We continue through our list of 14 things great salespeople do that average salespeople only think about.
Here’s #9:
9. Great salespeople own the process.
They don’t pass blame and they don’t allow excuses to come up as to why they weren’t able to accomplish something.
The last thing a great salesperson will do is throw somebody under the bus to make themselves look good.
To them, sales is truly a team activity.
Observe a true leader. Watch what they do in difficult situations. They don’t pass blame. They know the role they play and they understand fully the meaning of accountability and being in control.
Great salespeople are also great leaders, because their behavior stays consistent whether circumstances are good or bad. Customers don’t want to hear excuses; they want solutions.
To a customer, having a salesperson tell them it’s somebody else’s problem doesn’t solve it. The customer wants to know what you, the salesperson, are going to do about it.
Watch customer service teams for any length of time and what you’ll notice is very interesting. The customer service reps typically will go the extra mile for the salesperson who they know is supporting them.
Great salespeople know they can’t do it all, yet at the same time, they recognize that if they just pass the buck to someone else, it’s a short-term solution.
Great salespeople know the value of relationships and how being accountable will help them ultimately achieve their goal of building sales.
Great customers will quickly cut ties with salespeople who they don’t see behaving properly.
When a salesperson passes blame and fails to take control, it’s a weak attempt at making themselves appear good at the expense of someone else. Problem is the great customer sees through it — and they see through it quickly.
There’s a reason why great salespeople have great customers. It’s because they attract each other. (It shouldn’t surprise us that the opposite is true as well: Lousy salespeople tend to have lousy customers).
If you want to be a great salesperson, you must own the process.
If, on the other hand, you just go through life blaming others, you will attract those types of people. And no one in the mix will find success.
Copyright 2013, Mark Hunter “The Sales Hunter.” Sales Motivation Blog.
