Sales People, are you ashamed of your profession?

Remember your Mother's reaction when you told her you were going to be a sales person. She likely grimaced and wondered where she went wrong.

Her attitudes about selling were likely built early in her life from experiences with car sales people, traveling sales people, and magazine peddlers. Just close your eyes and see "Herb Tarlek" of the TV show WKRP bouncing around in his white shoes, plaid jacket and white belt. Or conjure up an image of "Steve" the magazine sales person from the movie "Office Space". Remember his sales pitch? Oh, and one of my favorites, John Goodman playing Big Dan Teague in the movie "O Brother Where Art Thou". He punctuated his sales lesson swinging a club.

In a recent LinkedIn exchange, I learned these images and similar based stereotypes are still alive. Normally rational people, used unflattering language to describe sales people they know. How many of us recognize these stereotypes still exist and see when they are in play?

Are you proud of your sales profession? Are you willing to fight and improve or eliminate those persistent stereotypes? Before you answer that question, answer the ones below.

1. How often do you sharpen your sales skills? -- class, seminar, book, etc.
2. How often are you fashionably late to customer meetings?
3. How many times have you said "I'm Sorry" to your customers or colleagues?
4. Are you so good, you abbreviate customer call prep time or just don't do it at all anymore?
5. Do you rely on instincts and experiences exclusively, forcing all situations through the filter of those experiences?
6. Do you actually hang around after a sale to help the customer achieve the benefits you promised?
7. Do you routinely disparage your competition when facing customer objections?
8. When customers ask you important questions, have you guessed at the answer?
9. Have you ever embellished your products capabilities?
10. Is it your practice to sell products to people who don't need them and can't afford them?

Look around you -nothing really happens until a sales person sells something. One could argue that the sales role is the most important business role in a company. It deserves respect and recognition.

We are all proud of our profession - or should be. We all work every day to defend its honor. Are you proud of your sales profession? Are you investing in your continued development as a way to srengthen our profession? Rhetorical questions yes, but should prompt some thinking none the less.