If you’ve been paying attention for the last few weeks, you’ve gotten a big lesson in salesmanship from the political arena. What makes the lesson so notable is that, although it’s from the political arena, it’s not from a politician. Yes, I’m talking about Donald Trump. I’ve written about Trump before, but his entry into Presidential politics is intriguing.

The commentators, talking heads, consultants, and spinmeisters from both parties are turning themselves into pretzels trying to justify Trump’s high standing in the polls (as this is written, he nearly has double the polling share of his closest rival). Let’s leave his actual policies and politics aside. As I see it, Trump’s appeal boils down to one single, concise factor:

Trump’s talking straight. His statements aren’t poll-tested, focus-group-measured, consultant-nuanced, and carefully calculated to appeal to as many people as possible without committing the candidate to any statement that could be damaging. That’s the pattern that we’re used to from politicians; however, Trump is just saying what he thinks, answering questions off the top of his head, and putting forth his positions and opinions in such a way that they don’t have to be dissected to figure out what he said. And guess what? His supporters love it.

You see, I think many Americans have gotten used to politicians who carefully measure and nuance each word in the fashion that I spoke of earlier. But “getting used to it” does not mean “liking it.”

And this leads me to a topic that I revisit every now and then, and that topic is “Sales Words.”

Sales Words are words that salespeople use to try to make the big questions, or the big statements, seem less obtrusive. They do this by attempting to disguise the real meaning of what we’re asking, or what we’re saying. For instance, one of the popular “Sales Words” is using the word “paperwork” instead of “contract” or “agreement.”

The logic is that the customer won’t react in the same way to the word “paperwork” as he will to the word “agreement.” He’ll sign a contract without really realizing that he’s signing a contract. This is one of those concepts that is built around the idea that the customer isn’t nearly as intelligent as we are.

The fact is that customers are smarter to sales tactics these days than they used to be; this is because we (salespeople) have educated them. And when you use a word or phrase that’s carefully calculated to disguise your real meaning, they can spot it a mile away – and they don’t like it. Sales words erect a barrier between you and your customers, and that barrier prevents trust. When you get right down to it, all you have is trust.

This brings me to the worst of all the Sales Words in the world. Really, it’s a combination of words that goes something like this: “Mr. Customer, if we can do what you want at this price, can we earn your business?” “Earn your business” is one of those cheesy, Sales Word-y phrases that customers easily recognize as a cheap sales tactic. Using this one is like throwing cold water on your customer at the moment when they are ready to close a deal.

Like most non-customer-friendly sales tactics, Sales Words have their root in fear. Salespeople are scared to say what they really mean because they think that if they say what they really mean, the customer will run screaming from the room. The truth is the opposite. When you refer to “paperwork” when your customer knows damn well that the piece of paper to be signed is actually an agreement, it forces the customer to reexamine everything you’ve said, looking for other false statements or understatements. While she’s doing that, she’s getting less interested in buying from you. If you think that doesn’t sound like a winning situation, you’re right.

The impact of this situation, whether in politics or sales, is simple: Your customers can simply cut you out of the process. You might think, “You can’t cut politicians out,” but I’d suggest that is exactly what Republican voters are doing at this point in time by selecting a non-politician. In fact, one other candidate polling in the top five is Dr. Ben Carson, who has never held elective office and is also a straight talker. Combining their poll numbers, that means that around 40% of the Republican likely voters are rejecting typical politicians.

Customers can cut salespeople out of the process, too, in many industries. They do this by simply moving their purchasing to the Internet and not dealing with salespeople at all.

The end result is simple: to stay in your customers’ buying process, say what you mean and mean what you say.

It’s been said that “character” is what you do when no one is looking. Personally, I’d define “Selling Character” as how you treat people who can’t buy from you. I was reminded of this just this morning, as I went to an appointment. As is my habit, I walked up to the receptionist and said, “Good morning. I’m Troy Harrison and I have a 9 A.M. appointment with XXXXX.” The receptionist looked at me, smiled, and said, “Now, that’s refreshing!”

I asked what she meant by that, and she said, “Well, you gave me all the information that I needed. I didn’t have to play twenty questions with you.” That’s interesting, isn’t it? As she dialed my contact’s office, discovered that he wasn’t in, and then began to page him over the intercom, my contact walked up. I thanked the receptionist and the sales call began. A lot happened in about 45 seconds, and it’s worth talking about.

Salespeople – and sales trainers – have talked about ways to ‘schmooze the gatekeeper” for decades. Most of those methods make for good water-cooler stories, or they market the sales trainer well….but few of them work better than what I did. Why?

