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Most Annoying Things a Salesperson Says

The B2B buying process has increased in it's complexity. All buyers now have access to information that they did not have previously , thanks to the internet. This has led to a change in the relationship between Sales people and buyers as well. The interaction between buyers and suppliers has reduced now to a mere 17% of the time involved in the total buying process. Out of this buyers spend only 5% or 6% of the time with individual sales reps. This means that it has become even more crucial for sales people to say the right things to close deals. The cliche of the pushy sales rep aside , there is a tendency for buyers to find certain things that sales rep say annoying , as they struggle with complex buying processes , information overload and stress from other colleagues that are also involved in the buying process. Below is a list of things that sales people say that annoy buyers the most :

Badmouthing Competition, to make their own product look good
Most buyers today are tech-savvy and have made a purchase decision even before meeting the sales rep. In short, they have done their homework online, even before contacting suppliers. They are driven more by content and are now at ease , using technology as an interface to gather information and make decisions. This means that they know what is out there, before they have even approached a sales-rep for a conference call or a face to face meeting. Some sales reps spend their energy in bad mouthing competition , or falsely exaggerating the good qualities of the product they are selling much to their own detriment. The reason is that buyers today have done all the analysis , as most buying processes within companies are data driven. Most, if not all purchasers make strictly data-driven decisions. It is a systematic and analytical process. With the emergence of AI solutions, the trend will be more so in this direction. So when an ill informed sales rep tries to diminish the competition , purchasers get annoyed, as they already have the data to disprove it.

Aggressive Up selling of Unnecessary Products
According to McKinsey, buyers like to contact sales the most when they are buying a product for the first time . During repurchases they do not wish to engage with sales all that much. However, some sales people use this as an opportunity to peddle and up sell unnecessary products that the buyer does not need. This is mainly because some sales reps do not understand the buyer's business and are just focused on meeting their own sales targets. However , this annoys buyers a lot , as they do not need, yet another sales rep, pushing products on them, that has no relevance for their business.

Can we have a conference call for a product demo?
Let's face it , time is a valuable resource in business. A sales rep might love to get a customer on phone to build rapport and connection. However , buyers prefer doing their research via digital channels before talking to a sales rep. Technology has advanced enough today , that most product demos can be put on some sort of digital platform. Research shows that companies that making buying easy , have higher closing deals than those that do not. This is because buying has becoming highly complex, with a dizzying array of options from all across the world. So , allowing a buyer to easily check if your product meets their need, before wasting their time on a one on one meeting might be better than desperately trying to connect with them on the phone.

Creating a False Sense of Urgency to hasten the closing of a Sale
Buying in today's business environment is a stressful process. There are many barriers that need to be overcome. There are some sales reps that offer discounts to customers that according them are limited to two days or three days. This causes a lot of stress for the buyer , as the urgency pressure forces them to act fast , to take advantage of the discount. Even if some buyers do get influenced by such tactics , it is only for a limited time. Let's suppose that this so called discount remains available to buyers even after the two day deadline , this can cause a lot of frustration and distrust in the buyer. Since trust is essential for repurchase decisions , this could impact future sales negatively. Research shows that buyers are more likely to buy from sales rep that make it easier for them to buy products . Introducing stress and anxiety into the process is detrimental to everyone involved. Especially , in the context of a pressurized discounted scenario.

If you are a sales person and are guilty of saying the things mentioned above , it is time to stop. The world of B2B sales is changing, customers are more savvy , data-driven and stressed out with options. A sales person that offers the customers a solution to their purchasing problems has a better chance of closing the deal, than those that waste their time on sales gimmicks.

Sources
McKinsey. (n.d.). What the future science of B2B sales growth looks like. Retrieved December 10, 2019, from https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/marketing-and-sales/our-insights/what-the-future-science-of-b2b-sales-growth-looks-like.

Norman, S., Norman, S., & Steven, undefined. (2019, March 27). The five things you must understand when selling B2B. Retrieved December 10, 2019, from https://www.smartcompany.com.au/marketing/sales/selling-b2b/.

Gartner,Inc. (n.d.). The New B2B Buying Process. Retrieved December 10, 2019, from https://www.gartner.com/en/sales-service/insights/b2b-buying-journey.

Toman, N., Adamson, B., & Gomez, C. (2017, March). The New Sales Imperative. Harvard Business Review. doi: https://hbr.org/2017/03/the-new-sales-imperative



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