Top 4 Lies Heard From Salespeople During the Holidays

People tend to spend time with their families this time of year. Throughout my life, my mother has always called me on my BS. And boy has there been a lot of it (thx for that, ma). It’s our families that know us the longest – more so than your spouses – and call you on the crap usually because they love you. So get ready to hear some of these beauties the next 2 weeks…

1. “I’m fine.” This one is year-round. Face it, no one is “fine” – there’s always something more that you could want. Call a recruiter, we’re your ‘Work Therapists’. And we’ll tell you if your concerns are valid or to grab some cheese with the w(h)ine.

2. “I killed my quota.”  3 out of every 4 people miss their quotas. If you know 4 salespeople in your family, only 1 of them probably hit their quota. Want to spot them?: Your kids got ‘Call of Duty 4’, that annual pass to Six Flags and new motorized Razor Scooters from Uncle Dave in 2014. This year, they got a bouncy ball, Pokemon trading cards and a gift pass to the Dinosaur Museum in Rocky Hill, CT (Don cautiously fends off Ross Geller with a stick).

a. What to do– Send Dave a text message with the contact info of a great recruiter in his niche. He’ll get the subtle hint. Chances are that things were out of his control: split territory, new product/service, jacked up pricing and the recruiter will understand.
          i. TIP (@Dave)–do NOT lie about missing quota. Be honest with the recruiter and potential employers. Much easier to play offense than defense.

3. “The economy sucks. No one is buying.” Since the low of March ’09, S&P 500 is up 200%, NYSE up 165%, NASDAQ up 260% and the Dow Jones Industrial Average up more than 165% and the unemployment rate is around 5%; translation – companies are hiring, people ARE buying. In fact, the biggest complaint we recruiters who place Sales professionals hear at the C- and V- levels are “I need more talent”.

4. “2016 will be my best year ever!!” Really? 75% of you missed quota. Your effort level suddenly increased? Your prospecting got better overnight? That new tie from your wife increased your Closing Rate?

Call a recruiter tell them why you didn’t max out in 2015, and change your 2016 now.

Happy Holidays!

 [Disclosure: the great recruiters will quote MJ]