9. Dealing With Sales People

Talking to sales people in any organisation can be a very enlightening process because, unlike marketers or staff in any other function, these people are in contact with the customers that keep the business afloat. Taking a brief on any sales promotion or collateral project can give you a real insight into how a company is seen by its customers, which can help you with other projects for the same client or even for projects with other clients in a similar industry sector.

At the same time, however, dealing directly with sales people or teams can be frustrating because they can sometimes have a much less clear idea of what they want to say. Faced with the pressure of always having to meet targets, sales people, one suspects, are tempted to try to fit products into whatever shape a client appears to want, with the end result that they might not always be able to gauge what it is that has attracted the customer to the product in the first place.

Sales people and teams are also very demanding and may require a certain amount of ego-massaging and expectation management. Be clear about timescales, costs, production constraints and so on. Finally, be upfront about how and how much your work can or will benefit them personally – most sales people are ultimately motivated by personal gain.