Sales Gets a Bad Rap—And They Deserve It

Let’s be honest—sales has a reputation problem. And I get it. I’ve been in sales for years, and while I’ve met some incredible people in this profession, there’s a mindset out there that’s given us a bad name. Too many sellers approach the job like it’s a battle: if I win, the customer has to lose. That old way of thinking? It’s not just outdated—it’s toxic.

There’s a mindset out there that really rubs me the wrong way—squeezing every last dollar out of a customer’s budget, even when the value doesn’t match. It’s the idea of charging a big-budget customer more simply because you can or draining a smaller one dry because “that’s what the market will bear.” But let’s be honest, that’s not a strategy—that’s exploitation.

Take Mark, for example.

Names have been changed to protect the innocent—and the not-so-innocent.

Mark worked for a software company, selling the same product to businesses of all sizes. For the big-budget clients? The price tag doubled. Smaller clients? He squeezed them dry, knowing they didn’t have many other options. He once sold the same software to a Fortune 500 company for twice the amount he quoted a small startup the week before. No extra value—just a higher price because he could.

On paper, Mark looked like a star. Commissions through the roof, top performer every quarter. But those big-budget companies started looking elsewhere when they realized they were getting no extra value for the extra dollars. And the small businesses? They felt exploited and stopped returning his calls. In the short term, Mark won. But long term? Renewals dried up, trust evaporated, and his reputation tanked.

We’ve all heard the mantra “leave nothing on the table.” But ask yourself, what’s the real cost of that mentality? Sure, you might walk away with a bigger commission today, but if your customer feels like they’ve been milked for every penny, what kind of relationship are you actually building? People know when they’re getting a raw deal. And when they do, trust is gone, loyalty is dead, and you’re left wondering why the next renewal conversation is a nightmare.

The future of sales is not about squeezing customers or winning at their expense. It’s about something much simpler: trust and value. When you focus on making sure your customers feel like they’re getting more than they expected—not just in terms of price, but in the experience, the relationship, the product—you start to build something that lasts. I’ve seen it firsthand. The most successful deals I’ve ever been a part of weren’t the ones where I pushed hard for the biggest check. They were the ones where I built trust, ensured success, and gave more than I took.

Customers want to know that you’re on their side—that their success is your success. It’s about walking into a deal thinking, “How can I make sure they get the most value?” instead of “How much can I get out of them?” That’s how you create real, long-term value for the customer and yourself.

Let’s be real—sales is tough. There’s pressure to close deals, hit quotas, and keep the pipeline moving. I’ve been there. But I’ve also learned you don’t have to adopt a cutthroat mentality to win. The future of sales isn’t about who can get the most from the customer—it’s about who can deliver the most value, build the strongest relationships, and create lasting trust.

At the end of the day, it’s not about leaving nothing on the table—it’s about leaving something that keeps the customer coming back. And that’s how we all win.

Because if your customer wins, so do you.