Numerous sales have come and gone over my decade of selling technology. I have made great relationships who have stayed the test of time, and I have also been hung up on by my fair share of people through the persistence of the selling process. That's going to always be the case when it comes to touching the amount of people you will as a professional salesperson. What I can tell you is that I can boil down my selling process into three stages.
- Selling myself
- Selling my love for my company
- Selling my confidence in my product or service
These stages not just represent what I do with every sale, but they are also representative of who I am. For me to perform well in these stages I have to be able to believe in myself, believe in my company and team around me, and believe in the product or service. I firmly believe when all of these things come together you have your best chance of being very successful, but more importantly, very happy. I am fortunate to have found this with Fortuitas, Inc. My short time here has shown me how a great company culture can influence how well you break through in sales.
I feel I have a distinct advantage to selling technology because I grew up outside of the A.B.C. (Always Be Selling) selling generation. I started selling almost 10 years ago right at the cusp of when the sales ecosystem started changing. Value pitches started becoming less and less relevant with the advent of the internet and the information it brought to the consumer's fingertips. Now, not only could prospects research the value of a product or service, but they could get references on said products or services without ever having to speak with a salesperson. By not speaking with a live person, the prospect has already formed their perceived value, which for us (sales professionals) that means they are already further along the buying process.
Now you have a choice, do you take them through the same sales spiel and start them at the value pitch (which by the way, in their mind they are way past) taking them backwards in their process. Or do you try and listen and build rapport. What does all this mean? Is it just fancy sales rhetoric? What it means is that I grew up putting the customer experience first, showing my prospects that I am excited and interested in their journey. I was building relationships with the folks I was selling to.
So what is it about the steps? How do I do it?
Selling myself.
This tends to be a difficult one for most people, because it makes you focus internally on both your good and bad qualities. It's a point of reflection where you can discover your best qualities and recognize and understand areas where you fall short. Most importantly you need to be at peace with the entire package so that you can exude your best qualities as you meet and greet with your prospects.
For me, I am well aware that I am not the best planner in the world. I am perfectly fine with taking a trip on the fly and seeing where the road takes us. It's this nonchalant behavior that drives my wife nuts. As a business professional I know that most people that I work with live off their calendar or have a rigid schedule and I need to adapt. I know this, I recognize that it's something that I need to be aware of. It's also a point of focus to make sure that I am cognizant every day.
One of my strengths is I know that I am a jovial, calm under pressure individual. I have a strong work ethic that was instilled in me from my days in the United States Air Force. These traits help me to
Selling my love for my company.
It helps tremendously to actually like the company you work for on this, and I would say that if you do not like the company you are working for, you're just pushing widgets and not really selling. Selling takes heart, and if your heart is not in it neither will your prospects. I have had a number of different roles as a salesperson for more than a few companies. I have played Account Manager, Sales Manager, Client Partner, Business Developer, you name it. Each role with varying degrees of success.
One thing that I do know is when I am able to see the value of the company, the culture, and the team it makes for a much easier sell, because at this point all of those things become a part of the product or service you offer. Your company culture and team members are a value add. If you do not believe in the company, you have just lost a tool in your arsenal.
Selling my confidence in my product or service.
We've all seen the old Hair Club commercials where the guy on the screen says "I'm not only the Hair Club President, but I'm also a client". That is a dude that believes in his product! What I've learned is that when you are selling a product that you know does not work well, is clunky, missing features or is generally not good it will affect your mood while selling it.
Confidence goes a long way when you are representing a product or service, and people are smart enough to pick up on these non-verbal cues. I once sold cars for a year and I had a tough time selling used vehicles, I didn't believe that the used vehicles were as good as the new vehicles that we sold and it affected the buyer because I tried to steer them into a new car even if they didn't want it because I just didn't have the same level of confidence in the used vehicles.
When you have a product or service that you believe in, and in some cases can use yourself. You have in your own way built your very own personal case study. What happens is you put yourself into the buyer's shoes and find use cases for the product. These personal experiences are an invaluable when selling because it helps you to personally connect with the buyer and share these experiences.
Putting it all together.
I learned very early on in life that I wanted to help people. I wanted to be in a position where I could be around people, landing a hand. This innate feeling is what lead me to the Military and becoming a Security Forces member. Being able to help people in need kept me going throughout my career after the Military and on into my time here with Fortuitas.
What I can say is that this method is something that I prefer. I feel better about myself when I sell because it provides me with a way to connect with people and help a client or a business succeed. It builds relationships (some of which I've had for over a decade). It's a very rewarding process.
I truly believe if you are able to combine these three aspects together in your life and career you will be successful. I am interested to know your thoughts after reading. Let me know in the comments or send me a DM.
Cheers.
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