Salespeople: Leave Politics To The Politician’s

I am visiting Washington D.C. this week and as i was strolling through the city I began thinking about all the great political debates that have happened in this district over the past few hundred years. It reminded me of something I must tell you, that can mean the difference between you thriving or barely surviving in the company you work at.

What I am going to tell you may seem like just common sense and just a good idea, but you would probably not be surprised that more careers in the sales and service industry have been destroyed by the politics in the companies they work for than anything else I can think of.

What do I mean by company politics? This phenomenon rears its ugly head in many ways. Most times it starts with your participation in company gossip or bad mouthing other behind their back.

You would think that gossip in the contracting industry would not be a problem since most men view gossip as something only women do. However, a study of gossip by Social Issues Research Centre (SIRC), a nonprofit think tank in England, found that 33 percent of men indulge in gossip every day or almost every day, compared with 26 percent of women.

One of the biggest ways to begin your involvement in a political company scandal is the trap that is laid when you are approached by a fellow employee and they start talking bad about other employees behind their back.

For the average person, this may seem harmless. Believe me it’s not. Here is the danger of even listening to one employee talking bad about the other:

1. If you listen to this talk and say nothing, you are implying that you agree with them. Whether or not they have a point or if you do agree with them, you as a professional cannot be drawn into an issue without both sides being present to represent their point of view.

That fact that you listen to gossip, can be interpreted as your endorsement of their point of view.

2. To keep listening to company gossip will make you the “go to” person whenever someone wants to start trouble with another employee. People who always in on the latest gossip are generally viewed as untrustworthy.

People figure that if you would talk bad about someone with me right now, what will happen in the future when we have a disagreement together? That’s right, they probably will think you are gossiping about them.

3. The person who is being badmouthed cannot learn what they are doing wrong since they are not hearing about the issue and will continue to do whatever caused the problem in the first place. There will not be a functional ending to the problem and so the company and the employee will never improve.

4. It wastes you precious time on things that do not serve your customers or make your sales any better.

How much extra time do you have? Enough to listen to a bad mouthing gossip session? You could spend that valuable time prospecting new customers or calling old clients to ask for testimonials or referrals.

What should a high performance professional in the contracting trades do? Well first think about why you may be drawn towards gossip instead of being repelled by it. Ask yourself these questions when being compelled to gossip with the guys:

1. Am I trying to find a way to feel connected to this person?

2. Am I frustrated with something else and need to confide in someone?

3. Am I anxious and looking for a way to feel more in control?

4. Am I bored and need something productive to do?

5. How is my listening and talking about the other person helping them?

These reasons and more are why we are drawn to gossip. Gossiping starts with our own poor self-esteem and our search to find someone, anyone that we can feel superior by comparison. You know, “At least I’m not as bad as that guy,” type of thinking. This dysfunctional behavior will never elevate you over others.

What will elevate you above the others is if you are seen as an agent of positive change that others look to for common sense and not a shoulder to cry on.

What should you do when approached with gossip? The answers are easier than you think. Do yourself a favor and make the decision to NOT gossip now so that you automatically know what your response will be next time so you don’t have to think about it.

Here are some things you can do or say when approached with gossip:

1. Can I keep a secret? I’m really not comfortable with that burden no.

2. I’m uncomfortable talking about this without Jim present. Why don’t we talk to him about it and get his side of the story?

3. What happened when you talked to him about this directly?

4. Have you told him this yourself? Why not?

5. What is your source for that information? How do you know that’s accurate?

6. It sounds like you’re upset and anxious about this. Why don’t we both talk to him and let him know how we feel?

7. John, I just won’t talk about this unless Jim is here to defend himself.

Avoid being the gossip “go to” guy around the shop. Be an agent for positive change and someone who helps other become successful and not one who tears others down.

Don’t waste time on intramural scraps between other employees. Leave politics to the politician’s.

Joe Crisara
www.contractorselling.com