I'm Going on a Sales Call and I Don't Know What to Carry

Update: A poll accompanied the original post of this blog that asked the reader to answer one or two of the following questions:

1. I carry a backpack: 33%
2. I carry a briefcase: 43%
3. Backpacks are unprofessional: 43%
4. It doesn't matter: 20%

During our national sales meeting earlier this year, one of the younger reps shared with me that he had been chastised by a very seasoned sales leader for carrying a backpack to a customer meeting. He was told that he looked like a student, not like a sales professional. This hit home for me because about ten years ago I started carrying a backpack after years of being a briefcase guy. Carrying a backpack made a ton of sense once I moved from Dallas to Chicago where I had a train commute followed by a long walk to the office. The backpack was very practical since I was almost always carrying my laptop. It was much more comfortable than a briefcase and didn’t cause any fatigue. Now I’m a home based worker without a commute. Carrying my backpack is now relegated for business travel that is frequently centered on visiting a customer.

Shortly after the sales meeting I was on the road with a rep and caught a full-length glimpse of myself in a large window with my backpack on my shoulder. Having just recently heard the “you look like a student” story, I took a fresh look at my appearance. I was wearing a nice sports coat and slacks. The backpack was slung over one shoulder and was doing real number on my coat. My jacket was all bunched up around my neck and the backpack was sagging even though it is considered top-of-the line. It was big and fairly heavy – and that’s exactly what it looked like. Since I’m too old to be mistaken for a student, I wondered what this look was doing for my brand.

Blog continued below . . .

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When I got back home, I wanted to hear some other perspectives on the topic, so I posed a question on LinkedIn and got some very interesting responses from around the world that I’d like to share with you. The LinkedIn group is the “Sales Management Association.” The question that I posed was, “Do you carry a backpack or a computer-bag/briefcase? Is one more professional? Does it matter?” Here are some of the responses:

“I cover a very large area, so utility is much more important to me. I carry a backpack that has several pockets and has the capability to charge my laptop without it leaving the backpack if needed. I also have several areas of document storage for my other needs. I think in America we have moved beyond some of the traditional norms for sales managers to have to carry a briefcase, but in some areas I see it as still the standard.”

“Briefcase looks more professional but when I need my laptop I carry it in my backpack.”

“The way things 'look' accounts for 55% of our human perception and 'back-packs' look crumpled and slack. A trainer we employed always turned up at client premises on a bike with helmet and backpack. He had to go...customers in the London financial district (City and Docklands) didn't like the unprofessional look of it. I notice when selling in the Wall St area of NY smart suits and briefcases are the norm for my clients and by default therefore for me too.”

Then I posed another question, “So what would you carry in to a conference room in a B2B selling situation if you needed your computer?” Here’s how the same group of people responded.

"A laptop in a good cover. Leave everything else non-essential in the car. The more you carry in the less important you appear and the more threatening you look.”

“Computers and laptops should be the exception in sales meetings. Most customers are simply not interested in seeing or hearing about all our 'stuff'. Customers in general want instead to tell us at length about all their problems in areas where we (the sellers) may have a solution. The current research shows that the longer customers are allowed to do this the more likely a sale will result. This approach is so rare that over 80% of prospective customers say that they would pay for each hour with a sales executive who knows how to ask questions and create value without resorting to the dreaded presentation especially in the early stages of the sales process.”

“From a lady's perspective; guys who carry briefcase are more presentable and give an impression of someone who is more organized. Generally the dressing still count towards the overall impression. However, this impression give way to your skills in listening and asking the "right" questions once the meeting started."

So what are the common-sense-sales takeaways on this topic? First, whether you carry a backpack or a briefcase, you should always look sharp and professional; and second, whenever possible, less is best.

If you don’t need your computer, why carry a bag in to a customer meeting? What about a portfolio, pen and some business cards? Even if your sales role requires you to carry samples, you should observe the less is best philosophy. (Pharma reps read and heed – doctor offices are tight, do you really need all that stuff other than the samples?)

If you need your computer for the meeting, make sure to utilize the least bulky and “crumpled” bag that you have. You probably don’t need all those extra accessories that serve to take up room and create a jumbled mess when you are just searching for a pen. When I’m on the road, my backpack is full of travel-related items that have zero use on a sales call. Consequently, I have stopped taking my bag in to sales calls and only take in a notebook. Just last week I was on a call with a rep and this topic was top of mind. I wanted to see how successful the meeting would be if we didn’t have all of our “stuff”, so neither of us carried in a bag of any kind. We had a few file folders and notebooks but that was it. The meeting went just fine.

Ultimately, our visual clutter is a very important part of the impression we create in the minds of our prospects and customers. As the LinkedIn messages confirm, appearance counts. How you dress along with what and how much "stuff" you carry with you matters. If you are trying to give the appearance of being busy and important by carrying big bags with lots of stuff, you are throwing off the exact opposite impression. Clean out your bags, take only the essentials, and leave the rest in the car.

For now I’ll still carry my backpack, but for customer calls I’ll shed it and only take in the bare minimum. I’m still pondering a briefcase for those times that I need my computer . . . I just can’t seem to get over the site of me carrying that big thing over my shoulder while trying to look my best.