Wait… What? The Secret of Selling?
The Battle between the Traditional and the Modern
The field of sales has always been a battleground for the novel ideas and big egos of salespeople. The most fascinating thing about it is that it is not that much of an exact science…
This means that there are a plethora of ways to approach it — everybody has their own way of doing things that works for them (or not).
That is why it is not so much a battle of companies, but rather a battle of sales professionals around the globe, making it such a competitive field.
Let’s put this hypothesis to the test shall we?
Exercise:
Approach several of your colleagues from the sales department and find out more about their own way of reaching out to potential customers.
Disclaimer: While you’re trying to decide, whether you should talk to Craig, Ben, or Tom from sales first, keep in mind, that this is a very long post. I’d grab a beer, if I were you. On the other hand, if you’re at the office and can’t do so, just watch your six, I don’t want to get you in trouble for reading, while you should be working.
Spoiler alert!
Sorry for being the spoiler guy, but most likely, every salesperson you ask, will have their own “right way” and style that makes them stand out from the crowd.
The above can be clearly seen on the surface, without asking too many questions, as the only thing salespeople love bragging more about than their “scores”, is how they manage to achieve it.
Disclaimer: Sales people take no offense from the remark above, please. I am one of you guys and there’s nothing shameful about liking the spotlight… after all, it comes with the job… so… you might, as well enjoy it… right?
Now, what is hidden between the lines, on the other hand, are the patterns of similarities that determine a salesperson’s core approach, or as I like to call it “school.”
The “school” is determined by the selling point that guides their offer/proposal:
A) If they lead the conversation with product features and cost, then they most likely use a traditional approach.
B) If their focus is on developing relationships and creating value for the customer, they most likely belong to the school of the modern approach.
Disclaimer: Found different results? Leave your input in the comments, perhaps we can establish the emergence of a new trend!
Now, in order to clarify my point from the paragraph above a bit, I’ll give you a brief overview of both traditional and modern approaches.
Wait…
Before I do that, there’s something that needs to be said early…
Traditional does not imply an out-dated and useless approach and modern is not always super cool and awesome… okay… well… maybe it is… a bit… but that’s not the point here…
In my mind HubSpot, (not sure if they actually coined the terms themselves…) has the most appropriate and least judgmental labeling for the two approaches — “modern” is referred to as “inbound” and “traditional,” as “outbound.”
In order to camouflage my biased perspective, (yes… I am an inbound fanboy…) I’ll see to it that I use HubSpot’s definitions, as much as possible.
This way you can see for yourself which “school” you truly belong to.
Disclaimer: Before you start making conclusions, based on this article, I want to let you know that the information within this article, is by no means a strict instruction of what and how to do sales, marketing, advertising, business development, or anything related. The sole purpose of the article is to inspire your creative-thinking, as well as your curiosity and give you a basic overview of some of the challenges modern-day professionals in these fields face. The real journey begins, when you finish the whole thing, close it and make the choice — do I take control of my life and learn more, or do I just ignore it and grab a beer with the guys? The choice is yours, I can only show you the door…
Outbound/traditional approach
Some of the best examples of traditional methods can be seen in the TV show “Mad Men.” If you haven’t watched it, I won’t push you to do so, however keep it mind, if you want to see what I mean, at some point.
To put it simply, the traditional approach can be summarized, by the following characteristics and activities:
- Company/salesperson-centric
- Product/price leadership
- Direct sales and advertising
- Cold-calling
- Trade-shows and sales events
- Print, TV and radio advertising
Disclaimer: Keep in mind that the list does not contain every single activity of outbound, as this is unfortunately beyond the scope of this article. The purpose of the list is to provide you with basic context and serve, as an example. If you are interested in learning more in detail about the topics mentioned in the article, feel free to search the web. There are far more competent people in this field than me, so I strongly advise you to consult with the experts first. I am neither an expert, nor an authority on the subject. I am just curious and read a lot, but that certainly does not make me an expert… a connoisseur, perhaps…?
It is quite often that traditional sales are way too aggressive, intrusive, “pushy,” and in-your-face — something that customers have grown used to over the years, but despise, nevertheless.
Don’t get me wrong, I am certainly not saying that traditional sales methods don’t work anymore. They do, but at the same time, they are becoming less and less effective.
The core challenge for this approach is that people don’t like being “sold” and by pushing them more and more products, without regard and appreciation, for their own agendas is only turning them away.
