Selling is Dead!

Selling is dead. Long live help!

I've been doing a lot of reading on the subject and have come to the consensus that "no one likes salespeople."  If you just said, "Duh!" bear with me.  No one likes salespeople because of the implied confrontation.  You KNOW they want you to make a purchase.  The whole reason they are talking to you is BECAUSE they want you to make a purchase. Now, I have no problems with people making money. I have quotas too. HOWEVER, if someone is going to make a profit off me, they better be providing a real service.

For example; I do NOT count a store clerk checking the warehouse for stock as a service.  If the shelves don't contain the right size, color, etc.. well that's the locations fault and I'm not going to feel any sort of obligation to purchase just because "you had to go in the back." Nor do I consider a salesperson "knowledgeable' when they simply read the product details off the label. However, if a commission-based agent knows where to find the exact product I looking for; EVEN IF IT IS IN A COMPETITORS store, that is service.  Contrary to popular belief; I will be more likely to become a regular customer of a company that is obsessed with solving my problems.

As the saying goes, "you can't fool an ol' fooler" and I can spot BS a mile away. I'm not alone. The public is becoming more and more skeptical.  Persuading a customer to buy a product that doesn't meet their needs is like shooting yourself in the foot.  Once the customer gets home, realizes they were sold upriver and experience the pang of buyers remorse; you've lost.  It doesn't matter if they return the product or not.  You've lost them.  They don't trust you.  Engendering trust it what it comes down to.  It is much better to lose out on a purchase today then lose a profit stream for life.

I'm not expecting to win you for the "help" team overnight.  I'm sure there will be mobile salesmen and car dealers for many years to come; but do we really want them? Think about it.

Pet Peeve of the Week: Office Politics

Playing into the game of office politics will eventually kill your company. Period.

Image by Francesco Marino

It is sometimes said, "It's not what you know, but who you know that matters."  Unfortunately, it's true.

In offices around the country, people are getting promoted based on politics and not potential.  It's an epidemic of epic proportions.  It devalues hard work and outstanding results while adding value to individual personality and likability factor.

Here is the problem in SAT form:

Say you own A company that makes B widget.  You hire C worker for $50,000 a year in R&D to improve said widget.  You hire D worker to do the same thing.  A promotion becomes available to both C and D.  Whom do you pick?

-C Worker-
Independent
New Hire
Extroverted
High to Top Performance
Leader

-D Worker-
Social
Tenure
Extroverted
Moderate to High Performance
Leader

If you hired D worker over C worker, consider the fact that; while office ambiance may be slightly improved by a more charismatic leader, productivity will not be improved due to the inherent poor time-management habits of a very social person.  Giving increased responsibility to someone you like; over someone who is qualified, simply means that they will do more things half-assed.

Add in the additional effect of employee burnout due to lack of advancement, and you have now crippled your work output.  You have also devalued the salary by example and will have to pay more people a higher wage for the same amount of performance.

The candidate you like may not always be the most financially sound choice for promotion.  Think about that before making your next hiring decision.