Because I treated her like a person. That’s it. And in doing so, I became memorable (because few people do it) and she was willing to go the extra mile to find my contact (which she was doing when he walked up). And it wasn’t that difficult. All I did was this:

“Good morning.” A common greeting.

“I’m Troy Harrison,” so she knew who I was, and she could tell my contact who was there to see him.

“I have a 9 A.M. appointment with XXXXX.” I let her know who my contact was, that he was expecting me (and it wasn’t a walk in cold call), and that my appointment was at 9 A.M. (since I got there at 8:50, she knew that there was a bit of a time cushion).

Notice what I didn’t do? I didn’t bring donuts, or flowers, or cookies, or other treats. Those are core to the old ‘schmoozing the gatekeeper’ approach – and many receptionists and secretaries find them demeaning and insincere. How do I know? Because they’ve told me. “Don’t get me wrong, I eat the cookies and I like them,” one told me, “but I’m insulted by the unspoken quid pro quo. It’s like a sleazy guy on a date.”

The truth is that making a positive impression on the so-called “Gatekeepers” isn’t difficult. Respect, consideration, and treating them like people go a long way.

What about on the phone? When it comes to phone calls, I find that there are two types of receptionists – the quick-moving receptionist (dish the call off to the appropriate extension as quickly as possible) and those who do “keep the gate,” and try to be guardians of the manager’s time.

It’s pretty easy to find out which. Making a prospecting call using my Data Driven Prospecting model, you simply call and ask for the appropriate contact – “May I speak with Bob Smith, please?” If the receptionist is the quick-moving type, the next ring will be Bob’s extension.

On the other hand, the receptionist might be a “gatekeeping” type. Here’s the rule for dealing with this type of receptionist: Do not make her pull teeth to get the information she wants! If she asks, “Can I tell him who you’re with,” or “What this is regarding,” or whatever she asks – give her a complete answer.

“Well, I’m Troy Harrison. I’m a sales development expert, and I’m calling because I’ve been doing some research on the company, and I think I can help Bob make a lot of money for the company.” Or, if Bob is someone I met at a speaking engagment, I might say, “I met Bob at the recent XXX conference in Las Vegas, where he attended one of my programs. I’m following up because I might be able to help Bob grow the company.” For the “gatekeeper,” context is important.

It’s tempting to act like you’re on a witness stand, and only answer what’s asked. “And who are you with?” “What is this regarding?” Etc. If you do this, you’ll seem very evasive and your chances of actually talking to the person go down by the second.

Of course, in the real world, the most common gatekeeper is voice mail. We’ll talk about that in an upcoming article.

When I recruit candidates for my clients, the title of this article is one of my favorite interview questions to ask. And it amazes me how many candidates can’t answer it. It’s simple. “What’s your favorite part of selling?” You can answer it, right? So, why can’t so many salespeople?

I think it’s because, for too many salespeople, there isn’t a favorite part of selling. They simply don’t enjoy the process of selling. Or worse, they’ve never given their profession enough thought to analyze what they really enjoy about it – you’d be amazed at how many salespeople like this that there are about you. That said, after asking that question thousands (literally) of times, I’ve come up with some thoughts on what the answers are – and what they say about the person who gives them:

“Prospecting.” Yes, I’ve had this answer, but not often. The truth is that few salespeople are really in love with prospecting. Personally, I’m not either, but it has to be done. This is one of those answers that I was always suspicious of, so I made sure to drill down and ask “Why?” Sometimes the answer fell apart, but when it didn’t, I discovered this: For some salespeople, prospecting is like opening up carefully wrapped presents when you don’t know what’s inside. “The next success,” they say, “Might be on the next phone call.”

“Discovering needs.” I’ve written before about how I think that intellectual curiosity is one of the best traits – if not the best trait – that a salesperson can possess. The intellectually curious salesperson is a good discoverer of needs, because there’s no limit to their thirst for knowledge. This answer also comes from salespeople who like solving problems and improving customers’ conditions.

“Presenting.” One of my own personal coaches, Darren LaCroix, has as his mantra, “Stage time, stage time, stage time,” meaning that the more stage time you get, the better you will be. The “presenting” answer typically comes from those who like stage time. Not a bad trait for a salesperson. This can also come from a desire to use one’s expertise to solve problems, but either way, the “Presenting” salesperson is one who has no problem being the focus of the process from time to time.

“Negotiation.” Here’s another one of those answers that demands drilling down. Few people truly enjoy negotiation, and there are a lot more who say they do than really do. For those who do, this can be a part of the ‘problem solving’ trait, or it can speak to competitiveness.

