Selling is a skill that not everyone has.
Though a person can theoretically be trained to become a stellar salesman, there are some who cannot manage to close a deal no matter how many sales training courses they attend. There certainly does seem to be an invisible “something” that all good salespeople possess.
Whether it’s an ability to read people, an instinct for knowing when to strike a deal or something else, when you find the right sales person for your small business; don’t let them go.
Risks of Hiring the Wrong Salesperson
A salesperson goes out into the world and represents your company.
When they meet with a potential customer, that customer unconsciously assumes that the salesman standing in front of them is representative of the people in the rest of your company. That’s one reason why you shouldn’t take the hiring of salesmen lightly.
If you hire the wrong salesperson, they can do untold damage to your business’s reputation. The repercussions may not be felt immediately, but they will come to light eventually.
Poor salespeople come in different varieties, but here are some examples of how salesmen can go wrong:
- Being disrespectful to your customers
- Giving out wrong or inaccurate information about your products or services
- Making cavalier promises or guarantees that aren’t backed by your company
- Fabricating lies in order to make a sale
- Breaking the law in order to get in the door of potential clients
- Dressing in a sexual or suggestive manner
- Using sexual manipulation in order to make a sale
If your salespeople are guilty of one or more of the above, they could be exposing your company to the potential for lawsuits and more.
Being Open to Different Kinds of Salespeople
Not everyone will go about making a sale in the same way, so you do have to be open to different approaches when it comes to making a sale, as long as it doesn’t resemble the methods mentioned above.
For example, a new trend has evolved in sales training that incorporates the use of humor to engage attendees.
If you’re asking the question from the following article, “Do humor and sales training go together?” they might for some people.
Many people respond to humor, and if your salesman utilizes clean humor to make a sale, it just might work for him. Others won’t appreciate the use of humor when they’re having a business discussion.
The ideal situation would be to match the salesperson with the client.
If you have a salesperson that makes most of their deals over a game of golf or at the bar, you can accommodate them as long as the client is responsive to it.
The point is there are as many ways to close a deal as there are personalities.
Each of them is valid, as long as they don’t jeopardize your company reputation or alienate your clients and potential customers.
Just remember that hiring the right salesperson is just about the most important hiring you’ll ever do as a small business owner.
About the Author: Kate Supino writes extensively about business and marketing practices.