Preface: Jill Konrath is one of the most well respected author, speaker, teacher on all things selling. She’s written 4 masterpieces on selling. More importantly, at least to me, Jill is an important mentor to me. She has been a very willing coach, helping me think and execute at higher levels. Very few people care enough to say, “Dave, you can do so much better….”
Jill and I share a common dream, how to make a difference—in the people/companies we work with, in our communities, and in society. In the past year, Jill has shifted her focus to a very important mission: What’s Really Possible? She and I are concerned with the increased polarization we see in our communities and society. What’s Really Possible is an important initiative to help people address the big issues facing our families, communities, countries and world.
Why I Love Sales
Sales was never a career option I aspired to. Yet, if I wanted to start my own company it was necessary to learn how to sell. Little did I know that I’d fall in love with a profession I once despised.
What did I love about it? At first, it was an opportunity to have conversations with so many interesting people.
I met entrepreneurs, small business owners, and professionals from a variety of industries. I toured manufacturing plants. I felt like a kid in a candy store. The world was opening to me. At the same time, I was learning a whole new skill set. I was learning how and why different businesses used our products. I was learning how to engage people in relevant conversations about what mattered to them.
I learned how to get prospective customers to ask me how soon they could get my product/service. I learned how to keep decisions moving forward rather than stuck in the bureaucracy.
I experimented all the time, looking for ways to increase my effectiveness. It was a true challenge, trying to figure all these things out.
I focused on getting up to speed as soon as humanly possible—and got really good at it. (I detail my process in Agile Selling).
As a result, I’d get promoted, moved into specialist positions or new market segments. I even switched companies because I wanted a new challenge.
I loved the challenge. I loved being compensated well for my efforts. I loved the learning.
And, I loved teaching my colleagues what worked. I soon as I figured anything out, I’d put together a small workshop on the topic.
Ultimately, I started my own consulting company focusing on new product launches. I had to quickly immerse myself in my client’s new offering, ideal clients, what mattered to their buyers, and even their sales methodology.
My goal? To create materials and training programs that would help salespeople shorten time to revenue. It was always great fun!
Afterword: Jill is giving away a huge amount of the materials she has developed over the years. To access them, click on this link: http://www.jillkonrath.com/sales-resource
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