It’s very common to interchange sales executives’ names with company names. In other words, when I was a sales exec for EMC, my clients would typically say, “EMC is coming in today,” instead of, “Scott Dunkel is coming in today.” Or in competitive situations, I would be told by my clients that IBM is coming in tomorrow to present its proposal.
Why is this important? I believe it is important because we, as sales execs, are essentially the face of the company we represent. In many cases, we may be the only contact a prospect or client has with the company we represent. So, however we handle this important responsibility might well be the only gauge the prospect has regarding the company. In other words, we are the company! This fact is true, whether we represent a Fortune 500 company or a small business with less than 10 employees. How we handle ourselves, in terms of appearance, character, integrity, listening skills, proposal generation and, ultimately, product or service delivery, is a direct reflection on the company we represent.
Essentially, the ball stops here. We may have a support staff to assist in technical details during the sales process, as well as a service organization to support the installation and maintenance of our offerings, but as far as the clients are concerned, they put their trust in us and expect us to deliver on our promises.
In addition, it is your responsibility to determine who is the best fit to support your sales efforts. Personalities and technical capabilities should play a role. The last thing you want to do is bring in someone who negatively affects your sales campaign.
I made this mistake more times than I would like to admit. In fact, on one occasion in the late 1980s, I brought the owner of the computer-leasing company I represented in for a closing call at Commercial Credit in Baltimore. I had worked for more than six months building a relationship with the mid-level finance manager. The only real purpose of the call was to demonstrate the strength of my company by bringing in the owner from New York. We were in a position to finance our first major transaction, as well as set up a master equipment lease to provide future financing. My primary contact wanted his manager to meet our owner/president. The four of us had just sat down in the conference room and exchanged pleasantries when Paul’s cell phone rang. This was the late 80s, so his cell phone was like a brick, one of the first true portable units, and it was extremely expensive. He proceeded to talk on the phone for what felt like 10 minutes, making his weekend plans. Needless to say, the three of us were extremely uncomfortable during this time. When he finally got off the phone, my contact asked him if he would make a small change to the lease agreement. Paul said that although he was an attorney, he no longer reviewed contracts and would have his guy in New York review it. The way he delivered his message was extremely cavalier. This, combined with the fact that he arrived in his personal limo, dressed in a $2,000 suit, with his New York attitude, did not exactly provide a feeling of comfort to the executive at Commercial Credit. Needless to say, I could not overcome the damage, consequently lost that deal, and never had an opportunity to compete for the business again.
To the point of this article, Paul became the face of the company, not Scott Dunkel, and Commercial Credit was not interested in doing business with Paul.
The bottom line is, if you worked hard to establish trust and respect with your clients, then it is incumbent upon you to protect this relationship. Sometimes it means gently telling your manager that it might not be a good idea to make a sales call on a particular account. If you foresee a potential issue with personalities or business philosophies, then it might not make sense to take a chance.
In some cases, the sales exec might have a long-term relationship with the client, but the sales manager may be new to the account. It’s one thing if the sales manager is a true professional and appears to be well-positioned to be in that role for a long time. It’s quite another if the sales manager role is more of a revolving door, with little stability. In the early 2000s at EMC, we had more of the latter. Quite frankly, it became somewhat embarrassing, not to mention unprofessional, to constantly be introducing a new manager to my key accounts. In fact, I was told on several occasions not to bring any new sales managers in for introductory meetings until things stabilize. This can certainly be a delicate situation, telling your manager that he is not needed, so it must be positioned properly, to not ruffle any feathers. The bottom line is, if the business is coming in, then things tend to take care of themselves. And at the end of the day, the client makes the buying decision: not your sales manager.
So take your responsibility as the face of the company seriously, whether you represent IBM or a small family business. In many cases, you might be the only contact person your clients have. Therefore, in their eyes, you are the company.
Universal Sales Truth #5
Be humble, not prideful
Proverbs 11:2
The stuck-up fall flat on their faces,
But the down-to-earth people stand firm