Looking on the bright side and from my own professional experience in digital advertising, I can tell you with confidence that despite the loss of effectiveness, mentioned above, the budgets for digital advertising are growing exponentially.
The only way I can explain this to myself is that, due to the banner’s ineffective performance, companies are forced to spend more and more, in order to achieve “scaleable” results.
Let me put this into perspective — the global CTR average is 0.06%, or about two-thirds of a click for every 1000 views, which is already quite disturbing.
What is even more disturbing than the stats above, is when you compare them to more “real-life activities.” For example, you are about 475 times more likely to survive a plane crash, than you are to click on a banner…
Nevertheless…
Direct advertising, whether it is digital, or not, is huge business, with many opportunities to earn big money… but… wait… what if there’s another way…?
Business in the aftermath of the “digital disruption”
With the dawn of the 21st century, it seems that the world is slowly taking a new direction, business included. The rise of the internet, social media and global communities, changed the game for good and the sooner companies realize this, the longer they will survive in this fluid and unstable environment.
Let me give you a brief example and put things better in perspective, by quoting the words of Ray Wang, CEO of Constellation Research:
“Since 2000, 52 percent of the names on the Fortune 500 list are gone, either as a result of mergers, acquisitions or bankruptcies.”
The above mentioned “massacre” is in direct correlation with the occurrence of the digital disruption, whose roots conveniently began sprouting exactly around that time…
This still is major BAD news for the dinosaurs of traditional businesses…
Now, if you are not familiar with the “digital disruption,” perhaps you are still left wondering:
Okay… Why is that… Why aren’t big businesses able to handle the “disruption?”
The answer is simple, yet eludes many companies — it is no longer about selling your products (no matter how amazing they are), it is about being “human” and genuine, as a company. It is about creating a community for your customers and providing solutions for their daily challenges and struggles. Simply put:
Stop thinking about making a million dollars and start thinking about serving a million people
With the quote above in mind, one starts to wonder… are there really more ways to solve a customer’s challenges than selling them product “x?”
Don’t rush. Take your time to think and see for yourself. Does this makes sense?
Now, considering that you have given thought to the quote above, let me elaborate, by sharing some highlights from the inbound approach:
- Customer/buyer persona-centric
- Value and relationship leadership
- Social engagement
- Relevant content that creates value
- Blog posts
- Webinars
- Infographics
- E-books
- Podcasts
Disclaimer: Keep in mind that the list does not contain every single activity of inbound, as this is unfortunately beyond the scope of this article. The purpose of the list is to provide you with basic context and serve, as an example. Further down I do give a few mentions of other activities, as examples, but as I said, elaborating on them in detail would just be too much…
Battle outcome: Inbound vs Outbound
With the highlights in mind and by comparing the two approaches side-by-side, it is clearly visible that they are actually two exact opposites.
Now, to be honest, I would rather not have an “Approach War,” and force a divide between salespeople, so I’ll set the record straight. Despite my personal bias leaning towards inbound, it is not always “the best and only right way.”
The truth and therefore the sweet spot, like always, stands somewhere in the middle. So, in order to maximize effectiveness, you have to use the best of both worlds.
Roughly put — start with a great product/service, add a bit of content to create value, some banners to drive direct sales and voilá — you’re one step ahead of the competition!
My inbound bias
With the record set straight, I can elaborate freely on my personal bias towards inbound. The primary reason for my preference, stems out from one of my personal values — I just don’t like to intrude.
I don’t enjoy, or feel comfortable pushing people to buy something, they might not even need in the first place. My core perspective is built on the foundations of interest, initiative and curiosity, which, more-or-less reflects what inbound is about (how convenient!).
To give you a rough example of what I mean, let’s say John, 25, is passionate about dirt-bikes (buyer persona).
One day out of curiosity and serendipity he searches the web and finds a blog about dirt-bike tuning (SEO).
The blog matches his passion and interest, quite well, as he reads an article about certain tweaks and hacks that will increase his bike’s performance (relevant content).
John tries them out and loves the results, as they solve his challenge (value creation).
That’s why he reads more and eventually finds out that the blog, actually belongs to a small local bike dealer/mechanic (landing page).
One day his bike is totaled and needs a new one, so he has two choices:
A) Go to the big dealership, whose ads John has seen before
B) Visit the small one, whose blog has helped him get most out of his bike.
Put yourself in John’s shoes. What would you choose?
