“I obsess over value. I always aim to have someone say that their time was well spent with every interaction (even if they don’t engage with us). I want them to say, “that interaction was more valuable than what it cost me.”
Company: Indispensable Marketing
Position: Founder and “Chief Salesman”
From: Richmond, VA
“I’ve always been a businessman/entrepreneur/salesman. I was the kid who sold baseball cards and candy around the neighborhood. My first formal opportunity in sales was for a company called Prepaid Legal. I was 18 years old, knocking on doors, and selling people these legal plans to families that needed them. This was before Facebook was popular (or at least in my world) so I was just working door-to-door. I took a couple of gigs then ended up working for an engineering firm and while also having a side business. I had an electronics resale business on the side and at that point, I realized I wanted to go out and start my own marketing business. I started networking and developing relationships for that and about a year later in 2012 I started a firm called Indispensable Marketing. Here we sell to small business owners. I am the Chief Salesman. It’s typically small business owner to small business owner interactions. We solve the greatest frustration for a small business owner in marketing which is understanding how to buy and implement marketing services. We do that by integrating all the pieces of that which is creating content, websites, sales material, SEO, and interacting with the sales team. We develop all that into a marketing process which can then be managed, delegated, measured, controlled, and documented.”
What is one piece of advice you would give to someone entering sales?
“I would say make sure you’re earning trust through every interaction. Everything from an email invite, a handshake, introduction, or LinkedIn connection request. Everything needs to be presented in a way that is bringing that person value and earning you enough trust to have next conversation or go to the next phase. I figured this out by being in the trenches, playing in the dirt, sleeping with it, and hugging it. When you go out there, taste it, and interact with people, you realize it’s trust that is in short supply. If you have trust, you can sell them your solution, make their dreams a reality, and everything else while fall in place. Without trust, people think there’s risk involved. Price doesn’t matter if they don’t trust you.”
Why should salespeople have an individual value proposition?
“Value Proposition has always been a staple in my mind. It’s hard to start a sales conversation when the buyer doesn’t understand how the service or product is going to add value. One day I thought about it. Every organization must have a value proposition but as the buyer considers the options, it’s the individual sales person’s proposition and the branding that is important. It is important that you go back to your clients and ask, what is it about me that made you hire us? What is it about my sales process that does what others don’t? What I’ve discovered over the years is that people will say, “Well we decided to go with you because you help us look at problems in a different way” or “You are always sharing new ideas or tips and tools with us.” If you’re not bringing value yourself, you can lose the deal regardless of the organization’s value proposition because, on an individual basis, you have more touchpoints.”
How do you believe selling has changed? Are you noticing any trends?
“Marketing and sales have changed dramatically and that’s because buying has changed. We no longer want a salesperson to come and describe the features of a product or service because we can now get that off the website. We no longer want a salesperson to probe our pain points because, we’re already at the decision-making process. Today, what the salesperson needs to understand is that you need to guide the customer and that means you must inject yourself into the conversation at the earliest possible point. That’s typically where there’s a reach out or a signal of someone needing help. That way, you’re not seen as a pest but as a respected authority that can help them reach the right solution. The access for information has changed buying.”
What athlete best represents you as a salesperson?
“Tim Duncan. Mr. Fundamental. Stick to the basics. Execution. Team Player. He came into the system and integrated. He became a leader and inspired by playing the right way and educating. That’s how I approach sales. I believe that selling is educating people about the solution or outcome they want. If you can educate people to the point that they can make a decision, then you will typically win.”
Why do you believe that salespeople should have a marketing mindset?
“Effective salespeople always think like marketers. Marketers always think about things like customer profiles, ideal customers, value proposition, messaging, and all that. Those are the things that salespeople today must understand and help in the creation of because they are face to face. When you really look at it, if they don’t participate in the creation of these things, the marketer is just going off what is ideal. The difference between ideal and a real customer is the salesperson. This is the same way, I think marketers should think like salespeople when it comes to personalizing messages, presentations, and thinking about relationships.”
Which sales team that you’ve worked with has stood out and why?
“We’re working with this one company that has a sales manager that truly believes in marketing being the right hip. We’ve come up with this mantra saying that we are no longer different sections but one “outcome department” and that outcome is to have a customer that is ideal and fits our profile. We want to make sure the relationship is solid throughout. What makes them great is having a sales manager who wants to collaborate and participate in the creation of the messages and nailing down what is important to the customer. It drips from the top- the leadership automatically flows down to the sales team. They’re kicking it because they are synchronized, and marketing and sales aren’t split.”
How do you overcome rejection or adversity?
“I focus more on the yes’s than the no’s. How I’ve gotten over rejection is by understanding and focusing on the people that want to go on this journey with us. I focus more on them than the people who don’t. I don’t believe in being in the convincing business. You can chase a lot of people who aren’t convinced but I don’t think we spend enough time with the people that say yes. When they say yes, we assume it’s a closed deal and move onto the no’s. I spend more time with the ‘yes’ and figure out how to get those people to give referrals and find others who could also benefit from our solution.”
Sell me the idea of a Spurs having a successful season!
“Just like sales, I believe it’s all about the halftime adjustments. I feel confident in the coaching and the player development to put people in a position to win. In my eyes, when you have a solid coach, you look at the assets that you have. We have a solid piece in Lamarcus Aldridge that solidifies the 4. We have the length and youth to try and chase Golden State. The addition of Demar Derozan brings a veteran status and he’s played against Lebron James. I just feel like, with the coaches, everyone can understand their strengths. Ginobli will still give 15-20 off the bench. Having Popovich is like having Bill Belichick. To succeed, salespeople need to take matters into their own hands and have as much input and control over the organizations messaging and targeting. This will bring everyone on the same page. It’s a challenge. They need to inject themselves earlier into the customer journey as well as the marketing journey.
