How Ya Gonna Teach ‘Em To Sell?

The first thing to realize is that selling isn’t “taught” so much as it is “learned.” As a seller-doer, you’ve been in that role long enough, and you may not remember what it’s like not to know how to do it. You can’t just package what you know and hand it to an employee. However, there are some things you can do.

It starts with the hire. BV fits within the broader family of Consulting Services. And you don’t get to the top without learning how to sell. Make that point in every interview. You can add the caveat that this could be several years away, depending on the level of your hire. Even so, your candidates deserve to know what’s ahead for them if they come aboard at your practice.

Look for selling experience on a resume. We’re not talking about sales experience where the customer walks in the door primed to buy, but situations that require reaching out and finding customers. Door-to-door selling is the most common example, but simply having to sell someone on supporting your ideas or projects can be helpful.

Design interview questions that reveal these experiences: “Tell me about a time when you approached someone in a position of authority and convinced them to buy into your project or idea. How/why did you choose that target? What was it that you wanted? How did you persuade them?”

Show them and let them learn. The new hire with little (or no) experience needs time to assimilate into the practice and demonstrate the ability to complete tasks independently. The time will come (you’ll see it if you’re watching for it) when your staffer is ready to ride along on a sales call. Use the travel time to the client to “think out loud,” sharing your ideas for approaching the client and the questions you will ask.

Use the return trip to debrief. Talk about what you learned during the meeting and how that drives the research you need or the analytical approach you will take. Point out any new information that caused you to shift gears once you were at the client’s location. Invite your staffer to ask questions about anything she heard during the visit.

Once you have been through this three or four times, ask your staffer to contribute her questions. Test them to ensure they’re on point. Pick one and invite the staffer to ask the client directly during the meeting.

Finally, don’t overlook the value of this ride-along as a reward for good performance. At the same time, don’t withhold it unfairly. Giving everyone a chance can help you identify the potentially successful seller-doer so you can move her more rapidly along that path.

You’ve known how to develop business for so long that you don’t remember what it’s like not to know it. The “I figured it out, they should be able to figure it out” stance is a recipe for failure.