A Tale of Two Salespeople

Here’s a story that’s much shorter than A Tale of Two Cities, and it has a direct impact for your business. Imagine the scene…

You’re in your office and a salesperson is coming to meet with you. They arrive and immediately ask for an outlet to plug in their laptop for a presentation. You sit through a 20- minute slideshow that covers everything from the origins of the company to a list of the companies they’ve worked with (presentation complete with logos of their clients). Of course there is a healthy dose of mentions of all their awards and accolades. Though you’re listening, you don’t hear anything that pertains to your own situation. So, in between their slides, you ask, “Why should I work with you?” … but they just echo back the generic content from their prepared presentation.

Now imagine this… You’re in your office again and a different salesperson comes in. They tell you a couple of things they’ve learned while researching your company. They ask you about your current situation. They express empathy. They ask about what solutions you’ve tried to address the problem you’re having. And then, after a conversation, they tell you how their product or service offers an option that will solve your problem.

Which person do you want to buy from? Which salesperson do you most resemble? The first salesperson had a habit of being too focused on themselves. The second was other-centered from the very beginning, so you - as the buyer- feel heard and understood. The first scenario didn’t have room for that at all. If your communications with customers and clients haven’t been client-focused, your new habit should be working toward changing your questions, listening more, and talking about yourself less.

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