Trump or Obama? Which of these two salesmen would you want your son to emulate?

I want you to become a doctor, not a salesman!When you were a child, what professions or occupations did your parents think would be appropriate for you? Lawyer, doctor, engineer, architect, accountant, business manager, etc, right? Now raise your right hand if your parents wanted you to become a salesperson.How many hands went up? One in a room of 200? What may be even worse is how many people in sales want their children to follow in their footsteps. 

THE IMAGE OF SELLINGMention of the word ‘selling’ will prompt a variety of responses. It will evoke a high proportion of negative, even hostile responses, including ‘immoral’, ‘dishonest’, ‘unsavoury’, ‘degrading’, ‘nuisance’, and ‘wasteful’. Is such an unfavourable view really justified? 

DE-MOTIVATIONAL ELEMENTS IN THE SALES TASKHave you ever noticed how often sales directors engage in motivational sessions for their sales force? That alone suggests that motivation is a big issue for many salespeople. So what are the main causes of the low morale among salespeople? Research suggests that are three main causes:

1. Psychological riskBecause of their perceived low status, salespeople are constantly exposed to the possibility of rejection and often have to suffer ‘ego punishment’ – such as being kept waiting, appointments cancelled at short notice, and ‘put downs’ from customers – to which they cannot adequately respond because buyers have the power in such circumstances.

2. Being in foreign territoryIn B2B situations in particular, salespeople visit buyers in their offices, so they are effectively working in ‘foreign territory’ and might sometimes feel uneasy when entering the premises. The customer might keep the salesperson waiting, thus heightening the discomfort.3. Selling is the loneliest job in the world!Salespeople need to face the harsh reality that when you are selling you’ve got no friends, and NO is really not your ‘next opportunity’. Nobody cares if you live or die. Just don’t on their premises. 

THREE STEPS TO IMPROVING YOUR IMAGE AS A SALESPERSONTo all my friends in sales who work their heart out to raise their game and gain the respect that they truly deserve, I’ve got three suggestions for you.

1. Shed the garment of a salespersonA few years ago I had the good fortune of attending the annual awards ceremony of a major life insurance company. I was the guest of the agent of the year and sat with his beautiful wife and two brilliant young daughters. When I asked the younger of the two girls (aged eight years at the time) what was her daddy’s occupation, without hesitating she replied, “My daddy is a businessman that sells insurance.” No wonder he was the top agent of the year. He wasn’t a salesman, he was a businessman!

2. Work on your continuing educationHowever lofty your title may appear to be, executive assistants (I hate the term gatekeeper) are skilful at quickly detecting salespeople who are either not senior enough or not educated enough to be admitted to the executive suite, and once you are directed to middle or lower management you may never make it back up to the C-suite. Here’s my recommendation: Upskill or languish in the cellar.

3. Focus on creating exceptional valueLearn to rise above probing for known problems and then offering solutions to them. Everyone else does that. Raise the bar by offering provocative insights into unrecognised needs and how you can assist your customer in creating a competitive advantage in a harsh environment. It takes hard work, but it separates you from the crowd.A final word: Salespeople must remember that their credibility may be all that they have. Consider this: if Trump and Obama were both selling used cars, whom would you buy from? 

Herman D Alvaranga, FCIM, MBA, MISM, is president of the Caribbean School of Sales & Marketing (CSSM). E-mail him at

hdalvaranga@cssm.edu.jm.