by Tim Roberts
Here at Sandler Training | Trustpointe we’re fortunate to spend 11 hours a day, 5 days a week with salespeople. We love what we do and more importantly, why we do it. To paraphrase author and TED-talk star, Simon Sinek, “People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it.”
Spending so much time with different salespeople coming from many different selling environments allows us to predict, with reasonable accuracy, the type of performance one will give. Certainly we use appropriate diagnostic tools combined with our own specialized behavioral interviews. Indeed, a salesperson’s own life experiences play a determining role.
One of the most critical services we provide is to help companies flush out their sales posers. Posers are frustrating. Posers are draining. Unfortunately, posers are often hard to fire because you’re just not sure if they are or aren’t.
Posers talk with forked tongue. You can’t always quite understand what they just reported to you. “Is it real or is it Poserex?” you might ask. The deal often sounds big but in the final analysis you’ll find you’ve just won a scaled-down version.
Posers think they’re leaders but they lack the ability to influence which is necessary to disturb inertia and move action. It’s a skill issue they’re in denial about.
Posers are much better at talking the talk than walking the walk. They’ve got both ideas and relevant strategies – and would love to share them with you. Yet don’t be surprised when they’re chasing quota mid-December.
Posers wax eloquently about accountability but you’ll need a signed expectation document to make it happen.
Posers don’t really want to learn or change. Their way is the right way and try as you may, they already know how it’s done. The result, not the result you want, will be the result you get.
Posers have had lots of practice posing. Locked in their fixed, rigid ways and able to easily mask their insecurities, posers can fool the undiscerning eye. At times you can even see the brilliance of a star. But it will only be a shooting star – temporary and fading fast.
At Sandler Training, Trustpointe we're poser exposers. To learn more about forked tongues, signed expectations and discerning eyes, contact Tim Roberts at 317.845.0041 or tim.roberts@sandler.com
Hold that Pose!
