Perhaps the most surprising thing I’ve learned during my time in sales is the following:

Be sold before you sell.

Before I could effectively make a pitch and convince a customer to work with my customer, I had to believe. I had to believe that we had the right capabilities. I had to believe that the people behind these capabilities had the right values and were willing to do what it takes to deliver for my customer. And I had to believe that my company in general had values that I agreed with.

Without this understanding, any sales attempt I made felt awkward. I wasn’t entirely sure if it was in my customer’s best interest to work with my company, so I was hesitant to push them to do so.

Once I figured out more about what I was representing, things started to change.

Rather than making a half-hearted effort to sell everything, I was able to prioritize. I now avoid the areas where I believe there are better solutions, and I unapologetically push the areas where I know my customer would be best to work with my company.

 

Selling something you don’t believe in is draining and unethical.

So it’s worth taking the time to understand what you’re selling before hitting the road.

-Brandon