Its Not the Salesperson Who is Lying…

I’m going to start by saying that this article is not for the faint of heart. We are all customers, and as a customer I feel perfectly justified in my opinions here. Ok, disclaimer over.

Mention the word salesperson to anyone you know and what’s the response you get? Typically an eye roll or maybe a sarcastic “Oh, boy.” It’s no secret that sales people have a terrible reputation that I believe is generally unearned. Most people immediately conjure up an image of the used-car salesman. He’s been a common character in countless movies and TV shows. So, if that’s what we think of salespeople, where did that come from?

Many people I’ve asked say they think salespeople are dishonest, saying or doing anything to get the sale. In these fictional scenarios the honest hard-working customer innocently goes to the car dealer with hopes of finding a reasonably priced quality car. But the salesperson just won’t leave them alone. Peppering them with questions that are designed to “get one over” on the unsuspecting customer. Starting to sound familiar?

I’m going to let you in a little secret, but you didn’t hear it from me. It’s not the salesperson that is lying. It’s the customer. Yup, I said it and now it’s out in the open. More often than not, I find the salesperson is the more honest participant in the transaction. And it’s not just when buying a car. Customers lie in all kinds of sales situations.

Now, I don’t think they are doing it maliciously. Most of these lies stem from a few common issues related to buying anything. These lies revolve around not knowing what they want, not knowing when they want it, and not knowing who will be involved in the decision to buy it.

In the B2B world, these lies get multiplied as there are so many more people involved in the decision. I’ve listed a few of the common lies I hear:

We’re going to make a decision in (fill in the blank) days

One of the most often told lies by a customer is related to when the purchase will be made. Most people have time dysmorphia. They don’t plan on taking a long time to make a decision, but time seems to slip away from them. They spend an eternity going over the pros and cons, comparing “apples to apples” (more on this later) and just generally stalling. If a customer tells me they are making a decision quickly, I’ll almost always add another 50% to the timeline. My goal then is to get them back to their original goal.

There’s no one else that needs to weigh in

This may be true when it’s a B2C sale, but even then there is usually a spouse, mother, kid or friend that has to weigh in. In the B2B sale, it is a lie 100% of the time. There is always someone else in the decision making chain. Don’t believe me? Take a look at your last 10 proposals. How many sales stalled the second the proposal hit the supposed “decision maker’s” hands? I looked at my last 10 proposals and it was 10 for 10. Don’t be surprised when the person that said they were making the decision has to send it up the chain of command. I really believe that a lot of buyers don’t understand the process they will need to follow in order to make a buying decision. I know as a customer, I’m clueless most of the time.

I’m happy with my current situation

Happy is a funny word. People are only temporarily happy. In fact, many people are never happy, but for those who are, happiness can disappear quickly. I know many customers who are happy because they just don’t know what else is out there. I used to by ridiculously happy with my Blackberry back in the mid-2000s, but I’d say I’m happier with my Samsung Galaxy. My kids tell me I’d be even happier with an iPhone. Even if a customer is truly satisfied with the performance of their current supplier, there is ALWAYS room for improvement. A customer that says I’m happy with the status quo is lying because they would change in an instant if something better was available for the same or lower cost.

I have to compare Apples to Apples

NO. YOU DON’T. In fact, this is impossible. This may be the most common objection I get. The truth is you can never compare apples to apples, because there will always be some aspect of what a vendor is offering that will be different than their competitors. It could be experience, quality, safety, value, etc. I think customers take a lot of comfort in this so-called apple comparing, but it is an illusion. An exercise that gives the customer the comfort of knowing they didn’t get taken for a ride. I am all for getting multiple quotes, just know that no two proposals will ever be exactly the same. The differences should be understood and given a value. That value should then be used in the comparison.

I warned you in the beginning that this article may rub you the wrong way, so I’d love to hear some of lies you’ve heard as a salesperson, or the lies you’ve told as a customer. In truth, “lies” may have been a little harsh, but truthful customers get what they want. As a salesperson you need to get to the truth quickly so you can get your customers what they need to improve their situations.

 

Dennis Sanschagrin is Vice President of Corporate Sales for STRUCTURAL. You can reach him at dsanschagrin@structural.net.