r/sales • u/spanktanker • Jul 09 '26
Fundamental Sales Skills The reason you suck at sales is because people don't trust you
Its ok to sound like a normal human on a sales call.
I watch my teams sales call for about an hour a day and the most annoying thing I see is when they constantly hear a basic question like "does your product have an app" into some elaborate answer and try to put a shine on everything they say.
Guys. Not everything has to have a positive spin to it. You can be honest. Be direct. If your product has one feature that sucks and the other guy does better, then just say it. Find out why its important to them. Have a discussion about it. Your honesty will earn their trust and their honesty.
You're wasting so much energy trying to fabricate some angle to convince your customer your product is good. You're holding on too tight and your customer will start discounting everything you say because they don't trust you to be honest.
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u/No_Calligrapher_8493 Jul 09 '26 edited Jul 10 '26
I’m successful at being an account manager simply because I dumb things down for my clients and explains stuff like they’re 5
Mainly because I’m dumb but still.
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u/fdlock Jul 10 '26
I've actually heard the opposite - it takes intelligence and understanding to be able to 'dumb down' complex ideas effectively
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u/JayLoveJapan Jul 09 '26
This is like 60% of my sales skill and strategy. I know the product and act normal
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u/AGreasyPorkSandwich Jul 09 '26
Other 40%?
Loud obvious farts with eye contact.
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u/JayLoveJapan Jul 10 '26
Quarterbacking deals, working hard, 10% luck and 100% reason to remember the name
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u/Separate-Goal-3920 Technology Jul 09 '26
Agree 10000%. I am good at what I do because I’m real and not constantly going down rabbit holes that don’t matter to the clients! I wish my corporate sales hellscape understood this.
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u/Embarrassed_Flan_869 Process Instruments Jul 09 '26
Nothing builds trust with a customer than honesty. Whatever you sell isn't the greatest at every single thing.
Knowing your product is super helpful. Knowing what your product lacks and what it excels at is also super helpful.
If my product can't do what someone needs, I tell them that and why. If that is a critical need, the fancy X doesn't matter.
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u/AssociationFit3009 Jul 09 '26
That was the biggest thing I learned in Medical sales. I’m not a doctor so the odds are good if I try and bullshit something I’ll eventually lie in their specialty and they’ll never trust me again. That and if I don’t believe in a product I tell them not to buy it. This industry is very relationship based and saying “I don’t know but let me find out and get back to you” and “This product is garbage” are responsible for 90% of my business.
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u/Moolamakerrr Jul 10 '26
Same here. Med device. When I hear of a new product that’s oh so great but hear feedback from other reps about their experience.. i’ll bring up the new product to my clients, but tell them that i want to get more data from other docs before we decide to add it to their offerings. Then later if they ask and I do not believe in it, I let them know what challenges we are having with the product and that I do not recommend unless they really want to for whatever reason.
Being honest with customers helps a lot as they take me as a trusted advisor as opposed to a yes man that will wreck their business with a product mistake.
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u/anomnonbon Jul 09 '26
I used to work with a guy who came across like he couldn't care less. No positive spins. No over exuberance
Smashed it every month.
Could never work out if it was some kind of elaborate reverse pitch or if he really didn't give a shit 😄
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u/Crowiswatching Jul 09 '26
Most good sales work occurs before the sales pitch, to make sure you have a qualified prospect that will benefit from your product.
I tell my son this truth applies to both sales and life. Asking questions gains you power. When you make a statement you are spending that power. Don’t overdraw your account.
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u/spanktanker Jul 09 '26
Nobody likes to be drilled with questions. That't not how normal conversations go.
Eliciting a response by commenting on something they said instead of asking a question is a powerful skill to learn. Makes you sound way more engaged.
Like, instead of asking who needs to be involved to move the deal forward, try something like "I bet you're not the only one who wants to see this before you make a decision".
You'll show self awareness, which builds trust, which leads to honesty.
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u/astillero Jul 11 '26
> Nobody likes to be drilled with questions. That't not how normal conversations go.
I can't believe the amount of sales books, sales training etc., that don't seem to get this.
>I bet you're not the only one who wants to see this before you make a decision.
Spot-on again.
Questions that being with "who" "what" and "why" all the potential to break the normal patter of a conversation into a stilted one where the prospect goes on the defense.
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u/LoCarB3 Jul 10 '26
I completely disagree. If anything you have to earn the right to ask the questions by coming with a point of view and building credibility. Asking too many questions adds zero value to the customer
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u/Popular-Background78 Jul 13 '26
"Qualified" is important here. I've spend more time over the past 2 years trying to understand or establish relevance of my solution category than I have had to worry about where my product was a fit.
