Another crappy sales job offer

Published: Wed, 07/17/24

Updated: Mon, 07/22/24

July 17, 2024

TOGETHER WITH

Welcome back to The Quota, the sales newsletter that Abraham Lincoln would have read if he was still alive, worked in sales, and had nothing better to do on a Wednesday morning. In this week’s issue, we’ll take a look at how language timing can affect sales calls, share a Sales Fail about tattoos, and give some advice to a rep unsure about a job offer. Let’s go.

NUMBER OF THE WEEK

30% of sales managers consider the number of proposals sent the most important productivity metric

Source: HubSpot

SALES ROUNDUP

Here’s what’s happening in the sales world this week:

A headstone salesman has been charged with defrauding hundreds of customers across Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Gregory J. Stefan Jr, 54, was arrested and charged with seven counts of wire fraud. Investigators say that Stefan would allegedly ask for large up-front payments, often having grieving customers pay 100% of the purchase price. When customers would check in for updates on their orders, they say Stefan would either ignore them or placate them without taking steps to deliver the product. You can read more about it here.
A solar sales team in Orlando, Florida recently made the news for their aggressive door-to-door sales tactics. Action 9 launched an investigation after a consumer from Volusia County had a run-in with solar sales reps that kept showing up after the homeowners told them to go away. The team was caught on video and put on blast by the local news. You can read more about it here.

FEATURE

Image: fizkes/shutterstock.com

How language timing can affect your sales calls

In sales, the words you use can make or break a deal. However, it’s not just about what you say — it’s also about when you say it. Timing your language effectively can make prospects feel better about their decisions and help you close more deals. A recent article in Harvard Business Review summed up research that showed how language can alter effectiveness on sales and customer service calls. Let's dive into the significance of language timing and how mastering this skill can elevate your success.

The Importance of Language Timing

It’s a common sales strategy to ask clients a lot of questions early in the conversation. This helps salespeople get a better understanding of their prospect’s problems and needs. But beyond this initial probing, there are other linguistic strategies that, when timed correctly, can significantly impact the outcome of your interactions.

To explore the impact of language timing, a study was conducted by researchers at top universities in the U.S., Canada, and China that analyzed tens of thousands of conversations with responses from over a thousand individual participants. The findings were clear: when language is used significantly shapes customer satisfaction and purchasing decisions.

Warm vs. Competent Language

Consider the difference between warm and competent language. An initial greeting like “How are you today?” is warm, whereas “How can I help you?” is more competence-focused. Similarly, closing statements like “It was my pleasure. Take care now” exude warmth, while “I’m glad I could solve that for you. Bye now,” emphasize competence.

The difference between warmth and competence is a balancing act. Warmth can make someone appear less competent, and competence can make someone appear less warm. The key is to weave both these elements at the right time in customer conversations.

Traditionally, being seen as competent has been prioritized in sales and service interactions, often at the expense of warmth. However, the study findings suggest that integrating warmth at strategic moments—such as the beginning and end of a conversation—can enhance customer satisfaction without undermining perceived competence.

Real-World Applications

The research analyzed over 20,000 conversational moments from customer service interactions at a fashion retailer and an airline. Warm language included words like “hope,” “feel,” and “care,” while competent language used words like “solve,” “find,” and “explain.” The analysis revealed that customers were more satisfied and spent more when reps used warm language at the start and end of conversations, with competent language being most effective when used in the middle of conversations.

Interestingly, reps often used more competent language at the beginning and increased their use of warm language at the end — but not enough to boost satisfaction. The findings suggest that using warm and competent language at the right times could improve customer satisfaction by up to 1.5 points on a seven-point scale and increase purchases in the following 30 days.

Training Salespeople on Attitudes, Not Scripts

Changing how people use language isn’t as simple as giving them a script. This has been a tried and true way in the past to get untrained salespeople to produce results. But in today’s age, customers can tell when what they’re being told is coming from a standard script, and are more likely to positively engage if they feel like they are talking to a real person, who is both pleasant to talk to and exudes confidence in the ability to solve their problems.

Instead, it’s more effective to train salespeople on the broader behaviors or attitudes conveyed by specific words. Encourage them to engage personally with customers at the start of a conversation before addressing the business issue. Similarly, at the end, they should reconnect with customers to ensure they’re satisfied and all their questions have been addressed.

Conclusion

Understanding the power of language and timing in sales can transform your customer interactions. By strategically using warm and competent language at different stages of a conversation, you can enhance customer satisfaction and drive better sales outcomes. Instead of rigid scripts, focus on adopting the right attitudes, and engaging personally with customers before and after addressing their needs. This balanced approach can help you close more deals and get those vacation days approved by your manager in the blink of an eye.

