---
title: "Five Taboos for Sales Representatives Dealing with Customers: Do You Have Them?"
description: "Sales representatives often interact with customers, and frequent contact naturally leads to familiarity, with customers sometimes treating them as friends. However, over-familiarity can lead to unintentional mistakes or even principle errors. The following are common taboos that sales representatives tend to overlook when dealing with customers: First taboo: Speaking ill of customers behind their backs. Sales representatives are often eloquent, which is both an advantage and a disadvantage. The advantage is the ability to clearly explain company strengths and competitor weaknesses, product features, and sales policies, and to persuade customers with emotion and reason. The disadvantage is the tendency to inadvertently speak negatively about customers behind their backs."
author: "New Distribution"
publisher: "New Distribution"
email: "zhaobo258@gmail.com"
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published: "2015-09-28"
language: "en"
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# Five Taboos for Sales Representatives Dealing with Customers: Do You Have Them?

> Sales representatives often interact with customers, and frequent contact naturally leads to familiarity, with customers sometimes treating them as friends. However, over-familiarity can lead to unintentional mistakes or even principle errors. The following are common taboos that sales representatives tend to overlook when dealing with customers: First taboo: Speaking ill of customers behind their backs. Sales representatives are often eloquent, which is both an advantage and a disadvantage. The advantage is the ability to clearly explain company strengths and competitor weaknesses, product features, and sales policies, and to persuade customers with emotion and reason. The disadvantage is the tendency to inadvertently speak negatively about customers behind their backs.

Sales representatives always deal with customers, and frequent interactions naturally lead to familiarity, with customers treating them as friends. However, when people become too familiar, they may inadvertently make mistakes or even commit principle errors. The following are common taboos that sales representatives tend to overlook when dealing with customers:

**First Taboo: Speaking Ill of Customers Behind Their Backs**
Sales representatives are often eloquent, which is both an advantage and a disadvantage. The advantage is the ability to smoothly explain company strengths and competitor weaknesses, clearly present product features, and clearly communicate sales policies; they can appeal to customers with emotion and reason. The disadvantage is the tendency to inadvertently speak negatively about customers behind their backs.

After leaving a company, I made it a principle not to discuss the previous company's affairs for two years. If anyone asked, I would say, "Please forgive me, but I prefer not to discuss my previous company. I can talk about industry matters or other companies." Every customer appreciated this approach, considering it professional ethics, and they generally did not press further.

Sales representatives should avoid discussing previous customers' operations, especially financial data, staffing, company strategy, market share, product development, and products distributed.

Many people, after leaving a company, like to talk about problems with the previous company or other customers, always believing they are right. Even if you are right, who will give you a fair evaluation? But the impression left on the next customer is that you lack cultivation and are untrustworthy, and they will think you will treat them the same way in the future.

Therefore, sales representatives should not discuss other customers' situations, especially their faults, with a second customer.

**Second Taboo: Using Customer's Belongings**
Some sales representatives, when familiar with customers, casually use their belongings, such as borrowing the customer's car, using their staff for personal errands. Customers may not refuse to your face, but they feel uncomfortable inside. One or two times is fine, but if it happens frequently, the customer will see you as someone who likes to take advantage.

Some sales representatives like to take small advantages, such as using the customer's phone for business calls, using their fax machine for documents, or even using them for personal calls; some directly take the customer's products for personal use. These behaviors are disliked by customers, and when you use these things, it is also a test for you.

The most annoying behavior is when sales representatives frequently use the customer's computer to chat online or play games. Although you may not look at their files, their secrets are on the computer, and they cannot feel at ease. Over time, they will develop a sense of disgust.

Even worse are those who borrow without returning.

**Third Taboo: Exposing Customer's Secrets**
As mentioned earlier, do not discuss customer situations behind their backs, and customer secrets are even more taboo. Customer's family situation, emotional issues, financial status, profit model, and personal privacy are things they do not want others to know. If you expose them, it may be a heavy blow or cause loss of face. Sometimes they may hate you for life, or at least no longer trust you.

I have seen a sales representative who, while bragging, mentioned that he had dinner with a customer and the customer's lover. This got back to the customer's wife, who questioned him, and he truthfully recounted the evening. He thought the wife was open-minded and nothing would happen, but it eventually led to the customer's divorce. The sales representative said he would feel guilty for life!

**Fourth Taboo: Sowing Discord Among Customers**
Creating discord is a petty act and should not be done. However, some sales representatives, to achieve their own goals, will stir up trouble and cause disagreements among customer partners.

In partnerships, sales representatives often have a closer relationship with one party. In such cases, try not to get involved in the interests of the customers, and avoid discussing topics related to their interests.

People often become enemies due to conflicts of interest, turning friends into foes, brothers into enemies, and partners into adversaries. Therefore, as sales representatives, besides doing our own job well, we should minimize involvement in other matters. Otherwise, we may get caught in a web of disputes.

Most distributor customers are family-run, and you should say even less about their family issues. As the saying goes, "Even an upright official finds it hard to settle family disputes!" As a sales representative, you should avoid such matters as much as possible.

When friction occurs among customer partners and they ask you to mediate, you should only do so if absolutely necessary. In that case, you must speak from a fair standpoint and not take sides, so that distributors will be convinced by you; otherwise, you will get no thanks for your trouble.

In short, do not become a person who stirs up trouble.

**Fifth Taboo: Calling Customers Brothers**
Some sales representatives like to call customers brothers, which seems beneficial to work on the surface, but in reality, it does more harm than good. The main reason is that once you become sworn brothers with a distributor, your work will only be on the distributor's side, making it difficult to work for your company, and your career will be hindered. When the distributor asks you to apply for improper expenses from the company, you can only follow his wishes, as there is almost no room for negotiation under brotherhood; otherwise, you are not a good brother.

Under sworn brotherhood, it is hard to keep any business secrets, even well-intentioned ones. Companies often have policies not disclosed to all customers; in such cases, can you keep secrets from your sworn brother?

Generally, distributors often seek brotherhood with you because they see the power in your hands. Once you leave the company, I think your brotherly relationship will also stop there, as is the case with many so-called brotherly relationships between distributors and sales representatives.

Therefore, whether from the company's perspective or your personal perspective, my view is that it is better not to call distributors brothers.

Everyone has taboos, and customers are no exception. As sales professionals, while working for the company, we should strive to "think what customers think, and do what customers do." Avoid making low-level mistakes that others find taboo.

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