Sales & a Culture of Impatience

My children struggle to comprehend a time when many of the things they enjoy instant access to, either weren’t a thing or you simply had to wait for it.

They can watch almost any programme they want, where they want, on demand. I on the other hand, had access to a couple of small windows of children’s TV programmes each day and the joy of waking up super early on Saturday mornings to ensure I got my fill of cartoons such as Transformers and Muppet Babies.

They can listen to any song, by any artist across the globe straight away on numerous devices. I used to wait for the chart show on Sunday afternoons and record my favourites onto cassette with the last few words of the cheesey DJ’s introductory words at the beginning. And saved up slowly to buy my favourites on record.

They can ask Google or Siri or Alexa for answers to complex or inane questions without moving. I used to trawl through encyclopedias trying to fathom out the origins of oxbow lakes to complete my homework.

And then there is there is Amazon Prime delivery - order a thing with one click, receive it the next day. Mind blowing. And don’t get me wrong, I’m no Luddite and take advantage of many of these things myself.

Not quite an iPhone this used to be the only way anyone got an “instant” photograph

Now I’m not suggesting that any of these technological advances are inherently bad (actually I am) but it is symptomatic of a culture of impatience that many of us now live in. Lets face it, nobody likes waiting for something that they want. But on the flip side we’re taught that patience is a virtue. So how does this affect sales people?

From one side, sales people and customer service representatives now have to deal with customers who expect things now. And why wouldn’t they? Amazon and others have set the bar so high but this new benchmark isn’t straight forward for many companies. If you sell complex, niche, technical or custom goods then they are often made to order and a process has to be adhered to, often involving a complex supply chain. And if you offer services then logistics and other variables have to be factored in to the lead times. But “the customer is always right” and there is often one low-balling, short-sighted competitor who will “buy” business at a stupid margin and promise delivery yesterday.

Amazon - the convenient behemoth we all love/hate

This is a growing issue for sales people. More customers take certification and compliance as a given but won’t wait. Essentially wanting their cake today, eating it tomorrow but then complaining that it was raw.

And then there is the “hit the ground running” pressure of a sales person new to a role or company. Companies advertise that they want a “self starter” who is happy to “work autonomously” and has 106 years experience in the exact same industry. Which sets the tone for the environment they will enter i.e. unsupported, with next to no induction and you have a couple of months to hit your numbers or you’re out.

But on the flip side customers and prospects demand that sales people need to take the time to understand their issues. What are their pain points? What problems can be solved? How does their current supplier perform? Who are the influencers and decision makers? What is the process of becoming an approved supplier? How can we be considered in your next tendering process? Arranging demonstrations, samples and trials. How do our values align and the list goes on and on.

How some companies expect anyone to develop a relationship in such a small amount of time is baffling. Perhaps the hiring and firing management spend too much time on the likes of Tinder and think that companies are simply swiping left or right for potential suppliers of operationally critical supplies? But if they looked at their own organisation they' probably have a new supplier on-boarding process as part of their ISO 9001 certification. They may even have a no names policy. Then there is the sign on the front door saying “strictly no cold callers”. They’ve added their telephone number to the Corporate Telephone Preference Service. And everyone is happy with Hilary in Accounts being the self-appointed “gatekeeper” who makes Smaug look like Thumper from Bambi should any sales person somehow get through their defences. Hypocrisy at it finest - but it is often the sales people who suffer.

“Why aren’t you hitting your numbers”? they will ask

“I’ve made some real inroads with ABC Ltd……..”

“Yes, but we’re not seeing orders from them yet”.

“They have agreed a 2 month trial as they’ve been using a competitor product for 4 years and……..”

“This isn’t working out. I’m afraid it is time for us to part ways”.

I realise that this is an extreme example but it is also echoed in sport. Using football as a case in point, results are expected immediately and whilst there is often a small uptick when a new manager arrives, fundamental changes are often needed to make a medium to long term difference. So managers end up on a “merry-go-round” which can be seen in a lot of sales people’s CVs.

“......everyone is happy with Hilary in Accounts being the self-appointed “gatekeeper” who makes Smaug look like Thumper from Bambi”

I realise that this might read like a party political broadcast on behalf of the Sales People’s Fraternity but I’ve tried to be balanced. If you don’t regularly service your car it will let you down. If you don’t coach and train your sales people, they will let you down. But also, if you expect your Toyota Aygo to go 0-100mph in 10 seconds then perhaps you’ve let yourself down with your unrealistic forecasts and your need to have more patience as I believe it is still a virtue.

- Simon Lunt, Silent Sales