On Being Authentic

I was having dinner with a new sales rep recently and she asked me “What’s the most important thing I need to know in order to be successful in sales?” I wasn’t ready for this question and I had to pause for a minute to think about it. The typical answers raced through my mind; work hard, listen, build good relationships, etc. But this rep was new to selling, having come from the industry, so my answer had to be a really good one. And then it struck me, “Always be authentic.”

Why is this the most important advice that I could give a new seller? Think about it for a minute. You can do all the right things necessary to be successful; prospect, perform product demonstrations, put together great proposals and use all the great closing techniques you’ve ever read about. But if you are not authentic, your prospect will know from the very beginning and won’t trust you when it comes to making an important buying decision.

Many years ago I was reselling computer hardware and asked a manufacturer’s rep to accompany me on a sales call. This was a particularly important meeting for me so I wanted to bring in the expert. I had come to know the rep fairly well and liked him very much, although we had not been on a joint sales call together. Imagine my disappointment when he totally changed when the customer walked in the room. His voice raised a few octaves, he started using words that were not a typical part of his vocabulary, and he faked laughed his way through the meeting. After we left the building he reverted back to his old self and said something like, “Well that went well.” Needless to say, I never took him on another call with me.

Contrast that experience with another. My wife and I had taken a few days off and were driving home from Austin to Dallas, about a three hour trip. I had a customer who had moved companies and had taken on a new role at a large trucking company in Waco, about halfway home. I had called him to let him know that we would be passing through, and asked if he would be willing to give us a tour of his new company. He was more than happy to oblige. My wife was a bit apprehensive since a b-to-b selling situation was not an environment that she was familiar with. I assured her it would be okay.

We met the customer, took the tour, and chatted for a while. It was an impressive company and he had a big job. I was happy to see him doing so well and was optimistic that we would do business with his new company. When we finished our “meeting” and went to the car, my wife said something that has stuck with me since, “You didn’t change in there.” She had fully expected me to behave the way that the manufacturer’s rep had – change my voice, fake laugh, and use big words. You know – turn in to a sales blowhard. I didn’t realize it at the time, but she was telling me that I was being authentic.

Being inauthentic, or fake, can cost you big time. Savvy customers will test you. They’ll ask you trick questions like “How is the banana peel working on the apple that you’re developing?” When you smile and say “Oh, just great” they know what that they’ve got on their hands. This kind of thing happened to one of my reps, and the customer called and asked him to be pulled from the account. He didn’t have time to work with someone trying to fake his way through.

You should do all the right things associated with being successful in sales – prospect, put together killer presentations, have great conversations, and close deals. And you should always be authentic. You can fake your way through a few situations, but sooner or later it will catch up with you. Customers want to work with real people. Don’t you?