HTSS92 - Toxic relationships in sales and business - Scott Sylvan Bell

Toxic relationships in sales and business

There are tough conversations to have in business and in life. There are people in every aspect of association that can cause you grief.  Some of these people are nightmares to deal with no matter what, they just want their way.

Do you find it weird that you look at personal relationships one way and business another. Think about this for a moment would you allow difficult people in your personal life that you allow in your work life? For most people the answer is no!

You may work with nice people or you may have to associate with psychopaths. You may even have to deal with manipulative people. If you keep your eye open you will find that manipulative people only have so many moves. You can start to predict what people will do over time with good certainty.

Most people have the story they tell themselves and tell others about how they got into the position that they are in. Sometimes we like to tell the bad story for attention and sometimes it is for coping skills to deal with the problem.

The problem with toxic relationships is typically they are looked at with scrutiny way too late. You tend to put up with more problems than you should for longer than reasonable. The real reason is the story you can tell yourself or tell others.

Owners and management can be toxic

Management can downplay problems or even ignore the actions. You may hear things like its not that bad. When it comes down to it denial is easier than action so the normal action is to pretend it isn’t that big of a deal.

When management allows bad environments it may be that they are protecting their back side. You may have problems even if you have been promised you will be taken care of.

On occasion  companies will do what they can to push you out. This may be real or you could be making it up in your head. You do have to look for good people to talk to so that you can confirm this.

One go to move of manipulative people is to go after you but not others. It is a common move to  single you out buy building a team of people to harass you.

Sometimes companies will old back pay to keep you. They keep pushing dates backwards to get you paid so you are entrapped into their organization.   

When you have solid skills a company can hold you back they may put chains on your skills to show you who is boss.  

It does happen where a owner or managers will steal your ideas and take them as your own. Managers may lie about what is going on in real life. To keep you in your position.

There are times where they beat you down with what they say:

• You are not that good
• You are lucky to have this job
• Nobody else will take care of you like we will
• You owe us for something we did for you

You can be given bad assignments or tough leads.  They may be a silver lining with tough situations and it is that you are forced to get better.

Bad clients may be an issue when companies stick up for the money instead of the salespeople of the employees. They don’t stick up for you in bad situations with clients and they take their side.   

Employees

• Dump information on you (garbage ca)
• Single you out
• They sabotage your process / blame you for stuff you didn’t do
• They don’t have your back when something bad happens
• They pretend to be your friend and stab you in the back

Why you stay in a toxic business relationship

You may decide to stay in a bad relationship because you don’t feel like you have support for others. You can even think the problem is all you and that you are making it up. There are times this does happen. You do need to pay attention that you are getting good advice from a good source.  

Some people will stuck in a bad situation to prove a point. This proving a point allows for the story to be told. In a way this is a weird way to get attention.  

There are times where you don’t believe it is real. You could think there isn’t really an issue at all. Some people think there is not a problem at all and there really is one.  

One weird situation  is where you don’t believe you are good enough to go somewhere else. You may be worried that you don’t have the skills. Sometimes this belief has been beat into you. If this is your issue getting professional help is your best bet.  

What you can do in a toxic relationship

If you are in situation you can admit there is a problem. Just saying your problem out loud allows for you to get it off your chest. When you think about a problem all of the time it is a poison.

One of the best things you can do is to keep acquiring skills and talents. This means you are taking control of your own life.

It is a good idea to build a new resume and get on the job boards.  

Watching or listening to inspirational material does help you out.  

 

Clients that are toxic can hurt as well

There are clients that treat you poorly and think it is ok. There are multiple ways to hurt you in the process. The reason you can be treated poorly can range from control all of the way to the person being a scumbag.  

• Your clients can call you names
• Your buyers may scream and yell at you
• There are times where buyers make impossible demands
• Bad reviews can be used as a way to strong arm you

What you can do with toxic clients  

It is important for you to reset the boundaries as to what is acceptable. This means you have to tell the buyer or client that they are out of line.  You do need to be aware of revenge rejection.  

It may important to increase their fees where applicable and limit their interaction. You may decide to replace them or fire them. The danger of replacing clients comes down to it being easier each time.

When you walk away from a job

One way to deal with a toxic relationship is to leave. Remember if you are a closer you are the prize.  You leave on your time table when convenient for you and you don’t have to worry about the company.  Get a therapist and get help. You will need this for the rejection and other issues you will face.

Talk to a friend or a professional and see if it is you or them. You may be seeing things that are not there.   

Scott Sylvan Bell

@Scottsbell

#Sales #closer #Podcast #Howtosellshow #Sacramento

This episode was recorded in Sacramento California