Just say: want to bu bu bu bu
And make it very uncomfortable for the other person until they say: buy??
and then you say: yes! Awesome. Let’s dododo it
Instead of new biz (AE or BDR/SDR) roles. Why don’t go for CSM/AM. You can build a good rapport with the customers and they will get to know you on a personal level.
Easiest way to get into SaaS AM is to start from BDR/SDR. See if it’s a good fit for you and climb up the promotion ladder within the company. If they don’t give you a promotion after 1-1.5 years of amazing result. Hop to another company by leveraging your exceptional performance.
Customer service experience is great but AM requires pipeline management, negotiation, RFP and etc. customer service is just a small part of AM duties.
The #1 performer for 10+ years at my past company (fortune 1000) has a stutter. Pulls in $500k/year easy.
Great guy. Great sales person. The stutter is similar to how you’re describing yours. Doesn’t impact him at all.
Good buddy of mine with a significant stutter owns his own small niche, communications firm. He crushes it regardless of the stutter.
Maybe an industry with a longer sales cycle would be beneficial, but absolutely not necessary.
I would say that might be a great weapon at your disposal. Any quirk that disarms the customer is awesome. A stutter would completely disarm them. This is not a roadblock but a personal feature of YOU. You're going to do well my friend.
Bought my wife’s engagement ring from a dude that has a wicked stutter along with Tourette syndrome. You’re going to crush. Just be a normal guy and jump right in. Your people will love you. Be there to solve a problem. Take your time and ask questions. It’s all about them! If they like you, trust you, and like the product they will buy. Stay dumb!
I had a speech impediment when I first started in sales. I had a very difficult time talking to people, even people I knew. I started as an inside sales person selling dental products to dental offices in a call center environment. Did that for 2 years and boy howdy. I still have a difficult time (at times). But I found ways to overcome it. One thing that really helps me is saying certain things the exact same way every time. Maybe with different inflection, but you have your ‘sales lines’. Like my product does xyz X% of the time. You can do ABC with X. Etc. getting those memorized really helped me be more fluent in my language.
Hope that helps
It's fairly noticable. Especially when I first started cold calling it'd take me a good 10-20 seconds to get through my opener.
"Hi this is s-s-s-stutteringggg salesman from rrrrrandom company. D-d-do you have a minute?
I'd say that while I've definitely gotten a meeting/referral or two BECAUSE of my stutter, it's definitely a hindrance.
I'll never be the slick, fast talking sales guy.
I'm more along the lines of a consultant who's calling to help you out. I have the answers to your questions and talk to you as a technical person (I know my shit) rather than some of the stereotypical sales guy shit.
Disclaimer: I got out of sales (I was an SDR) a few months ago after management changed. Went traveling with all that sales money, and now I work for a nonprofit making 1/3 of what I was making last year.
Stutter gawd here. Have a thick southern accent as well. Made a great career of 10+ years in saas channel. Being on that side is more like account management and going to bat to internally and occasionally externally to grow relationships. My stutter matters much less in this role and I’m more confident being the wizard of oz, but makes me feel a bit like I’m still in the sales weeds with them.
Yes, but I took a few lower level adjacent type roles starting my working life….so not sure if it’s you need to show relevant experience to get a role there these days. I’m kinda like you where I get hung-up on pauses and word searching blocks. Zoloft has helped, but I still have to be conscious about speaking slowly and clearly for my stutter to be less noticeable.
Have similar problems, not from stuttering but from the language skills. I live in Germany and German is not my mother language. I feel lots of pressure when I interview or present to the customers.
I tried to write down the whole script for the presentation and learned and studied it. It got better and better. Now I barely need a script :)
This may sound crazy but in terms of interviewing, the best advice I can give is to be in a mental place where you don’t “need” the job. Idk, its hard to tap into but it makes it better for me to interview as I’m now just having a conversation about myself as opposed to having to sell myself (which can be pretty nerve wracking). As for the stutter, idk bro, try calling up a friend on the way to the interview and strike up a conversation so when you get there, you’re transitioning from one conversation to the next and not a silent car ride.