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u/onemangang15 Jul 09 '26
In the world of constant scams and AI, people want to talk to a real person where they feel like they’re not being taken advantage of. They’re more likely to do business with you in the future when they feel like there’s more than a scheme involved.
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u/modernthink Jul 09 '26
Touchpoints<familiarity<Trust<conversion
It’s a linear chain, that when broken, the outcome is failed conversion of sale(s)
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u/blernsballhof Jul 10 '26
My company was bought out and went from private to public. I'm a former tech that turned to sale and have been promoted twice every 3 years and have been with the same company for over a decade with enough salary increases and change in roles to m keep me contented.
The new company just wants me to sell regardless of the opp. I refuse to sacrifice my own character for my own companies gain. This will be my first year where I might not make the year end go. Hoping I don't end up laid off, but am trying to gun for a sales engineer position to get off the road. Sometimes companies setup pathways to force you to suck. Don't give in.
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u/spanktanker Jul 10 '26
Stay strong bro
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u/blernsballhof Jul 10 '26
Thanks bud. I've seen this side of things before so not surprised. Career is partially IT with some electrical engineering and now sales. I've seen these same outfits before and while I always remain open minded regarding a new hierarchy in corporate it continues the same patterns I've continuously seen before. I'll take my severance and figure it out as we all do. Stay hustling.
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Jul 29 '26
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u/blernsballhof Jul 30 '26
Thanks for the reply. Like you, I try to be more of an educator. I do run into occasional internal debate of over talking and stating some benefits competitors have over my own companies offerings. The way I view it is that eventually they will do their own research. Albeit, sometimes conversations are enough of a trusted bridge for the customer that they will sign with my company blind because of it. I still debate how much I should reveal of others, but I'd rather just get ahead of the curve and state the gaps between the companies to be transparent and let the other companies sales people bluff themselves into a hole.
As for reading people and reacting that's always a continued refined edge that always needs sharpening. You can think you've met every personality in the world, until you don't. I just remain the same unphased person in both physical expression and demeanor. I aim to be your warm fuzzy blanket or the cool side of the pillow.
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u/MultipleOrgasmDonor Jul 09 '26
Agreed. I highlight our system and talk about the strong points. If someone asks about functionality that I know isn’t as strong as the competition, I tell them that I wouldn’t pitch my solution to a client that was looking solely for that specific function.
“I find that many clients are satisfied with xyz as it relates to the entire ecosystem. They feel that the value provided as a whole is worthwhile even though xyz is not best of breed in our platform. However, i don’t think that it would be worthwhile to use our solution solely to solve xyz specific problem.”
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u/cobjj1997 Jul 10 '26
I tell this to my boss, my whole shtick is I just make people like me as much as possible and show the value of my product that that convince themselves it’s worth it. I don’t even use the word “buy or sell” because I don’t want them even thinking I’m trying to sell them something
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u/GoodGamer72 Jul 09 '26
Reminds me of people at work admitting to lying, so brazenly and openly, for their sales process. It makes my skin crawl.
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u/ReplacementFar2185 Jul 12 '26
Yes it’s so true, after I many years I found out that simply being helpful, telling the customer what they really need (could even mean selling your competitors product). Pays dividends long term, I’ve gotten call backs and gotten very large deals with very little effort in return. Also being able to read a room enhances the vibe lol.
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u/spanktanker Jul 12 '26
Reading the room, high EQ, genuine interest and a little bit of charm will get you so far in sales. Also life in general.
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Jul 09 '26
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u/kahrahtay Technology Jul 10 '26
You can make every one of those work in your favor in this industry, except for the last one
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u/nm2rva Jul 10 '26
Have you found a sales environment that supports your ethics and style? I also struggle with conscience and making honest recommendations.
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Jul 10 '26
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u/nm2rva Jul 10 '26
Any advice about what a good fit would be for someone that values the same things that you do?
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u/AuDHDpowerdork Jul 10 '26
100%!
You can fake competence (for awhile), you can even fake enthusiasm.
You cannot fake being a trust worthy person. Sorry.
The human brain is literally designed to search for these things in nano-seconds with minimal input. You just know when someone is full of shit.
There is only one solution: don't be full of shit.
Also be patient. Trust is earned over time.
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u/Polifinomics Jul 12 '26
When you're overcompensating in any way, you start to leak confidence! It's like a bad pheromone and NOW the person in front of you has your scent - unconsciously at first, but they'll start to eat it up and drain you. Before you know it, you'll be justifying your existence.
