OCTOBER 2014
SPOTLIGHT www.dakotasupplygroup.com
ARROGANC
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what all of your competitors are doing – you may very well learn more lessons about effort and ingenuity from the companies on the bottom than the ones on the top. Sign Of Arrogance #6: “We can always rely on X for a reference. I may not have talked with him for a few months, but he will never forget how we saved his bacon two years ago.” Don’t forget that “what have you done for me lately” is always on your customers’ minds. They have enough to think about in their own lives without spending energy re-living old business deals. I am a huge fan of Harvey Mackay. He isn’t just one of the Unfortunately, there is a statute of limitations on good most brilliant business minds in the last century, he’s also will. You must continue to make a great impression on your customers to ensure that they remain brutally honest (in an upbeat, positive way – not an easy great customers. thing to accomplish). Need proof? Look no further than Sign Of Arrogance #7: “Customer complaints don’t Mackay’s blog post from early 2014 entitled “Arrogance: matter. Those e-mails are just written by oddball cranks.” The 7 Deadly Signs.” In this brief article, Mackay spells out his “watch list for Ignore complaints at your own risk. As we all know, even though customers occasionally spread the word about a the seven deadly signs of salesperson arrogance.” If your great experience, they’re almost guaranteed to tell the sales team – including yourself and your estimators – are world about a bad one. The key to customer complaints guilty of any of these transgressions, know that you are taking your customers for granted and risking significant is to recognize them for what they are: an opportunity. Some of my fondest memories as a consumer have come sales losses. Sign Of Arrogance #5: “You’ll never learn a thing from from the times that a company has made something right after they screwed something up. Pay attention to a competitor weaker than you.” I think the trick here complaints, and you too can turn is how you interpret the word “weaker.” Almost always malcontents into advocates. It’s it means a competitor that is smaller than you and/or easier than it sounds. has experienced growth that is slower than yours. Want Know any other signs of to know why you shouldn’t write them off? In your best arrogance when it comes to sales? movie-trailer voice repeat after me: In the world of sales, there is nothing as dangerous as a company with nothing Share them with us here at DSG, to lose. Remember when Avis Car Rental used to say “We’re and we’ll avoid them together. #2, so we try harder” in their advertising? Pay attention to
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7 signs of arrogance in the world of sales