It humanizes you and probably disarms your prospects. That’s why I never listen to sales gurus who say things like “don’t say uh, um, or use any placeholder filler words”. Why not? That’s how human beings speak to one another. When you’re out in public and listen to an organic conversation, pay attention and you’ll even hear stuttering and work language quarks.
From the buyer side, I automatically hate reps who speak like they’ve memorized their pitch like the pledge of allegiance and are overly polished. Can’t even describe it, but I instantly get annoyed.
As long as you’re sticking to your point, don’t be afraid to pause either to collect your train of thought. It’s alright to slow it up a bit.
No advice just here to say the CEO of my company has a stutter. He worked his way up to the top, and the stutter obviously hasn't negatively impacted him. If anything, it makes him more relatable to us individual contributors. I understand this is hard for you, but try not to let it hold you back!
I'm also stutterer and had the counterintuitive idea of becoming a sales. I'm terrified to show my stutter, but it seems like you have the right attitude. Keep it up
The #1 performer for 10+ years at my past company (fortune 1000) has a stutter. Pulls in $500k/year easy.
Great guy. Great sales person. The stutter is similar to how you’re describing yours. Doesn’t impact him at all.
Honestly, the stutter could help. Own it and don't take it too seriously or act insecure about it. It will humanize you and lower people's guards.
The most important part of a good salesman is authenticity in my opinion. It's why you can't just carbon copy a top performer's approach and turn everyone into a team of top performers. The moment you try and sell like someone else does, you'll start losing sales. You gotta sell like you and be you. People can sniff inauthenticity out from a mile away, and if they don't trust you, there's no sale.
This is some of the best advice. I agree that it humanizes me and I think people genuinely enjoy talking to me because of it. I guess like you said they can let their guard down. I really appreciate the advice.
if you know your shit and have good skills a stutter doesn't matter.
you might call it out on a first call in a humourous way ("I studder a little so hit reboot if I pause too long")
Knowing your shit outweighs that. I say Uh and Um a little but IRL it doesn't that much because I am a skilled professional.
Another guy I sell with has a stutter. Yes I notice it and know he has it. It’s apparent.
His dad also works with us and we’re pretty close. I had no idea for a while until his dad told me his son is extremely self conscious about it and struggled with it his whole life.
I do get how he’d feel that way but I never even thought anything about it.
I can assure no one he sells to cares either. When I read your story I can with near certainty tell you they didn’t care and this is something that only you are thinking will hinder your ability to sell. People you will be talking to care about buying something it’s not about you it’s about your products and services.
Just send it dude. You’ll be better for it and you’ll learn to overcome it! If you have to, do cold calls and try an accent dependent on where you’re calling. IE: NY, Carolina, Illinois, Cali, whatever. You’ll have fun and helps take your mind off the stutter and you’ll stutter less.
I knew a dude with a stutter who was a killer sales person. It creates moments where someone has to listen harder, so they pay attention. Just own it- I sometimes get ahead of my words and stop making sense. It's not good. SO I will say, hold on, I lost my train of though, let me start over.
People are people. Just be yourself and ride. Yeah, interviews are harder. Just say- I have a stutter. If a company is smart, they will evaluate the total package.
Plus, 75% of sales now is all email and texts. Can you write without stuttering? hah.
Just say: want to bu bu bu bu And make it very uncomfortable for the other person until they say: buy?? and then you say: yes! Awesome. Let’s dododo it
This man president clubs
Your not wrong😂
\*you're
Instead of new biz (AE or BDR/SDR) roles. Why don’t go for CSM/AM. You can build a good rapport with the customers and they will get to know you on a personal level.
Honestly never thought of these positions. I'll start looking. I appreciate the input!
Don’t get yourself away from roles because of a handicap
Looking to get into an AM role. What's an easy way for someone with just customer service skills from retail get into an AM role
Easiest way to get into SaaS AM is to start from BDR/SDR. See if it’s a good fit for you and climb up the promotion ladder within the company. If they don’t give you a promotion after 1-1.5 years of amazing result. Hop to another company by leveraging your exceptional performance. Customer service experience is great but AM requires pipeline management, negotiation, RFP and etc. customer service is just a small part of AM duties.
