Genera tiontrategies for Local Artisans
Posted: Sat Feb 01, 2025 6:40 am
I started my career as a research scientist and got into sales (by accident) in 2000 at the turn of the dot-com boom. Joining startups was the thing to do back then and I was lured into one by the promise of rocket ship growth and working with super smart people. Fortunately, we ended up growing that company to 700 employees and $100M over seven years before being acquired. Since leaving my post as a research scientist, I’ve been a part of four great start-ups in sales leadership roles.
One which I helped start in 2008 was acquired by gambling data america Salesforce, which is how I came to work there. But I never forgot my scientific roots. In fact, I’ve come to realize that the skills I learned along that journey are absolutely critical to the success of any modern seller. Here are my top six. 1. Explaining Complex Things Simply It doesn’t matter how smart you are or how awesome your solution is if people can’t figure out what you do! Over my academic career, I sat through hundreds of lectures delivered by accomplished scientists describing the discoveries they made in their field.
I didn’t understand a lot of it. That’s because the presenter assumed the audience was as familiar with their field of research as they were. That’s rarely the case. Your audience is no different. As a salesperson, you might be intimately familiar with your products, services, and the problems you solve. But your customers often aren’t. And if you get into the weeds too quickly, you’ll instantly lose them! If you want to keep your customer engaged, start by assuming they have no idea what you do.
One which I helped start in 2008 was acquired by gambling data america Salesforce, which is how I came to work there. But I never forgot my scientific roots. In fact, I’ve come to realize that the skills I learned along that journey are absolutely critical to the success of any modern seller. Here are my top six. 1. Explaining Complex Things Simply It doesn’t matter how smart you are or how awesome your solution is if people can’t figure out what you do! Over my academic career, I sat through hundreds of lectures delivered by accomplished scientists describing the discoveries they made in their field.
I didn’t understand a lot of it. That’s because the presenter assumed the audience was as familiar with their field of research as they were. That’s rarely the case. Your audience is no different. As a salesperson, you might be intimately familiar with your products, services, and the problems you solve. But your customers often aren’t. And if you get into the weeds too quickly, you’ll instantly lose them! If you want to keep your customer engaged, start by assuming they have no idea what you do.