Those Who Don't Know History...

The Irish statesman and author, Edmund Burke, once wrote, "Those who don't know history are destined to repeat it."

Burke, a historian himself, did his best to alert his contemporaries to the lessons that were readily available from the mistakes of the past. Sadly, in his day and for the last couple of hundred years since, too many people in power repeat old mistakes simply because they do not know their history. I am a fan of Burkean wisdom, in general, and that particular quote seems apropos today.

I suppose that based on the title of this post and my lead in, you might think I am preparing to get political, but I am not. In fact, I am going to stay far away from the subject of politics, and leave that kind of discussion to the many political pundits that I am connected to on Facebook (tongue planted firmly in cheek).

I am referring, of course, not to the political world but to my domain, the world of professional selling. Recently, I have observed a new wave of sales "experts" hitting the scene, writing blog posts, books, and sales guides, and I have surmised that these experts have not read the works of Rackham, Mandino, Hill, Miller, Pink or others who've gone before them. I am afraid that many of these so-called experts don't know the history of professional selling at all, certainly not well enough to offer advice to anyone. They certainly do not appear to understand the evolution of buying behavior either. The evidence of their lack of understanding of the recent history of selling and buying behavior is found directly in bits of advice they (leaving their names out to protect the ignorant) provide to their readers like the following:

"Create artificial urgency" - In other words, lie to your prospective customer about some deadline that you just made up to pressure them into making a decision. Because, you know, buyers are dumb and impressionable, and they always do what salespeople tell them to do, especially when there is a deadline.

"Go negative." - In this bit of sage advice, the expert recommends browbeating the customer, making the buyer feel that they are essentially too stupid to understand the value of your service. They will feel so guilty about not understanding your value that they will immediately open their wallets as a sort of penance for their sinful lack of appreciation for your valuable offering.

"Ask for the decision maker (right away)." - Really? The guru who offered that bit of wisdom goes on to say that if you cannot gain access to the decision maker right away, then you should move on. I wonder if anyone has ever tried building a strong case before they make it to the decision maker? I wonder if that would work? Hmm.

Clearly, I am advocating for those of us in the sales performance world who really understand buyer behavior, who've practiced, failed, and learned in the real world, who've read and studied the failures, successes, and findings of others, and who know what separates great sales performers from average ones as a result.

There is a simple test you can use to identify if you are dealing with a sales "expert" whose learning is not grounded in sales history and research but in something far less reliable like their limited, personal experience.

1. Take a piece of their advice, and ask yourself the question, "If I were a customer, would I appreciate this tactic? Would this really motivate me to buy something now or ever from this person's company?
2. Consider: "Would I trust a salesperson who thought about customers as objects to be manipulated, pressured, or pushed around? Would I trust anyone who treats other human beings that way?"
3. Ask him or her: "On what basis are you able to assure me that your expert advice will actually work with a real, live customer?"

If the expert you are speaking with or that you've hired (heaven forbid) cannot answer these questions, then run screaming from the meeting room. Perhaps you will teach them a valuable lesson in the process. Or perhaps they won't learn from that lesson either.

United Sales Resources provides actionable intelligence and practical advice to sales leaders, so they can drive better sales results. If you would like to discuss this post with Matt McDarby or learn more about how our sales leadership coaching and advisory services help our customers to grow, then contact us for a brief tour or a conversation.  Thank you again for your time!