Jill Konrath | Selling to Big Companies

3 Invaluable Sales Lessons From an Unlikely Source

Growing up, I regularly read Seventeen. It contained a wealth of information on how to be popular. As someone with distinct nerdish tendencies, I considered this teen magazine to be an essential part of my social education.

Being the good student that I am, I not only read it religiously, but also studied certain areas in great depth. I was particularly enamored with articles on what it took to get guys to ask you out and then want to date you on a regular basis.

It didn't take me long to see a pattern emerging. The secret to successful dating was clearly asking questions. The only thing a girl had to do was get the guy talking about himself and he'd think she was the most wonderful person on earth. That sounded simple enough.

The only problem was in the execution. I was so nervous when I went out on dates that I couldn't even keep a short conversation going. After one or two questions, my mind went blank. What followed was a deathly silence that seemed to last forever. It must have been 2-3 seconds long.

I didn't know what to say. Nothing clever came to mind. The next thing I knew I was blathering about something stupid. That wasn't supposed to happen, but I was so self-conscious that I was functionally unable to come up with any insightful questions. Clearly I needed more help, but what's a poor girl to do?

What Was This Guy Thinking?

Two minutes ago I received an e-invite to attend a webinar sponsored by a marketer whom I highly respect. Great guy ... brilliant ideas. I heard him speak several years ago and was impressed with his creative approaches and impressive results.

But clearly he's quite clueless sometimes when it comes to marketing his own business. I've included the invitation below - with a few changes to protect the the guilty. My comments follow.

(Marketing guy's name) has invited you to attend a WebEx web seminar on the web
using WebEx.

Topic: Demo General Session Webinar
Date and Time: September 28, 2006
               1:00 pm , Eastern Daylight Time
Enrollment password: This event does not require a password for registration

Please click the following link to see more information about the event or to join the event. (actual link)

To contact (marketing guy), send a message to this address: [email protected]

I was a bit stunned by the lack of any marketing savvy in the email. Since I know how good this guy is, I clicked through to read about the session - thinking I might want to attend. When I got to the Webex site, I was even more appalled. It just gave the session name, date, time and duration. That sure was exciting! Actually I was aggravated. I hate wasting my time.

As a seller, that's one of the worst things you can do these days. So I sent the marketing whiz an email, telling him that I was really disappointed in his invitation. I also pointed out that:

• The email subject line was boring.
• The workshop title didn't attract me at all.
• The lack of an enticing workshop description was glaring.
• Without his bio, no one would know how good he really was.
• The registration link should contain the "more info" that I was promised.

I'm sure he dashed it off without thinking much about it. After all, he was just sharing info on an upcoming webinar. But you can't do that today.  Make every client interaction valuable - even if it's a simple email.

Q&A: Advice for your marketing person

A marketing manager asks: How can I make a bigger impact? There's so many things I could do, but what's the best way to invest my time?

Immerse yourself in your customer's shoes.
Your value as a marketer depends on understanding the customer's world – and I don't mean just academically. Understand their status quo: How are they doing things today? What are their business challenges? Why would they consider changing? Find out about issues related to your product offerings. Learn how customers make decisions.  Get out in the field to meet and talk with them.

Engage your sales force.
Their input is essential. Ask them the same questions as you'd ask the customer. Don't only seek advise from the old pros who have long-term relationships with established accounts. Their job is entirely different from that of their less experienced colleagues. The best advice often comes from sellers with much shorter tenure who have achieved success fairly quickly.

Book Review: Why Johnny Can't Sell

If your reps are struggling to make the grade, you'll discover why in this information-rich book. The authors detail the knowledge and skills needed in today's highly competitive business environment. The best part is when they link the phases of the consultative sales process with a variety of tools your organization can develop to help Johnny sell. If you've read Selling to Big Companies, you know I'm a big supporter of creating sales tool kits - especially if they're based on what your top reps are already doing on their own today. These tool kits are highly effective in helping average sellers perform better and shortening the learning curve for new hires. Lots of good stuff in here. Download a sample chapter or purchase book now.