I recently heard a talk by Bob Myers, General Manager of the Golden State Warriors, on leadership, values, and culture in winning teams. It was a great speech and there were many points he raised that made sense, and really resonated with me.
He also struck me as a thoughtful and intelligent person, somebody who has been focused on doing the right thing and driven by a core set of values. It’s clear that the Warriors, despite their recent troubles, are an extremely well-run organization, thanks, I’m sure, in no small part to folks like Bob Myers.
But there was one comment he made right at the start of his talk that, I have to say, I found frustrating. Not surprising, I’ll admit, but frustrating, nevertheless.
In recounting his career, he talked about how, before joining the Warriors, he was a sports agent for about 14 years, with a roster of about 15 players. But, despite the success he had, it wasn’t something he felt cut out for because it involved a lot of selling and, well, he just wasn’t that good at it. Because he wasn’t very good at lying.
I laughed but it wasn’t a “funny, haha” laugh. It was more one of exasperation, because I’ve heard that over and over again for years. (Hell, at one point, years ago, I think I even believed it.) The guy sitting in front of me was a veteran sales guy, who’d done it all his life, and he shook his head and let out the same exasperated laugh.
This is, sadly, the conventional view of what sales is. A con, a hustle, an opportunity to pull the wool over a prospect’s eyes in order to get them to buy what you’re selling. Because, apparently, that’s what it takes. And as a result, if that’s really what’s involved, then you need to be on your guard lest someone try and sell you something you don’t need. Because, if sales folks are masters of this type of con, then surely honest people don’t go into sales, do they?
(By the way, think of the flip side of that belief system. And that is that the customer isn’t smart enough. That the customer is gullible and can be sold something against their will. That you – as a customer – can’t think through or process the requisite information to make a thoughtful decision. A terrible way to think about ourselves, don’t you think?)
As I said, this is the conventional view of what sales is. Unless you’ve actually done it.
Because if you’ve actually done it, you’ll realize it isn’t that simple or straightforward or devious. Yes, there are hustlers out there and they do create problems when given the chance. They give the profession a terrible reputation. (By the way, that’s a failing of the organization behind the salesperson, for not hiring for and instilling the necessary values and ethics within the sales team.)
But for those trying to build long term relationships, to build predictable, stable revenues, to deliver real value, this ethos is just false.
The best sales folks I know want to understand their customer. They’re ready to help them get smarter about all of their options and approaches, some of which don’t involve their own product. They have conviction in what they’re selling. They believe in its merits. And, when it’s the right thing to do, they’re willing to walk away from the deal.
Look, I have a bias here. I’m a sales guy myself – anyone who’s started a business or been part of growing one is, by definition, a sales person.
And being a sales person, I’ve realized how hard it is to do it well. There is real effort and work involved. An ability to assimilate and understand all sorts of data about the client. A passion for the content and value of what you’re delivering. And an honesty and forthrightness in your approach. The best sales folks I know have these capabilities in spades.
So, Myers’ comments rankled and, afterwards, I had a bit of a laugh about it with the sales guy sitting in front of me. This is still what people – even smart, intelligent, and well-meaning folks such as Bob Myers – think about the profession. And it isn’t their fault, at the end of the day. It’s the result of centuries of bad behaviors from bad actors. I get it.
Sales will always be thought of that way. Except by those who’ve actually done it.
Omer Abdullah co-founded The Smart Cube, starting with a laptop and a home office, growing it into a global research and analytics firm with more than 500 people. He’s a sales guy, a marketer, a manager, and part-time writer who has worked in both the Corporate and Management Consulting worlds. Sign up for his blog at www.omerisms.com.