Things I Wish All Customers Understood About Salespeople

In my line of work, we spend a lot of time talking about ideal customer profiles. Most of that centers around personas, typical needs, types of business, common concerns or objections and all that sort of stuff. All good...we need to do that. But beyond that, I think of an ideal customer or prospect as someone who understands that:

1. We don't want to sell you anything you don't need or want. In fact, we want to help you solve whatever problem it is you may be having that our product and service can address. If we cant help, we will tell you.
2. We don't mind when you have objections or concerns. All we ask is that you voice them and give us a chance to address them.
3. We have no desire, nor delusions of ability, to define or change your timeline or buying process. However, we desperately want to understand it so we can groom our expectations, manage our pipelines, and deliver the information you need to make a decision...and then to deliver the service you need when you need it.
4. Salespeople know their products and it is best for you to help and let them meet directly with your boss or other buying influences. If you want to look bad, pitch the product to your boss yourself...you will get asked questions you cant answer...and make commitments you may not be able to keep. Let the salesperson bear that burden. It is their job.
5. We don't expect to win every deal. But when we lose, we like to understand why so we can make our product and our company better suited to meet your needs the next time.
6. Like you, we are doing a job. Like you, our management has expectations of us. All the calls for updates, more information on the buying process, probing for objections and laying out the steps to a close (win or lose) is just us trying to be professional and do our jobs the best we can.

Thankfully, many of the customers I encounter understand these things. Frustratingly, many don't. So if you get a call from some salesperson...try to remember these things and help them do their job. After all, they are really just trying to help you do yours.