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.

View our other posts

Support one another

It’s been tough enough over the last 20 months: we don’t need to make others bad and wrong in order to move forward. It’s low level, distracting and unhelpful. Instead, let’s see how we can unify behind one another to lift each other’s energy, emotion and...

The state of sales leadership

We’re witnessing and living through a time we’ve not experienced before. A phase of constant uncertainty about the future – even with “re-opening pathways out of lockdown”. In Victoria, we were told our 4 month lockdown in 2020 was to end all lockdowns...only...

Are you someone who just breathes in?

When I first heard someone say this, I loved it because it says it all! Are you someone who simply sucks the air in, or are you someone who contributes? I’ve written a lot lately about the obvious difficulties we’re experiencing, selling remotely in a market...

I’m not a salesperson – why this isn’t helping

It’s getting tired actually. I mean, how deluded are we when we’re responsible for driving any of the following and not join the dots to selling: Memberships Clients Revenue Sales Donations Corporate partners Retention Services Subscriptions Participants...

Is it time to readjust your sales force?

With changes to markets, and so much disruption going on, it is inevitable that companies are looking to the levers they can utilise to maximise revenue, and reduce costs so they can respond well now and place themselves in a stronger position going forward. ...

The antidote to uncertainty

It’s everywhere…and for good reason. Uncertainty. What will the future be like? How will it impact our business/our team/our customers/me? What do I need to do to be ready for it? What do I need to do today? When we don’t have certainty we create it for...

Sales Teams Need Strong Leaders

In workplaces, schools, businesses, politics, communities we look to leaders for strength, truth, hope and a clear path forward. This couldn’t be more important for businesses everywhere than it is right now. The right leadership will rally teams together in...

Getting Back Up

How many times can a person be struck down before they just can’t bring themselves to get back up? We each have a breaking point. There are superhumans who have a well of inner resourcefulness they draw upon that keeps them internally strong when all about...

Truth

We know when we hear it. We sure know when we don’t. Conveying it without brutality however, is a skill worth cultivating. It’s not acceptable to simply vomit truth bombs on others without any regard for that person’s feelings, experiences or context, and...

Courage

Have you ever woken up at 2am in a sweat? Filled with anxiety and pacing the floor? Have you walked around in your pjs in the wee small hours, looking into the fridge, not really knowing why, but hoping the answer will jump out yet at the same time, knowing it...