Don't Let 'em See You Sweat

Professional relationships, like personal ones, are best based on honesty. However, there are situations in which I'd rather not know the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, from my printing sales rep.

A heads up about a potential problem is one thing. I do want to know that the paper delivery is three days late, and it might affect my schedule.

But sharing your anxiety that something might go wrong with my job is something entirely different. I don't need to know - let me rephrase that - I don't want to know - that you're nervous about something that might go wrong.

I don't want to see you sweat.

One quality that I've always admired in sales reps is a cool sense of control. The best reps exude a confidence that says, "No matter what, I’m watching your job to make sure everything's on schedule. Don't worry; let me worry."

When I was in charge of $10 million of printing annually, there was a particular company that did most of our work. They produced millions of shareholder reports and prospectuses, and their quality was unbeatable.

Occasionally, when schedules were jeopardized, my CSR (one of the very best in the business) would call and say something like, "Oh, I don't know. . .I can't promise we'll make that due date, but we'll try. . ." My heart would skip a beat.

She didn't want to be responsible for a missed deadline and felt bound to share her worries with me. I wish she hadn't.

Why make me, your customer, worry along with you?

The funny thing was, the deadlines were always met. I finally realized that the work would get done on time, despite my cautious CSR.

Another example: the president of a printing company posted a letter to customers about an upcoming corporate move. I zeroed in on this: ". . . These first weeks in our new facility might be a little bumpy. Please bear with us through this transition."

Sorry, I don't want to know that the company president is expecting a bumpy ride.

It's in the Delivery

A customer's confidence level drops like a rock off a high-rise when such concerns are voiced. It's all in the wording.

Don't say, "Jeez, I don't know how we're gonna make that deadline!" Say, "You know we'll do our best; I'll keep you posted."

Don't say, "We've been slammed with a dozen rush jobs this week already, and since I'm the newest sales rep here, my jobs will be the last to go on press." Say, "I'll keep my eye on your job, promise."

Sometimes, a call from the top dog with a sincere apology is all it takes, when you have to deliver bad news about a print job. But don't voice your fears about what might go wrong.

This makes me wonder: do sales managers coach their reps about this? They should talk about when to alert customers to potential problems, how to deliver bad news, and when to keep certain 'bumps in the road' to themselves.

Comments? Talk to me at

©2008 Margie Dana. All rights reserved. You're free to forward this email to friends and colleagues: please do! However, no part of this column may be reprinted without permission from the author.

Thursday, March 6th
10 am - 4 pm
ON DEMAND Conference & Expo
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10 am - 12 pm	Guided tour of the ON DEMAND exhibits with Margie
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September 10 - 12, 2008
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