Welcome. If you like what you see, you can automatically receive these free semi-weekly posts by email or RSS feed. See the right side of the screen for instructions; it only takes 10 seconds. You will receive a verification email if you choose to receive by email. If you don't immediately receive this email, please check your spam folder. We will never sell or misuse your email address.

We’ve all seen families where the kids run the show. I’ve seen very few five-year-olds that even have a hint of what is required to successfully run a household. Finance, career, insurance, taxes, etc. - they’re clueless about these things. We can’t let kids run the house and we can’t let customers undermine our sales skills and run the sales show.

“…we can’t let customers…run the sales show…”

When it comes to the sales process itself this is the hierarchy of players.

#1 Sales Professional. That’s right. We come in number one. We are the bond between our customer and our employer. As a result, we must necessarily direct the sales process and provide sales help when and where needed. Who else is better positioned with the sales skills to fill this role, especially in larger transactions?
#2 Our Customer. Without the customer not much else happens does it? They are the ultimate source of our income. However, realize that the sales professional knows how to sell to a specific customer and can put together the following mix of ingredients: customer relationship management, competitive benchmarking, product recommendations/information, budgets and timing. How else would all these building blocks come together if an account manager wasn’t in control of things? The larger the sale the more critical this becomes.
#3 Our Employer. In the threesome of sales representative, customer and employer we see that the employer comes in last in the sales process. Is the employer important? Yes, but without a conductor standing in front of the employer (and customer) orchestrating all the ingredients noted above, there is no music.

This hierarchy is predicated upon one thing however, that the sales professional is really a sales professional. When our employer and customer have confidence in us, they want and need us to coach the team.

Related links: Capital, Sales Representatives and Business Development, For improved closing skills you need to drive for show and putt for dough., Sales Competency Categories: Are you competent or do you just think you are?

To receive this sales tips blog by email <click here> to receive by RSS <click here>. © 2008 Scott R. Sheaffer

Tags: assertive, customers

We'd like to hear your feedback on this post - feel free to comment below!