Welcome as always back to the podcast! What a crazy few weeks. I feel like I keep saying that but as this year comes to a close there are a million things that I need to tackle and finish up! I am sure most of you know how that goes. Shout out to everyone supporting the podcast and helping us grow a community.
This week, if you did not figure out by the title we are going to delve into my past experience and take a deeper dive into sales fundamentals. This is a critical topic for freelancers, and the skills are some of the same that most people are going to need to use to sell ideas and to convince others to jump on board with those ideas.
Now there will be some that are turned off by the idea that they should learn these additional skills, specifically the sales side of the equation, but at the end of the day that is part of the gig. Developers are expected to constantly be updating our skillsets and making sure that we are at the top of our game, and as someone coming from the opposite direction with more history in sales than software I can say that when I am explaining things to someone I usually end up needing to dip into this skillset just to ensure that the points are solid, and the points are made appropriately.
Understanding the sales tactics that sales teams use, and how to align your documentation, and your projects to suit them as well as your leads will end up being more successful for your team, and the company you are working for. Even if you are not in contact with these folks understanding their job, and making sure that you understand how they will need to push the products, and features that you are building. Understanding all angles of the day-to-day situation and understanding the process from planning to end-user is so important I can't even begin to tell you, and is something that lacks in a lot of companies.
Not to beat them up worse than they beat themselves up but Activision Blizzard is a prime example of that. With both World of Warcraft & Call of Duty, there has been a sustained history of tossing in gimmick features that people simply don't care about. Both companies have struggled to get a grasp on what was wanted and the title leads missed the mark. Understanding your end-user and what they want and need could have taken their games to the next level.
In the business dictionary, the definition of sales is as follows: 1. The activity or business of selling products or services, or 2. An alternative term for sales revenue or sales volume. However, sales are so much more than this simple term, which if taken at face value might lead to pushy, business-focused strategies rather than customer-focused ones. Sales are not about trying to convince potential customers or developing the most persuasive tactics to get people to part with their money. When this is your business strategy, people can sense it - and it is a bit of a turn-off. Sales are really about helping your prospects to source what they genuinely need. That means listening to them actively and understanding their pain points and specific needs. The aim is to provide a timely and cost-effective solution, which naturally equates to a win-win situation. Note that if you know you can’t offer the best solution, integrity should come into play. This earns the respect of your prospects, and who knows? They might come back when the time is right, or pass your details to others. By sending a prospect elsewhere you have still assisted in their process – so technically, that’s still sales.
The simple way of saying this is that you are selling something. The act of selling is the way of getting those products out the door and into someone's hands. There a salesperson's job is to find the best solution for the consumer and to then explain to that consumer why it is the best option to suit their wants and needs.
The basic sales process is extremely simple. It is something that people learn in a matter of minutes but can take decades to master. It is deceptively complicated at times, and a lot of it has to do with your people skills, and how you handle objections.