My first job as a salesperson was a survival choice. I was at my first sales call. I was Petrified, waiting at the customer’s reception area. I was twiddling my thumbs, looking randomly at things in the room, making sure not to make eye contact with the receptionist. She softly said, “Mr… shall see you now.” I froze like I was being taken into the operation theatre, where my organs would be removed.
Nevertheless, as I ventured into the room, I saw a man in his early forties sitting behind a large desk in his leather chair. He signalled me to a seat, his eyes still glued to the document on his table. I wanted to sit, but my legs were welded to the ground. Sensing no movement, he looked up at me and smiled. I must have had a peculiar expression on my face, “First Sales Call?” he calmly said, leaning back in his chair, and I heard myself feebly saying, “Yes”. “Sit Down”, he said a little firmly now. I did, then he started, “this business …” and so conveniently, the conversation started between us. After about ten to fifteen minutes, I was myself again, confident and all ready to go. “Young man, shoot, tell me what have you got for me”, and the rest is history.
The man taught me a fundamental lesson that day, and I thank him for that to this day. The Salesperson needs to make himself and the customer comfortable before starting a sales call. That’s an essential Art that every Salesperson needs to have.
Years have gone by, and I have experimented with nearly all sales channels. Either as an executor or a reviewer in my professional life. I must admit some of my subordinates taught me many things that were important to the trade.
My second assignment was as a Direct Sales Representative in a multinational company. This sales channel is now referred to as Business to Business Sales (B2B) or Key/ Government Account Sales. I spent many years climbing the steps of Government ministries and then leading teams to achieve their targets.
Navigating up the corporate ladder, I did spend two years as a Sales Training Manager. Tutoring “Sales Process” fundamentals and advanced “Key Account Management Process” to young and seasoned Salespeople, respectively. Most of these training were residential five-day programs, with gruelling long hours, describing and discussing concepts, and role-plays. I have always shared a great rapport with my students. In all, I must have done over twenty-one thousand man-hours of just sales training.
It’s important to understand that Customers Buy. A good Salesperson never sells. Customers buy because they are convinced that that purchase of theirs shall satisfy some latent need of theirs. Since the customer is the one making the decision, all he needs is reassurance from someone he can trust. Building trust plays a vital role, and it’s an Art only every successful Salesperson has. Thus it’s imperative that a Salesperson masters the Art of self-marketing.
While my narrative and examples might be limited to the B2B Sales process, the concepts stand suitable for any sales process and beyond. They can be used in daily life for executing various tasks.
To convey my viewpoint on Sales being an Art or Science, all I will do is briefly touch upon the three tools that every Salesperson needs to possess. They are Product, Industry and Business knowledge.
Product Knowledge is usually gained thru training, tutorials, catalogues, brochures and research material. It’s a science where the Salesperson needs to understand the product technically, functionally and its application in various scenarios.
Industry Knowledge research, understand, research again to understand the industry or the industries in which the said product and /or service will be positioned. The science is how well can you research and understand the Various Industries and then relate your product and /or services to them, and not the other way round.
Business Knowledge is to understand why a business exists what its driving force is. If it’s money, the Salesperson should know how the company makes money and how and who in the organisation is measuring it.
Every Salesperson should note there is a difference between Know-how and Knowledge. He needs to have in-depth knowledge of these three tools.
Now, like a well-rehearsed Artist, the Salesperson needs to subtly but confidently get the customer to buy, and that’s the Art.
I’d like to share an example extracted from one of the case studies that I use in my programs.
In Xerox, I once received an inquiry from a financial broker. As I walked into a well organised but very cramped office of my prospective customer. I could gather that the owner had an eye for detail. After about ten minutes into the preliminary conversation, I said, “Mr Customer, You have a nice office, but I am inquisitive; where are you going to keep the Machine.”
The MAN (the person who has the Money, Authority, and the Need) looked at me and said: “Come with me”. He gave me three options and looked at me for approval.
In the next thirty minutes, over a cup of tea, while we discussed various things but Xerox machines, his office completed the formalities, and I walked out with the execution order.
What did I use, Science or Art?
Most of my “Key Account Management Programs” participant responses were “Art”.
On the contrary, this was a pure knowledge-based sale, which is a Science. I had intentionally chosen to open the Sale with a closing statement. As my Business Knowledge was yelling at me. If this man, operating from such a well organised but cramped office, wishes to buy a Xerox machine, he would have done his homework very well. The Art was observation and applying it.
As I know it, science is how well the Salesperson can sharpen his tools.
The Art is how the Salesperson builds confidence, delivers a compelling reason to buy and the Art of observation and adapt the apt strategy immediately.
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