Do prospects/customers need to like you?

Do your prospects/customers like you? Is that important? Are salespeople more successful if prospects/customers like them? How does salesperson likability fit into the larger picture of sales success?

Please discuss...

In my opinion... customers don't have to like you, they can hold a neutral attitude, however if they dislike you and they don't perceive an offsetting advantage to buying from you (price, scarcity, politics, etc.) then they'll probably look elsewhere.

I closed a deal yesterday (cha-ching) and the customer said it was good that she met me because before me she looked at homes with a guy from a different company and it didn't matter what he had for sale because she wasn't going to work with him. I think that's a compliment.

Originally Posted by AZBroker In my opinion... customers don't have to like you, they can hold a neutral attitude, however if they dislike you and they don't perceive an offsetting advantage to buying from you (price, scarcity, politics, etc.) then they'll probably look elsewhere.

I agree with that completely. Good insight, AZ.

Originally Posted by Joe Closer I agree with that completely. Good insight, AZ.

Thank you JC.

Originally Posted by Skip Anderson Do your prospects/customers like you? Is that important? Are salespeople more successful if prospects/customers like them? How does salesperson likability fit into the larger picture of sales success? Please discuss...

Do they need to? No. However I've found more people liking and respecting me when I was presenting better.

Does anybody else have any thoughts about the role that salesperson likability plays (or doesn't play) in achieving sales success?

People want to buy from people they know, like and trust.

I'd say that when a customer doesn't like a salesperson they're not as open and honest as they would be otherwise. That makes achieving sales success that much harder.

At some levels I'd agree that likeability is a key factor but at other levels, c-level for example, likeability takes a back seat to trust and credibility.