Are lazy people better at sales?

Published: Wed, 10/09/24

Updated: Wed, 10/09/24

October 9, 2024

TOGETHER WITH

Good morning, sales world. It’s too late to talk about the transition to Q4, and too early to make quips about Halloween, so we’ll just stick to wishing you a happy National Moldy Cheese Day (look it up, it’s real!) In this week’s issue, we’ll take a look at why lazy people make great sales reps, share a Sales Fail about baseball, and give some advice to a rep who caught his manager at dinner with a coworker. Enjoy!

NUMBER OF THE WEEK

6.6

Inside sales reps average 6.6 conversions per day

Source: Zippia

SALES ROUNDUP

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

Florida’s once high-flying housing market has come crashing back to earth, according to a recent article in the Wall Street Journal. The sharp drop in sales, and subsequently, housing prices, comes as a result of surplus inventory, dwindling buyer interest, and a rapid increase in interest rates and insurance costs. You can read more about what’s happening here.
After years of shady solar sales practices, it appears the federal government (along with state governments) is finally cracking down. Recent high-profile residential solar company closures, coupled with growing public interest in solar, have made even the feds pay attention to ethics in residential renewable energy. Additionally, review sites dedicated to solar have sprung up in an effort to add transparency to the industry. You can read more about what’s happening here.

FEATURE

Do lazy people make better sales reps?

Bill Gates once said “I choose a lazy person to do a hard job. Because a lazy person will find an easy way to do it.” Conventional wisdom suggests that go-getters and high-energy individuals are the ideal candidates for success. However, a counterintuitive notion is gaining traction: lazy people might actually make better sales reps. Lazy people have a natural inclination toward efficiency, listening, focus on high-value activities, automation, and delegation — all of which can contribute to sales success. Of course, it's important to note that "lazy" in this context doesn't mean unmotivated or apathetic, but rather someone who seeks to maximize results with minimal unnecessary effort.

Efficiency is key

Lazy people are often masters of efficiency, possessing a natural inclination to find the quickest and easiest way to complete a task. This can be a valuable asset in sales. A study published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology found that individuals who were primed to feel lazy were more likely to engage in "resource-conserving behaviors" and find shortcuts to solve problems. By focusing on working smarter rather than harder, lazy sales reps may actually outperform their more hard-working counterparts.

The art of listening

Contrary to the stereotype of the fast-talking, aggressive salesperson, effective selling often requires excellent listening skills. Lazy individuals tend to be more inclined to let others do the talking, which can be a significant advantage in sales. By talking less and listening more, lazy reps can better understand customer needs, identify pain points more accurately, and build stronger relationships with clients. This approach aligns with the concept of "lazy listening," where less effort is expended on formulating responses and more on truly understanding the customer.

Focus on high value activities

Lazy people have a knack for identifying the most important tasks and focusing their limited energy on those activities. This means prioritizing high-potential leads, concentrating on closing deals rather than busy work, and leveraging existing relationships for referrals.

Embracing automation

Lazy reps are more likely to embrace automation and technology to simplify their work. This inclination can lead to better use of CRMs, utilization of AI-powered sales tools, and implementation of automated follow-up processes. A report by McKinsey & Company suggests that sales teams that leverage technology and automation can increase their productivity by 14.5% and reduce administrative time by 30-40%.

The power of delegation

Lazy individuals are also often skilled at delegation, recognizing when tasks can be more efficiently handled by others. In a sales context, this can mean leveraging support staff for administrative tasks, collaborating effectively with marketing teams for lead generation, and utilizing customer service teams for post-sale support.

Put simply, it comes down to the following concept: work smarter, not harder. The lazy sales rep, with their unique approach to work and their ability to prioritize revenue-generating activities and minimize non-productive tasks, might just be as valuable an employee as the hard-charging sales exec.

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MEME OF THE WEEK

Source: Instagram -- Sales Humor

QUIZ

What is the most sold product in the world?

A. bottled water
B. smartphone
C. automobile
D. clothing

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 was by far the most awkward interaction I've had with a prospect in all my years of selling. I was working on a deal that I had a really good feeling about. The prospect was my internal champion and was convincing the CFO to pull the trigger. I had built some rapport with him about baseball since we were both born and raised in the area and were huge fans of our city's MLB team. They were in the playoff for the first time in over a decade, so I got approval from my boss to take him to a game.

So we're at the game; it's an elimination game and we needed to win this one or the season would have been over. We were enjoying ourselves — the guy was super into it, maybe too into it. He kept standing up screaming after every big play and was swearing at the umpire if he didn't like the call. As the game was winding down and it became apparent that our team was going to lose, he started getting really quiet and was just slumped down in his seat. I could tell he was really upset.

The game ended, our team lost. The guy just looked broken. I didn't want to end our night with a bad vibe, so I convinced him that we should get one more beer at the bar down the street. He agreed. We sat at the bar and ordered. I tried to lighten the mood and change the subject but the guy just started quietly sulking on the bar stool while I was talking. He was practically crying. I patted him on the back because I didn't know what else to do but he pulled away, got up and with tears in his eyes and said, "I'm sorry, but I have to go home," and left.

I figured the best thing to do was never to talk about the game or what happened after, so I waited a few days and followed up over email and kept it strictly business. I ended up closing the deal (thankfully) but that was the first (and hopefully the last) time I saw a grown man weep over a sports team.

Anonymous Location withheld

GRAPH OF THE WEEK

Source: LinkedIn Poll -- October 2024

WORTH A PEEK

Why do women tend to outperform men in sales roles? The answer, according to a recent article in INC magazine, comes down to empathy, and the way it’s deployed. You can read the article 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'm in a bit of an awkward scenario. I'm not writing in for sales advice per se, but my problem has to do with my job. I was out on a date night with my wife earlier this year at a nice restaurant. I noticed that my sales manager was there eating dinner with one of the younger women on our sales team. It was a Saturday night, so I doubt this was a work-related meeting.

Ever since then, I've been watching their interactions in the office. We're all required to work from the office, but she seems to just pop in for important meetings and then leaves. There aren't any obvious signs of flirting, but she has been climbing to the top of the leaderboard in the last few months. She was never a top seller, so I suspect she's getting favoritism with good leads and big accounts. This is really bothering me. Should I tell HR? Dating in the workplace, especially a subordinate, is definitely a fireable offense at my company. I don't want to ruin this guy's (or girl’s) career, but I also don't want to just sit by and do nothing.

Contemplating in New Jersey

Dear Contemplating,

We would advise against complaining to HR. You don’t have any proof they’re in an unprofessional relationship, and if they know you saw them out, and they find out someone complained, it won’t take a private investigator to figure out who it was. Focus on closing deals, and ignore distractions outside of your control.

Quiz Answer: D. clothing is the most-sold product in the world (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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