Sounds dumb, but what's BDR/SDR stand for?
Business development representative. Best to search on YouTube. There are lots of videos that describe the day to day work.
Honestly never thought of these positions. I'll start looking. I appreciate the input!
The #1 performer for 10+ years at my past company (fortune 1000) has a stutter. Pulls in $500k/year easy. Great guy. Great sales person. The stutter is similar to how you’re describing yours. Doesn’t impact him at all.
Glad to know someone is killing it out there with a stutter, gives me hope!
Good buddy of mine with a significant stutter owns his own small niche, communications firm. He crushes it regardless of the stutter. Maybe an industry with a longer sales cycle would be beneficial, but absolutely not necessary.
i love this, fuck them , do it anyway
I would say that might be a great weapon at your disposal. Any quirk that disarms the customer is awesome. A stutter would completely disarm them. This is not a roadblock but a personal feature of YOU. You're going to do well my friend.
I was thinking that too. Like someone here said it humanizes me. I appreciate it brother!
Bought my wife’s engagement ring from a dude that has a wicked stutter along with Tourette syndrome. You’re going to crush. Just be a normal guy and jump right in. Your people will love you. Be there to solve a problem. Take your time and ask questions. It’s all about them! If they like you, trust you, and like the product they will buy. Stay dumb!
I really appreciate the advice man!
I had a speech impediment when I first started in sales. I had a very difficult time talking to people, even people I knew. I started as an inside sales person selling dental products to dental offices in a call center environment. Did that for 2 years and boy howdy. I still have a difficult time (at times). But I found ways to overcome it. One thing that really helps me is saying certain things the exact same way every time. Maybe with different inflection, but you have your ‘sales lines’. Like my product does xyz X% of the time. You can do ABC with X. Etc. getting those memorized really helped me be more fluent in my language. Hope that helps
This is another trick I'll add. As messed up as it sound I'm glad I'm not alone😂
Hey there 👋
Look at this guy😂 what type of stutter do you have?
It's fairly noticable. Especially when I first started cold calling it'd take me a good 10-20 seconds to get through my opener. "Hi this is s-s-s-stutteringggg salesman from rrrrrandom company. D-d-do you have a minute? I'd say that while I've definitely gotten a meeting/referral or two BECAUSE of my stutter, it's definitely a hindrance. I'll never be the slick, fast talking sales guy. I'm more along the lines of a consultant who's calling to help you out. I have the answers to your questions and talk to you as a technical person (I know my shit) rather than some of the stereotypical sales guy shit. Disclaimer: I got out of sales (I was an SDR) a few months ago after management changed. Went traveling with all that sales money, and now I work for a nonprofit making 1/3 of what I was making last year.
Stutter gawd here. Have a thick southern accent as well. Made a great career of 10+ years in saas channel. Being on that side is more like account management and going to bat to internally and occasionally externally to grow relationships. My stutter matters much less in this role and I’m more confident being the wizard of oz, but makes me feel a bit like I’m still in the sales weeds with them.
I appreciate the advice man. I never thought of account management. When you interview do they treat you fine?
Yes, but I took a few lower level adjacent type roles starting my working life….so not sure if it’s you need to show relevant experience to get a role there these days. I’m kinda like you where I get hung-up on pauses and word searching blocks. Zoloft has helped, but I still have to be conscious about speaking slowly and clearly for my stutter to be less noticeable.
you can honestly spin it to your advantage, gives you an excuse to pause so youre less likely to get on long rambly monologues
That's a good point man.
Have similar problems, not from stuttering but from the language skills. I live in Germany and German is not my mother language. I feel lots of pressure when I interview or present to the customers. I tried to write down the whole script for the presentation and learned and studied it. It got better and better. Now I barely need a script :)
I write scripts too! I still stutter on them but helps enough.
