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TL;DR – It is easy, and usually justified, to get frustrated by LinkedIn spam, cold emails, calls/voicemails, and targeted ads. Since these are just a fact of life, and becoming more so every passing year, you should come up with an effective system to manage them better so they don’t drive you crazy. And it always helps me to remember that my business grows because of sales outreach, too – nothing good happens in business until someone sells something.
Kick Rocks Pal
“If you are a salesperson don’t even bother leaving a message, I’m not interested!”
We’ve all felt some version of this level of frustration. After all, sales outreach has become an unavoidable distraction for anyone in a B2B leadership position. LinkedIn spam, cold emails, voicemails, targeted ads etc. We are being “sold to” all the time. And the more it happens, the more we tend to tune out. This is especially true when sellers haven’t even taken the time to do the smallest amount of research on our company or don’t respect professional boundaries.
OK, fair enough, but how many of us work at a company where these annoying salespeople work? How many leadership meetings have you sat in where the sales leaders were being grilled about their efforts and results (or lack thereof)? The reality is that we all want to believe “our” sales team is doing important work helping to promote our incredibly valuable products and services, while everyone else’s sales team is made up of amateurs who simply annoy us. Of course that can’t be true.
The Sales Paradox
This paradox encapsulates the tension between sales engagement and complaints about intrusive or ineffective sales tactics. At the heart of it lies a fundamental truth: good salespeople are indispensable in business. They are the lifeblood of organizations, driving revenue, fostering relationships, gaining customer feedback and propelling innovation. Businesses rely on sales professionals to navigate complex markets, identify opportunities, and convert prospects into loyal customers so payroll is made month over month, year after year. The relationship between sales and success is widely acknowledged, with executives consistently citing sales as a top priority for achieving growth objectives.
But what if you are the person being sold to? Knowing that sales is an inescapable, and incredibly valuable, part of business doesn’t make sales outreach any less annoying. At the same time, it is hard to dismiss the fact that sales people are often the very folks who keep us informed about new companies, products, and the latest trends in our industry.
So what are we to do? How do we garner the benefits without becoming overwhelmed? Here are some tactics you can use.
6 Ways To Embrace Engagement While Dodging Distaste
Be Direct, But Polite: There is no reason, nor would it be feasible, to respond to every outreach. When someone does approach you in a professional way, and has clearly done their homework, it is a gift to them to be clear about your interest level and expectations going forward. A good sales person will respect your timeline, feedback, and interest level.
Be Curious: Take sales outreach as an opportunity to learn. Watch demos, sign up for trials, and engage in meaningful conversations with sales people who show that they understand boundaries and understand their audience. Think of every engagement with a sales person as a free opportunity to gain insight. Ask them questions about the market, competition, trends, etc. Good ones will know a lot and all you need to do is ask.
Make Time in Your Schedule: If you are like me, if it isn’t on your schedule, it isn’t likely to be prioritized. So, put a small amount of time per week on your schedule to engage with salespeople who’ve shown they can potentially teach you something or otherwise add value to your role. Try to fill that slot with meaningful conversations and opportunities to learn.
Utilize Technology: Leverage technology solutions such as AI-powered filters, email management tools, and CRM systems to streamline communication and filter out irrelevant outreach. Automation can help prioritize relevant opportunities while minimizing distractions. (The Microsoft Outlook “Focused Inbox” is my best friend – everything else goes to “Other”!)
Engage Proactively: Take a proactive approach to learning about new opportunities by seeking out information through industry publications, online forums, and networking events. By staying informed and actively seeking out relevant information, you can be the one reaching out proactively to the companies you are interested in rather than the other way around.
Concluding Thoughts
It is easy to get frustrated by the sheer volume of cold sales outreach and even more so if the person making the outreach hasn’t done their homework. We all deal with it and it is unlikely to change any time soon. However, having the attitude that sales is nothing more than an annoyance can be short sighted and counterproductive. It ignores the fact that sales outreach by the right people in the right way, offers us the opportunity to learn, network, and try new products that we otherwise might not have known about. Take advantage of the good aspects of sales outreach by making sure the engagement is on your terms and on your schedule. Lastly, remember that sales is a hard job that comes with a lot of pressure and rejection. Having empathy and showing the proper respect for these necessary people will earn you their respect, reflect well on you and your company, and might even help with a negotiation later on (or at least earn you good karma points!).
About Alan Veeck
Alan Veeck is the CEO and founder of Summit Procurement, Inc., a company that offers a full suite of procurement managed services to help clients get more value out of their spending with suppliers of goods and services. He has over 30 years of experience in the procurement industry, with a PhD in Science from the College of William and Mary and UC Berkeley.
About Summit Procurement
Summit Procurement enables enterprise clients to hit peak procurement performance. Our flexible managed services, staff augmentation, strategic training, and human-in-the-loop services are designed to lift procurement execution and create operational efficiency.