Why Prospects Hate to Deal with You. (an edgy conversation)

Most of us hate dealing with sales people.

OK.  Maybe that perspective is a little too harsh… 

Let me make this personal.

Most of the time I hate it.

I just get this awkward sense that I am being treated like a 3-year old.

And I know how to do that.

I have a little 3-year old terror named Dustin at home.

He has no problem squeezing out a tube of toothpaste on the counter or running outside without his underwear on.  He’s three and completely fearless.

And I have an awesome way of managing the instant disasters he mischeviously masterminds.

I feed him inconceivably confusing answers.

I use words like:

“Because….”

This is my chief defensive tool.

He wants to jump off the couch into a bucket of Legos and my nuclear explanation for why he shouldn’t do that is simply one awesome word: “Because…”

It works like a champ.  He says, “Why” and I say “Because”.  And after three or four “go-arounds” of this, he stops asking me silly questions.

I win.

No need to waste time on really trying to explain anything.  No need to care about him getting hurt.  No need for me to match the right answer to his pain point.

I just do my thing and guess what, it makes my life easy.  After all, isn’t it all about me anyway?

Now.

Before you start to think too seriously about how bad a dad I might be, think about how bad a sales person you might be.

I don’t really treat my son that way.  But that’s how many of you treat your clients.

1. You shut them down before they get answers to their questions…
2. You think their questions are stupid and keep presenting…
3. You don’t care if they get hurt in the buying process…

That’s all ridiculous behavior.

It’s the reason prospects hate to deal with you.

If you want to create real influence, stop treating your prospects like a bunch of 3-year olds.

Try something else:

1. Teach.
2. Share.
3. Give.
4. Care

And you now what?

I don’t think your prospects will be able to hate dealing with you any more.

You’re just too valuable.

This post was first written (in a slightly different format) for Sales Bloggers Union.  I write there once a month with a dozen other sales gurus as we share different opinions on the same topic.  Here are a few other articles I’ve written there.