Why do sales guys speak so loud?

[KayDot]

I've been in the current company since 2017, and since day 1 I've been wondering why the sales guys always shout when they're on the phone.
Customers have been known to ask if there was a fire because of the shouting in the background, and the sales guys refuse to believe they speak/shout that loud.

Has anyone noticed the same, and if yes, found a way to get them to tone it down? Boss-man doesn't want to get the soundproofing walls up between the tables in our open-plan office.

As it stands, between us techs here the joke goes they could just pop their head out the window, and the customer will hear them just as well

[tsbservice]

Re: Why do sales guys speak so loud?

Good post. I kinda find it funny but actually I know what you mean because we're in the same situation. Luckily we're so small it's not a big deal...for now.
I'm interested also what other guys are thinking in that matter.

[BillyCarpenter]

Re: Why do sales guys speak so loud?

I've never seen that before. Perhaps this is an isolated thing?

[mloudy]

Re: Why do sales guys speak so loud?

As more than just a tech I have been to OEM sales meetings and service training. VERY different volume level in the rooms. Go to a National Dealer Meeting and attend the after hours gatherings at the resort bar. As a tech you may soon be going back to your room or headed outside for some peace. Been doing this for decades and I just don't fit in well with sales reps. I am a pretty low volume speaker and not much of an idle talker. I also don't have a long history of assorted women and million dollars deals to brag about either so there's that. I have been around a few owner/sales reps at these meetings and found them to be much different. But these are aren't the ones wearing snake skin boots and $3,000 suits.

When the drunken cackling begins my brother who is a sales rep will often times mock them and say "I WANT TO HEAR MY VOICE! I WANT TO HEAR MY VOICE!".

[blackcat4866]

Re: Why do sales guys speak so loud?

That so funny! I knew that, but had never really fully formed the thought.

At one of our offices I can remember repeatedly closing the door to the front sales offices, since you could not talk to customers on the phone in the back part of the building over the continual noise in the front. =^..^=

[slimslob]

Re: Why do sales guys speak so loud?

You can always say to loud mouth that you hope he/she was not discussing any current sales prospects as anyone within a block and a half could hear everything said and that includes any competitors who might be passing by.

[KenB]

[BillyCarpenter]

Re: Why do sales guys speak so loud?

No offense to anyone but I think most of the opinions stated about sales people are a result of confirmation bias. In other words, most of you don't care for sales people (common in copier business/sales vs. service).

I don't think sales people are born talking loud nor have they developed it after they got into sales. I also don't think a sales person will be successful if they're screaming at the top of their lungs to a potential customer.

The truth is, some people are loud and brash. That's true for sales, service and ownership.

[BillyCarpenter]

Re: Why do sales guys speak so loud?

Please excuse me while I hijack the thread for a minute. I have a question:


Why has the most difficult job?

a.) sales

or

b.) service

[tonerhead]

Re: Why do sales guys speak so loud?

Billy: good question. Most service will answer service, most sales will answer sales. Reality though, they are both tough. What bugs me though is sales can't do what service does and vice versa. Yet a seasoned sales person will make 3-4 times what a service person does. There are some dealers out there that recognize the symbient relation between sales and service. So as the sales person does better, some of the wealth is passed onto service rep also.


Back to the thread though. Every place I have worked at sales and service tend to separate at company functions. Sales side is generally found in loud conversations, bragging about this and that and name dropping. Service side is quieter, generally talking about home repairs, auto repairs, saving up for a camping trip, etc. It is rare that you will find service bragging about their work accomplishments like many sales do.

I find it interesting that a new sale person will always start out by picking a techs brain for info on customers, machines, and general advice. Then once they get rolling, they turn over to the dark side and are better than the techs. At least that is my observation.

[BillyCarpenter]

Re: Why do sales guys speak so loud?

Billy: good question. Most service will answer service, most sales will answer sales. Reality though, they are both tough. What bugs me though is sales can't do what service does and vice versa. Yet a seasoned sales person will make 3-4 times what a service person does. There are some dealers out there that recognize the symbient relation between sales and service. So as the sales person does better, some of the wealth is passed onto service rep also.


Back to the thread though. Every place I have worked at sales and service tend to separate at company functions. Sales side is generally found in loud conversations, bragging about this and that and name dropping. Service side is quieter, generally talking about home repairs, auto repairs, saving up for a camping trip, etc. It is rare that you will find service bragging about their work accomplishments like many sales do.

I find it interesting that a new sale person will always start out by picking a techs brain for info on customers, machines, and general advice. Then once they get rolling, they turn over to the dark side and are better than the techs. At least that is my observation.

This is gonna be really unpopular on this board. But keep in mind that I've done both. And I have a lot of experience with both.

The reason that sales people make more than a tech is because of the following:

1. Sales is the harder job.
2. Good sales people are harder to find.


Imagine calling on perfect strangers every day and trying to set an appointment to discuss their copy needs?

If you don't think that's hard, get on the phone one day and just call some random businesses and try to give away a free cleaning of the office copier. FREE! Not trying to sell anything but FREE. You'll get hung up on. Run out of office. Cursed at. And occasionally
someone will take you up on your offer.

When you're a tech, you don't walk thru their door unannounced and the machine is predictable after you've worked on enough of them. People are unpredictable and that's who salespeople have to deal with...perfect strangers.

[BillyCarpenter]

Re: Why do sales guys speak so loud?

PS - I promise you if a sales person walks into an office trying to sell something and they're talking loud, they will get run out instantly. And if they're talking super loud at your home office, then that's the fault of your ownership/manager for allowing it to happen and creating an uncomfortable atmosphere.

[KayDot]

Re: Why do sales guys speak so loud?

No offense to anyone but I think most of the opinions stated about sales people are a result of confirmation bias. In other words, most of you don't care for sales people (common in copier business/sales vs. service).

I don't think sales people are born talking loud nor have they developed it after they got into sales. I also don't think a sales person will be successful if they're screaming at the top of their lungs to a potential customer.

The truth is, some people are loud and brash. That's true for sales, service and ownership.

Only gonna reply to this part, as I think the other parts fit the theme here
Where I am, we have a symbiotic relationship - sales can't do their thing without the service people, and the service people can't do without the sales guys, and we all know it (Chalk it down to Scandinavian management).
I was thinking more along the lines of them spending years in offices with bad phone lines, background noise etc. had made their hearing a bit bad so they'll speak louder to be able to hear themselves.

I honestly think both jobs provide their own challenges that the other party wouldn't be able to solve.

[slimslob]

Re: Why do sales guys speak so loud?

IMHO they speak loudly in order to sound more important than they actually are.

[BillyCarpenter]

Re: Why do sales guys speak so loud?

The good news is that there's a high turnover in sales so hopefully the loud ones are replaced.