Show Notes
What’s the difference between how a consultant sells, and how a typical software AE sells?
In one word: EVERYTHING!
My first four years at Salesforce, I spoke to customers like many AE’s do. I was friendly, charismatic, and asked a lot of questions about their current situation.
If I thought we could help the client, I shared our value proposition, overview of the software, and asked for next steps, such as a demo or deeper discovery.
I worked hard and considered myself a good “closer,” who could reel in any fish I had on the line using discounts, incentives, and old-fashioned persistence.
Overall, this approach worked okay, and allowed me to make 200K-300K/year on average. Pretty good living, right? I thought so too.
But I never BLEW IT OUT of the water.
During my first four years as an Enterprise AE, I hit quota my first year, missed it badly in my second and third years, and finished 95% my fourth year (that one stung the most!) While my income was decent, I felt like a failure compared to so many reps who were blowing it out of the water, selling over 200% of quota, and making BIG money at Salesforce!
I wanted to know what they were doing differently.
One thing I consistently heard is that the top performers were using a “consultative selling” approach, and many of them engaged a group at Salesforce called “Ignite.”
This group only worked with the most strategic accounts who wanted to transform their business, and their approach centered around design thinking to drive digital transformations.
I was determined to run an Ignite in one of my largest new logos: Berkshire Hathaway Home Services. I engaged my Ignite Partner, a man named Noah Flower.
I was fortunate to book a meeting with the COO of BHHS, and invited Noah to join me.
When I saw how Noah interacted with him, my mind was blown. It was like nothing I had ever seen before.
He asked strategic questions focused on the COO’s highest priorities, biggest challenges, and long term vision for the company.
He asked about competitive threats, shifting market dynamics, and his personal goals.
He listened attentively, dug deeper to understand everything the COO shared, and was deeply curious and interested in the clients business. Not once did he mention anything about our Salesforce or our solutions, nor did he try to pitch an Ignite Engagement.
At the very end of the meeting, he said that he believed we could help, and shared a bit more about Ignite.
For this approach to work, we would first need to gain consensus from the entire C-suite, and Noah offered to help our COO prepare for an internal stakeholder meeting.
Within just a month, the COO had arranged for us to have 1:1 interviews with their CEO, CFO, and CIO prior to the Ignite Workshop. Within 6 months, we had closed the largest deal of my career. The reason why Noah was so effective in front of customers is because he was not a “seller.”
Learn more at: https://www.untapyoursalespotential.com/podcast/
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