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Both my wife and my ex are very successful in sales. Both worked in B2B sales for large companies you probably heard of. Both had science degrees but are not overly analytical. I currently work in Finance supporting the Commercial team for a division of a $20B business. Here’s what I see that makes people successful: 1) wife and ex are not what you would think are first glance as sales people. Far from pushy, one a bit shy, neither big networkers. However, when It comes to the job, they always do what they say they will do, when they say they will do it, the way they say they will do it. Their customers (well most anyway) love working with them because they get a prompt response and follow through on commitments. When a problem occurs, my wife is on it and doesn’t rest until it’s fixed. 2). You need to make it about your customer, not you. The sooner you realize helping your customer helps you, the more successful you will be. I’ve worked at large companies where salespeople only do what’s in their goals and bonus. Unless you are lucky, this will backfire. 3). Be interested in who you sell to. I work at a company that sells chemicals, some of which they could get elsewhere. The relationships the sales team build are amazing. They know everything about their customers personally and I’m impressed with the little details our commercial team remembers. 4) know everything about your product, from how it’s made to who makes it, what’s it cost to make, how does your accounts payable team pay bills for you materials, how does sourcing buy those materials and from who, etc. no question is too detailed! |