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.

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