I hear it with some regularity from Prospects. “But your lock costs more than the one I currently use.”
If I have done my job I already know what lock they currently use and that my lock costs more. And I know enough about their business (or vertical market) that I have insights into HOW they may use my types of locks–meaning the application of the lock technology in their daily work. Continue reading
You don’t have to sell for decades in the security industry to experience the pain of the passing of a close connection.
We travel to shows and meet hundreds of people. We attend industry events and relationships form, paths cross, and common interests rise to the surface.
Of course I want people to buy my products and security solutions. Yet I spend 50% of my time talking to people with whom I meet about how THEY can sell more. About taking THEIR core product, adding other quality features to it to differentiate it, and to solve their end user/customer challenges in ways their competitors won’t. Continue reading
To me it seems obvious. My work matters. I work within the security field. I have for many years now.
The early years of my career were filled with rewarding work within Security Management, Investigations, and Operations. My work protected people. Good people like employees, customers, vendors, and others benefited from life safety and physical security systems I managed and directed. My work investigated and addressed challenges in the workplace like sexual harassment, employee fraud, and organized crime. I trained staff in workplace safety, being first responders and even self-defense training.
I sell, It’s true. Yet I am unlike any Salesperson you know.
#NotLikeTheRest
As a Salesperson I am rejected daily without regard for my insights, talents, expertise, integrity and offerings. Continue reading
Yes, I realize that stopping in unannounced at your facility while I am in the area can be seen as an unwelcome disruption.
Yet the tone and inflection in your first question, “Are you a salesperson?” has given you away. The Gatekeeper shields go up and the stage is set. Continue reading
How are you at spotting trends, predicting future behavior, and connecting the dots within your chosen profession?
More importantly, how well do you act on that information? Do your resulting actions advance your career, land a big sale, result in a new product or service that becomes a huge hit? Do you fail to act? Are you blindsided before acting? Do you take actions that result in poor outcomes? Continue reading
No matter my role….Sales Director, Account Executive, Business Development, Sales Mentor…….my selling of security technology (hardware, software, and services) boils down to hard work. Honing one’s craft, if you will.
I’ve done it door-to-door (starting at age 8! – and again later in life). I’ve done it with cold phone calls – residential, commercial, and at the enterprise level. I’ve done it walking through factories, jails, chemical plants, hospitals, schools, utilities, hotels and more. I’ve presented to Executives, Architects, Consultants, IT Departments, Facilities, Law Enforcement, and every flavor of Security Professional you can imagine. Continue reading
I know sales quite well. I engage with salespeople all day long. I also sell. Continue reading
If you are in Sales are you a Giver or a Taker? Most in the sales business are Takers.
Sales Account Executives who are Takers (similar to, but not to be confused with order-takers) have an expectation that a customer will lay out a nice tidy outline of what they want to buy. Continue reading