Let’s begin by recognizing that just about anyone can theo- retically sell, but studies tell us that only about 1 in 10 people is a good match for a sales job. There’s general agreement that desirable attributes or characteristics for a salesperson include a likeable outgoing personality, power of persuasion and persistence. Probably one of the best examples we can all relate to is a good car salesperson who seems to be able to promptly convert strangers into new best friends. Who can forget that kabuki theater sales process, especially “Let me talk to my manager?” Next, let’s discuss the common trap of promoting a good technician into a sales position. This is especially typical of companies selling technical products and/or services, and al- though it can sometimes succeed at an “acceptable” level, more oſten than not, it doesn’t deliver optimal results. Let’s not forget that sales is the life’s blood of most companies! Don’t you deserve a professional? Generally speaking, it’s rec- ommended that you avoid promoting technicians into a sales- person role. Instead, recruit a sales professional and train that individual about your products and/or services. Sometimes, the answer is a hybrid model where the company augments the salesperson’s limitations with help from a technician, but only when necessary. Think about today’s institutional security environment (such as a university or hospital), where intelligent products must in- terface with that institution’s computer network. Decisions are oſten made by teams representing various departments with disparate responsibilities. Ultimately, to close the sale, you may need to supplement your salesperson’s talents with your access control specialists when meeting with such a vertical market end user’s committee. But it’s not usually cost effective to routinely tie up your access control expert in various front-end trolling or prospecting ac- tivities. Those are better handled by a professional salesperson. Let your salesperson find and hook the fish. If necessary, your technical person can help land it into the boat using the net. What Kind of Salesperson Do You Need? Yes, there are different types of salespeople, and some will be better at dealing with certain types of situations. Will your company provide most or all of the leads and, therefore, pri- marily need a “closer” type of salesperson? Or will you expect your salesperson to develop their own leads and engage in lots of prospecting and cold calling? An over-simplification suggests that there are generally two types of salespeople: Hunters, who tend to be driven by seeking new opportunities and enjoy chasing leads, and farmers, who WWW.ALOA.ORG tend to be more comfortable squeezing incremental business from existing accounts. Do yourself a big favor and invest some time thinking about this, so you can hopefully recruit a salesperson who will be a good fit. Know what you need and hire accordingly! Check for open non-compete agreements and consider using your own. What Are You Selling? And What Are They Buying? If you are just reaching the point where you are ready to employ your first full-time salesperson, you’ll have some structural and organizational decisions to make early on. Obviously, you’ll need to consider who you are targeting (use a rifle, rather than a shotgun) and the competitive landscape. You should also be very clear about your value proposition. Know and be able to articulate your strengths, what you can offer and why it’s better (faster, cheaper, more reliable, better value, more convenient, etc.) than what the competitors are selling. Anticipate sales objections and questions and develop solid responses in advance. Be prepared. If you are stepping into a relatively new arena, take more of a discovery and market research approach first, so you can avoid the minefields. I know that what you are selling and what they are buying seems obvious and has more to do with marketing than sales, but you’d be surprised what you can learn when you probe from your customers’ perspective. Do you know what a particular end user’s issues and challenges are? At the end of the day, you are fundamentally selling solutions. Don’t lead with solutions to nonexistent problems, but it’s OK to let prospects and customers know that you provide a full or broad range of solutions. Identify their pain points and then explain how you can make their life easier. Offer to do a no-charge walk-through and site assessment where you may be able to spot impending threats before they become headaches. This can oſten be a great way to get to know the individual and engage in reconnaissance activity such as determining who de- cision makers are, budgets, timing and buying processes. Be sure to set up a profile for each prospect and record all of their relevant information, including personal stuff such as hobbies, sports team favorites, etc., but try to avoid politics and other potential sources of conflict. Sales Terms You Should Know You should be familiar with common selling terms, but there are many different versions of terminology definitions. Follow- ing are a few of my own versions that I craſted for this article. Don’t worry, the test will be multiple choice. DECEMBER 2020 KEYNOTES 19