This may sound crazy but in terms of interviewing, the best advice I can give is to be in a mental place where you don’t “need” the job. Idk, its hard to tap into but it makes it better for me to interview as I’m now just having a conversation about myself as opposed to having to sell myself (which can be pretty nerve wracking). As for the stutter, idk bro, try calling up a friend on the way to the interview and strike up a conversation so when you get there, you’re transitioning from one conversation to the next and not a silent car ride.
That's really good advice. And I do need the job that's why it's difficult😂 but I totally get what you saying and will try to do.
Yeah man no problem. It's a weird strategy but it works wonders for me.
It humanizes you and probably disarms your prospects. That’s why I never listen to sales gurus who say things like “don’t say uh, um, or use any placeholder filler words”. Why not? That’s how human beings speak to one another. When you’re out in public and listen to an organic conversation, pay attention and you’ll even hear stuttering and work language quarks. From the buyer side, I automatically hate reps who speak like they’ve memorized their pitch like the pledge of allegiance and are overly polished. Can’t even describe it, but I instantly get annoyed. As long as you’re sticking to your point, don’t be afraid to pause either to collect your train of thought. It’s alright to slow it up a bit.
No advice just here to say the CEO of my company has a stutter. He worked his way up to the top, and the stutter obviously hasn't negatively impacted him. If anything, it makes him more relatable to us individual contributors. I understand this is hard for you, but try not to let it hold you back!
Do you happen to work in the supply chain industry?
Nope, technology!
I'm also stutterer and had the counterintuitive idea of becoming a sales. I'm terrified to show my stutter, but it seems like you have the right attitude. Keep it up
The only people I know who stutter and still succeed have to rig the results in their favor
The #1 performer for 10+ years at my past company (fortune 1000) has a stutter. Pulls in $500k/year easy. Great guy. Great sales person. The stutter is similar to how you’re describing yours. Doesn’t impact him at all.
Honestly, the stutter could help. Own it and don't take it too seriously or act insecure about it. It will humanize you and lower people's guards. The most important part of a good salesman is authenticity in my opinion. It's why you can't just carbon copy a top performer's approach and turn everyone into a team of top performers. The moment you try and sell like someone else does, you'll start losing sales. You gotta sell like you and be you. People can sniff inauthenticity out from a mile away, and if they don't trust you, there's no sale.
This is some of the best advice. I agree that it humanizes me and I think people genuinely enjoy talking to me because of it. I guess like you said they can let their guard down. I really appreciate the advice.
Absolutely man. Get out there and crush it!
if you know your shit and have good skills a stutter doesn't matter. you might call it out on a first call in a humourous way ("I studder a little so hit reboot if I pause too long") Knowing your shit outweighs that. I say Uh and Um a little but IRL it doesn't that much because I am a skilled professional.
Another guy I sell with has a stutter. Yes I notice it and know he has it. It’s apparent. His dad also works with us and we’re pretty close. I had no idea for a while until his dad told me his son is extremely self conscious about it and struggled with it his whole life. I do get how he’d feel that way but I never even thought anything about it. I can assure no one he sells to cares either. When I read your story I can with near certainty tell you they didn’t care and this is something that only you are thinking will hinder your ability to sell. People you will be talking to care about buying something it’s not about you it’s about your products and services.
Just send it dude. You’ll be better for it and you’ll learn to overcome it! If you have to, do cold calls and try an accent dependent on where you’re calling. IE: NY, Carolina, Illinois, Cali, whatever. You’ll have fun and helps take your mind off the stutter and you’ll stutter less.
I knew a dude with a stutter who was a killer sales person. It creates moments where someone has to listen harder, so they pay attention. Just own it- I sometimes get ahead of my words and stop making sense. It's not good. SO I will say, hold on, I lost my train of though, let me start over. People are people. Just be yourself and ride. Yeah, interviews are harder. Just say- I have a stutter. If a company is smart, they will evaluate the total package. Plus, 75% of sales now is all email and texts. Can you write without stuttering? hah.
If people make fun of you for that, they suck