An issue in training, sales, and every job is finding the right person for the right job. Some writers use the analogy of hunters, for those who see business, and farmers, for those who nurture and develop business. But one should add another factor – the need for flexibility. Say one is a farmer, peacefully plowing fields and maybe raising livestock. What if a predator hunter animal shows up, attracted by the prey buffet waiting for him or her without the need for the exertion of the chase? The farmer, at least briefly, must become a hunter and become flexible to stay in business and alive.
Effective Sales
The same is true in business. Certain personality types gravitate to sales. Though people are too varied to make any generalization accurate, specific characteristics are more liable to be true of salespeople than technical “back office” people. Salespeople are frequently more outgoing. They are more comfortable with people, particularly in a field that requires meeting and being able to relate quickly to new people. A good salesperson will like dealing with people or at least be able to convince others they want people. These days, and probably well into the future, the good salesperson will have to be able to adapt their people skills to electronic media.
Effective sales do not end with just supplying good products or services. That is actually where effective sales start. Other good products and services, probably equally good, are out there. Competitors might be able to match prices. Good salespeople become more than just vendors; they have become trust advisors, even partners, able to help identify client needs and meet needs.
The back-office person, the stereotypical back-office person, will be less outgoing than the salesperson. The back-office person will probably be more comfortable with ideas than with people. So well-placed sales and back office technical people may be ideally suited for their jobs. However, you need overlap between the two essential functions. The salesperson must understand the technical stuff. To be effective, he or she will be able to explain the product or service to the client in terms that all levels of technical understanding can comprehend yet remain accurate.
The back-office person needs some people skills to do their job. They must, for example, be able to explain ideas and concepts to co-workers, management, and to salespeople. The insurance underwriter, for example, the back-office person in the insurance field, is often faced with the problem of not only creating or finding a product but also explaining to the salesperson the need for the product. The back-office person must understand the people’s and financing/mathematical parts of insurance. The insurance agent and the salesperson need the same understanding.
Sales and Back-Office
Sales and back office people must deal with changes in the basic structure of the insurance industry – which can be said about just about every industry out there. In the case of the insurance industry, the number of small, so-called “mom and pop” companies is decreasing. A product seller has fewer companies that need convincing and more business possible from each sale — but fewer fallbacks if the deal goes south. In this field, a product seller is selling to other product sellers, whom they must assume are equally skilled as salespeople. The buyers may not have the same technical knowledge as the sellers, but the sellers must adapt to each sales situation.
Sales and Technical Areas
Sales and technical areas will likely continue to attract the same personalities and skill sets. But the economy is also more like to make it increasingly possible that each type will need a greater understanding of the other. Technical people need to understand that their products need to be sold. They will have to explain the effects to the salespeople and enable them to explain outcomes to their customers. In turn, these customers will need to explain the product to their customers. Both sides need to be prepared to leave their comfort zone.
