I'm embarrassed of the Sales Person I once was

I'm going to start this article by sharing one of my most embarrassing stories from early on in my professional career.

I was 17 years old and working on the checkout of Iceland. It was a quiet Sunday and coming down the Frozen Aisle towards the till was a customer who looked like they had fallen on hard times. Their hair was greasy and in need of a brush with what can only be described as a bad attempt of cutting their own hair, clothes were torn and dirty and the smell of tobacco could be picked up from 20 yards away.

Being a young nice chap with manners I thought I would make this fella's day and treat him like a Gent. I greeted him with a warm welcoming "Good Morning Sir" as he placed his ready meal breakfast on the conveyor belt. I then continued to make small talk and drag out the transition as I wanted to make this man's day as I had assumed not many people would give this chap the time of day, let alone call him Sir.

I then noticed his chin was a bit stubbly so I suggested he might be interested in some better than half price razors we had overstocked. Nothing seemed to cheer this man up, so I wished him well on his way with a "Have a good day Sir" as he walked out and sat on a nearby bench. I swivelled in my Till chair happy that I had hopefully brought some cheer to this mans life.

As I swivelled I seen my colleague on Till 2 laughing at me with tears on her face. When I asked her what was wrong she told me that whilst my intentions were honest and good, that the person I had just served was known around the shopping centre and was actually a female.

You know those moments in life, where you wish the ground would open up and swallow you? This was worse than that. I can only imagine how much worse I must have made this woman feel by constantly calling her Sir and offering her razors to sort out the out of control stubble....

Why am I posting this today?

I was told when I moved from IT to Sales that I would be a natural fit because "I could sell Ice to an Eskimo" and I spent far too long before realising this does not make a good sales person. You should never sell something that the customer doesn't need and you should never assume that a customer needs or wants you.

This poor lady in the example above, did not ask for my help to "make her day" and in my arrogance, although well meaning, still caused her more problems and possibly cost Iceland a customer.

Does being warm and approachable with the ability to make friends easily make me a good sales person? No. Sadly I started my Sales life thinking I had all the charm in the world but it soon became apparent I was one of those worst sales people that thinks everyone likes them. I would go into meetings talking about how caring I was and how good my company was, never stopping to think how doing all the talking had gotten me into the mess with the customer at 17.

A good Sales Person listens and works with a customer to get to a mutually beneficial resolution to solve an ongoing pain.

Making Friends in Business is fantastic, a true business friendship is based on Trust and the mutual respect, meaning you are the first person they contact when a need arises. A business Friendship is not based on pre-meeting small talk where you find out your prospect has a Bulldog and Supports Liverpool and you hope to milk them every time your Sales figures are drying up.

I have built many Business Friendships over the years with people I have and have not done transactional business with. Some of my best Friendships have been with people where I have sat down and said "Honestly, I don't think it makes sense we work together" There is a lot to be said about honesty in business and if you are selling ice to an Eskimo, you aren't exactly an honest person.

So in closing, Small Talk can be dangerous grounds and should be kept locked away until you have earnt the Trust and respect of your Prospect/Customer. I wish I did not have more examples of time I have put my foot in it thanks to an ill timed quip or a badly placed piece of small talk. Thankfully I have matured as a Sales person into a Trusted Advisor. Something in Sales we should all aspire to be.