As a salesperson, your success rests largely on quota attainment. Make quota consistently, and youโre a superhero. Miss quota a few months in a row, and everyday inches you closer and closer to a performance plan.
For reps or managers in the latter bucket, desperate times often call for desperate measures. First, maybe hitting the number is a matter of closing a few more deals. Then, suddenly, youโre stretching the truth on features and saying, โSure, we can do that!โ when youโre not sure you can really do that โ or worse, you’re sure you absolutely cannot do that.
Sales is a notoriously stressful job, and the pressure to fudge the truth with prospects can become overwhelming when your goal is a long way away. But the unpleasant repercussions are not worth it. But before we delve into why lying doesnโt pay, letโs first see why salespeople lie.
Why Do Salespeople Lie?
An โhonest salespersonโ is a myth and a perfect example of an oxymoron to many. But why do salespeople lie?
We list three reasons why they do. Perhaps after reading this section, youโll be more sympathetic towards them.
1. They donโt know the product
This is one big reason why the average salesperson distorts the truth. They simply donโt know what a product can or canโt do, so they stretch the truth about its capabilities.
As salespeople, theyโre expected to know everything about what theyโre selling, so itโll be pretty embarrassing to admit, โOh gee, I donโt know whether it can do this.โ
2. They want to build a relationship with the customer
Most people have an innate desire to be liked, and salespeople are no exception. Thus, they tickle the ears of the customer because they want them to like them enough to make a purchase.
3. To make more money
No, we arenโt going to skip the primary reason people lie: to make money. Many salespeople lie about products and services to make a quick sale and move on to the next prospect.
Why Salespeople Shouldnโt Lie During the Selling Process
We now look at nine reasons why lying during the selling process is definitely not worth it.
Your new customer wonโt be happy for long.
If you promised something that your company canโt deliver on to make a sale, your new client would learn the truth in short order, and warm, fuzzy feelings will turn into buyerโs remorse. By not being 100% honest, you might have sold them a defective product or service for their needs.
They may give you or someone else at your company an earful and leave it at that. Or, they could take to social media to air their grievances โ which you never want to happen.
You’ll cause damage to you and your companyโs reputation.
An angry phone call is bad, but an angry tweet or Facebook post is far worse. Your company just got crossed off vendor shortlists — not good for your organizationโs brand perception or your personal reputation. Reaching trusted advisor status is the goal of many salespeople today, and thatโs much harder to do with that type of baggage.
You’ll kiss upsell opportunities goodbye.
One of the perks of becoming a trusted advisor in your clientsโ eyes is that theyโre more receptive to upsell suggestions.
However, if youโve already shown yourself to be a fibber, why should clients take your word on any additional items? You might have won a quick buck originally, but it could cost you additional revenue in the long run.
You may lose referrals, too.
Referrals are the best. You can skip a large portion of the prospecting and initial interest stages and dive right into the meat of your sales process with a higher success rate. In fact, according to NoMoreColdCalling.com, the close rate for referred clients is about 50%.
But if your new customer has caught you in a lie? I doubt theyโll be referring your company to much of anything, except maybe the door.
You’ll risk making internal enemies.
Letโs say you sold a product on a promise for a special kind of support you know your company wouldnโt typically provide. The client signs the contract, and you pass the buck along to the implementation team.
On to the next month? Well, not quite. What happens when the customer starts asking about the support you pledged? You committed another department to something they might not be able to give, and theyโll be understandably upset. Once your colleagues find out who’s to blame for their misery, youโll garner a negative reputation internally.
Youโll contribute to sales stereotypes.
As part of his research for the book To Sell Is Human, Daniel Pink and Qualtrics conducted a survey called โWhat Do You Do At Work?โ The question โWhen you think of โsalesโ or โselling,โ whatโs the first word that comes to mind?โ aimed to gauge peopleโs perception of the sales profession.
If youโre sensitive, you might want to stop here. Among the most prevalent words were โpushy,โ โsleazy,โ โugh,โ โyuck,โ โdishonest,โ and โmanipulative.โ
If youโre a salesperson who takes pride in your work, this is worth bearing in mind. Whenever you bend the truth to make a sale, you feed into the general psycheโs negative perception. Donโt be a self-fulfilling prophecy. Your commitment to honesty might just change some deeply-rooted opinions about your industry.
Your customers will realize it.
Your customers are likely more intelligent than you give them credit for. Many can tell when youโre lying to them, skipping important information, or telling them what you think they want to hear.
Because of this, youโre far less likely to make a sale. So while you might meet someone that swallows your lies once in a while, youโll lose more sales in the long run when you get called out on your lies.
Lying is counterproductive to your goals.
A lying salesperson might have contacted your current prospect, so they didnโt make a purchase. But when you bring honesty to the table, youโll increase your chances of signing them up or making a sale.
Your self-esteem could suffer.
Having a reputation as an honest salesperson will boost your self-esteem. Youโll be happy knowing that you havenโt tricked or lied your way to making a sale.
A reputation for honesty improves professional and personal relationships. Furthermore, clients who trust your products stay loyal to your company, even through tough times.
Can Sales and Lying be Mutually Exclusive?
Although prospects are wary from the start because of past experiences with lying salespeople, you can set the foundation for a profitable relationship by being honest.
So, donโt ever lie to your clients. It might seem difficult to be upfront with customers, but theyโll appreciate your honesty, and youโll be proof that sales and lying can be mutually exclusive.
Editor’s note: This post was originally published in August 2014 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.