August 1, 20213 Reasons Why Introverts Can Be Top Sellers
If you close your eyes and describe the attributes of an ideal salesperson, would the word "introvert" come to mind? Probably not. But as sales evolves from a form of art form to a scientific method, the strengths of introverts might prove to be a competitive advantage.
First, build a connection 🕺
Your first meeting of the day is at 9 AM - it's a demo with a large prospect you've been trying to close for the past couple of months. You have a sales engineer, a solutions architect, and a product manager joining the call from your team and the prospect has invited key stakeholders from a few teams within their company. You join the call at 9:00 on the dot and two other people from the prospect's company are already in the video call. What do you do?
❌ Wrong answerStay muted until everyone from your team and from the prospect's company has joined the call before unmuting yourself and greeting everyone.
😕 Less wrong answerSay hello and introduce yourself before saying, "let's give everyone a few minutes to join before kicking things off" and then muting yourself until everyone has joined the call.
✅ Correct answerUse this opportunity to start building rapport with the prospect.
In the post-pandemic world, people spend all day on Zoom meetings talking to 2D faces on screens. There's a (sad-but-true) innate desire for more interpersonal connections. If you can build that affinity with members of their team right from the beginning, you're setting the stage for a much more collaborative call.
How can you start the conversation?
Look up each attendee before the call (or use Dealnotes to pull that information) and confirm where they are based. If you've ever traveled to that area or have some connection there, share a quick anecdote.
If you frequently do video calls, keep objects in the background that might spark conversation - like a sports team poster, a guitar, a bike, or a banner from your alma mater. If you break the ice first and one of those objects resonates with someone, they might mention it to you, giving you an opportunity to briefly bond over shared interests.
Then, set the Stage 🎭
Once everyone has joined, make sure you set the stage.
1. Start with a simple thanks
First, thank everyone for joining the call. Don't be overly effusive or complimentary in a way that might turn someone off, but politely acknowledge that you appreciate their time.
2. Share introductions and areas of responsibility
Then, ask each attendee to introduce themselves and what they're responsible for. Note the important distinction here - you want to know exactly who is responsible for what, rather than just what their job title is. This will help you get a sense of why they're on this call and what their decision process criteria might be.
For example, folks in Finance who are responsible for approving budget likely care about quantifiable ROI and cost-saving measures - you'll use a logical selling approach with them. Folks that will be the end users of your product or service likely feel the pain point the deepest - use an emotional selling approach with them. You most likely will have both personas on the call with you, so make sure you address each.
3. Confirm the agenda
Next, run quickly through the agenda. Confirm with the prospect's team that the agenda makes sense and ask them if they have any additional items they'd like to add. Be flexible with your agenda. You gain nothing by not customizing your agenda to talk through only what is most important to the prospect themselves.
4. Define objectives and intended outcomes of the meeting
Finally, and most importantly, state what your objective of the meeting is and ask the prospect what their desired outcome of the meeting is. Make a note of this so you can come full circle at the end of the meeting by re-affirming the originally stated objecting and asking if they feel confident in what you've discussed.
Now you're off to the races - go crush that demo! 💪