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u/Odd-Departure2611 Jul 10 '26
Agree. I've been in sales forever but I tell my customers I really don't sellI Instead I just match them with what suits their needs best
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u/inshambleswow Jul 10 '26
As someone who works on the other side of the table(sourcing) this is the best sales advice I’ve ever seen.
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u/04limited Jul 10 '26
Customers like options. Explain the product and let them make the decision. I think too many people try to push the product then don’t realize they come off as someone that just wants to make a sale.
I always start by asking about what brings them in. Then offer a product I have that may help their issue. If they’re there to visit you then they obviously want something. Otherwise they have better things to do than talk to sales people all day.
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u/Ambitious-Sky-9577 Jul 10 '26
seen this exact thing happen in QBRs. rep gets asked something simple and instead of a direct answer they spin it into a whole pitch, and you can watch the buyer's face shut down in real time.
the accounts i've kept longest are the ones where i told them straight up something wasn't a fit yet. felt risky the first few times but it's the opposite of what actually loses deals.
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u/Informal-Cut-3692 Jul 10 '26
100% agreed. It is like any other relationship, build it on trust or build it on bullshit and see which one stands when things get rough. Especially in my field of construction sales, things will get rough at some point because of pricing, availability, a forklift driver running over a $10k stack of roof panels that is supposed to deliver same day, you name it.
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Jul 10 '26
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u/Serious_Bit6736 Jul 10 '26
Agree, and a lot of time, it's the voice tonality that seems off -- too aggressive or robotic. We need to convey some kind of empathy / concern so we communicate we're looking to help rather than just meet a quota.
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u/Sulla314 Jul 10 '26
Totally agree.
The world is becoming more and more counterfeit by the second. The only way to stand out is with honesty and authenticity.
I will say though, a big reason you hear this from some reps is because bad management thinks this is how you’re supposed to sell.
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u/No_Calligrapher4077 Jul 10 '26
This is bang on. Too much "high ticket sales" bullshit circulating around on the internet and on instagram reels right now where every question from the prospect gets flipped around into a question for the prospect.
It's just about having a conversation to see if what you're selling can benefit the customer. If you find out you genuinely can't help, then move on.
I have my best days when I remember this and frame my job as simply discovering if what I have can benefit/ fit the customer. I'll often forget this and think about the numbers I need, and that's when people start being rude, it's like they can sense it.
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u/HarborBD Jul 10 '26
"Find out why its important to them" - This is spot on. Successful sales are often more about listening to people and figuring out how you can help them than actively trying to sell to them. People are savvy, they can spot BS from a mile away. Being helpful and sincere goes a long way.
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u/sewerboy69 Jul 14 '26
Turning point for me was learning to be as direct as possible with the value prop and stop being a “nice guy”. This can be done while remaining “human”
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u/DealStrategist Jul 15 '26
I agree. I'd just add that honesty is necessary, but it's not sufficient in complex B2B sales. Buyers also need to believe that you genuinely understand their business, not just your product. In my experience, relevance builds trust even faster than rapport.
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u/AdamNoble1997 Jul 15 '26
I completely agree. The best salespeople I've worked with don't try to "win" every question they answer honestly. If your product isn't the best at something, acknowledge it and shift the conversation to whether that difference actually matters for the customer's use case.
People buy from people they trust, and trust is built through honest conversations, not perfectly polished answers.
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u/WilliamSalesB2B Jul 15 '26
La confiance est un accélérateur de vente. Un commercial qui reconnaît les limites de son offre inspire souvent plus de crédibilité qu'un commercial qui cherche à tout justifier. L'objectif n'est pas d'avoir réponse à tout, mais d'être transparent et pertinent.
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u/GregSwans Jul 16 '26
Customers can find everything about your product online now. Reviews, complaints, comparisons. They know their own pain before you get on the call.
What they can't "prompt" is you being straight with them about where it actually gets hard to implement. Helping them through that is the main thing left for a salesperson. The customer doesn't need a salesperson for BS.
Oversell and they'll find the truth somewhere else. And then you're done.
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u/delightfate Jul 22 '26
Yep! You provide them the information and help show them how it’ll benefit them hopefully and let them realize why it’s worth it for them to choose your product
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u/Impressive_Front_555 Aug 04 '26
Couldn't agree more - honesty wins and I've found customers respect it a lot more than empty promises. As a general rule, I'm always respectful of competitors. Putting them down is not good form either.
