Sharks have survived for 400 million years, but salespeople have managed to villainize themselves in far less time. Both deserve better than the one-dimensional stories we've given them, and it starts with understanding what ethical selling actually looks like.
Picture by Jakob Owens on Unsplash
That’s a question I have pondered over for some time, and even more so since a customer of mine conveyed her frustration at me, “You’re human-centred in your approach, Nadya, how can you work with such sharks?” I must say, I swam hard trying to find an adequate retort to such a question. She obviously meant this with the negative connotation it often comes with, that is the negative perception of sharks and their perception in business culture; cold blooded, deceitful, manipulative, liars, and only interested in one thing and one thing only: making money at any cost.
I’ve often been puzzled at the constant comparison between these fascinating creatures and humans whose profession is to essentially yield profit. I’ve always been a believer in making fair comparisons – the apple-to-apple kind, so, yes, I find myself nonplussed whenever I hear of salespeople being compared to sharks. There may be slight similarities if we look closer, but not enough, and certainly not the ones used to confound a whole species with another, especially when it involves so many negative connotations. Sharks may have been vilified by one Hollywood movie, but salespeople have done that on their own.
These captivating creatures have been roaming around our oceans for over four hundred million years – long before dinosaurs – and have survived five global mass extinctions, none of which had any humans in sight. They vary in size, shape and species, and are capable of incredibly complex behaviours. And whilst they are cold-blooded (most species at least), it’s because it is a necessary physiological adaptation to their environment – what’s a salesperson reason?
The answer to this question hangs in the air. Whilst there is no physiological reason for salespeople to be cold-blooded, perhaps some reasons lie in attitude and leadership, and, more broadly, in the emphasis on capturing value rather than creating it. If leadership doesn’t believe in sales as a full-fledged, skilled profession that requires education and know-how, it explains the lazy, villainous narrative that’s been plaguing the profession (and the fascinating ocean dwellers).
This same narrative was on full display at a business dinner I once attended years ago, in Riyadh. Being the only woman at the table of two dozen participants was intimidating enough, but that landed me in the seat right opposite the then-CEO of a major company. As niceties would have it in such circumstances, we started chatting, and before the starters were even on their way, my academic legitimacy came up, by way of asking for my credentials. I proudly responded that I was the product of vocational education, where I spent four years learning sales management. His reaction, smirk and CEO-like confidence included, is something that, quite frankly, shook me enough that I still remember it to this day. “Sales isn’t something one needs to go to school to learn and isn’t worth spending so many years learning”.
Perhaps from a perspective solely focused on short-term value capture, he may have a point, but hearing that blatant dismissal from someone who leads an organisation crystallised the fundamental misunderstanding that is so pervasive in the sales profession. Those years weren’t about learning tricks, but about mastering a craft that is distant for many in the profession.
So, what exactly IS learned in dedicated sales education that leaders like him might completely overlook? Well, for my part, I learnt how to sell in pretty much any setting, including retail and door-to-door, through many iterations of “le stage”, which cemented the learning and allowed for the live-selling experiences necessary to gain the right skills in any and all selling environments. And I’m glad I did learn that way, because research suggests that performance in competitive sales role-plays doesn’t necessarily predict success in actual selling situations. The concerns highlighted by research are that such simulations can sometimes prioritise performance – becoming theatrical or scripted – over reflecting authentic, adaptable selling skills.
The curriculum covered a broad foundation; marketing and advertising were, of course, part of the teachings, because as we know well, it’s a trio that works wonders when applied in concert, particularly when building the momentum needed to proactively interact with customers – existing and potential alike. These years not only taught me sales 101. They also offered strong opinions on what a salesperson should and shouldn’t be; chiefly, avoid using b******t to make a sale. A word that I’ve heard too many people use to describe the vocation itself. Then there was the territory planning phase. This meant digging into an area to identify likely customers and their potential value. That data told us how much proactive outreach we needed to build momentum, allowing us to leverage that often-dismissed groundwork marketing provides
My vocational learning never taught us to sell anything to anyone because we had to hit a financial target. We learned early on the importance of treating customers with the significance they deserve. That meant figuring out what a customer really needed, and not pushing for what the company wanted to sell, to further profits at the cost of sometimes eroding valuable relationships. This perspective also meant overcoming the fear of acknowledging when a specific need simply couldn’t be fulfilled, instead of trying to push something, anything, through sheer persistence with visits or calls that are often unwanted.
