Preface: Who doesn’t know Anthony Iannarino? Anthony has been a friend/colleague for years. One of the things that has made me fascinated about his work is he thinks differently and deeply about selling. And it’s that difference that makes him so special. Thanks for your contribution Anthony!
When I was twelve, someone told me that if I knocked on every door in my apartment complex and each of the ones on each side, people would give me money. I asked every person that answered the door. My Sunday delivery was 300 papers, making it impossible to deliver them early enough, even with a bicycle.
When I was 15, I made cold calls for a non-profit. I was calling community organizations to ask them to participate in a bike-a-thon. I was the only person to book a bike-a-thon. When I left to work at a skating rink, I was the only person who had succeeded. I had arranged two bike-a-thons.
When I was 18 years old, I started working for my family’s business. I was a recruiter. I was told that if I didn’t have a person to interview, I was to call companies and ask them if they needed help. The first call was perfect, I read the script exactly as it was written. The client, amused, said, “Call me when you don’t need the script.” I called for help, and was told to call him back and tell him I don’t need the script. I won some deals, but I was only working to play music at night.
I only became interested in selling when I moved to Los Angeles. Not knowing any better, when I had nothing to do, I called companies and asked for a meeting. I had been in staffing long enough that I was able to help the prospects solve their labor problems. One day, my manager walked over to my desk to ask me who won the deals. They were all mine, and the following Monday, I was a field salesperson.
Not long after I won a giant client, I had a Grand Mal seizure, and just like that, I was back in Columbus. Because I was able to help my clients, I won a lot of enterprise clients. I started to gain business acumen by asking my clients to help me understand their business and how I could help them. Some part of me needed to be helpful to other people, while I also liked the relationships and the development.
Now I am interested in selling because I recognize the evolving B2B landscape by documenting the strategies that work today and helping others succeed in sales.
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