Why Merchants Hate Most Salespeople

Recently, I had an experience which reminded me of the importance of professional salesmanship.  The salesperson where I bought my vehicle was sadly lacking in professionalism and confidence.   

Some people are merely an individual put in a sales position rather than a professional salesperson!  Every salesperson needs the confidence which helps in communicating with people a certain way.   

Helpful Tips

Here are some tips to help you sound more confident; feel more confident; and sound more professional:

#1.  If you don’t know what you’re talking about, LEARN! 

Nobody wants to buy from an idiot.  Stop talking to merchants until you learn what you’re talking about.  Don’t make a bad reputation for our industry; there’s no excuse for ignorance.

I offer 14-day free trial of my All-Access Pass full of great training.  I’ve even recorded several free YouTube videos, not to mention my weekly blog.  If you don’t like my stuff, there are other training programs available.

Some ISO managers feed into this delusion.  They are overcome with the pressure of getting agents out to prospect.  However, agents won’t be confident if they know nothing about the industry.

Get the Basics.

I’m not indicating new agents should learn everything before going into the field.  I’m a big proponent of taking action.  I’m not talking about paralysis.

But each new hire should take a few hours to learn basic terminology and how the industry works.  You should be at least familiar with terms such as processing statement, issuing bank, and interchange.

#2.  When you get a question you can’t answer…

Even if you’ve learned the basics, you’ll still get questions you can’t answer.  That happens to all of us!  Please, be professional.

Wrong Response:  “I’ve never heard of that before.  I have no idea what you’re talking about!  I’ll have to talk to my manager about that one.”

Right Response:  “Susan, what a great question!  I’m so glad you asked that.  Although I’ve done a little research on it, I’ll need to do more before I answer that one.  What other questions do you have?”

That confidence makes people trust you and like you more.

A Fine Line

There’s a fine line between transparency and lunacy.  I’m very honest and transparent.  But I don’t like to seem as if I have no idea what’s going on!  Don’t take transparency to that extreme.

If you like to be professional and make a lot of money, please take this advice.  Become a real professional who understands what you’re talking about.

If you disagree with my viewpoint, that’s okay.  You can have your opinion.  However, mine is that sales is a profession.  I like to be a professional!