Relationships are driven by behavior. I have been in this business long enough to have observed sales reps and sales engineers from both sides of the proverbial table – as both a customer and a supplier. Although sellers almost always engage their customers with the best of intentions, they often do not realize how disengaging some of their behavior can be. Such behaviors are sometimes exhibited during even the most routine customer meetings. I am not talking about extreme cases of boorish behavior, but rather some of the more subtle behaviors that can, at best, be annoying to all parties involved or, at worst, derail the entire business relationship. See if you have met any of these “guys”.

Mavis Beacon Guy.  This guy spends the entire customer meeting tapping away at his keyboard like he is engaged in an advanced lesson from the ubiquitous eponymous typing tutor. Sometimes as if lost in a trance channeling Jack Kerouac to deliver On The Road Part II, oblivious to the rest of the room. He may insist that he is taking notes or researching answers to the customers’ questions at hand, and he very well may be. But what he is also doing is annoying and distracting everyone in the room. He can be mistaken for Look at the Top of My Head Guy who, similiarly, spends much of his customer meetings focused on his mobile phone or tablet. Tips for this guy: Leave anything with a keyboard closed unless there is a specific question that comes up and then research it. The attention you draw will then be in response to your customer’s needs. Invest in Moleskine notebooks and a mechanical pencil.

Camper Guy.  Brings an entire office overstuffed into a long-past-its-prime backpack for a 45 minute meeting with the customer.  Besides looking like a special forces sniper hunting for a nest for a 72 hour recon mission (sans the camo facepaint), Camper Guy can distract as he awkwardly navigates his obnoxious rucksack around chairs, people, etc. in tight offices and corporate conference rooms. Tips for this guy: Leave your kit in the trunk of the car, invest in a more professional looking bag, and ask Mavis Beacon Guy where he got that classy looking Moleskine notebook.

Bodyguard Guy. Accompanies his colleagues to the customer meeting, introduces himself to no one, and sits in a corner and says nothing to anyone for the duration. He follows the discussion with wide-eyed interest, but contributes nothing to help the customer solve their business challenges. Bodyguard Guy is likely in attendance because there are specific requirements that he needs to gather from the customer or because he was invited by a teammate as a subject matter expert “just in case we get asked about X”. Tips for this guy: If you are gathering customer requirements, you should be asking questions of the customer. If a colleague wants you there “just in case”, tell him you will block the time of the meeting and make yourself available via the phone for immediate remote assistance. Evaluate your current level of job satisfaction – you may be happier and more successful applying your technical skills to a non-customer facing role.

Smartest Guy in the Room Guy.  A knowledgeable and experienced guy, he spends too much of everyone’s time trying to prove that he is the smartest person in the room rather than working to make the customer the smartest person in the room.  Has a deep command of the history of many technologies, industry standards that do not apply to the situation at hand, and detailed technical knowledge that surpasses everyone in every respect.  Tip for this guy: I once had a colleague of Smartest Guy in the Room Guy ask him, “can you please be wrong long enough for us to win this customer’s business?” Taken aback, the sales engineer asked why.  The sales rep replied, “because every time we meet with this customer, you get into an argument about something that is irrelevant to this opportunity”. Before speaking, check your ego and consider how you are going to help the customer with their problem while also expanding your company’s business. Remember, there is often a difference between being effective and being right.

There is a common thread running through the behaviors of each of these “guys”. In each case, the behavior gives the impression that they are concerned more about themselves than their customer. Distracting activities, carrying their entire office with them, or trying to boost their own ego – all of these have the potential to derail the conversation and focus away from the technical seller’s entire reason for existence – to serve the customer.