Q: Dear SaaStr: What screams “I’m a terrible salesperson”?
A few telltale signs:
- Immediate, massive discounting. Because they have no other idea how to close a deal or create urgency.
- Doesn’t understand the product. Way too many AEs don’t even really understand, let alone use, the product they are selling.
- Fear of the competition. This is different than respect. The best salespeople respect the competition, and see it as a game to beat them. Even sometimes where maybe they’d otherwise lose.
- Blames others. They blame marketing, or the leads, or the lack of support. It’s usually all true, but still.
- No updates. A terrible or even mediocre salesperson just plain has no updates to share.
- Bad mouths their boss. This accomplishes nothing. It’s really another type of excuse.
- Doesn’t know. A bad salesperson doesn’t know who their key buyer is in a big deal. Or who the other stakeholders are. Or how far along the deal is. Or if or when it will close.
- Doesn’t believe. It’s really hard to sell a product you don’t believe in. Sales is hard enough as it is.
Published on September 14, 2021