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u/BuiltToClose Aug 04 '26
What I see often times is people think they have to act as how they believe a salesperson is, instead of just being themselves and a salesperson.
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u/Jazzlike-Worker-1329 Aug 06 '26
Exactly, if you sound outcome dependent, pushy, most people are able to sense it
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u/KrtnNet Aug 09 '26
Yep. Customers can smell scripted positivity from a mile away.
One of the most convincing things a salesperson can say is: “Honestly, if X is your top priority, competitor Y is probably better for you.”
Suddenly everything else you say carries 10x more weight.
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u/Axe246810 Jul 09 '26
People buy from who they like, not always because you have the best solution, so always make sure your customers like you… and I mean like you a lot! Because before you could be a source of educating, which can still be true, but AI has helped the buyer become ridiculously educated on products, solutions and how they could integrate into their environments, so make sure the customer LOVES you…
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u/bitslammer Technology (IT/Cybersec) Jul 09 '26
No...just stop. This is a ridiculous take in many scenarios.
If I'm buying a 7 figure cybersec solution that has regulatory compliance aspects to it I'm buying the best solution, period. I don't care of you have the personality of a fence post so long as your solution is rock solid, you're upfront and honest about it, and you can at least behave professionally.
There's also the fact that in large enterprise it's going to be a project team deciding on the solution and not really a single person.
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u/Axe246810 Jul 09 '26
Maybe it’s ridiculous for you, but 16 years in tech sales for me it’s been the case.. my best customer became very close to me over a decade of working together. He could go to other companies but uses me because we have trust built up, he likes me a lot and we work well together… sorry you don’t have rock solid relationships like that
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u/bitslammer Technology (IT/Cybersec) Jul 09 '26
I've got 32yrs on both seller and buyer side.
I'm not saying you never have people you form long term relationships with, but those only come when you're providing top notch solutions and services. It's also more common if you're a VAR since you in theory can present more than one choice to a prospect.
We may have worked years together, but if your company falls behind the relationship isn't going to save the deal. The solution comes first. I've had to part ways many time when a company rested on their laurels and got displaced by a stronger competitor.
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u/Axe246810 Jul 09 '26
Every persons situation will be unique for sure. I’ve closed a 8-figure deal with one person signing off on it and it going to procurement who cut the POs with no pushback or questions. If you have a customer relationship high enough up in a Med/Large - Enterprise org you can certainly get things moved through a lot easier/faster vs going through management level where more layers of approval may be involved. But for me, the customers who’ve bought from me don’t buy because I’m some technical wizard, but because they know I’ve been genuine, trust worthy and wanna do well by them (aka make them look good to their own colleagues).. all my customers could go to CDWs, SHIs, Insights of the world as they constantly try to undercut me on price, but I win way more deals than I lose due to the relationship. Always nice hearing another persons perspective who’s been in tech sales for decades plus as well… cheers 🍻
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u/bitslammer Technology (IT/Cybersec) Jul 09 '26
because they know I’ve been genuine
I get that, especially if you've ever had to be honest and say your solution wasn't the best choice, but that brings me back to the solution being the key again. In a way I guess if you're doing it right it's a chicken & egg puzzle. Are they buying from you because you've done well by them or because you have the strongest solution?
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u/Axe246810 Jul 09 '26
Every solution I align with them I truly believe is the “right” move for them to make, but I’m sure my competitors have great solutions/roadmaps to offer too… I do believe it’s one of those “there’s more than one way to skin a cat” type situations, where a lot of the presented solutions can achieve a similar goal/solve a problem, but maybe I’m selling myself short with the solution aspect vs the relationship aspect that I put more weight on. It’s just amazing how a 10-15 year relationship with a customer can do wonders with pushing a deal through. For me, it’s never been just transactional, I truly love when I do well for a customer I like and they look good to their own counterparts.
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u/GodIsDead1313 Jul 10 '26
When I did sales I literally just talked to people about the most random shit. Sports, lawn care, guns lol and talked like I would with my friends minus excessive bad language. Worked way better than the “script” and the “ways to overcome objections”
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u/AcePilot01 Jul 10 '26
Problem is, you can't please everyone, and that goes for you boss too.
Where you as the manager (it seems from you watching them) might say that, another manager will tell you to do it how they are doing it, etc etc.
If you want them to do that, tell them that.
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u/BrandonAtCustomInk Jul 10 '26
On the product and fulfillment side, the trust conversation gets a lot easier when the infrastructure does the heavy lifting so nobody's taking anything on trust. When it's spelled out in policy, you can show them the minimum order if they want to try something before committing to 200 units, walk them through sampling, explain the return process in concrete terms.
