Humanity is the most entertaining show I have ever watched. People at the airport, people in meetings, people watching people behind closed-door meetings. People standing behind obnoxious people at the ticket counter, complaining under their breath, not realizing that they’re the ones that people are making fun of. Everywhere you go, people are unique--they’re angry, they’re happy, they’re complaining or loving. Wherever I go, however, I realize that most people are suffering from the same damage... not all of them, but most. They allow their environment to dictate what they can and can’t do.

Now that’s an incredibly general statement, but its also a very general problem. To prevent us from falling into the depths of esoteric transcendentalism, let us focus this observation on a career--my career; sales. Oh, boy. Sales people are convinced that sales must operate one way and one way only. The sale must take 18 months, it must be difficult, it must be started at the bottom and be pushed incrementally into the decision makers’ laps, but only after many arduous PowerPoint presentations, ‘lunch & learns’ and marketing material mailers. In addition, Sales seems, stereotypically, to be an arrogant man’s game.

We have all met him; the car salesman with the gold Rolex, the shiny technology consultant in the brand new suit that’s worth way more than he should be getting paid. We all know that guy and we all loathe that guy. He’s not Mr. Popular, but for some reason, when most of us make a call on a customer/prospect, etc. we reverberate many of his traits. We walk in and we begin to talk about ourselves, our products, our popularity in the market, our competition’s inability to match our performance, etc. Rarely do we ever go into a customer and not say a word about ourselves. To most of us, this face-to-face was too hard to get to risk not getting anything good from the customer, but all too often, we come home not making much more progress than them agreeing to ‘circle the wagons in two weeks’ or ‘review our marketing material.’ We’re so used to this that we allow mediocrity to become an accepted part of our game. I beg to differ.

I realize that my approach is slightly different. It always has been and it comes from being 1. a father, 2. a husband, and lastly, from being a Software Architect. I’m supposed to listen. Think about it this way: when you go to the doctor, he doesn’t immediately walk in and start talking about how many conferences he’s been and how that one time, in college, he had his review of pancreatic thrombosis published in the New England Journal of Medicine, now does he? No. He might have some recognizable things on the wall or in the lobby for you to review on your time, but when he’s face-to-face, he’s all yours. He’s got skills, you’ve got needs. You’ll never get them aligned if he’s doing all the talking. He needs to understand your uniqueness, your case. Once he’s understood your requirements, he uses his ‘consultative’ skill as a problem solver to create a path to resolution by using his resources. He is a problem solver, not a salesman. Don’t be misled, he’s certainly selling you something, but you’re not agreeing to ‘buy’, you’re agreeing to resolve your problems. You see him as a resource rather than a ‘vendor’ of medical services. In fact, think about anyone you trust. An attorney, the dentist, your tax preparer, your home inspector, etc. They’re selling solutions, same as you schmoes, but they’ve managed to wedge themselves into your psyche as a resource. You see their presence as a position of knowledge. Bingo. This my friends, is where you need to be.

People believe that things are what they are, but rarely do they step away from their overtly loud airport conversations on their bluetooth headsets for long enough to realize that we’re all just people and we’re all looking to make our life a little better, maybe a little easier. Instead of ‘telling’ a customer what he needs, why not give him a chance to tell you? Don’t bring a PowerPoint, don’t open your laptop, don’t be afraid to take off the suit coat or sit on their side of the table. Imagine that you’re the doctor of your profession and they’re a patient. Listen, diagnose, then prescribe services that solve the problem in question.

Technology is a funny thing. It makes the strong men cringe, the geeks feel elite and it shoots budgets full of unplanned and dangerously gaping holes. Most of this problem is our fault. I'm talking to you, sales people. We employ tactics like a used car salesman-showing them the flash, the pizazz, the demo. We blind them with the spectacle of beauty that is the 'integrated system' that provides 'immediate ROI' and 'increased productivity'. We feel like we're doing it all right, but we can't seem to make any money. I have a theory on this and some proof to boot.

The most interesting, fun and effective part of my job centers around traveling out to our Partner and Associate shops to participate in what I guess you could call "Consultative Sales Surgery". It's the last draw work. The rooms prepped, the patient is awaiting your arrival, you have all the support you need, but you've got to go in and close the vein, replace the kidney or remove the pancreas (sorry for the visual ;) The simple is; you have to close it up.

I have been pretty effective at this, but I've never felt like a hard-nosed closer. I'm very honest (rule #1) and I don't try and make something up on the spot. I know what I know and for what I don't, I know some wickedly smart people to take care of it, back at the ranch. The single point of failure I sometimes get to witness is that we're taking ourselves too seriously. These are just people. One leg at a time, my friends. I don't care if he's the CEO of a Fortune 10, he still ate grilled cheese and watched Sesame Street in black and white as a kid. He still gets yelled at to pick up his laundry when he gets home. No price tag on your clothes, no office and no home can make you anything beyond human.

Trying to sell technology just amplifies this mess we've created. Most of us don't understand technology as well as we probably should and so we tend to lean on 'the features'. Bad idea. Remember, as a sales person, that technology is ONLY there for one reason: to solve a BUSINESS problem, nothing else. If tape, chicken wire and taco shells would do the trick, guess what? You'd be out of there. Remember to focus on the business at hand, then, the technology doesn't really matter. Process is key. To be good at selling technology, you have to be a process person. Be agile and on your feet when it comes to the customer. Try and visualize the way they work, the problems they face and create that model in your mind, on a whiteboard and on paper. Only then will you be able to apply the Band-Aid to their wound.

Stop selling and start listening. If you have any kind of intimate relationship, you'll realize real quick that listening is the best form of flattery and interest. Listen, move quick, solve and close. You are a wizard problem solver, a proverbial Swiss Army knife of solutions and direction. You're their go-to guy/girl/company and you've got their best interest at heart (this is where that ALWAYS honest piece comes in. Break trust and its like a broken glass... never goes back the way it was).

Keep your bearings with a customer, realize they're just a human with some troubles, hear them out, move quickly to a solution and then present it and close. Simple as that. Now go make some money.

all the best,
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