For me and according to the principle of reciprocity, it’s a no-brainer — John is more likely to choose option B) — the company that has already created value for him, before he even spent a dime on their services.
The best and actually funniest thing in this scenario is that during the entire time John doesn’t even realize that he is being “sold.”
Quite the contrary, he firmly believes that it has been his own decision to take the steps of his buyer’s journey all along…
If you’re not convinced of the effectiveness of inbound, by now, you’re probably thinking:
What is this overblown nonsense?
Look… I don’t blame you… I thought the same… Until one day HubSpot inbound the **** out of me… Oops… Forgive my language… it was way too dramatic…
Anyways, let me tell you more about the experience.
At first, I barely knew anything about their business, or their products, I had just read a few blog posts and attended a webinar on cold-emails, or something, anyways this is not so important right now…
Long-story-short, during the webinar the speakers introduced a free tool that tracks link clicks within emails, so I thought: “Cool, it’s free and handy, let’s check it out…”
Next thing I know, I am sitting in a departmental meeting, advocating how great the tool and their other products are, like I’m a member of their sales team…
Then it hit me…
So, I did what every person does in such situation — I retraced the steps of my buyer’s journey all the way to the beginning…
I won’t go into too much detail of how flabbergasted I was, but I think my blank stare and jaw dropping describes the experience quite well…
This is inbound in its purest form… no wonder HubSpot is the industry leader…
With this in mind, I would like to add one final remark, regarding the benefits of inbound. Apart from, being an under-the-radar approach that attracts, by creating value, the thing that inbound does best is to reflect and resonate with the mindset of the “modern customer.”
What this means is that it is, basically, a near-perfect match of the needs of today’s customers — the need for flexibility and communication (social media), the need for belonging (community engagement), as well as their natural curiosity (relevant educational content).
Who and what is the modern customer?
To give you a rough example of who the modern and traditional customers are I’m adding a few key characteristics, and comparing them side-by-side:
The “Traditional Customer”
- Knows very little about companies/brand and the products they provide
- Has a few alternatives to choose from
- Does not see long-term value of products (consumer mentality)
- Has little-to-no desire in being engaged and part of a community
The “Modern Customer”
- Curious and willing to learn (about companies, brands, products, services and solutions)
- Adaptive and flexible (having an internet connections means that always has the opportunity to learn and communicate more, if desired)
- Looks for a company/brand that matches their own values
- Needs a sense of belonging (to be part of a community)
Disclaimer: Once again, the list is far from being comprehensive. Its sole purpose is to provide basic context and serve, as an example, to guide your line of thinking.
Looking at the two types, it is clear to see that the “traditional customer” is easy to work with, meaning that they will be interested in buying something, regardless of whether it provides them real value, or not.
The lack of knowledge is also a great loophole for salespeople to exploit, by sharing only basic insight, selling points and filtering out the negatives. Simply and roughly put, it is easy to persuade/manipulate and take advantage of someone, who doesn’t know better.
This was working great, when newspapers TV and radio were the main source of information for people, but, as I mentioned before, the digital disruption changed the game for good and now there’s no turning back…
Nowadays more and more people are becoming “modern customers,” who take few things at face value and are willing to research their options first, before making their final decision.
This is also what is literally destroying many of the industry giants that ruled our world, during the previous century.
Due to their inflexibility and complacency in adapting to change, these companies are connecting less and less with their customers and losing grip on their once glorious kingdom…
Speaking of kingdom, the digital disruption, brought a new royal family to lead its realm to glory — content and community.
I assure you, there are a plethora of articles, research and other publications on how to use content to your advantage, so I’m not going to go into too much detail about it. Just stay curious and keep yourself informed on the subjects, because as the saying goes “content is king…”
Content is king indeed, but I would like to add my personal touch to the quote:
“If content is king, then community is his queen, bringing their royal subjects closer together.”
Bearing this in mind let me introduce you to…
Her majesty, the Community
Let me elaborate and give you an example, why community is absolutely essential to doing business nowadays. There are many people that are great networkers, they meet many others and add them to their appropriate social media channel, or retain their contact info in another way, but then they stop there…
Sounds familiar? I would imagine so… and given that this is common practice, it is rather disappointing, to be honest…
What these people fail to realize is that connections on social media, without additional discussion/rapport are about as valuable, as a raw meal — sure it might be possible to eat it, but it will never reach its true potential, if it remains unprepared forever. Worst of all, it might actually rot, if you leave it out for too long…
“A network gives you reach, but a community gives you power.” — Ted Rubin
Mr. Rubin couldn’t have been closer to the truth. The lesson here is to remind you that if you don’t develop your relationships, you are missing out — they become“vanity metrics” and apart from doing ineffective broadcasting via social media, you might as well not have them at all.
