How salespeople are perceived is still important today even with advancing technology. I believe we are still in a human world and human beings still like/long for human interaction and connection.
A client recently asked me to sit in their due diligence meetings while they are interviewing marketing firms. In one of our meetings, I was amazed at how (cocky/confident?) the salesperson was acting and responding. When we left the meeting, I began to think about what I was “perceiving” … This was a salesperson who was being fed in-bound leads and their marketing company was just recently recognized on national television for their results. The question I kept asking was, “Is this person being cocky because their top of funnel if overflowing at this time?” OR “Is this salesperson extremely confident in their product?” Either way, guess what, perceptions matter.
Something I learned in 2007 was The Trust Equation from the book, “The Trusted Advisor”. https://trustedadvisor.com/why-trust-matters/understanding-trust/understanding-the-trust-equation
T = C + R + I + S
- T = Trustworthiness
- C = Credibility
- I = Intimacy
- S = Self – Orientation