“Closing.” This is one of the most common answers, and it can be positive or negative. I love closing the sale, too. We all do – there’s nothing like that rush you get when you get a deal locked and loaded. For some salespeople, however, the feeling is more of relief than joy – relief that they made another sale, that they live another day. Don’t get me wrong, I love the result of selling – but what about the enjoyment of the journey? The salesperson who is driven more by relief of making another sale than the enjoyment is typically a mid-career burnout candidate.

What about my favorite part of selling, you ask? Well, nowadays it’s teaching selling and sales management. That’s why I’m putting on my selling and sales management boot camps in Las Vegas in September! But, going back to my selling career, I’ll pull back the curtain. My absolute favorite part of selling is the discovery process – and drilling even deeper, the plant tour. When I was selling industrial supplies, I used to love getting plant tours. Manufacturing, warehousing, cleaning, it didn’t make a difference to me what the plant did. It was an absolute blast for me to see how things were being made and how the company did what it did. Plus, on a plant tour, I could always spot a few needs that the customer didn’t give me through questioning – and it was very rare that I took a tour and didn’t get a sale.

The point is this: While there are seldom wrong answers to that question – the only ones that I counted as wrong were the ones where I felt the candidate was being untruthful – it’s important to me that salespeople know why they do, and enjoy the journey. So what’s your favorite thing about selling? Feel free to email me and tell me. I might use it in a future Navigator.

If you want to hear trite answers at a cocktail party, just ask this question: “What business are you in?” You’ll get all kinds of meaningless answers. “I’m in the insurance business. I’m in the people business. I’m in the copier business.” I think that’s because people are conditioned a certain way. If you ask me, you’ll get this response: “I’m in the Troy Harrison business.” Some of you are thinking, “Sure, Troy, you’re self employed, you are your own business.” True – but if you want to succeed, you’re your own business, too.

Why do we externalize what we do? I think there are many reasons for it. One is that we think others will more easily identify with what we do if we refer to a product or service that we sell. But I think the biggest one is fear. We’re afraid of failure – and if we’re in someone else’s business, we have someone to blame for that failure. I see it all the time: “My industry isn’t doing well.” But if YOU are the business, who do you blame? Yourself and only yourself. That said, there are some very good reasons why you should BE the business, even if you work for someone else.

First of all, thinking about yourself as the business creates a different paradigm – you think about yourself, your career, and your work in an entirely different way. I’ll get to that in a moment. Second, you take complete and total ownership and responsibility for your own results (that’s the scary part). But third – if your business is successful, you never have to worry about your next appointment, your next sale, or even your next job.

First, however, you have to think of yourself differently. Here are the things you MUST have and define if you are the business:

1. What product or service do you sell? While, under this paradigm, the product is YOU, you need to drill down. What is it about you that makes you marketable? In my own instance, some of my marketing qualities include expertise in sales, the ability to teach, ability to capture, entertain, and educate an audience, and devastatingly good looks (at least that’s what I tell myself). What about you? Some of the aspects that would make a salesperson marketable include the ability to acquire and drive new business, great questioning ability, quantifiable relationship growth, etc. But you can’t be all things to all people – what is it about YOU that makes you uniquely marketable, both to your customers and your employers?
2. What is your marketing plan? Now that you’ve defined what it is that makes you marketable, how do you plan to communicate it? You’re reading a big component of my marketing plan. What do you do to constantly build and communicate your value? Do you spend time networking (face to face or online)? Do you publish articles? Do you blog? How do you review your market value with your employer, your customers, and your associates? You should constantly be figuring out how to build market value and visibility for yourself as a professional, as well as an advocate for your employer.
3. What’s your personal growth plan? Too many salespeople leave their personal growth up to chance. If their employer buys them a book, they’ll read it – maybe. If their employer pays for training, they’ll attend. And – if not, not. That’s because they think of themselves as a vessel for their employer’s business, not as a business unto themselves. Constant skill building is essential to survive and prosper in today’s sales training environment. “But my company won’t pay to train me,” they’ll say. Then do it yourself. I’ve been doing public speaking for over 30 years, and selling for over 25 – but I still spend significant time and money each year enhancing my own skill set. Why? Because that makes the product of my business better and better. Continual education and development will do the same for your business.
4. What’s your professional growth plan? I’m differentiating between PERSONAL growth (soft skills) and PROFESSIONAL growth (results). Would it surprise you to learn that I hold myself responsible for a sales quota each month? Or that I have a written business plan that includes my new prospects generated per month? Well, I do. Again, this is something that is more common with self employed than other-employed, but it shouldn’t be. Your boss will probably have a quota – but what is your own personal standard for income growth? Don’t let your boss drive your program – YOU drive your program.

The truth is that everyone – in sales, especially – should consider themselves to be self employed, and a business unto themselves. Try it. If you really embrace this concept, you’ll be more successful.