Don't believe the stereotypes that tell you all sales reps are sleazy, greedy used car salesmen. Bust the myths and learn the truth about today's sales reps.

1. Myths About
Sales Reps
(And Totally Wrong)
13Pervasive

2. Many sales reps face terrible and all-
too-common stereotypes about their
chosen profession. You say, “I’m a
sales rep” and many people
immediately picture THIS:

3. “What can we do to get you in a car today?”

4. In fact, if you Google “Sales reps are…”
you’ll be unsurprised to see the
autocomplete results are all negative.

5. We’re here to discredit these negative and
nasty stereotypes, and tell you that the world
of sales has changed - for the better.

6. Sales is full of creative, intelligent, and
widely different people who believe
strongly in the products they’re selling.
So forget the bad toupee, the gold
pinky rings and the cheesy sales lines -
get ready to bust some sales myths.

7. 1. Sales reps are liars.

8. Everyone seems to think reps will promise
the moon as long as they can close the deal
- even if they can’t deliver. However, this is
simply bad for long-term business. In a world
of online reviews and instant feedback on
Twitter, no modern company can afford to
tick off buyers by blatantly lying to them.
Today’s sales reps have to be honest to a
fault, or they’ll quickly lose potential
customers through negative word-of-mouth.

9. 2. Sales reps are greedy.

10. No one will deny that sales reps are strongly
motivated to hit their goals and close more
business, but that doesn’t mean they’re
greedy. Reps are like most people - they
want to be paid fairly for their work and
rewarded for their success. While money is
important, it’s not the driving force for every
sales rep out there and it doesn’t mean
they’re trying to cheat you at every turn.

11. 3. Sales reps are loud and never
stop talking.

12. While sales reps can’t be afraid to talk to
strangers, that doesn’t mean they’re all
loudmouths. In fact, it’s much more important
for reps to listen to prospective customers
and learn about their needs and wants. The
best reps listen much more than they talk, so
they can better sell to a prospect’s needs.

13. 4. Sales reps are disorganized
and chaotic.

14. Not every rep is a neat freak, but many of
today’s sales processes require a high level
of organization and discipline to be
successful. Sales reps have to log all of their
activities in CRM, take detailed notes on
every call, and keep their calendar strictly
organized to keep appointments.

15. 5. Sales reps are intensely
extroverted.

16. Some reps are extroverts, but others are
incredibly introverted and thoughtful. While
sales reps do have to be able to cold call
strangers and pitch a product, there are
introverts who can do that successfully.
There are many different personalities that
can succeed in sales – don’t pigeonhole
reps by expecting the stereotypical,
outgoing personality.

17. 6. Sales reps are knuckle-dragging,
meathead bros.

18. Many people assume sales reps aren’t the
brightest bulbs. People think reps are just
likeable doofuses, playing flip cup and telling
crude jokes in the sales pit. That couldn’t be
further from the truth. Reps today have to
utilize sales strategies, overcome objections,
offer competitive comparisons and calculate
ROI all at once. This is not an easy job, and
requires a high level of skill and knowledge.

19. 7. Sales reps are all men.

20. If you noticed, the last myth included words
that are specifically used to describe men.
So what about the women working in sales?
People all too often believe that sales is a
100% male profession, and forget about the
many successful women working in the
industry. In fact, the number of women
working in sales is growing quickly - so don’t
discount the ladies.

21. 8. Sales reps are always stressed
and under pressure.

22. OK, this one may not be completely untrue.
Sales reps definitely work in a high-pressure
environment and can often be stressed by
tough deadlines and aggressive sales goals.
But that doesn’t mean every rep is going to
transfer that stress onto you. Reps know that
even if they’re stressed, high-pressure sales
can backfire spectacularly with a lost deal
that otherwise would have closed.

23. 9. Sales reps are self-serving and
selfish.

24. Many sales reps do want to be the best and
sell the most, but that doesn’t mean they’re
selfish jerks only looking out for themselves.
The best sales reps have realized that being
sincerely helpful to others is more likely to
end in a closed deal. Today, many reps truly
believe their product will help you, offering a
solution to your business problems.

25. 10. Sales reps are aggressive.

26. This insult is often lobbed at sales reps who
are persistent in calling and tracking down
leads. While it is true of some reps, most will
realize when something is a waste of their
efforts and move on. Reps have too many
demands on their time to be too aggressive
with any one prospect, and would rather sell
to someone who is excited to buy.

27. 11. Sales reps are replaceable and a
dime-a-dozen.

28. Great sales reps are always in high demand,
and are not easily interchangeable. If you
take an inside sales rep at a Software-as-a-
Service company and drop them into a car to
work as a door-to-door sales rep, they will
not flourish. Inside sales reps cultivate
specialized skills that allow them to compete
in a highly competitive industry. If you ask
their bosses, the best reps are definitely
not replaceable.

29. 12. Sales reps are disloyal.

30. Many people think that sales reps will switch
jobs with ease, as long as they’re offered
more money. However, this isn’t always true.
While sales jobs sometimes do have high
turnover, if a rep finds a job with a great boss
working at a great company, he or she will
be incredibly loyal and appreciate the
positive working environment – like any
other employee.

31. 13. Sales reps are not trustworthy.

32. If someone is selfish, lying, disloyal and
greedy, it’s generally understood that you
can’t trust them to truly help you. But you
actually CAN trust sales reps to work to help
you and sell you a product to better your
business. Reps know that if you buy their
product and love it, you’ll tell others to buy
as well. That will lead to more sales for them
- a true win-win situation.

33. The moral of the story:
Don’t believe every stereotype you
hear about sales reps!

34. For more informative sales content,
Check out the InsightSquared Blog
Thank You!