Kissing Butt as a Sales Tactic

Some painters seem to think that effective sales means kissing the customer’s butt, gushing insincere platitudes, and similar types of fakery. This is no different from the proverbial used car salesman. Both are a form of dishonesty and manipulation.

The implication is that the truth is somehow one’s enemy. But the fact is, the truth is always our ally. The truth provides illumination and understanding. Dishonesty brings about destruction. The truth may be unpleasant, but burying one’s head in the sand or believing fantasies will ultimately be far more so.

This does not mean that we must be uncivil and speak every thought that enters our brain. Speaking the truth means not faking reality. It doesn’t mean being unnecessarily rude.

Effective sales is about communication and education. This means discovering the customer’s needs and desires, and then communicating how your company will satisfy those values. This requires a commitment to what is true, not what you think the customer wants to hear. Stating that the putrid green color the customer selected is perfect for her dining room ceiling is not helping anyone if you truly think it’s the wrong color.

Customers hire us for our expertise, not because they want a lap dog. If we think that the customer is making a bad decision, we have a moral responsibility to say so—and provide the reasons for our opinion. Most of the time this is incredibly effective as a sales strategy. It tells the customer that we are truly interested in what is best for her. Most people appreciate the honesty.

Again, there are civil ways to put your foot down. Honesty does not require that we insult the customer’s intelligence or berate them. Simply state the facts—you don’ think the color is appropriate because it clashes with her furniture and flooring (or whatever the actual reason is).

Too many contractors think that sales is all about manipulating people to make a purchasing decision that they don’t want to make. They see the sales process as a contest of wills between the contractor and the customer, in which each is trying to screw the other. But if we view the sales process as a mutually beneficial exchange (which it is), both our attitude and our results will be much more positive.