#50 - SALES TIP: Don't Do These Things!

 📍 Okay. It's another episode of Let's Chat Sales. 

In this time, we are talking about things you shouldn't do in a sales situations. 

And a kind of a fun list and very actionable. So let's dive in and as always liking subscribe. Thanks.  

Okay, Bob, it is another episode of Let's Chat Sales !!!!!!!. And today we're going to talk about things that don't...

I think, what did we say? 

Don't do this. Things you shouldn't do as a salesperson, right? Uh, we got a few.

 I thought you told me you had a list of 10. I want to hear your list. 

I didn't count them.

I just know I got a bunch. 

So, where do we start? 

Oh, let's start with number one. Well, we'll start with number one. Don't number things. No, that's not one. 

I have not seen these. Oh, 

oh, they're good. They're good. Let's hold the part. The first one is...

and these, some of these are kind of obvious, but, but they bear repeating because I think a lot of 

people either subconsciously aren't aware that they do them or, or they do them and they think they're doing them for a good reason and they're not.

And the first one I'm going to come up with is a simple one. 

Don't interrupt.. 

You're in a sales call. Wait, don't interrupt 

again. I'm sorry. 

Exactly, exactly. Don't interrupt. 

Which means don't finish someone sentences. Don't you know, don't come in and disagree with them. 

Don't come in and agree with them. Let them finish.

Let them speak. If you're interrupting... that just creates a vibe. Number one. 

And number two, it dissuades your customer from wanting to talk.

And if you're the kind of salesperson that you want to be, you want that customer, that prospect talking about 

what they want. And for you to ask a question, you need to give them 

the time and the space to answer the question in its fullness... if you will. 

That's good, but I would add another thing to Brendan, which is...

as they're talking, I've been in sales situation where the person is really explaining the problem to themselves. 

It's the first time they've really taken the chance to really talk through it. 

And it's like, this is for them. Yeah.

To them it's a brand new, never been here before. 

Great observation. 

Don't...

don't type notes during the meeting. If you're a keyboard guy... person. Guy or gal.... don't type during meeting.

And this may be just me, but the minute someone starts typing ...gets the  keyboard out 

and starts typing it telegraphs to me that you're not paying attention.

Or if they play on their phone. I don't care what you're doing. 

You could be taking notes on your phone. You'll look like you're texting your boyfriend or girlfriend.

Yup. So you don't type. If you have to go to use your phone, you explain, I'm looking up something

related to this conversation. Okay. That's somewhat tolerable... if it's short and you're to the point.

 Don't talk about the meeting while you're in the building.

So this is a classic mistake that...

that it's actually go 

a step further, Brendan, while you're on the property. 

Yeah... cone of silence until you're... so if you're in a sales call goes away... it goes great.

It goes terribly. However, it goes, keep it to yourself until you're safely away from the property. 

I can't tell you the number of times I've had salespeople in the... like, I used to call on Citigroup

and I'd be in the elevator and some other sales guy or gal was in there talking

to their sales manager about how great or how bad it went... and don't do it.

D uh, this is what I talk about all the time. Don't use every minute of the meeting, right? 

If you've got a 30 minute meeting, wrap it up early. It just, does everybody a big solid.

It just, it's just good for... it's good for everybody.

You know, 

I would say an hour just because it might take 46 minutes, 

right? Who is an hour anymore? No. No. 

Who is an hour? You don't have an hour. It lists the list. It's a formal 

I do because I don't have a lot of sidekick gigs, but...

So don't use every minute. 

This is, this is kind of a general one, but I think this is really important and that is...

Don't be boring.

But it's like, you should be whoever your, like your, what is it? Let your freak flag fly. Like be interesting. 

No, but the point is... everybody's interesting. And you, you have to be interesting at your level. 

What is it that Studs Terkel used to say about how I would interview 99, 99 people.

He would interview 98 people 

like St. John, 

let me, let me finish. Let Studs Terkel said, what was his quote? Um, 99 people out of a hundred are really interesting people to interview. 

And the . Fact that the other one isn't makes them interesting. His quote was something to that effect.

Yeah, don't be so don't be boring. Be interesting. Be fun. It should be fun. Sales should be. 

Can I say that a different way, Brendan? Yes. 

If you're sarcastic, you should be sarcastic. Not overly so.

You know, I wouldn't use obscenities if that's how you roll, but I've certainly been

sales situations where the person is a little more salty than average and it just fits that person.

