There is a legacy in the sales profession, and one that is harming the people who are involved in the business. Traditional teaching that encourages the business professional to manipulate, use brute force, and even to promote dishonesty are alive and well. The prevailing psychology used by many traditional sales professionals makes use of these traditional teachings in the hopes that potential clients will be influenced into buying the service or product presented.
In many cases, the sales professionals of old have treated their potential clients, not as humans, but rather as cattle being herded, or as a commodity. Customers become tick marks on quota sheets, or statistical data used to predict trends and influence sales psychology. Emails and phone numbers obtained during cold calls are used as resources for referrals and new potential clients, instead of cultivating a rewarding relationship with the potential client. A name and a voice are transformed into a number and an entry into a ledger. It’s enough to make just about any potential client walk away in disgust.
Today, many people are gaining more insight and awareness into how traditional sales are made, and very few of them enjoy the idea presented. Many are insisting on a relationship based on mutual respect and reality, instead of one that falls into a neat, but suffocating sales paradigm. Today, if a sales professional is to truly be successful in his or her endeavors, they should be willing to use their creativity, empathy, and intelligence to move away from this paradigm, and make a new, more beneficial legacy.