30 Ways To Not Come Across Like A Salesperson

One of my clients has fallen under the spell of a cult.

Specifically, it is a sales training cult that has taught him to repudiate everything he thought he knew about selling, including some of the ideas I gave him.

Customers hate salespeople! his new gurus assert, so no matter what he should never, ever come across like one.

If that is his goal, heres my advice, 30 ways to not seem like a salesperson:

Dont establish value. Dont assert your competitive advantage. Dont get referrals. Dont act as if their business is important to you. Dont get testimonials. Dont cross-sell or up-sell. Dont prospect by phone or on foot. Dont set appointments. Dont try to get through secretaries, other screeners, and voice mail. Dont polish your presentation skills. Dont listen. Dont qualify the prospect for financial ability. Dont probe for needs. Dont answer objections. Dont close. Dont negotiate, trying to maintain your margins. Dont work hard. Dont get any outside, non-cult sponsored training. Dont persist. Dont maintain a positive mental attitude. Dont be likable or charming. Dont tell jokes or stories. Park your drive and your need to achieve under the pillow. Dont believe in your product. Dont be a self-starter. Dont be methodical, follow a proven routine, or script. Dont bounce back from rejection. Dont continuously improve or seek new ideas and techniques. Dont discuss features and benefits. Dont like yourself.

Whats that last one on the list?

Dont like yourself?

Of course, this is essential to the success of any cults message. They have to make you feel inadequate the way you are, to mercilessly murder the pre-cult you, and all of your prior references.

Only through self-obliteration can you be reborn as a PURE NON-SALESPERSON.

Well, hes on his way.

I hope my little list helps him to reach his destination.

Dr. Gary S. Goodman is the

best-selling author of 12 books and more than

a thousand articles. His seminars and training

programs are sponsored internationally and he

is a top-rated faculty member at more than 40

universities, including UCLA Extension, where

he has taught since 1999. Dynamic, experienced,

and lots of fun, Gary brings more than two decades

of solid management and consulting experience

to the table, along with the best academic preparation

and credentials in the speaking and training industry.

Holder of five degrees, including a Ph.D. from the

Annenberg School For Communication at USC,

an MBA from the Peter F. Drucker School of Management,

and a law degree from Loyola, his clients include several

Fortune 1000 companies along with successful family

owned and operated firms across America. Much more

than a talking head, Gary is a top mind that youʼll

enjoy working with and putting to use.

He can be reached at: gary@customersatisfaction.com

Which is Better Hire a Salesperson or Invest in a Sales Assistant?
What does it cost to hire a good salesperson? Many companies spend about one fourth the annual salary of a salesperson on job...

Are Your Sales Meetings Boring?
Many sales meetings are boring and a waste of salespeoples time, say the majority of salespeople I interview. A review of wh...

Hiring and Training of New Sales Staff
How do you train your sales personnel? Perhaps a better question would beDo you train your sales personnel? As silly as thi...

Sales Manager Tip #28; The Informed Prospect
A good sales manager must stay in touch with each and every salesperson in the sales force that is working for the company. ...

Five Tips For Hiring The Right Salesperson
Are you ready to make the right hiring choices? According to a recently released survey of 16,000 businesses nationwide, Manp...

Salespeople Enjoy the Price They Pay for Success
I received a call this week from a Texas client. In the course of our conversation, he told me that he had no choice but to ...

Why My Sales Manager is a Computer Program
Perfection is a challenge for any human to accomplish and fortunately I dont have to rely on a human to manage my sales conta...

Managing an RV Sales Lot
It is not easy to manage and RV sales lot because the sales lots are so large and people can easily come up and start walking...

Is Anyone Really Managing Sales in Your Organization?
Or, are your salespeople pretty much on their own to meet the companys sales and gross margin objectives?In too many companie...

Sales Performance Management
Sales organizations spend a lot of money on systems, processes, and people designed to improve individual salesperson perform...

The Sales Marriage - Finding The Right Sales Talent For Your Company
I recently had the opportunity to speak to a group of CEOs about their sales recruitment needs. To make a point, I mentioned ...

Improving Sales Effectiveness - The Question is Why?
Achieving sales success is crucial to every business, after all sales is the only revenue generating function within a compan...

Point Your Employees Toward Financial Freedom
Could the person in this story be one of your salespeople?A 39-year-old salesperson recently told me that he earned a six-fig...

Sales Managers: When Should You Fire Your Best Salesperson?
There are just some topics that you shouldnt bring up in polite company.I could name them, but Id be out of line.Yet I cant r...

Dangers of the Free Cover Letter Example
Sometimes the internet makes things too easy. If you want to know how to do something, like write a cover letter, chances ar...

What Does It Cost To Make A Sales Mis-hire?
Think about how much time and energy it takes to hire a good sales person. Think about how much it costs to carry a good sal...

Managing Your Prospects: Funnel Management as a Critical Component to Your Success
Bob Fitzpatrick was one of the most intense managers I have ever met. When he hired me at Lanier, he interviewed me from 7:30...

If You Comp Them, They Will Come: The Simple Way To Motivate Your Sales Force
In most companies, the sales force is the most loved and simultaneously feared organization in the company. Often perceived ...

Fast Generating Traffic With MySpace - 4 Best Ways to Generating Traffic With MySpace
The recent popularity of MySpace and other similar interpersonal networking sites has been enormous, and people have recently...

A Profitable Growth Formula for Sales Managers
Sales organizations that successfully achieve profitable revenue growth do so through a sales system encompassing sales focus...