The most poignant thing we’ve discussed in class thus far in the semester is the idea of identifying customer pain and how important that is to any business; large or small. I think far too often salespeople go wrong when they approach a new client relationship unilaterally, failing to hear and understand what the customer actually needs. This leaves both parties worse off; the salesman, because he is less likely to get the sale (statistically speaking) and the client, because they still find themselves with a pain needing to be healed.
My freshman summer, I spent time working in the warehouse at an industrial fan manufacturing plant where my uncle is the CFO. One night towards the end of the summer, the VP of sales came out to the warehouse to check up on how things were with my cousin and me. It was after the other workers had already left, so we were able to have a candid conversation. We somehow started discussing his sales technique and how growing up it was the last thing he would’ve expected to be doing. Being an ex-Blue Angel in the Navy, he was a no nonsense kind of guy. After asking us what we thought about sales and what makes an effective salesman, we gave the typical response. Someone who was extremely charismatic and good with people. He immediately quipped back saying that’s the one thing he hates most about all salesmen stereotypes. He was no doubt charismatic, but he said that’s not what drove his success. The first thing to do when approaching existing or new clients is to ask them what they need; where their pain was. He would literally begin every new business relationship with this question and then stop and listen. There was nothing he could offer his clients if he couldn’t understand their needs.
This approach of an honest willingness to help came from his experience in the military, he said. It’s his character and integrity that wins sales, not charisma. I’ll never forget that lesson, as I think it is essential to beginning mutually beneficial relationships with clients.
I found this graph online and thought it was most reflective of customer pain: 
BoweryJE22
This post was great to read! The quote, “The first thing to do when approaching existing or new clients is to ask them what they need; where their pain was.” Meeting that need is crucial to the success of business. I would think that is a major reason for your uncles success.
I so appreciate the principle you stated here, “It’s his character and integrity that wins sales, not charisma.” It really does come down to character–you can teach a salesman to make jokes and create a compelling pitch, but you can’t teach someone to actually, genuinely care about another person. That ability to listen and engage a customer’s pain is, at the foundation, an outflow of character and integrity.