The 'good' salesman

A predominant part of my career has been in sales. In the first career interview I had (while just passing out of post grad college) I made it very clear right in the beginning that I want to be in sales. I remember it brought a smile to the panellists (don't know why) possibly because it isn't common for someone to opt for it perhaps - my presumption entirely.

While the urge to enumerate several instances of selling - which went well for me or where I just fell flat - is high, I will refrain from doing so and rather focus on five attributes that I have witnessed in others that form the crux of what makes for a good salesman.

Learning to sense a sale - This happened several years ago when I walked into a car showroom on the lookout for my next dream vehicle (there was this car that was making all the noise after its launch). When I walked into the showroom the receptionist ignored me, the sales manager was busy on his computer and I approached a young gentleman whose ID card suggested he could be the one who could answer some of my questions. Well, he most reluctantly did - opened the door of the car, asked me to sit inside and then walked away. I needed clarity on few points and even called him over again. He answered barely a few and suggested a test drive in a week's time (as they didn't have the test vehicle with them). Disappointed, I just left the showroom. I kept waiting for more than two weeks for a call from the showroom but it never came. I did buy a car (another brand of course) but from a showroom that took utmost interest of my needs. I continue to wonder even today, in an ultra-competitive space like the cars segment, why would someone not take the pains to sense sale?

Minimising disappointment after a sale - Two years back, I was intrigued by an online site selling trousers. They mentioned quality and customer satisfaction as their primary focus. It piqued my interest and I did place an order. Within minutes of making the payment I get this call from a sales person from the company who sought time to discuss a few points. He mentioned that they carry out this exercise after every sale to minimise returns / exchange or disappointment after a sale. He went into great length in understanding my body type, the brands that I have worn till date, the look I prefer and if I was ok with certain material? He detailed how the despatch and delivery would take place while listing the tasks with timelines. The company stood true to their claim. The product and delivery was as promised. The salesman messaged me after the product was delivered to understand If everything was in order. Well, not sure how they manage to follow this process for every sale as they did this with my second purchase too, now with prior information on my past purchase.

Never let an opportunity pass by without giving it a good shot - My height along with my size 12+ feet becomes an issue when I walk into a shoe store. 90% of the time, the salesmen just look at my feet / height and gently shake their head to state that they may not have anything for my feet size. Most don't even move an inch to search if they could find me something from their large collection. I was left pleasantly surprised when one of the stores where I happened to accidently walk in looking out for leather sandals (I was pretty sure they wouldn't have the size I was looking for) treat me like a king. Several choices that they brought out of their shelves didn't pass muster. This one old gentleman came to me and said - don't worry, we will search our entire collection to find you the one you need. He did that....took him much time but I was happy he found a pair that not only fit perfectly but I loved the design too. It was far more expensive than the budget I had in mind but the effort of this elderly gentleman compelled me to pick it up.

Proposition and expectation - It's always risky to move around with a fixed proposition that appears exciting at first glance but may not have much meaning to the buyer. Several exotic credit card salesmen believe that playing golf or dining at a five star restaurant would be a norm for those highly placed in society. Why so if I may ask? Is that the only aim that people have while rising up the ladder both in terms of position and income? I was accosted by a salesmen who in the process of selling a card listed out all the activities that I don't enjoy or may not have a plan to indulge in. So what then? Well he didn't have anything much to suggest. I was waiting to hear if he had an alternate bouquet that I could look at for the hefty price tag of annual fees. He just left me alone. Well, that was a standard draft he was made to learn to give a sales pitch but a good salesman would have at least checked with me what I do and what would excite me instead? He may carry it forward to his boss or there could be some other things in his list that he may not have detailed yet. Another lesson, if you can't make a sale at least seek feedback.

The value of time - There cannot be an excuse for not valuing yours or someone else's time. It has increasingly become a habit for people to quote some reason or the other for being late - traffic jams, unexpected breakdowns, another appointment that went longer than expected and what not. During my early days in sales, a senior colleague taught me the benefits of reaching ahead of time. We would be in the office at least 10 minutes early. Many do not factor in the time taken to go past security. Some office complexes had a detailed process and it consumed more than 15 minutes of our time. In other places, the waiting area had several nuggets to offer - some brand artwork on the walls that suggests how customers position themselves or certain new awards / certificates that may not have found their way onto their website. You essentially pick up talking points and no customer has ever refused an answer to a question asked about their company / role. Being on time is the first impression you give that you can be taken seriously.

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Have used five points just to be concise but this is not exhaustive by any measure.

Feel free to add your point of view or share your experience in the comments below

Thanks for reading

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