Lynn, how have sales changed with #MeToo? What should I do differently? – Aimee in Owings Mills, Maryland
Answer:
Best practices for sales professionals have not changed with #MeToo. Sales is about serving your customers in an ethical and responsible way, and there is no room for inappropriate and egregious behavior in a sales person’s repertoire. Successful sales people build long-term relationships based on trust. It’s really very simple.
The secret for my sales success was built on three primary principles:
D – Do what you say you will do. In all ways, every day, follow through on what you promise in order to build solid relationships.
A – Ask for what you want. Ask clients for the information or data you need, and always ask for the sale. In addition, you must ask your boss and support team for everything you require to maximize results.
H – Heavy lifting is your responsibility, so own it. From providing key data to managing crucial details, top sales people deliver valuable solutions that allow their clients to concentrate on other aspects of their business.
Top sales people reap the rewards generated by the DAH principles every day. Adhering to the highest level of personal ethics lays the foundation for lifelong connections. Indeed, relationships built on best practices are rock solid.
While your behavior is exemplary, you will always want to follow a personal safety routine. If a client, co-worker, or peer steps out of line, take immediate action. The step you take will be dictated by the behavior of the other party. As an example:
One time at lunch with a male client, he placed his hand over mine on the table. It totally creeped me out. I immediately removed my hand and stated I had a strong personal boundary requirement.
In this example, my response was all that was needed. I will share that I never had lunch alone with him again. My personal safety whistle had gone off and I respected my gut. As with all things, you need to gauge your response based on the behavior of the other person.
#MeToo is an incredibly important step forward for everyone. Silence is our enemy. I am grateful for the movement and hopeful that we will finally seek and enact permanent solutions. We have a terrific resource for organizations on best practices in the #MeToo era. I encourage you to share this with your management, co-workers, and peers.
Resources:
Do What You Say: https://petite2queen.com/do-what-you-say/ and https://petite2queen.com/do-what-you-say-youll-do/
Don’t Ask, Don’t Get: https://petite2queen.com/ask-getting-yes/
Heavy Lifting: https://petite2queen.com/blow-away-heavy-lifting/
Lynn Whitbeck is the co-founder and President of Petite2Queen. She is focused on identifying and evaluating opportunities for women at work, helping them define their personal roadmap. She dedicates herself to delivering tools and insights, embracing visualization of the big picture, and identifying and implementing the minutiae of detail. Lynn aims to share lessons learned along her journey and enable positive uplift for women.