The shortcut you should avoid in a startup
Without practice, there would be no musicians worth talking about. Without sales, there would be no companies. If somebody should sell your idea, it is YOU — the startup founder! Startups can run fast, but there is no shortcut to sales. You need time to practice.
— How can I get as good as you in playing?
The world-famous guitarist Jeff Beck responds to this question with a pure statement:
- You get a guitar when you are around twelve years old and then you play almost every day for forty years.
- No shortcuts?, the interviewer asks.
- No shortcuts, he answers.
You may ask yourself what this has to do with sales? I’ve learnt how to play several instruments and I’ve done sales in startups so I know they have some things in common. Jeff Beck says there are no shortcuts — we need to be persistent and practice. Here’s my advise on how to approach sales calls in startups.
Timing and mood
When you make a sales call, the person on the other end of the line can perceive a lot more than you think. People can notice that you are positive and smile when you talk. Ask them if this is a good time to call and if he or she can talk for a minute, otherwise ask when it is a better time to call back. Full of enthusiasm and wanting to tell your story — you will definitely catch their interest in a few seconds.
Interest and information
Ask some quick questions to let the client talk about things that he or she knows well. Ask for facts that are not business critical but related to your product or service. For example, if you are selling water saving devices, you could start with the open question: how many municipal dressing rooms do you have in your area? The questions should be easy-to-answer facts for them, information that you might be able to find by yourself, but they should know by heart. If they don’t — you have spotted one of the reasons for them to continue listening to you. You know something interesting that you can share!
Personal and respectful
Talk to them in a personal way without losing sharpness, tempo and your respect for their time. Ask for information that helps you define what kind of status they are in. Their pain should be solved by you by saving time, money or by making the perceived quality higher. If it doesn’t, acknowledge that, talk to them about your idea and get their feedback anyway to fine-tune your proposal for the next time.
Sometimes a person doesn’t have time now and want more information in a mail. No problem. Ask for their mail address. One up for you! Add it to an excel sheet and put it in your calendar. To come back, send material and follow up is the best way to success in sales.
It is a good idea to summarize the conversation by asking them if they want to get a snapshot of your product or service in a mail. Thereby you get their mail address.
Persistence and follow up
What if the person does not answer? Try to get hold of a switchboard operator and ask for the person’s mail address. Send a mail introducing yourself and mention that you have tried to call. Schedule another time in your calendar to call again — and make sure you do so! By doing that, they know that you exist and have persistence. It also gives some more tolerance the next time you call. Or the next again.
Repetition and practice is key. Don’t be afraid of running out of leads. I can assure you that it won’t happen. The more you practice, the better you will get and the more successful you will be. Practice everyday — just like a world famous guitarist! Good Luck!!!
In the next article, I will share my learnings of the importance of pictures. Stay tuned!
