Pipedrive just put out a report on how people feel about the sales profession. Not how salespeople feel about their tools. How the public, and salespeople themselves, feel about the job.
The numbers are lower than you'd hope, and a few of them surprised me. The survey covered 1,500 people in the UK: 1,000 from the general public and 500 working in sales. It ran in March. The introduction was written by Sean Evans, VP of Sales and Partners at Pipedrive, who looks after the partner program we are part of and does a great job supporting us.
Here's what stood out, and what I think it means if you sell for a living.
Trust and relationships still win
The report's introduction was written by Sean Evers, VP of Sales and Partners at Pipedrive. Sean leads Pipedrive's partner program, which MinorCo is part of, so this isn't an abstract bit of research for us. It comes from someone who works with sales teams and partners day to day, and who supports us directly.
Sean's point in the intro is that mistrust is on the rise. Misinformation, tools, technology. People feel it generally, and people in sales feel it too.
Yes, AI makes us more efficient. But what's going to be effective going forward is building relationships. Getting on the phone, cutting through the noise, talking to people one on one. That's what helps you stand out.
The five key findings
First, 21% of the general public said the sales profession is trustworthy. 43% said it's not. That's going to vary a lot depending on the industry you're in.
Second, simpler communication doesn't equal a better connection. Salespeople are embracing AI, but half the population don't fully trust it. Another reason to pick up the phone and deal with someone's questions and concerns directly.
Third, the stigma around sales can hurt performance, especially for younger professionals. 67% of salespeople said negative perceptions of the role have affected their performance, climbing as high as 88%. That number stood out to me.
Fourth, the impact of sales stereotypes is more acute in roles where responsibility is higher. The roles most affected by internalised negative perceptions were project managers, executive management and senior management.
Fifth, negative perceptions lower work morale. I can see that. In sales you deal with a lot of rejection. The key is to not take it personally and to learn from it.
How salespeople compare to other professions
Trust toward salespeople isn't high. 43% of people find salespeople untrustworthy. It varies by profession.
The one I found funny: 71% think politicians are untrustworthy. Influencers came in at 57%, which is interesting given how much reach they have. Journalists scored high too, which didn't surprise me given the mistrust in media right now.
Bankers came in lower than I expected. Trust in teachers and doctors is high, as you'd expect. Put in that context, salespeople sitting in the middle of the road is probably about right.
Why phone calls create the most pressure
This part was interesting, and it's the highlight Pipedrive themselves pulled out on LinkedIn. Phone calls create the most pressure at 34%, then email, then social media, with text creating the least.
But here's the tension. Getting someone on the phone builds trust, and it also creates pressure, which can create distrust if they feel pushed to decide quickly.
What actually makes people trust a salesperson more is not being pressured to make a decision, the salesperson being honest and acknowledging pros and cons, and being transparent around pricing.
Plenty of sales teams use high-pressure tactics. Limited availability, scarcity, short timeframes. What the data shows is that taking pressure off, giving people time and space, is often the better approach if you want to create trust.
I'd add the same about pros and cons. Be honest about what a product like Pipedrive is good at and what it isn't. The more you open up, the more the prospect opens up too, and the more likely they are to share what they're actually struggling with. That gets you to the root cause of where you can help.
Why expertise matters less than you think
This one challenged an assumption. Having a clear understanding of the customer's needs and demonstrating expertise were actually less important than I'd have guessed.
We assume we need to show we're the expert or that we clearly understand the problem. Those things matter. But trust comes more from taking pressure off and being transparent around pricing.
Sales shame and where it comes from
Salespeople reported feeling a negative emotion at work because of how the role is perceived. Being seen as only caring about commission came in at 41%. Being seen as dishonest and untrustworthy at 32%. Lacking expertise at 29%.
Rejection is part of the game. I've never felt shame, because I see my role as solving a problem. But I understand how a prospect can look at a salesperson and think you only care about your commission.
Holding that in mind helps. If that's probably how you're being perceived, then being honest about whether you're a good fit, and being transparent on pricing, is how you overcome it.
Only 9% think salespeople want to help
Here's the one that says the most. Only 9% of the general public believe salespeople are motivated by a desire to help customers solve their problems.
That's the key misunderstanding. I see my role as a problem solver. Prospects usually come to us because they're new to Pipedrive, or they've had it a while and aren't using it well, or they're on Asana and want to use it better. They say, help me.
Which is why it's worth starting sales conversations with where are you and what are you struggling with. Salespeople often jump too quickly into this is me, this is what I can do, here are the features. That can come later. As the data showed, expertise isn't as important as understanding someone's current situation and the problem they're trying to solve.
Four takeaways to build trust
Establish clear lines of communication. Business models often split pre and post sales. There's a handover from sales to customer service. Encourage customer feedback, because when a customer gets handed to a success rep and has to repeat themselves, they feel like nobody's really looking after them.
Make the handover slick. We take a different approach at MinorCo. When you book a call with our team, you talk to a salesperson who then becomes the consultant who delivers the project. We minimise handover so the person you spoke to already understands where you are and the problem you need solved. If that's not your business model, just be aware that the handover is a common place for slip-ups.
Look after your after-sales service. Keep in touch with customers. This is where we use the contact timeline feature in Pipedrive to nurture and stay in touch on a regular basis.
Track everything in your CRM. If salespeople and customer service people are all talking to a customer, use your CRM as the source of truth. Everyone can see the last email sent, the meetings, the calls and the notes. It makes for a cohesive relationship between the customer and everyone at the company they deal with.
The bottom line
The data is a useful reminder. Trust isn't built by proving you're the smartest person in the room. It's built by taking the pressure off, being transparent, and genuinely trying to solve the problem in front of you.
If you want to see the findings in full, watch the video and grab the report linked there.
FAQ
How many people did Pipedrive's sales trust report survey? 1,500 people in the UK: 1,000 members of the general public and 500 sales professionals. It was conducted in March.
Do people trust salespeople? Not especially. 43% of people find salespeople untrustworthy and only 21% of the public said the sales profession is trustworthy. For comparison, 71% think politicians are untrustworthy and 57% say the same about influencers.
What builds trust in a sales conversation? Not pressuring people to decide, being honest about pros and cons, and being transparent around pricing. Understanding the customer's needs and demonstrating expertise matter, but the data shows they matter less than taking the pressure off.
What is sales shame? A negative emotion salespeople feel because of how the role is perceived. In the survey, 41% linked it to being seen as only caring about commission, 32% to being seen as dishonest, and 29% to being seen as lacking expertise.
Which communication channel creates the most pressure? Phone calls, at 34%, followed by email and then social media. Text creates the least pressure.