As the academic year comes to a close, I think it would be helpful to reflect on what we’ve learned over the semester. Sales in the Startup was an eye-opening experience in terms of changing my entire perception of salespeople. Once the annoying people who never stop trying to persuade you, salespeople have transformed into some of the most valuable people within an organization; especially in a startup. In my opinion, there are 3 important things to take away from this class:
- Ask Great Questions –
- Selling is all about finding out what your prospect’s needs are. Selling is NOT telling. So many salespeople get this wrong, and lose deals because of it. As a salesperson you are trying to help the customer, and that is most effectively done by asking them questions. If you can ask great questions, and listen to answers, you will be much more successful than if you just spew out product information.
- Always Be Digging –
- Prospects are sometimes reluctant to give up information. Don’t settle for the surface information they give to you. Always try to dig deeper to find out what their actual problem is. If you can ask great questions in order to dig deeper, you will be able to find out what problem they are having and how to solve it.
- It’s About Finding a Good Fit –
- Don’t sell yourself short. A sales conversation is all about finding out if you (the salesperson) and the prospect are a good fit for each other. Be honest with your prospects, and don’t be afraid to tell them that you don’t think that doing business together would be a good fit. Be upfront with them, sometimes setting expectations upfront can actually help you sell, as it makes the prospect feel as though you are actually trying to help them, and not just trying to sell them a product.
Overall, there was so much valuable information touched upon during this semester. However, if you only take away 3 things from this semester, I believe these are the most important points. Whether you become a salesperson or not, you will always find yourself in a selling position. When you are in that position, I hope you remember these 3 points.
BoweryJE22
This was a great way to sum up the semester! Though we learned a ton of information, these 3 points really encompass a lot of what we talked about and are 3 easy things to memorize and take away from the class.