Selling and the Cult of Personality
A “cult of personality” usually refers to the following that dictators receive from their respective populations due to mass media propaganda. Easy to think of this with Stalin, Mao Zedong and Adolf Hitler. The traits listed by Jan Pampler’s study of the Stalin cult of personality were;
1. The cults are secular
2. Their objects are all males;
3. They target the entire population, not only the well-to-do or just the ruling class;
4. They use mass media;
5. They exist where the mass media can be controlled enough to inhibit the introduction of “rival cults”
However, I have noted that there also exists a similar scenario in the selling game. We often hear that selling is about relationships, persistence, knowing your customers and products and being systematic. These are all correct. Interestingly though, another dimension that can work against effective sales people is if they have similar traits to those listed above. Now I am aware of the gender bias in point 2, but I will explain this in relation to specific industries.
The popular sales person in industrial selling is the focus of this article but this could apply across many sectors. Yes, there are excellent female sales people in this industry as well, but they are limited in number when compared to the population of male sales people. Apply the traits to the industry and we get;
1. The customers are from varied and different businesses
2. The sales person tends to be male
3. They call on all levels of business from senior management through to trades people and internal sales staff
4. They use social media
5. They elevate their social media profile by building large networks to reduce the effects of rivals
So how does all this “good stuff” work against these sales people. Evidence would suggest that the customers of these sales people feel let down or disappointed if they are not being seen or made contact by the sales person. Wanting to be a part of this person’s circle of clients results in disappoint if there is a perceived neglect. This results in opportunities going to competitors. This cult of personality can often result in no other person in a selling organisation being consulted as the client feels that only the sales person they deal with can help, and they want the interaction with the individual.
What is also seen in the market, those sales people that are more focused in their approach to clients, understand they cannot win every order and do less of the above traits, succeed in the longer term. It’s a little like the tortoise and the hare.
The above are observations over many years of selling but as businesses scale back sales teams, there is evidence that being “popular” is not always the best in the long run. I am not taking anything away from the abilities of these individuals and many are probably unaware that lost sales may be the result of all their hard work. I just believe it adds another interesting dimension to selling.
