Sometimes people think that they are stuck with inefficient process, outdated technology and a manager that doesn’t want to help them. I believe there’s always something you can do about it if you are passionate enough to overcome all the obstacles. In this article, I will tell you how I built my own CRM to handle Sales leads when my manager didn’t want to invest in it (Remark that I knew nothing about web development).
Technical Sales
The cost of not buying
We are all the same…when we have to pay something expensive in front of us… we hesitate,especially when it is expensive!
Should I spend my hard-earned money on this?
Is it really worth it?
Of course, that’s totally normal… that’s because we are always longing to make rational decisions about things and when there is something unclear about the “absolute” benefit, then we may be confused and start having doubts…
It is expensive…wouldn’t it be better to keep my money?
That’s an auto defense mechanism of the human mind telling us that we have to protect the money we worked hard to acquire.
…and most of the time, it is right.
BUT… not always.
Fear of Public Speaking: How I made it disappear
Have you ever felt a sudden lack of confidence because of public speaking… as if the equations and the symbols that made sense for you suddenly wouldn’t impress your public?
The fear of public speaking is actually common among engineers and high educated people… I had this fear a few years ago too.
You can do ANYTHING, if you know how
Doing occasionally technical support, I have heard so many times:
“I cannot do this, I cannot do that…”
And then, most of the time comes a request that has nothing to do with technical support…
Like:
“I don’t understand why something is not working like it should…”
The problem here is not the “something”, it’s the “I don’t understand”…
That’s what I would like to answer:
“You can do anything, if you know how”
Are you making the difference between benefits and features?
For those who know the answer, this question seem trivial…but that’s not the case for everyone and that’s why I am writing this post.
Actually, once when I was a young engineer without knowledge of sales or marketing, I didn’t know the difference myself. When I discovered there was a HUGE difference between benefits and features, I started to stop to use these 2 words interchangeably and I started to pay attention on what I was really saying to prospects and clients.
I hope this will enlighten you as well!
Why you NEED to study Sales to be successful
When I started to work in technical Sales, I wasn’t convinced at all of the need to learn about Sales.
I was thinking that “Sales” is not something that could or should be learnt… because:
1- People choose to buy if they want and if they need what I have to sell.
2- If what I sell is really good, I don’t need to sell anything, people will see it and buy it.
I was blind and stupid.
That’s something that I can only tell after “experiencing” how much I was wrong…
(and that’s not easy to say it, but that’s the truth…)
I don’t know if you feel the same than me but sometimes I just think “I am so right” and I try to prove to everyone around how much I am… to discover few weeks (or months) after that I was in fact telling bullshits…