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Subrogation of Perjury. It’s a legal term that means you are attempting to get someone to lie for you. The courts don’t like perjury, but they really don’t like this subrogation of perjury thing. You shouldn’t either. Read on.

So what does this have to do with sales? Actually, plenty, and not in the way you probably think. You can sometimes observe subrogation of perjury in a dysfunctional sales environment. Let me give you an example. You’re about to meet with the VP of sales and your immediate manager coaches you to say certain things about your customers to make you (and more importantly, the manager) look better. They may coach you to misrepresent how large the opportunity is, how close to closing a deal is, how many decision makers you have a relationship with, etc. They are clearly asking you to lie. Do I need to tell you where this kind of thing ends? Simply stated, the “truth will out” and when it does it can be ugly.

Even more disturbing than just getting someone to lie is what this kind of behavior indicates about the workplace. A sales culture or environment that promotes this kind of thing is dysfunctional. This behavior is also seen in abusive workplaces centered on fear and intimidation. Working for a company that tolerates this will ultimately take your soul. Here’s why. People that are truly sales professionals will not tolerate this sort of working environment and will “vote with their feet” (i.e., quit). Those that will put up with a dysfunctional work environment will stay, and over time a salesforce is created that is weak and accommodating. Individual salespersons might even start to think that this is normal, but things will only get worse for them and their career if they elect to stay. There are many attributes of a sick sales environment, but this is a bellwether indicator.

If you are a sales manager and you’re asking your folks to misrepresent things, please cease-and-desist. My suggestion to you is to stop doing this immediately and if your company can’t handle it, you don’t want to work there anyway. If for no other reason, do it to improve the quality of your salesforce over time.

If you are a salesperson and being asked to change the facts is part of your company’s culture, find a new job.

Tags: dysfunctional

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