In my 20+ years of professional sales I have heard many sales leaders and motivational speakers explain the importance of knowing the people we are selling to. One thing that I do not remember reading or listening to was what exactly should we be looking for and or how to do it. However I do understand that you should learn about their company, their job description and get an idea of what they are trying to solve. But I think it goes a lot deeper than this.
How about things that are not so easy to gather? Maybe stuff that puts you and the prospect in a temporary uncomfortable position? Or something that hits personally but not past “the line”?
Quick story, I was in an interview one time and thought the meeting was over and the hiring manager says “Mike is gonna come in now and ask you a few things. That ok?” What am I gonna say in an interview. “No that’s ok he doesn’t need to.” Yeah right. You agree and keep your mouth shut! So Mike comes in and doesn’t excuse the hiring manager and stands next to me and says, “so Shawn what is one of your biggest failures in life and what did you learn from it?” I almost crapped my pants. Not because I was nervous but I was never asked that question before and in that manner. In another post we will get into how I answered it. But the lesson here is getting to know who you are selling to is more important than ever. Think outside of the obvious. Ask tough questions. Be careful what you wish for though as well. ;) See what makes people tick and why they do what they do. Try to understand motivation for being in their position and why they chose the field you are selling into. Maybe they hate their job. Try to put a personal touch on how you phrase your intentions. We aren’t selling things anymore. Those days are over. We are professional questioners, listeners and Solution providers who build relationships. You wouldn’t continue to date someone without getting to know them better, right? Get to know your prospects!! Show you give a hoot outside of the sale. ;)
Shawn
