Sales is a tough game at the best of times. My personal experience in sales was no different. I spent a brief period doing sales for my brother’s newly opened LPG gas distributor. Sales in this case was particularly tough because we faced very stiff competition in the area in which we were operating and we were of the more expensive distributors in the area.
I would get turned away time after time as soon as I showed the prospective customers our prices. This was extremely frustrating. I struggled to stay motivated. The only selling points I had to work with was stressing the point that we offered an honest and dedicated service and though our product might be more expensive it lasted longer than some of the cheaper alternatives. Admittedly this was a rather weak selling point in a market concerned mainly with the bottom line; the price of our gas.
The frustration born out of having a rather weak selling point had me contemplating what sort of story I could spin to convince people that they should buy our more expensive product. I was very tempted to start making fantastic claims about the quality of our product. The temptation was to start stretching the truth.
I would advise against acting on a temptation to stretch the truth even in the most challenging sales environment and here are 5 reasons for this. Emma Snider notes some of these reasons in an article that warns against bending the truth to make a sale:
People are skeptical of fantastic offers.
I found that people would instinctively distrust me when I made my fantastic claims about the quality of our product. I found that the more fantastic the offer the more people distrusted what I was trying to tell them.
Making fantastic claims that cannot be reliably and plausibly backed up is a strategy that is inevitably going to back fire. I have often found myself turning sales people away because I found their offer to be unbelievable.
Your new customer will be disappointed.
If you promised something your product or company cant deliver then the customer’s joy at having purchased a great product or service will be replaced by buyers remorse. They will regret having done business with you.
You damage your companies reputation.
A disappointed customer might make a nasty phone call or worse, take to social media to express their discontent with your product or services. The damage that slandering on social media will cause your company could be huge.
Not only your company but also your own reputation as a sale-person could be damaged. Reaching the station of trusted advisor is the ideal position to achieve as a sales-person. If you are known to bend the truth you can forget about attaining that goal.
Forget about referrals.
One of the most productive avenues for sales is referrals. Happy customers will suggest your goods and services to others. Happy customers in fact do the hardest part of your job for you. According to NoMoreColdCalling.com the close rate for referred clients is about 50%.
If your new customer has found you to be dishonest and not as good as your word it is doubtful whether they will ever refer you to anyone.
Your contributing to sales stereotypes.
Sales people are view by society generally as dishonest, untrustworthy, manipulative and sleazy. Having this stereotype makes the job of a sales-person substantially more difficult. Not only do you have to convince someone to part with the money but you have to do so whilst overcoming the negative stereotypes they will inevitably have of you.
As a sales-person it is therefore a good idea to start acting in a way that defeats the stereotypes. You should start being honest and trustworthy and by doing so the job of every single sales-person will become that much easier.
Comments
7 responses to “5 Reasons to Avoid Lying in Sales”
Excellent article Assad. Unfortunately the 90 day syndrome has made people crazy. They compromise long term sustainability for short term results. I personally feel that this issue has to be addressed at the level of society also. I have no doubt that this is a moral issue.
Thank you SF. I agree it is a moral issue, it is sacrificing what is appropriate for what is expedient.
This is a fantastic article Assad! Thank you for sharing these ideas. I am in a sales role myself and can totally relate to everything you have said.
I think the shift that needs to take place for all Sales People is that they need to understand that their role is actually to serve their customer – to make their customer’s lives and the world a better place. When Sales People start to become “Givers” rather than “Takers” then regardless of the outcome of the sale, the customer will have a positive experience and will trust the sales person.
I would love to read more blogs on this topic.
Thank you Shelley! I would be very grateful if you could find the time to share some of your experiences in sales.
Well put, Assad. The trick is (if this is an appropriate word to use in an article that is about lying ;-)) to undersell and over deliver. But, in your brother’s game (gas) it is very much a price sell. Folks want it cheap and as you know, when it comes to gas, sometimes cheap and illegally. When it is a commodity, like gas, the only way to stand out is through relationship. Even if tempted towards hyperbole, it is wiser to stand your ground and stick to your ‘honest and dedicated’ service ethic. You will eventually attract the kind of clients that will appreciate you and work with you long term. Of course, now I’m second guessing myself because unfortunately most sales managers and business owners don’t want to wait for long term gains (sales). They think short term and want instant sales. If this doesn’t happen it puts the sales representative in a precarious position (like being fired). So, not only do you have to attract the right clients, you also have to educate your boss that in the end it is better to be honest … even if it takes a little longer for the sales to roll in.
Thank you for your input Jacques, I was hoping to get comment from you. I think it is an important point you raise, that organisations are very often structured in a manner which puts the wrong pressure on sales people. We should examine our organisations to ensure that we are not setting out in a manner that brings out the worst in sales and perpetuates the stereotypes.
Good job