On Saturday night I received unexpected news that my project manager needed to be out of the office for the whole week. With baby in arms, I immediately went from “I love being domestic” mode to “shit, I have to go back to work” mode. To be honest, after the initial panic wore off I was secretly excited. The entire day I was actually feeling rather tormented about how to apply my energies now that I was feeling healed and more energetic, contemplating crafts and more house projects.
The cold hard reality is that I am habitually, neurotically productive. As much I sometimes love the idea of kicking back and taking it easy, I can only realistically do that for so long before the train goes off the tracks from the wheels in my head running a little too fast with nothing substantial to do. I’ve spent the past five years running this business, and at the end of the day it’s much more efficient for me to be doing this than making jewelry professionally or devoting myself to scrap booking full-time, both of which I was seriously considering prior in the day.
Tuesday morning, after getting past the first morning in tears of leaving 3-week-old Eva in very trusted hands, I have since been fairly consumed with work. In addition to my usual responsibilities, however, I have also been charged with speaking with prospective clients. I have not worn this hat for nearly 3 years, reason being that, believe it or not, I am an innately shy person and I have always felt that sales required personality traits that I simply do not possess. That said, I have sold successfully in the past. If I hadn’t, remember I wouldn’t have a business. One of the main reasons why I phased myself out of a sales role is that when we were moving into more advanced development projects, I was less familiar with the technology and terminology than I wanted to be. That and I just acquired a general aversion to the phone, which is probably my biggest challenge this week. I talk to my lawyer and my accountant, and that’s pretty much the only people who get through to the C.E.O. on the phone.
Getting on the phone and not knowing what type of person will be on the other end of the line takes a little getting used to, but not having much choice in the matter, I can say that it’s been going better than I expected. I’ve had some very successful conversations, sent out proposals and generally I am surprised to find that the entire process is not as frightful as I have been making it out to be in my head since my second child was born and I effectively withdrew from this part of the business. There are a few things that I’ve found make it easier.
- Believe in What You Do.
Simply, I have immense confidence in the service that we provide to our clients, so when I talk about it, it doesn’t feel like a sales pitch. It feels like I’m presenting a series of facts and their subsequent benefits, which unless you have a real skeptic on the line, should come through to your prospective clients positively. Personally, I don’t like feeling like I’m being “sold.” I want the facts. I want to be educated. I want options to make an intelligent purchasing decision. I’m not selling a questionable product. With that mindset, I try to educate the interested buyer in our a high-quality and robust service, and in doing so, the package typically sells itself with only a little guidance about the best fit. - Get on the Same Team as Your Client.
When someone calls and they have a specific need that they’ve thought out well, at that point it is my job to assess the need, make suggestions on the best solution and what I can do to make the entire process as painless and organized as possible. That could vary from helping them find the best package with our company, or putting together a proposal with details that they can present to their investors, or simply delivering materials and feedback on a time line to make their job easier. Establishing yourself as a resource that your prospective client can rely on from the onset is key, especially when they are considering investing in your ability to deliver on your promises. It’s not provider versus buyer, but ideally a partnership that ends in a positive working relationship. - Be Yourself.
We’re all just people. Some people are scarier or nicer than others. Being the boss, I think it’s a little easier for me to be myself on the phone. I don’t feel the need to really impress anyone because I’m confident in who I am and what I represent. Allowing yourself to be professional, but appropriately casual is usually a good thing. If I am being pitched by someone who is overly formal makes me feel a little uncomfortable, and secondly it makes me feel like they are possibly a little desperate to impress me. Unless you are pitching someone who themselves is exceedingly formal, this probably will not improve the sales process. Being able to connect on a personal level at some point, about family or interests or even the weather, is a nice ice-breaker to remind both parties that while it’s important to keep things professional, it’s nice to feel like you can connect with each other casually as well.
I think the terms “salesperson” has a stigma to it that turns people like me off. If you observe the tips above, however, I believe the experience feels less like sales and more like doing business. It has been an interesting challenge to come back into this part of the business having learned all that I have from the past three years and applying those experiences to informative conversations with future clients. I suppose sometimes the best learning comes from going to the places that scare you. For me, that place is the phone.
