Sales is tough, but keep at it and listen to the quiet voice
Who likes sales? Salesmen, do I guess. To the average person though, sales is tough and at times feels dirty. For an entrepreneur, it’s even tougher because you’re so close to the product that it’s hard to take rejection (i.e. failed sales). I know I’ve written about sales before and I’ll be honest, I’ll be writing more on the topic. There’s a reason for that. Sales is tough, but required.
I think the reason sales is tough is the value proposition and communicating that value proposition properly. Now, I know some of you will say, “Well, that’s marketing’s job.” I don’t agree.
In our instance, take sponsorships. There are a few “key” sponsorships we try to land per show. One such sponsorship was lacking for an upcoming show. (Yes, I’m being vague on purpose to protect the innocent. LOL) We approached one company. We gave the value proposition and they just didn’t get it. The phone call quickly went downhill into the area of painful. I wanted to hang up on my own sales call. How sad is that? The phone call was followed up by an email from said company which showed even more how they just didn’t get it.
This unfortunate incident caused some doubt in me. ”Maybe the value proposition we’re making, just isn’t a good one? Maybe we need to rethink things? Maybe I just suck at communicating?” etc. Nothing is worse for a founder than doubt. This is your company for goodness sakes. If you don’t believe in the value proposition, who will? John and I chatted and we still felt that there was good value to be had. ”March on!” was our conclusion.
A couple of weeks later, the beauty of gmail snooping comes to fruition as I get an ad for someone that might fit the key sponsorship bill. I know nothing about them, other than at face value by their ad, they seem like a fit. A small voice inside me says: “Persue this. Stop what you’re doing and investigate.” So I check out the site. As I’m reading it, the excitement level in my brain starts pumping. I can mentally see the synergies forming between us and this company. I finally track down the contact page, which has a form vs an email address. I fill out the personal info and talk about the potential sponsorship in the provided text area. After clicking submit, I think to myself, “Dang, I shoulda copied that text. It was good.”
I get a phone call later from an unrecognized number. I answer and it’s said prospect. After clearing the air about a poorly laid out sponsor packet, we get to talking business. I take the time at the start to explain the biggest concept divergence from us and other shows in response to sponsors. ”We want you to succeed in whatever it is you do vs take your money and run.” He understands.
I talk about how we see business. He understands.
I talk about how we want long term partners, not short sighted “deposits into our checking account.” He understands.
The contracts aren’t signed yet, but I’m pretty sure they will be soon. If not, it was nice to know that there is value in our proposition. We are right, not crazy.
The thing I don’t understand, and will explore later, is this: Does a good salesman convince Company A (the “i wanna hang up” call) that they’re seeing things wrong? Or does a good salesman quickly move through leads to find the gems like Company B (the “we getcha” call)?
I don’t know, but any insights you have are appreciated. Just remember: Follow your gut/heart, despite the letdowns/failed sales and listen to that quiet voice when it speaks to you.
July 11th, 2009 at 9:24 pm
If you do all you can to share something you believe in, there will still be those who don't get it, or who are in the game for the wrong reasons (at least wrong for you). You might be trying to sell the best of the best, but they want cheap and easy. Does that mean you're selling the wrong thing? Do you need to change their perspective to see the world as you do in order to be a good salesman? Or, do you let someone more deserving (more fitting) have the opportunity.
In my opinion, I'd rather be doing business with someone who is excited about what I do and not someone who was talked into tolerating what I do.
Thanks for thought-provoking post.
July 12th, 2009 at 1:36 am
Yeah, I think your right. It just seems counter-intuitive when your "young and hungry" to say, "Yeah, this sale just isn't right." You think your product is perfect for everyone and a sale is often a necessary vs a nice to have.
July 31st, 2009 at 2:03 pm
Interesting question – and one with a lot of gray area. Let me give this a shot….
I am a salesman. Proudly. Unabashedly. And I think I'm pretty good at it.
There was a time in my life when I didn't yet know I was a salesman. And I thought that selling was a little "dirty." Getting over that was a long road, but I'm glad I fought through my own ego (because that was really all about ego) and came to terms with it. I'm good at selling and there's nothing wrong with that.
Do I sell people things that I don't think is a real value to them? Never.
Do I have to convince people that what I'm selling is of real value (sometimes)? Absolutely.
One of the best things I've ever heard about selling: Your job starts at "no." If all you ever hear is "yes," you work at McDonalds (ie, you're an order taker, not a salesman).
So, I think that good salespeople develop finely tuned skills around:
1. knowing how to qualify a lead – quickly (but with depth)
2. knowing how to cull the lead responses (ie, when a "no" should be pursued vs. dismissed).
3. knowing how to focus on the truly fruitful opportunities.
At the end of the day, sales is about hearing no. And that's a good thing.
September 15th, 2009 at 10:42 pm
Great post. What you have told in this story is what many entrepreneurs face, and having come from over 20 years of sales…your story is not uncommon.
I think that there are two points to make. First, you did not give up after the first call, and you kept focused and did not try to reinvent everything based upon one call. This is what separates the people that succeed in business and the others who get scarred by these calls and then find ways and excuses to not make any more calls.
Second, you did take the time to at least think about it to see if there was any learning that could come out of it.
As for your question…The reality is that it is a combination of both. The good salesperson will try to find different angles in order to try and communicate the message in the customers terms. Try to find language that they will understand and always try to make it so that it is communicating "what's in it for them".
However the best salespeople also know when to move on and hunt down another potential opportunity. Through this process they may find ways to better qualify the client before picking up the phone the next time so that they can increase their odds for success once they do have the client on the phone. I have always liked the saying that I would prefer a fast "No" then a slow "Yes". What this means is that I would much rather the client tell me no quickly so that I can either adjust or move on to a client that sees the value of the solution rather then to spend time and energy on trying to close a deal that just does not seem to be a great fit.