I hate to admit it, but I have been in sales for well over 30 years. I have seen many sales people come and go! I have witnessed and shared in winning and losing many orders. As the owner of Sales Concepts, I have been asked many times what trait I think is an absolute requirement for success in sales. Strange as it may sound, I believe sales people who are successful (over quota) are usually somewhat cynical.

How many times have I heard a sales person say:

• "We lost the order because I was not told the truth"
• " I was told...."
• "What really took place was..."
• "They had already made up their minds"
• "I was not given a fair chance"
• "I was talking to the wrong person?"

Seldom have I heard: "

• "I lost the order"
• "I was out sold"
• "I did not ask enough questions"
• "I was talking with the wrong person."

Let's face it. Being gullible and/or naive is natural. We naturally trust and believe people.

If I ask who else should I be talking to, I tend to believe the prospect when he or she says, "No one; I am making the decision." It is a natural tendency to believe that Jim or Jane is on my side, because he or she said so. When a customer asks for references, the tendency is to believe that an interest in my products or services is the reason. It is hard to be so cynical as to think that I was not convincing or believable; thus, proof was necessitated. It is tough to believe a decision was made to go with the competition, because I was out sold or was unable to reduce the prospect's perceived risk.

What are you doing to set you and your company apart from the competition? Stop feeling sorry for yourself because you were not told the truth or were mislead. Learn from experience.

If you are told to call back in six months: ask "Why six?" and call back in two. If told you are the vendor of choice, ask why. Say, "I am pleased. Why was I chosen as the vendor of choice?" If told you are the preferred vendor and the prospect has never bought from you, ask what you have done to get the order, and listen to the answer to see if it makes sense.

Never assume that all is well or that what the prospect or customer says is completely true. He or she may just be getting rid of you. If you do not know why something happened, ask. If price has not come up, ask why. If the prospect or customer wants you to give a presentation, ask who else will be there and what are the expectations, needs, and requirements. Be reluctant to go if you do not get satisfactory answers. Be reticent to travel to a prospect if the decision makers will not talk with you for whatever reason. Why should you spend your time and your company's money on a fishing expedition, even if, especially if, lots of business is at stake. Slow down. If you don't have enough time to be really prepared, don't go.

Make sure prospects and customers know what you charge before you do a lot of work. In other words, be cynical. Try to discover what they do not wish to tell you.

Good Luck. I hope this helps you, but it may not. Sorry, but call me cynical.