“You never know what’s going to happen.” – Craig Sanders in today’s Tip 1399
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Transcript
Scott Ingram: You’re listening to the Daily Sales Tips podcast and I’m your host, Scott Ingram. Today’s tip comes from one of our active Sales Success Community members and I’m a little embarrassed to admit that I misplaced this after he sent it to me shortly after the Summit. So with my apologies. Here’s Craig Sanders an Account Manager for AVEVA out of Southern California with today’s tip:
Craig Sanders: Hello, fellow sales peers. My title of my tip is you never know. You just never know. After the sales summit, Thank you, Scott. That was an awesome summit, and also those who attended. It was just great connecting with everyone and being present and just listening and learning, it was just awesome. But after the sales summit, I had that Thursday of the next week. I had an onsite demonstration based upon a script, the day before, a technical resource doing the demonstration, she was flying in. And so our goal, we had planned to sit down and go through the script and the demonstration of the software. There’s another gentleman flying in later on that night as well, too. Got her pick her up at the airport, grabbed some lunch, got to the hotel. I brought her projector. We were in the lobby in Southern California starting the demonstration, prepping for the script. Put the soft head, put everything on the screen, let her start, and say, “Okay, let’s see. What’s going on? What you got?” She started doing her discussion, going through the script, and presenting. Then I asked the question, “Is this your first demonstration to customers?”
She broke down and started crying. That changed everything, at least from my perspective. After she gathered herself, she went on to share in halting voices that, yes, it was her first demonstration and that she cares so much. So for me, it immediately changed by what was happening in the situation. So after she gathered herself further, we slowed down, slowed it down, and we spoke about it and said, no, we got to start somewhere, all of us do. But here’s an opportunity. If you’re open for it, I’d be willing to coach you with this if you allow me to, and let’s get through this and let’s have some fun and make it happen, if you allow this to happen. She shook her head yes. So then just slowed it down even further. Just talk about my journey and some of the things that I went through and going through, working professional to create more at ease and relatedness, shared a little bit about herself. Let me just slow it down a little further. I said, let’s get up. Let’s go down to the end of the hallway. Let’s grab a menu, because we’ll probably be out here a little longer, which is okay.
So we got a menu for the restaurant hotel where they can bring food, and we brought that over. But then we actually looked at the first question of the script, talked about it, talked about the intention, what we wanted to get across and have her practice and step through that. Going back over and over it again, just slowing it down, making the eye contact, answering a question. Coming back and making sure she answered the question. Watching where she would click with the mouse. But we slowed it down and then just said, it was neat. So that we went through the second question and we stopped and went through the first question. We just slowed the whole process down and making her comfortable with it, but also giving her a perspective of what in our scenario, of what people might look for and what they might tend to do, and what are they not going to do in this type of scenario. But then we made a bit of time at it. Also when her peer came in later on that evening, we also just shared with him what the game plan was for the demonstration and he had several years more experience, and how she can reach out to him for a certain point where she felt uncomfortable. So we made that safe and okay for her and also set the expectation that she would reach out to him for that.
So this turned into a coaching and also being compassionate for your peer and understanding where they are in their journey, in their career. The demonstration and the shortlist demo went well, that’s another sales tip for another day, but for me, it goes back, you never know what’s going to happen and when it’s going to happen, how you have to pivot and so how it is for a peer just stepping into their role and how you can be compassionate for that person, helping them through their journey and pivoting. Sure, it’s about a short list demo and the sale and stuff, but let’s take a step back and let’s just slow it down and work with your peer and help them grow in their journey, be compassionate and also asking if they’re open for coaching, which she was a great time and great moment and great afternoon. And the neat thing about it for me and stuff, establishing that relationship with that individual who will and is becoming a great resource in our organization and also a relationship moving forward that we’ll have. Enjoy your day and I hope all as well. Thank you.
Scott Ingram: For a link to connect with Craig and tell him hello. He loves Vidyard videos by the way. Just click over to DailySales.Tips/1399 and you can connect with him there. Once you’ve done that, be sure to come back tomorrow for another great sales tip. Thanks for listening!