5 Tips I Learned From 6 Months in Tech Sales.
There’s a rush that comes from being new. The excitement is fresh, like a recently mowed lawn. You can almost smell it.
But as all new experiences are wont to do, that starry-eyed wonder soon turns stale, like the browning blades of grass. Not for the loss of enthusiasm, (if there’s anything you have plenty of, it’s enthusiasm…) but because whenever you start out something new, you most likely would be terrible at it. At best, you would suck just a little bit. Barring, of course, the off chance that you’re the child prodigy, Mozart, with his harpsichord.
I’ve worked in client-facing roles all six years of my career, so I half expected to find the transition to Tech Sales like Picasso with his father’s paintbrush. The other half expected a steep learning curve. Well, it turns out, I am no Picasso, and no shame in that as the art of selling doesn’t come naturally to most people. However, I’ve learned that you can get better at anything by practicing.
So, I’ll keep trembling through pitches as I charm prospects with good cheer, articulate delivery, and faux confidence. You know, fake it till you make it, except that the criteria for “making it” keeps changing, so we keep faking until it comes naturally.
Tip #1 — “Repetition is the mother of all skills”. — Tony Robbins.
So, yes, I’d had some time to practice. But those years didn’t quite prepare me for the onslaught of terminology, essentially an alien language I would have to learn to take the reins on my career pivot to technology consulting. This seemed to me, the most obvious challenge- That I hadn’t quite grasped the mechanics of what I was selling.
After months of googling phrases and new technology during meetings. I realized and relearned the age-old secret that had been staring at me right from my contact book…
Tip #2 Relationships matter way more than knowledge of the product.
Not to say that knowing the product isn’t important, far from it. Every salesperson needs to understand the components of the product they are peddling. But you don’t close a sale merely by narrating the impressive technology on the backend of your solution. No, you sell because your prospect is convinced that this solution will meet an immediate need- The buyer gets sold on the use case benefits, not fancy technology. Nobody buys technology for technology’s sake. Companies and the people that represent them want their problems solved and would pay good money for that value.
Tip #3 Don’t sell features, sell benefits
Benefits because Tech sales are all about knowing your customer, building a relationship, and helping them — either a business or an individual — solve real-world problems with innovative technology solutions.
The best way to achieve this is by Consultative Selling. — Don’t set out to sell a product. First, find out their pain points and then offer a solution.
“Don’t find customers for your products, find products for your customers.” — Seth Godin
Tip #4 Don’t sell a product, sell a solution.
I couldn’t have chosen a better time to join Technology Consulting. I mean with Mercury in retrograde and all. But seriously, the new realities of remote work and hybrid work models demand that companies depend more heavily on technology to improve productivity and increase profitability. The market is ready. The next part is to reach out, find out who needs what and offer it to them I.e Networking
“Care enough to create value for customers. If you get that part right, selling is easy.” — Anthony Iannarino
Tip #5 Networking is all about giving. Giving value, showing genuine concern
The Five Tips
#1 Repetition is the mother of all skills.
#2 Relationships matter more than knowledge of the product.
#3 Don’t sell features, sell benefits
#4 Don’t sell a product, sell a solution.
#5 Networking is all about giving. Giving value, showing genuine concern