We learned how to ask questions – aka needs analysis – to ask many of them, and the right ones – something that today is called consultative selling. If your customer is looking to buy a pair of sneakers, wouldn’t it look bad that you’re trying to sell a pair of heels? Yet, most salespeople I’ve encountered in my career will do just that, dismissing the value of listening and deep questioning. It’s incredible to think how many opportunities are underdeveloped; data from a white paper analysing salespeople’s effectiveness suggests that roughly two-thirds (67%) fail to ask questions effectively enough to uncover truly compelling reasons for their prospects to buy.
Another paramount principle we were taught was to make sure customers left satisfied and came back again and again. The long-term game was the priority. Thinking of loyalty programs to keep customers coming back was also part of the curriculum, because a repeat customer deserves just as much pampering, if not more, as the ones you’re trying to get. And while the end game is the same – profits – the genuine interest of customers took centre stage. This fundamentally customer-centric approach, something ingrained in my training a quarter-century ago, well before ‘customer centricity’ became a boardroom buzzword, makes perfect sense. And why shouldn’t it? Repeat customership is, after all, a core driver of profitability and business growth.
The main teaching that still deeply resonates, 25 years later, is that empathy IS the main ingredient for a successful sale. When you’re in charge of making people buy your products or services, you need to, metaphorically, put yourself in their shoes, be it the sneakers or the heels, and understand their needs and what their circumstances are. Something that seems inexistent today, because, as I’ve heard it so many times, cash is king. Yes, the same adage from the finance world has been hijacked by sales departments to promote the idea of selling no matter what, with an emphasis on exceeding the target rather than ensuring the right solution fits the customer’s unique circumstances and contributes to their long-term satisfaction and success. And the company’s by the same token.
That same empathy has shaped some of the most rewarding moments of my career. Recently, when a long-standing client retired, he shook my hand at our final meeting and thanked me for always being transparent and flexible, calling me the most pleasant person he’d worked with during his time as a client. He’d signed on and renewed his contract every year we worked together
Sales today has evolved in many ways from my learning all these years ago – but it has also remained the same in many other ways. Yes, the technology is available to ease the process of selling, particularly when it comes to long cycles and clients with ever-increasing demands for the two “p’s” – productivity and profits. But if these tools aren’t used as intended, whether due to inefficiency or inability, the desired results can be a very real mirage, much like the underdeveloped opportunities that stem from failure to ask the right questions. And technology without the human touch that ethical, authentic sales provide isn’t as useful for yielding the intended results.
Sometimes I feel like the approach to sales as I’ve learned it twenty-five years ago has eroded and almost become extinct, for reasons that are very far from natural, unlike those remarkably resilient marine creatures who survived that fate. Perhaps its decline stems not from inevitable natural pressures, but from internal ones: the relentless focus on targets within companies that makes a thoughtful approach so hard to maintain.
Most sharks, contrary to popular myth, are small – four feet or smaller – and are not apex predators. They exist in the middle of the food chain, playing a vital role in their ecosystem. Perhaps most salespeople are similar ; operating within complex corporate ecosystems, rarely are the ultimate shareholders dictating policy, yet crucial nonetheless. It’s vital we see both sharks and salespeople in this fuller view, moving beyond the simplistic, one-dimensional caricature that paints them as merely ‘out to get us’. Just like a respectable salesperson navigating the business world, their role, when performed ethically and well, shouldn’t be predatory. Instead, it should be to guide, to solve problems, to build value.
To me, this is the core of why sales deserves a better story. Far from the dismissive view of that CEO, or the negative stereotype held by many, professional selling, the kind that is built on empathy, deep listening, strategic thinking, and unwavering ethics, is not just honourable; it is fundamental to business survival and success. It is the engine that translates innovation into revenue, connects solutions to needs, and builds the customer relationships that create lasting value, ultimately aiming to become a trusted advisor. Without skilled, ethical sales professionals driving growth and navigating the market, many businesses, large and small, simply could not exist, let alone thrive.
As the stories of sharks and salespeople evolve, let’s move beyond the Hollywood caricature of sharks and the cynical stereotype of salespeople. Both play complex, essential roles – one maintaining the delicate balance of our oceans, the other driving the pulse of our economies. It’s time we recognised sales, when practised with the integrity and skill it demands, not as a necessary evil, but as the vital, respectable profession it truly is – capable, in its purest form, of aligning profit with purpose. Sharks earned their resilience over millennia; perhaps it’s time we grant the sales profession the respect – and the better story – it deserves when done right.
Thank you for reading. If this resonated with you – or if you’ve witnessed sales done right (or wrong!) – I’d love to hear your thoughts at hello@evenkeeled.co, or through any of my social media channels.