Sales Leaders: Choose Your Words Carefully

Sales leaders (trainers, coaches, mentors, managers, etc.) PLEASE take care with your wording so it doesn't foster manipulation. Example:

Bad: "It is your job to create discontentment inside the psyche of your prospects, and make them desire the change that you're offering." (See full article.) (Note: I'm not critiquing the author -- only the words that were used.)
Alternative: "It is your job to determine whether a prospect is discontented and whether what you offer can be his or her salvation. And if you determine both situations exist, to make sure the prospect understands this so he or she can make an intelligent choice."

If you teach someone to "create discontentment" and/or "make them desire," you are promoting manipulation. Period.
Imagine someone you taught meeting with a prospect who is totally NOT a fit to buy what she sells. (Prospects frequently attempt to buy solutions that aren't appropriate to their problems, because their expertise is with the problem, not with solving it.)
To follow the first piece of advice above, she must attempt to foster discontentment and desire that does not naturally exist. This will destroy her relationship with this non-buying prospect, because prospects are not stupid and they HATE being manipulated.
Now imagine her following the second piece of advice, or any other wording that conveys discovery and assistance over control.
First, she diagnoses the situation and helps the prospect truly identify and articulate his discontentment -- whatever it may be.
Relationship enhanced.
Next she offers some ideas for solutions if she can -- helping the prospect determine the best course of action to take.
Relationship further enhanced.
Finally, she lets the prospect know her solution is NOT a fit, and recommends a provider of a solution that is. (Yes ... even if it's her biggest competition.)
Relationship solidified.
Attempting to follow the advice conveyed with the poor choice of words, she wastes her time and the prospect's, and leaves with nothing but a reputation for dishonesty and self-centered thinking.
Using the advice conveyed with the alternative approach, she leaves with a solid relationship, a reputation for honesty and a door open to referrals and future sales opportunities.
Honesty is intentional, not accidental. Please choose your words carefully when teaching people to sell.

Gill E. Wagner, Sage of Selling
President of Honest Selling
Founder of the Yellow-Tie International Business Development Association

Comments

[Brad Simpson]

Gill,Words are indeed important. As the saying goes, "It's not what you say, it's what people hear."Sadly, some sales leaders use phraseology such as "It is your job to create discontentment inside the psyche of your prospects" intentionally, as they subscribe to the Marquis de Sade school of selling, whose motto is, "If they don't feel pain, kick 'em in the shins." Of course, most prospects see through this attempt to pull their strings, and resent being treated like Pinocchio instead of a person.As for the verbiage, "making them desire the change that you're offering," this smacks not only of manipulation, but coercion, both of which create resistance.When will sales leaders - and followers - surrender to the truth that you cannot make anybody do anything, they don't already want to do? For those who believe they can, I have three words: GET OVER YOURSELF.As for your fictional salesperson following the alternative advice: This is a portrayal of true consultation, not the pale imitation endorsed by most organizations who claim to practice consultative selling.The reason I say this, is that your example passes the Referral Test. I believe most salespeople would like to recommend prospects to competitors, but don't, because they are afraid to. They are afraid because they know all too well that management defines 'consulting' as helping the prospect find the best solution their company offers. To direct prospects to a compatible rival, is considered disloyal. This leaves the salesperson little choice but to try - by hook or crook - to shoehorn the prospect's gunboats into a pair of size six shoes.Now that's what I call, "creating discontentment."