A potential IT vendor made a terrific impression yesterday on a consultative sales call. I thought I’d share with you a few of the things he did to make the call productive:
1. He has a clear point of view, area of expertise, and niche. In his case, he has two edges: He knows how to find and tie together certain types software; and he knows how to find the best resources around the world to do that. But he knows what he is, and what he isn’t, and so it is easy for prospects separate him from others.
2. He knows his stuff. He was able to give clear examples of work he has done that meets the requirements I/we seek.
3. He asked great questions about what I/we are trying to do, pushing my own knowledge.
4. He connected technology to business by asking great questions and making solid comments, like:
– In your situation, speed is more important than quality. Here’s how you can launch fast, while saving lots of money and getting revenue in quickly….
5. He pushed back, and came to us as an equal, not a tacky salesperson. He told what he could and couldn’t do, made no guarantees, and even noted that he has been thrown out of clients before (noting this in a way that made him seem more solid rather than less; after all, some organizations do not want the approach he uses, even if they initially think they do).
By the end of the call, we felt confident that he knows his stuff, gets our business, and would be a potential asset to us.
Andrew Neitlich
