Best salesperson..er..isn’t?
One of the best salespeople I know…isn’t actually a salesperson. She‘s an EA.
I had the privilege of meeting her on the phone late last year when she was pretty sure that the company she worked for was about to roll out a bunch of new redundancies and this time, she thought she’d probably be one of them.
She asked me about a job initially, and then she had an idea.
She’d always wanted to start her own virtual assistant service: more flexibility, more variety and less travel time on the city commute. So she made a plan: if she still had a job, her plan could swing into action down the track. If she didn’t, she’d action it!
While she came to me to bounce around ideas about her business, it’s I who has gained so much in the process. So much sales theory has been validated through this woman than I ever thought possible. She sells instinctively. It’s not deliberate. And that’s what makes it powerful.
Here are some lessons about sales from an EA:
- Start your business with an established source of prospective clients (um, yes: she knew where they were, what they valued and how to access them before she got a logo or a business card. Yep: I was impressed!)
- Add value to the people you want as clients way before any money changes hands so they already think of you as someone they trust and want to find a way to work with you (she remembered appointments I’d mentioned in passing that I’d even forgotten about)
- Do something special for your connections to let them know you’re top of mind (she put a card and gift in the mail when she knew I had a funeral to go to)
- Celebrate your wins with others (she rings about her successes and things she’s proud of) which makes me feel like part of her team
- Keep your sights on your goal, even when returning to the comfort of a “job” is ever present. Her energy got her a 3 year deal with a new client as it radiates out of her.
I’ve told her this, and as she reads my stuff she calls me her “raving fan”. I am!
She knows who she is, and she’s probably reading this (at least I hope so). I’ve even started working with her and wondered what life might have been like had I known her 5 years ago!! But I know her now and she’s an important part of my team.
So, thank you EA supergirl. Thank you for the inspiration and confirmation.