Why should salespeople stop hiding behind ridiculous titles?
To me, job titles don’t matter. Everyone is in sales. It’s the only way we stay in business. — Harvey Mackay
Back in the days when I started to work as a salesperson, I was told to think up a nice title to use in email signature. “Sales manager” seemed too plain and unattractive to potential customers. Later I discovered it was a common way of thinking for many of my colleagues.
Among popular sales, titles are Business Development Manager (classy), Relationship Manager, Account Manager, Solution Provider, Account Representative, Customer Care Representative, Partner Engagement Manager, Market Development Manager, and whatever.
Recently I met a sales who introduced herself as Product Manager. That was unusual, so I couldn’t help asking how her working routine referred to the position mentioned. The answer was simple — “I discuss the product with leads and have an idea of how it works, so why not? That helps to build trust”.
Why salesmen prefer to hide their roles
We meet salespeople daily, and let’s be honest, many of us have a negative view of this profession. Common stereotypes draw us a picture of a chatty annoying person chasing us with a pack of useless goods. I bet you have met someone like this once in a lifetime.
Salespeople are simply afraid of prejudices related to their profession. Hiding behind titles is a try to avoid negative expectations and to start a conversation from scratch.
But let’s be honest, intentions get clear from the first couple of lines of our letter. There could be a great balance between friendly talk and sales speech, but a lead will still understand the intention. And there’s nothing bad in it. People constantly need to solve their tasks by purchasing services and products.
What is important, after all
No matter how you call yourself, a lead looks at the subject line and text of an email in the first place. The nice-looking title will give some additional scores only if all other parts of the email are well composed.
A high response rate can be achieved by asking questions about business and explaining clearly what benefits your product will bring. A lead will likely get in touch if it’s a proper time and relevant proposal.
The message is important. So let’s focus on the right words in the email body, not the signature.