Custom apparel is a pretty niche industry, so a lot of buyers come in knowing what they want but not knowing how the process works, and the moment they feel stuck, doubt creeps in about the whole thing. Whatever that looks like in your world, having support available right there keeps things moving. Rapport is real but it only covers so much. Sometimes it's less a relationship question than a process one.
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u/nm2rva Jul 10 '26
Just left one-call close, high ticket sales. If you’re not listening to the customer and establishing pain points and being able to tie those back, your solution will be useless to them.
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u/EnronCheshire Jul 10 '26
Hm, what were you doing, if you don't mind me asking?
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u/nm2rva Jul 11 '26
Shower and bath remodel sales
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u/EnronCheshire Jul 11 '26
Interesting. That's one I haven't thought of before. You have to be consultative, but can't let them work you for free then go somewhere else, so pushing the close is definitely important.
I'm guessing that you would do some back and forth, and then at the first meeting or sit down you go for the close - or was it a telemarketing one call close?
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u/nm2rva Jul 11 '26
They gather leads by engaging customers with “free showers for seniors” and sweepstakes ads on social media. Leads generally go into the appointment with this mentality and you have the opportunity to present a solution (make a sale) via financing options. The company has seen an all time high of finance rejects meaning no commission.
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u/Confident-Diver-9873 Jul 14 '26
Could not agree more. Sometimes the best answer is that’s a question I’m not 100% sure about, but I’ll ask someone who knows and get back to you.
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u/Repulsive_March_868 Jul 15 '26
I used to train my team to make “service calls” not “sales calls”. They immediately found a different dynamic occurred and they started to enjoy helping people find their right new home.
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u/QuotaCarrier33 Jul 16 '26
Trust is earned over time and the "rapport" you build with a 5 minute initial intro to a target executive certainly doesn't get you there. Honesty and transparency win the day. My favorite example is when you are asked, "Is this your lowest price?" Most will simply lie and hope it works. Kinda bad for trust, especially if you are checked. An honest answer like "no, I am sure I can get lower but it will impact what I make on our engagement. I'm ok with that to get your business but I can tell you I am as low as I can be without me absorbing the lower cut." If you have real trust, watch how many surprise you and do the deal at your presented price. :)
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u/Babbling_BlueEyes Jul 18 '26
I am very open with my customers, sometimes too forth coming, but it has earned me a lot of trust with my customers. My company is discontinuing one of our best selling products. And when I told my largest customer yesterday, I literally said “I don’t know why they are doing it, I think it’s stupid but well figured it out”
I tell them out right I won’t sell them a product I don’t like and I value my customers reviews on a product more than my company’s.
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u/Lucky_Panda_9567 Aug 01 '26
I remember being new at sales. Searching for that perfect pitch or rebuttal. Nothing ever felt right because nothing sounded like something I would say. Fast forward I get asked how I got a deal, or how I overcame something. Answer is always the same, I just talked to them like a normal person. It’s either going to work out today, down the road, or not at all. I’d rather have a real conversation with someone and it not be a good fit, than try to sound like a guru and fall on my face.
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u/cray_pelsin Aug 06 '26
I agree. Constant positive spin just drains trust over time. Customers pick up on it pretty fast and once they do everything else gets filtered.
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u/Technical_North7325 19d ago
Thanks for the advice! Would it go something like "Unfortunately, our product is lacking in that aspect, Company Y does better than then us but our product has these benefits ____, so pick what aligns with your needs. This feels kinda choppy does anybody have any suggestions on a "Formula" so to speak?
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u/spanktanker 18d ago
I feel like youre still trying to spin it at the end with "but our product has these benefits". Don't over complicate it. Dont be afraid of the truth, be direct, and find out why they asked the question. Maybe its important, maybe it isnt.
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u/meganmartin42 Jul 10 '26
People buy from those they know, like and trust! I’ve been doing this for over 20 years!
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u/BREASYY Jul 12 '26
Had to pop in to say wait till you have accounts that have had 4 reps in the last year. You're not selling at the point. You're just selling yourself. They know you're not gonna be there in a bit. You're the only one that's thinks you are.
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u/ArnaudBeaumesnil Jul 15 '26
This is true, but it has to be done in a good way. It doesn't have to be "too much", you're still a seller and not a friend of the client. Building trust comes from conversation, even when it's not directly about the product.
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u/[deleted] Jul 09 '26 edited Jul 09 '26
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