see it. Here’s why. So you can look to see if there’s a “sales scoreboard” on the wall, listing the salespeople and their “results.” If there is, get out fast! This SM is only interested in pushing product – and salespeople.
If the website and marketing communications are “customer-focused,” you can be fairly certain the company is committed to understanding customer needs, building relationships and delivering a high level of service.
If, however, what you see is “company-centered,” describing solely the wonders of the firm and filled with one “we” after another, start worrying.
Should you see full-color photographs of the chairman of the board and the president get out because this is a self-serving, self-satisfied and ego-driven company that’s more interested in looking in the mirror than in helping customers.
• “When are the slow-selling times?” This question will catch the SM off guard – and get you a straight answer.
“Well, May and June are never very good and we just write off November and December.” Now you know a lot more than just the company’s “slow times.” You’ve learned that the down periods are a “tradition.” Everyone accepts the fact that sales during one-third of the year are lousy.
Evidently, the company hasn’t thought seriously of implementing a marketing program to overcome the problem.
• “Could I go with you on a sales call?” By asking this question, the SM will be putty in your hands.
Once you’re in the customer’s office, you’re ready to go to work – without saying a word. Your goal is to listen for the “90-10 test.” It’s simple: the customer should be doing 90 percent of the talking. If the SM’s mouth is open most of the time, then this is probably a pure product-pushing sales organization with little regard for the customer’s needs.
• “What is it that gives you a market advantage?” Now you’re probing. Once again, the sales manager will be impressed because the question separates you from the applicants who talk endlessly about their “accomplishments.”
Your goal is to find out if sales are price-driven. What’s the sales manager’s philosophy? Is it to low-ball the price? If that’s it, then this isn’t the company for you.
• “What can you teach me?” Now, you’re on a roll. When you’re huddling with the sales manager as you wait to meet the vice president of something-or-other, quietly ask what the SM can teach you.
You can count on your question to trigger this response: “Hey, you’re real good. If you come with us, I’ll teach you every trick in the book and then some. I’ll make you great.”
Who could possibly refuse such an offer? The answer is you. Without realizing it, the SM has let you know that clever techniques and tricks are what make sales.
Today, clever sales closes and manipulating methods are ineffective and repulse customers. They want a knowledgeable, trustworthy expert who can be an adviser, not a huckster.
• “May I visit your marketing department?” If the answer is, “You met Judy, our receptionist. She responds to requests for information. Gets everything out fast.”
Now you’ve made four valuable discoveries: 1) this company doesn’t understand marketing; 2) it has no interest in marketing; 3) it doesn’t know where it’s going; and 4) it has no plan to get there. At this point, head in only one direction – straight to the door. •
John R. Graham is president of Graham Communications, a marketing services and sales consulting firm. He can be reached at jgraham@grahamcomm.com
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