Sales, regardless of product, service or
industry, is about human relationships. And, we all know human relationships
can be complicated, just ask any married couple. There are times when
relationships are pure bliss (aka the honeymoon phase). Then there are times
where the relationship feels strained, that no one is listening or willing to
talk, just scream and yell. Naturally in a professional environment you’d think
no one would stoop so low as to scream and yell, but human emotions can take
control of the most level headed individuals at times.
I promise, the timing of the example for
this post is purely circumstantial, it really is. I’ve been planning this post
for a few weeks as I’ve been attempting to answer questions and concerns from
private clients and colleagues, but this very real example just happened
yesterday. And, I have a feeling this may become an example for upcoming posts
as well.
When I look back on last week’s post
about record keeping and sharing, and then I dwell on a telephone call with a
client yesterday, I am baffled by how ridiculous some so called professionals
act. I’ve been thinking to myself, if they act like this toward me, just
imagine how they treat friends, family or employees. It seems my client, after
terminating her employee who was a project manager, now has no recollection of
why she hired my firm. To make matters worse, even though I documented the
sales process in terms of notes, summaries, and a detailed proposal, she is now
claiming that we are not delivering what she wanted to buy. Unfortunately, I
cannot turn back the clocks and ask her to be more active in conversations,
instead of relying on her very talented and knowledgeable project manager.
On a review call yesterday, she screamed
and yelled. She called me names. She called my company names. She called my
employees names. She acted out as if throwing a temper tantrum. She screamed
and yelled for nearly 25 minutes before allowing me to utter any sentences. I
must say, with over 20+ years in my career, this takes the number one spot on
my list of Did That Really Happen In Business list.
Now, for those of you that know me, you’d
probably think I gave it right back to her. I tend to stand my ground with my
held high, but I am also rather blunt. When push comes to shove, I will push
back. I believe it to be an appropriate position when being confronted with
falsehoods, lies and accusations. But, in reality, these are words. Words may
sting a bit, but will only hurt if they are true. If they are not true, well
then they are just words.
Maintaining one’s composure is the right
thing to do, not just in this scenario, but always. You can and should push
back when pushed, but with composure. Keep your head on straight. Don’t lose
your cool. Do not lower yourself to meet the behavior for which you are being
treated. And, no matter what, do not scream and yell back. Keep your composure.
I simply asked my very angry and
unreasonable client why she was yelling at me. I wanted to know if she recalled
the details of multiple conversations throughout the sales process. I very
calmly asked if she had been involved in meetings since signing the contract. I
gently pushed through a series of questions if she remembered assigning her own
employee as project manager and instructed us to work directly with this
person. It is a real shame that some people cannot separate emotion from
business. It is my hope, always my hope, that when these types of situations
occur (even if only once in 20 or so years) that people will breath deep, calm
down, reflect on the sales process and what they were purchasing, and then be
open to conversation and collaboration versus, as in human relationships,
divorce.