Today, Joe Ryder, Director of Sales at Village Print & Media delivers #CLUTCH advice for both employers and future employees in part 1 of 3 of the different types of salespeople you should never aspire to be.
“Throughout the years, I have worked with all kinds of salespeople. I started out just like everyone else— making cold calls and trying to build a book of business. Twenty years later, I feel that I can safely say that I’ve seen it all, from the best salespeople in the business to the absolute worst. It’s easy to identify ‘what makes a good salesperson.’ Many of the qualities and skills that he or she must have are frankly, no brainers, such as being organized, punctual, and having a very likable personality. In turn, it can be difficult to decipher which are the ‘bad’ ones.
There are at least three kinds of salespeople who employers should beware of and other sales reps should never strive to be. Today, we take a look at what I like to call ‘The Client Handler.’
The ‘Client Handler’ is the kind of salesperson who has only worked on a company’s existing accounts. This means that he or she has never opened an account of his or her own. Essentially, this ‘salesperson’ is more so a customer service representative. The reason being is that he or she has never experienced the cold call process or had to implement sales pitches and tactics in order to acquire his or her own client. Therefore, when this type of salesperson switches companies and attempts to use an old client, he or she faces a harsh reality check when the client decides to remain with the old firm and is left having to find new clients; it’s as if the salesperson is a rookie all over again.
Now, don’t get me wrong— customer service is an important part of a salesperson’s job, but it is only one part. The difference between a customer service representative, or ‘client handler,’ and a salesperson is simple— a customer service representative worries about the business when it arrives and a salesperson worries about the business when it fails to show up.”
Can you guess which type of salesperson is next on Joe’s list? Check in next week for Part 2 of 3!