If you’re in sales, you likely have a budget you need to reach/exceed to be considered successful. You might be curious, and even anxious, about how you’re going to reach that budget, and which relationships/customers will get you there. Many people in sales have probably gone through exercises like the 80/20 rule to identify which relationships should get you to your budget. The ironic thing is curiosity is one of the key traits that will get you there, however, this curiosity has nothing to do with the 80/20 rule. Being curious about your current and future customers’ goals, and a desire to learn about their company is what will get you to budget.
Too often in sales, our curiosity tends to be about how we make the sale, and not about the other person in the conversation. An interaction between a marketer and a media salesperson might go like this:
Salesperson: What types of advertising have you done in the past?
Marketer: We have done XYZ.
Salesperson: Oh wow…we have XYZ and our XYZ is better than the XYZ you’re buying. Please buy from me.
Although that is an exaggeration of the directness of what is said, it is what the customer might hear. And it probably won’t lead to many sales. We need to come into these conversations not caring about the 80/20 rule or if we will hit our budget. Our focus needs to be on who we are talking to, what their goals are, and if/how we can help them. There are a few things we can do to make sure this happens:
- Be curious before your meeting by preparing:
- Research the person you’re meeting with, their industry, and their company using all the resources you have access to. This can include things as simple as Google and LinkedIn, to things more endemic to your industry or their industry like trade publications, social accounts, etc.
- Based on your research, prepare to ask implication questions. These are a great way to learn more about the person, their industry, and their company.
- Look to see if you have a common connection who you can ask for more insight.
2. Be where your feet are. Put your phone away. Don’t think about the last call you were on, or the next call you’re going to be on, and be 100% focused on learning what success looks like for this potential customer.
3. Listen to understand and not to respond. It’s ok to pause when they answer something and to make sure you’re processing what they said.
Here is a famous scene from one of the all-time greatest futbol coaches demonstrating how curiosity can help you win in life, both at sales and at bar games!
