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It’s been a few years since Mad Men fell away from our screens, taking with it the greatest sales maestro and marketing genius the fictional world of creative advertising has ever seen. Yet, his presence is still sorely missed and his sage words of advice are still relevant. More than relevant.

But for all of Don Draper’s exuberant and brilliant showmanship, there is one thing that makes him so good at what he does and that is the fact he is a challenger. He challenges people on what they think and believes and proves that he knows their business better than them.

So, without further ado, here are the three things you need to learn from Don Draper that will make you a better sales consultant.

You Need To Know: The Customer Ain’t Always Right

Since customer service was first dreamed up, the mantra that states “the customer is always right” has been right there, convincing sales people they need to do everything they possibly can to agree with customer demands, jumping through hoops to please them, only to be left in a state of confusion when the results come in and the customer’s disappointment is aimed their way. The customer is not always right and the fact they have spent years doing the same thing to no avail is proof they need to stop what they are doing and listen to you. People don’t want to hear that they need to shoulder a processing fee when it comes to credit cards, but you need to have the confidence to challenge that, hold up the benefits proven by merchants.services and convince them it will broaden their customer base. People don’t want to know that their core marketing strategy is too safe and too boring, but you need to challenge this and educate them on the definition of insane. In return, you will find your customers become more loyal.

You Need To Know: Too Much Of A Good Thing Is Bad

That includes productivity. Trying to force creative genius – trying to force that spark of inspiration – doesn’t work. You simply exhaust yourself. We’re not saying that you need to work less and take more naps, but there is a limit to how much activity you can squeeze out of yourself – or how much activity your clients can squeeze out of their sales team – before it starts to negatively affect quality. Creativity and innovation cannot be forced by looking at a screen for longer or re-reading the same research. The brain needs time to be able to relax, recharge and reproduce the great ideas you want and need. So, like we said, too much productivity can be a bad thing, which is something you should challenge your clients on from time to time.

You Need To Know: Empathy Counts For Everything In Sales

The only reason a customer makes a purchase is emotion. There is very little reason to why we do things, only emotion, and that is something that you need to educate your sales team clients on because the moment they start selling through emotion they will find their ROI climbs through the roof. This is the thing that Don Draper is incredible at. He always always connects with his clients and customers through emotion. It is how to get them onto his side and how to get them to stop thinking with their heads so much and trust their gut more.