Lose the Ego or Lose the Deal
Lose the Ego or Lose the Deal
When a salesperson tries to posture too hard with me… they lose me.
You know how it goes because it has happened to you:
Subtle communication styles that instill an aura of “I’m important”, like putting on an affected and authoritative voice
Talking about themselves first
Failing to ask questions that show a curiosity in you and what you do.
Talking up your product or service before getting to know the person.
I have a couple things that I follow in sales and that is curiosity = care and egos kill deals.
If you’re in sales, the more you are thinking about yourself, your position and your service, the less you are thinking about the person in front of you.
That doesn’t mean you have to be as humble and modest as a mouse - but it does mean that you have to recognize the importance of someone else.
Posturing Is Poison
People can smell it right away. The fake confidence (“fake it till you make it” taken too far). The overcompensation. The “look how much I know” energy.
Is there anyone out there who actually appreciates or enjoys when someone, especially a seller, acts like this?
Amateurs or inexperienced people do this all the time. They push too hard, pretend knowledge they don’t have, or make the whole interaction about them. And instead of building trust, they create a fake connection that has the emotional aspect of distance.
It’s uncomfortable. It’s obvious. And it makes me want to move on. And I’m sure it does you as well.
I think the “fake it till you make it” mantra has some workability, but up until a point. And that point is you will never cross the line into being a professional until you recognize that you’re going to have to pick up some real knowledge and skill there somewhere - because what is the value of a fake consultant to someone else?
The value is negative, and in fact you are just wasting another persons time and causing them to lose money versus providing any positive gain.
What Pros Do Differently
Real sales professionals (or newbies assuming the path of becoming pros), exhibit a number of qualities and characteristics that set them apart:
They don’t fake knowledge, they go and attain it during or after the call by study.
They are genuinely interested and curious about their industry and other people.
They are driven by actual outcomes that measure real success, not by someone’s admiration of them.
They put themselves into rooms with smart people and honestly appreciate the intelligence and knowledge of those around them and learn from it versus trying to be a part of it.
In sales, there is an effect they have on you -> they make you feel IMPORTANT. You leave the call feeling good, feeling like you got even some sort of value just by communicating with that person.
Or maybe you walked away from the call with real knowledge that you didn’t have as a result of the professional consulting and helping you.
Sales is as much an emotional game as it is a valuable product or service game. You’ve got to master people and that starts with understanding and liking them.
Sales = Service
Too many people forget this: sales is a service role.
Your service to that person is getting a valuable solution into their hands - it is closing them.
People want to be closed on the right things.
Once you’ve identified that your solution is the best solution, professionals go all in on getting it done.
You simply cannot achieve this with an ego backed by feigned knowledge or self-interested understanding.
Final Word
Salespeople - just remember this one thing:
Your time is best spent on understanding what makes PEOPLE tick, what makes them happy and improves them.
Followed by that is a true understanding in your domain of activity so that you can deliver effective solutions to another.
Lose the ego… or lose the deal.
If your sales team needs help shifting from posturing to servicing, let’s talk.
