Evan Addams | Slow Growth Sales
What happens when you are selling a technology that barely exists? Evan Addams, an employee of Nowait communicated to us that “you are selling yourself more than you are selling your product!” To me this seems extremely difficult, but Evan found the right way to truly bring in the customers that Nowait was looking for.
He mentioned that the company was starting to slowly grow at this time. As a startup, initially they had about 6 people working on this concept. He was forced to wear a number of “hats” to get the company on it’s feet, but allowed himself to figure out what the customer truly wanted in order to bring in the sales that he had to make with the invisible product. Evan noted a number of ways that he helped to grow the company in the early days of sales and gave us insight to the opportunities of sales.
Pay Attention to the Opportunity
Evan was able to sell becasue he listened, asked questions, and understood the business problem. During his lecture, Evan made an interesting point that stuck with me. He specifically said that “there is no place better in this world than Grove City College to find people that might not always seem to be sales worthy, but who are trust worthy.” At Grove City, we have an opportunity to find a way to relationally connect with someone on a trustworthy level. Within a company, it is the process of fully understanding the business problem, and giving your client a solution that is not always commission driven. Evan would spend time with his clients, figure out what was wrong and become an individual that they could trust.
I am looking forward to the other lectures that Evan will be giving in regards to sales within the startup community. Take a look at the Nowait website link below to learn more about their company!
BoweryJE22
These were some great reflections on some the key points Evan made in his lecture to class. I also would find it really difficult trying to sell a product that didn’t exist yet. The importance of selling yourself, building relationships, listening to the customer’s pain, and showing that you care are all more essential in these instances like in the early days of NoWait like Evan expressed to us.
I totally agree on all points. Evan was extremely articulate and gives me hope going forward about the kind of talent and integrity Grove City College can produce. I’ve spent time around my dad as he’s gone through several start-up phases. He would tell you himself how important it is for entrepreneurs to be flexible in multiple roles. That includes brushing up on accounting, taxes, technology, marketing, etc. You have to be willing to learn new skills you aren’t very familiar with quickly.
I would also say that the comment about selling yourself is incredibly important. When he pitches prospective clients, he’s generally still in the proof of concept phase. That means that they really are buying into you as a person, and your ability to deliver. Great comments!