COX BUSINESS IS GROWING ITS SALES TEAM

Ready for your next sales role? Our friends at Cox Business are on the lookout for top sales talent like you.

Now’s your chance to join a team that not only values your skills and your time, but also offers real growth potential.

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Competitive salary plus bonus & incentive plans
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Rewards and Recognition (and incentive trips!)
Work-life balance and flexibility

Ready for a game-changing career move? Browse open sales roles at Cox Business here!

Explore open roles!

MEME OF THE WEEK

Source: Instagram -- Sales Humor

QUIZ

Who wrote the famous sales book How to Win Friends and Influence People?

A. Zig Ziglar
B. Brian Tracy
C. Stephen King
D. Dale Carnegie

SALES FAILS

Each week, we bring you the most cringe-worthy sales moments from across the web. To submit your sales fail story for consideration, click here. (Don't worry, you'll remain completely anonymous).

This happened two years ago at the same company I work for now. I sell remodel services for a pretty well-known company in the tri-state area. We get a lot of inbound web leads and we go out to people’s houses to do estimates and write up proposals.

I got a web lead from a woman who was looking for new windows and a new front door for her entire house. She lived in a fairly nice neighborhood, so I assumed budget wouldn’t be an issue. Solid lead all around.

We made an appointment and I went out there late one afternoon to take a look at the house. The house itself was a bit more run down than the ones around it but was still definitely pretty expensive given its location. The woman was very nice but a bit spacey. I made some small talk then did a walk-around of the house so I could write up my estimate.

As I was in the backyard, I heard a car door open and shut. Then a guy came around to the backyard and kind of said hello and quickly walked away. I finished what I was doing and went back around to the front. As I got closer, I heard two people arguing. It was the man I’d seen and the woman whose house it was. It was obvious they were husband and wife.

I stopped before coming all the way around so I could kind of eavesdrop, and heard him telling her that they shouldn’t be hiring a guy that looks like me to work on their house because it wasn’t safe. This, I’m assuming, is because I have a ton of tattoos, including on my neck. I like my tattoos and before this, I had never had any problem with customers because of them. This was also funny because I am just a sales rep, and wouldn’t have been the one installing their windows. At the time, I was just shocked, and didn’t even think to get pissed off.

As soon as I came around the corner, the woman looked at me and gave me a nervous smile and the guy just nodded at me and went inside. She thanked me profusely and told me to email the proposal and she would let me know. I sent the proposal and followed up multiple times, hoping to not let what happened kill the deal, but she never returned my calls. Sales Fail!

Anonymous Location withheld

GRAPH OF THE WEEK

Source: LinkedIn Poll -- July 2024

WORTH A PEEK

How do you deal with abusive prospects when cold calling? A recent Reddit threat covered this exact topic, with answers ranging from “suck it up and move on” to “just keep going and you’ll become bulletproof.” Check out the thread here.

ASK THE QUOTA

Want to submit a question and be featured in our advice column? Click here. (Don't worry, you'll remain completely anonymous).

Dear Quota Team

I work in sales and just got a job offer from another company. I was wondering if you think there’s anything odd about the situation.

The company is relatively new. They are less than two years old. Basically, there was an old family-owned business that’s been around for years, and the guys who took the business over from their parents launched a new spin-off from the old business, selling products wholesale that they were selling retail before.

They are not offering a base, but they are willing to pay $500 a week and a gas stipend for the duration of the training. Once that’s done, I am on commission-only. They don’t offer benefits but say they will if and when this new venture takes off.

I would get my own territory and would be working with two other reps who have their own territories as well. The owners say that us early hires can eventually build out our own sales teams and eventually get a piece of the company. I should add that right now I get a good base pay and decent total comp but there is very little room for growth where I work. What do you think? Does it sound shady or should I give it a shot?

Unsure in Florida

Dear Unsure

Is there anything “odd?” Not necessarily, but it’s also not the most generous offer. The company is only willing to invest $500 a week for presumably a few weeks, and other than that, you’re on your own.

That’s not to say that it’s necessarily a terrible opportunity. If the new spinoff does take off, you’ll be well positioned to capitalize on it. But the truth is that all they’re offering you is a smile and a promise, and there are lots of other companies out there that will put their money where their mouth is from day one. If it was us, we’d pass. Good luck!

Quiz Answer: D. Dale Carnegie wrote the famous sales book How to Win Friends and Influence People (you can read the source article here)

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Today's email was written by Ken Kupchik, Erica Furgiuele, Steve Rado, and Emily Hill.

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