T_K
New Member
I had a walk-in from a new sales rep for one of my vendors. She's new to the industry, came from sales in a different one. But she was personable, she admitted the current limits of her knowledge, and she was emphasizing the "let me see how I can help you" tack. Seemed like she was confident in her ability to learn. Doesn't mean getting some help won't be a headache ever, but her demeanor said a lot about her.
I've had reps before that were ALL sales, just push-push-push to get you to buy from them, and that's a turn-off. I've had one rep talk to me like I was a 4-year-old, and I've never bought anything from that company again. Don't let your commission get in the way of helping your customers, and don't talk down to them - especially when you don't know what you're talking about.
From my experience, most sales reps don't really know the industry their selling, because they don't really experience the products/services themselves. Doesn't stop them from doing a good job, but it does limit them. If you're looking for the win-win scenarios with customers, then they'll respect you and work with you. But don't take that as an excuse to NOT learn everything you can.
