Is there a rational foundation for students aversion to salespeople? Unfortunately, yes. In the real world, weve all dealt with obnoxious salespeople. Pressuring the customer succeeds in very small sales or with very unsophisticated buyers. But in larger sales and with sophisticated customers, the effect of pressure is negative- aggressive selling hurts your sales results, says Neil Rackham.2

AN EXAMPLE OF AN AGGRESSIVE SALESPERSON

An encounter with an aggressive, dominant, controlling salesperson might look like the following scenario, in which Debbie Dale is exploring her options for a cellular phone. The dialogue goes something like this:

Phone Man (PM): May I help you?

Debbie Dale (DD): Well, Im looking for an inexpensive cellular phone.

PM: Good. You have come to the right place. Are you looking for any particular features?

DD: I thought I might like to have voice mail and call waiting, if those features dont cost me too much.

PM: No sweat. Our pricing is as competitive as anybodys. Lets look at several models we have here. Were you interested in activating the phone today?

DD: I dont know. Im just looking at different options right now.

PM: Well, no need to look any further. We have everything you need. Will you be paying by credit card or check?

DD: Oh, I seem to have forgotten my purse. Im sorry. Bye.

Debbie was actually thinking, but was too polite to say, Neither, sir; Im giving my money to one of your competitors. We have all

had unproductive exchanges with obnoxious salespeople. Salespeople who believe they need to be aggressive in order to succeed in sales put themselves first and the customer second. Debbies needs were secondary to the salespersons need to close, or perhaps, worse still, to his companys need for the order.

Fortunately, however, a salesperson does not have to be aggressive or obnoxious in order to succeed. As a matter of fact, aggressiveness is an undesirable trait.

AGGRESSIVE SALESPEOPLE TURN BUYERS OFF

Its a shame that so many salespeople are aggressive. Customers consider salespeople to be guilty of being aggressive until proven innocent. At the very least, customers consider them to be guilty of not always putting the customers needs ahead of their own. Aggressiveness doesnt bring credibility to the profession. Unlike assertiveness, hard work, or ambition, all of which help in sales as much as in any career, aggressiveness gives the sales profession a bad name.

Research shows that aggressive salespeople turn buyers off. Buyers rank dominance as one of the least preferred qualities in salespeople. Instead, they want salespeople who are confident and assertive. Dominance is viewed as self-oriented, not customer-oriented, and therefore reduces buyer trust.3

A BETTER EXAMPLE TO FOLLOW

Heres how a more confident and less aggressive salesperson would have handled the sales interaction with Debbie:

PM: May I help you?

DD: Well, Im looking for an inexpensive cellular phone.

PM: Good. Can you tell me what price range you were looking at?

DD: Oh, around $75.

PM: I see. Any particular features you were looking for?

DD: I thought I might like to have voice mail and call waiting, if those particular features dont cost too much.

PM: Normally not. But the price may or may not seem like a lot to you, depending on the particular needs that you have. Do you mind if I ask you a few questions in order to help identify what we might be able to offer as a possible solution to your problem?

DD: Okay. What do you want to know?

PM: Well, to begin with, how much time do you expect to be on your phone each day?

This salesperson put the customer first, probing in depth by asking appropriate questions, and displaying genuine concern for Debbie.

Channing (Chap) Mitzell, president of the Windsor Financial Group, Ltd., put it best when he said, The era of the pushy, aggressive financial consultant and their organizations putting their own quotas, requirements, and needs before their clients needs is over. In our industry, if a consultant doesnt view value from the customer perspective, they wont last to view value from their own perspective.

ACTION POINTS

4 Being aggressive may get you the appointment, but it wont get you the sale (and it definitely wont get you the sustainable business relationship). Buyers prefer sellers whose personal style is cooperative, not aggressive. The cooperative style is characterized by the salespersons receptivity, precision, friendliness, and lack of contentiousness. Buyers dont like salespeople who compete with them.4