If you have been reading this Blog for a while, then you may remember my requests during the last half of 2011 to complete a survey for my Trust Project.  My goal was to understand to what degree people did not like and/or trust salespeople and integrate that information into our future work.  I thought it could signify the importance of additional findings in Objective Management Group's Sales Candidate Assessments, and it could influence how we train salespeople in the future.

The research has been completed, a white paper has been penned, and I have a sneak preview for you below after which you can download the entire white paper if you want to dig in to the findings and determine whether they affect your business.

Did you know that salespeople distrust other salespeople nearly as much as non salespeople do?

Did you know that women and salespeople were 25% more likely to be victims of a sales scam than men and non salespeople?

Every woman that completed the survey has been the victim of a sales scam!

Did you know that men and women, as well as salespeople and non salespeople, don't agree on who are the second and third least trusted of all salespeople?

Young, male, insurance salespeople have almost no chance of getting women to trust them.

Automobile salespeople are the least trusted salespeople of all.  They are not trusted by anywhere from 80 to nearly 100% of the population.

There are three industries from which salespeople are generally trusted quite well.  Read the White Paper to learn what they sell.

The big surprise in the study is WHY people don't trust salespeople.  It's not at all what you think it is and if you take a guess I'm sure you'll be wrong.  After you read the white paper, please return to this article and answer these questions:

What does this mean for your company?  For your industry?  For your salespeople?  For the salespeople that you will hire in the future?  What will change about how you train them?

Click here to download my newest White Paper, The Trust Project: In Salespeople We Don't Trust; Where, When and Why Salespeople Aren't Trusted.