How to be a Sales HERO w/ Bridget Gleason [Episode 644]

Bridget Gleason is VP of Sales for Logz.io and my regular partner on Front Line Fridays.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• The topic is ‘values.’ Andy cites Tony Tjan and invites listeners to review Episode 621 and read Tony’s book “Good People.”
• Andy’s new acronym for personal values is HERO: Helpful, Empathetic, Responsive, Open-minded.
• Being Helpful is essential. Too often, in sales we think our job is to get an order. The job really is to help the buyer quickly gather the information they need to make a good decision with the least investment of time and resources.
• The buyer considers it to be a strategic advantage when they can make good decisions quickly. This is what the buyer wants. The sales rep can help the buyer, provide service with a smile, and have fun doing it.
• Being Empathetic is more than knowing the persona. Engage the prospect and listen to them attentively to demonstrate your empathy. Andy says learn to listen slowly to understand without jumping ahead.
• Pause a second after the customer answers and think before replying. Don’t default to the next scripted question.
• Being Responsive is an advantage for the rep. Reps who don’t make the prospect wait are helping the prospect make a good decision quickly. Network in your company to get quick turnarounds on resources for your prospects.
• Andy read an article that responsiveness is wrong because sales reps will go for the quick answer instead of the right answer. Andy disagrees. A rep will not risk the sale with careless incorrect quick answers.
• Being Open-minded means not to assume what the customer’s answer will be. It’s not going to be the same answer every time. Treat every customer situation as being unique. Listen to learn.
• It takes a lot of deliberate thought to be open-minded. Try to see another viewpoint. It takes vigilance. Selling is a deliberate act. Be thoughtful about every action. The more deliberate you can be, the more successful you are.
• In sales, you just have to be better than the others.
• Andy cites Herbert Simon, people are by and large looking to make good enough decisions. You can help them achieve what they need to achieve. Be a HERO.