Up to a point. I mean,  read the room.  But being interesting, being engaged, being yourself...

I think that's critically important to the sales because otherwise you come across as inauthentic...

and, and nobody really wants that. 

Don't sit in the lobby. When you're in the lobby waiting for a customer to bring you into the building and bring you up their office,

stand.

Like, you're busy. Like your important. 

This is a good one. This is new. I liked it. 

So don't sit in the lobby. That's for other people.

Stand and wait. 

If you gotta be on your phone waiting, or be on a phone call... over 

the reception. 

Yes, no, don't do that. Just no lurking in general. Just in general, whether you're in a sales environment or not. 

Sure. Unless you're cast in a movie, a horror movie or a suspense, then lurking is accepted, 

but otherwise keep the lurking to those few situations. 

All right. So back to the being semi-serious about this. Yeah. Stand, don't sit when you're in the lobby...

and when they put you in a conference room and say, oh... Joe Schmo will be in in a minute....

don't sit down at the conference room. Stand, walk around and look out the window. 

Whatever you do, but don't sit down. That's for later... 

partly because you want to figure out where the other person's going to sit. 

And so you don't want to sit in the CEO's seat. 

Don't eat in a meeting. I have this one down here. 

Now this is not a lunch meeting, of course. 

I love donuts. I'm a donut guy. Love him. Yes. Oh yeah. Donuts are like... all donuts. 

I am indiscriminate. but  really fight the urge to eat in a meeting.

If you can help it. If you have coffee and so forth.

You know, I don't like when the people bring the Starbucks coffee cup into the meeting at one 30 in the afternoon, that seems a little pretentious. 

Let me finish my coffee there. Uh, uh, I don't know. I like 

meeting. It's a 40 minute meeting. 

I need, I need my coffee. I need my coffee, man. 

 This, this is one that you'll have a reaction to. If you're doing a sales presentation, don't stand behind the podium. 

I agree a thousand percent. 

Like there may be a podium up there. There may be a place to hide. Don't do it. 

Steve Jobs... he taught everybody. I'm sure other people before him, 

but you know, walk around. Be animated. 

Move. Don't stand up. Don't stand behind the podium. 

I like to go to the back of the room and make everyone crane their neck at a certain point. 

Are you serious? 

Yeah, I do. I, it's a great thing to wake people up if they are not paying attention. 

You go to the back of the room and sit on the ledge.

Interesting. Okay. 

You will get people like, oh, it's so awkward. When you move up back to the front.... 

Oh, that's interesting too, because then you can stand back there and point to the front, like...

hey, I'm talking to the slide like you're in the, you're in the environment of their team.

You're part of the group. That's interesting. 

Um, I didn't think you'd like that. 

I would go, I do like it. I do. I like it a lot. 

So, and then we'll wrap this up with. 

Don't overthink things.

in a sales situation, people second guess themselves and get and so forth.  What was it... Occam's Razor. 

Occam's Razor. 

The simplest explanation is probably the right one.

So rather than ruminate and ruminate...

and by the way, I love strategizing and thinking about when the enterprise sales.

How, how it can be complicated, and you do want to do that, but at the same time...

the simplest answers are usually the right ones. And then what you do is validate them.

And the way you validate them is you ask people... hey, here's what I'm thinking.

Here's how I'm reading this. Am I right? 

What do you think? How, how should I be interpreting this? 

And then, do your thinking. Don't do too much thinking. This is something I've protected myself from doing. 

And then validate with,  with your customers.

It's another opportunity to let them see your, your humility and your willingness to be, um, mistaken. 

How's that sound? I liked that I liked that one a lot. So. I think that's good. I don't know if that's 10, 

but it's enough. I counted eight or nine, 

uh, 

okay. I can I do mine in our next 

episode? Yes, you can. You better come in. I think it's good. I don't know if there's good. Will it be as good? 

I think it's good. I think we beat this smell. 

We yours will yours. Oh bill. He'll be 

really good. My one that I gave you today was good. It 

was 

genius. It was 

which one was it?

Now you're playing words . Of affirmation. That's a true that's right. 

 You know? All right. All right, Bob, I think we might be thinking we beat the heck out of this. 

I can't wait to come back and get my list on the next step is.

It will be good.

I bet.

I'm looking forward to that. All right. 

Okay. So another episode and hope you'd liked it. And next time, check out this one.

If you are watching, if you're listening, um, just go to the menu, I guess. Here we go. Right here. This one. This one here.