Best Compliment Ever: You're A Professional Salesman

 

Everyone wants to be known as GOOD at something in their job. Everyone would love to be known as an EXPERT in their career. If your career has anything to do with recruiting or sales, what would be the word that a client could attach to your name that would be the best compliment to pay you?

If the client said that you're:

Good

Awesome

Friend

Consultant

Would any of these be the words that you would want to best describe you in your career?

For me one of the best compliments I've received is being called a "Professional."

People don't often think of salespeople being professionals.

They usually get the image of Herb Tarlek from the TV show WKRP in Cinncinnatti.

I was in a sales meeting with the owner of the company I was working for and the manager of a major account. Being the salesperson I understood that the owner needed to do the presentation and questioning his way and style and let him take the lead of the meeting, after all he was the company owner. I stayed quiet and took notes and asked pointed questions when appropriate or gave precise answers when asked. I listened intently to the client and took notes without interrupting the client's train of thought. The owner alternately was engaging and losing the client.

I could see the client was bored so to get him engaged in the presentation I started asking questions, and probed the answers with more questions. The owner knew that it was his time to sit back and let me do the driving. At the end of the meeting I had all of the information from the client, had them agreeing to our proposal, and feeling comfortable about the buying decision.

As we left the client pulled me aside and said that it "was a pleasure doing business with a sales professional."

I was on a sales high because we closed the deal, but a compliment from a peer made me that much more excited. So excited in fact that all these years later I judge my sales calls by that compliment and standard. Was I professional in my questioning, presentation, close? Would that same client give me the same compliment if they were in that room with me watching this latest meeting? 

That's my professional goal each time out.

Thanks Bob for the compliment!

Ev

A Heck of A Nice Guy