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“Sales is what bwings us together, today.”

“Sales. Sales is what bwings us together, today. How do we deal with clients who say, “Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn… about paper” and get them to “Show us the money!” Well, we are going to find out today. Show of hands. How many of you are salesmen? Let’s see the salesmen. Oh, okay. Well I know what the rest of you are thinking. Wow, yuck. Salesmen are the worst! They are awful. They are so arrogant. They think the whole place revolves around them. Handsome, good listeners, funny, Mr. Wonderful.” – Michael Scott

I have been prospecting, mostly on LinkedIn, for the past few months (oh so sorry for the annoyance to all I’ve messaged), and I think I’ve got it all wrong. I’m no longer selling services for a price. I’m selling friendship for free. I’ll talk to anybody and everybody. If services are rendered as a result of making friends then great, good for everybody. But that’s not my end game. So who needs a friend?

As an entrepreneur, you have to do it all. You don’t have a choice. I help run sales, engineering, project management, accounting, HR, legal, and finance. If I had to pick two that I prefer: engineering and project management. I’m a little too introverted for sales. So how does an introvert make it in sales? Well, the only way I can figure is to take the pressure off the sale and communicate in a way that I’m comfortable with. By selling my friendship for free, I can take the pressure off the sale and communicate as I would to a friend. It also helps me to prioritize relationships over money. You simply can’t make money without relationships. Although in the new age of technology, this is evolving and probably not for the good of humankind. But I digress. Anyone who has made it financially got there because of relationships.

The reoccurring lesson I’m learning from Business Development and Sales is that it takes patience. Rome wasn’t built in a day, so to speak. Talk to as many people as you can. Lay the foundation. Be honest with where you’re at and where you want to go. Tell them your struggles. Tell them how you think you can help them. Eventually, one will give you a chance. Then it’s back to my old buddy Eminem for motivation: “If you had one shot, one opportunity, to seize everything you ever wanted, would you capture it, or just let it slip?” All it takes is one opportunity to build a reputation. If you knock it out of the park, then you get referrals. When you get referrals, now you’re starting to grow a client base. The biggest thing is to remain patient despite your frustration. Develop your system, keep testing it for what works, then keep at it and trust in it. It will pay off down the road.

Michael Scott tells us above what the typical salesperson stereotype is. There’s probably less truth to the stereotype nowadays (maybe). But he does say one thing that matters. “Good listeners”. Don’t be thinking about what you’re going to say next. Let your prospect talk. Understand what makes them tick. Be empathetic. It takes the pressure off of you and your pitch and gets you to focus on the person you’re talking to. Before you talk, listen. And after you listen, understand them. Then come up with a plan to satisfy their needs.

2C is hiring for a Sales Leader to help our company grow. If you are in the Material Handling Industry and want to be an integral part in the development and growth of a small company, please reach out to us, we’d be happy to talk! Here’s my sales pitch: 1) be your own boss, 2) work remote, and 3) make lots of money. There’s plenty more benefits, but I’m out of time! Call us!

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