Besides informing your customers about your solutions via social media and sharing content, many companies fail to realize that the “community” is also a very effective way to gather valuable feedback that can be used to further customize and improve your offer. If you are familiar with the principles of Kaizen (continuous improvement), then this one is for you.
Last but certainly not least social media channels and communities are a great way to advertise “under the radar,” of course, only when done properly.
The key words here are “relevant,” “customized” and “recommendation/advice.” Relevant to the customer’s challenges, customized to their persona and done by means of a friendly advice, or recommendation let them decide what’s best for them.
Now, before you continue reading the next paragraph, please read the following quote and let it sink in. Reflect a bit on it and you’re free to move on.
“People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it.” — Simon Sinek
Passion and the why
The quote above is, in my mind, one of the greatest quotes on how to do business in the modern world. Mr. Sinek explained all of it beautifully, during his TED talk, which you can find here. Basically what this quote highlights, is the need for authenticity in salespeople. It also creates a sort of a challenge for sales professionals that their competitive spirit will certainly adore.
Still, before revealing what the “challenge” really is, I would like to seize the opportunity and play a bit with the words of Mr. Sinek; to revamp his quote, in order to highlight the lesson here:
People buy the salesperson, their passion and their energy, not their product.
Still wondering what the competitive challenge is and are eager to get started?
Okay, fine, I won’t keep you waiting any longer:
The challenge is to be your genuine self, show passion for what you do, express interest in the customer and the challenges they are facing. It is about getting to know your clients a bit better and by doing so, make their lives easier… After all, they will gladly pay for it…
In its essence, it is, in a way, all about being a genuine human being… isn’t it…?
Looking back
Now, if the last sentence didn’t quite hit the “nerve” I was expecting it to hit, you are probably wondering:
“Wait… is this what selling is all about? Being “human” and nice? Isn’t this common sense?”
Well… in a way it is… alas “common sense” is not always so common, after all…
So, yes, despite the plethora of overly complicated approaches, methods and techniques, it seems that the secret of selling is… well… not so… secret…
The truth is that it is, as simple, as it gets, yet it is often the simplest of things that elude even the brightest of minds…
So in the end it’s just a simple technique…?
Wait… it’s not even a technique… actually… it’s more of a mindset… it’s the mindset of being genuine, being passionate about what you do, as well as being interested in who your customer truly is. Who he/she is, as a person… not as a revenue generator…
Because… let’s be honest — how would you feel, if the only thing people saw in you was your potential to pay?
Well… I’ll let you decide…
Thank you for reading! If you have some insight on the subject to share, or some feedback in general, feel free to leave a comment. I’m always interested in learning more about your perspectives!
Yours truly,
Petar Stoykov
About the author
Hello there! I sure am glad to see you made it all the way to the credits, so thank you for your persistence, if not your curiosity!
Now that you are here and are that interested in learning more about me, let me indulge you: I’ll start with a few words that describe me best and then a few about my journey, if you’re not asleep, by that time.
I am an optimistic, jack-of-all trades and a curious learner, always looking for new opportunities to develop myself and connect with people, passionate about their role in world.
Professionally, I journeyed through a wide range of industries and positions, starting from supervisory positions in the hospitality industry, then moving to project coordination for a local NGO and finally business development in the IT sector, which is what I’m doing now.
Apart from that, I was able to pick quite the pallet of insight up, from my time in academia, with the most notable fields being imagineering, business psychology, PRINCE 2 and last but certainly not least — change management, the field I specialized in.
All-in-all, having the chance to experience business operations from a wide spectrum of perspectives, helped me develop a comprehensive outlook and taught me to keep my eye on the big-picture.
With this in mind, I continue working on myself and towards my mission — To introduce innovative personal and professional development practices to both local and global communities and aid their growth towards global citizenship.
My main motivation? Human potential is a renewable resource with constant demand and value. Let me help you, help the community, so we can all help shape the world of tomorrow. That’s certainly a win-win in my book!
Petar Stoykov — Developing today’s talent into tomorrow’s future.
Find me on Twitter @PeteStoik
