Smile if you're not interested... Please?!

With my hands full and my mind racing, I hastily head out the front door. I unlock the car, sit down, and start it up. I then remember I left some promotional pens on the dining room table. Letting out a big sigh, I go back inside and grab the pens. I stand there for another 5-10 seconds, confirming to myself that I didn't forget anything else. Nope, I got everything—time to go see some friendly faces... and some not-so-friendly faces as well.

The life of a Sales Professional is not an easy one. You have to hustle. You have to smile no matter how bad your day is going. But you also can't be phony. That smile needs to come from a place of happiness. A place where you know that what you provide has real value. You have to really enjoy seeing people you know and don't know. You have to really care about your customers and your prospects and their needs. Integrity is at stake in everything you do. You are in a constant battle. Not only are you battling the competition, but you are also battling the salesman stereotype on a daily basis.

I've seen that dreaded look a thousand times. If you're a sales professional, you know the look I'm talking about. You open the double glass doors and see the receptionist at their desk. You've done your research, you know the prospect well, and you know exactly who to ask for. But you have to get past the gatekeeper first. Unfortunately, the look on their face says it all. You can envision the little white cartoon bubble extending from their head reading "This guy is trying to get our money!" Before you know it you're exiting the double glass doors with that dirty look burning a hole in your back, and the sound of every negative game show buzzer ringing in your head. All the research and preparation of your pitch has been derailed by 4 words—"We are not interested."

When thoughts are conjured up of a typical salesman, many people just can't help thinking of the fast-talking Car Salesman on the local TV station commercial. He's got the deal of a lifetime! But it's only going to last for three days so hurry on down to (insert dealership name here)! But we all know what to expect when we go to a car lot. We also know exactly why we are there—because we want a car. The Car Salesman knows why you're there as well. His job is to make you feel comfortable, and make sure you don't go to another dealership to buy that car. He's going to pull out all the stops to close that deal, and some will use an over-the-top excitable personality or gimmicks to do so.

I don't mean to paint Car Salesmen in a bad light. There's a lot of pressure behind the scenes on Car Salesmen to meet quotas. They have to work very long hours and have to sacrifice a lot of their personal lives to make a good living. They work extremely hard for what they get in return. But they truly are the exception to the typical Sales Professional in our society, not the rule. Yet so many people just can't get past the fast-talking car salesman and generalize all salesman from that image.

To me, there is only one way to get past that image. There is only one way to let people know that your motivations are not only monetarily based. It's concentrated in one word—LISTEN. Everyone can talk, but not everyone can be a great listener. When you listen to your customers and prospects, you begin to truly understand exactly why you're there. Then you start to build relationships, and even friendships—which leads to a greater sense of satisfaction knowing you provide real value to the companies and people you care about.

At the end of the day, we are all people just trying to do our jobs. We all have families we need to take care of. We all have good days and bad days. We certainly have those days when we just don't want to deal with the salesman. That's life. But I still wouldn't trade it for anything. The amount of lasting relationships you build far outweighs the few dirty looks you get every day.

So even if you're not interested, and I know it before you say it, I still can't help but smile. Because you're just doing your job, and so am I.  :-)