Professional salespeople have determined that being too professional can hurt you. Prospects naturally do not trust salespeople, but they are really uncomfortable when salespeople seem to have all the answers. Intelligent, polished, sharp dressed people are trying to make a good impression, but often it will backfire.

One of the best ways to make people more comfortable is to practice the O.K. / Not O.K. principle. Rather than always being upbeat and positive, reflect back the level of O.K. that your prospect or customer is demonstrating. If they are great, you are doing pretty well too…if things are bad, tell them you are hearing that a lot and they are not alone.

When people have a bad day, running into overly positive people only makes it worse. Human beings constantly prove that “misery loves company”, so do your best to mirror the type of day others are having. You do not need to literally be miserable, just do not tell them things are great if they are having a terrible day.

Remember “O.K. / Not O.K.” before your next sales call, or call Sales Concepts at 440-575-7000 for help.

P.S. Remember the March 28th Networking Event, please call for details or visit http://www.salesconceptsinc.com/schedule.aspx for a current schedule.

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