Why I Became Interested In Sales
– an interview with Chris Smith
Chris Smith joined JA Consulting Ltd seven years ago and heads up our Transforming Sales practice. Since joining, Chris has been helping a wide range of business-to-business enterprises, including professional services, develop the skills and confidence to better understand their customers’ buyer journeys.
Chris believes that if you understand the stages and emotions experienced by your customers as they progress through the buying process, get to know their decision-making process, personalise your interactions and optimise the customer experience at every touchpoint in their journey, you’ll rarely miss an opportunity to help them choose to buy from you. His experience and insights helped him develop our Walking in your Customers’ Shoes initiative – a powerful customer journey mapping tool.
In this interview Chris explains how he became interested in a career in sales and how he now helps other sales teams develop.
Q: Chris, can you tell me about your early career choices and how you ended up in the computer industry?
Chris Smith (CS): It all goes back to university and the milk round (those of certain age will remember it!!). I had numerous interviews and few job offers; from a brewer, a shoe maker, a DIY tool manufacturer and a computer company. I chose the computer manufacturer not because I was technical, but it sounded the most interesting. I spent the first few years in marketing roles developing programmes to generate opportunities for the sales teams to go and close.
Q: You say you started in marketing roles. What made you switch to sales?
CS: I became increasingly frustrated. I was generating all these great opportunities, so why weren’t we winning more business? Then the door to a career in sales opened. Digital Equipment (sadly now no longer) turned out to be a fantastic training ground.
I was introduced to SPIN®, a sales approach which has been with me ever since. I think because it exploded the myth that the best salespeople are those that talk the most. It’s not.
It’s those that ask questions and really listen to the answers that will come out on top. Over the ten years I was with Digital, I got exposure to Miller Heiman Bluesheets, Challenger and other systems. Having caught the selling bug – and learning a lot along the way – the time came to move on. Interestingly at that time, Digital (aka DEC) didn’t pay commission.
Q: So, what happened next? Where did you move on to and why?
CS: Well, where better to go than to HP, a company that held similar values to DEC and invested in its sales teams. I learnt new skills, absorbed attitudes to what good business was all about and very soon realised to be good at sales needed a blend of capabilities; creativity (be prepared to do things differently), data (make sure you are knowledgeable about your customers) and a repeatable process (follow it, don’t cut corners, don’t assume, and ask questions).
Q: Sounds interesting, how did your experience at HP shape your sales approach?
CS: All this was excellent grounding for when I exited the world of large corporates and joined the world of consulting. Whilst I realised that attitude and behaviour are as important as experience in sales success, it also became apparent that B2B selling isn’t much different from consulting. Ultimately both are centred around understanding the customer’s problems and helping them achieve their business outcomes from the solutions we have to offer.
Q: Can you share more about your transition from corporate sales to consulting?
CS: Over the years I have enjoyed nurturing and coaching people to achieve great results, some who didn’t believe they could be any good, become great sales professionals. It’s hugely rewarding to see others enjoy sales as much as I have.
Q: What would you say has been your greatest success in your sales career so far?
CS: My greatest success actually goes back to 1990’s and the privatisation of British Rail, whilst I was working for HP and it started with a salutary lesson in client expectations!
One of my prospects was British Rail Research and I had secured a meeting with their MD, one George Buckley, (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_W._Buckley), a no nonsense Yorkshire man. Our first meeting was not great, his first question was, “How did you travel here?” and I replied, “By car.” He said, “I know, I saw you drive in in your fancy car. Next time, if there is a next time, take the train!!” This was soon followed up with, “You know what HP stands for?” “Yes,” I replied, “Quality, service, etc.” He stopped me abruptly, “No, it stands for high price and I’m not paying your prices.” Over the next few months I was determined to convince him wrong. And I did, a few months later he awarded me and HP the contract to implement a new finance system. But that was only the start of the journey. George became my coach as British Rail was privatised and guided me, introduced me to key people who would have an influence on the decision on who to partner with to implement the 26 new finance systems to support the newly privatised organisation.
Q: And what would you say was the hardest part of selling?
CS: The hardest part of selling? After running what you believe has been a great sales campaign, hearing that the client has not selected you. Having the resilience to brush yourself down, learning the lessons from the loss, and going again determined not to repeat the same mistakes.
Q: What advice would you give to someone considering a career in sales?
CS: Don’t let anyone tell you anything different, sales is a great profession. You meet great people, have the opportunity to work for great companies and best of all there is always something to learn.
Q: And what if that someone was not working in a traditional sales role or department? How might you help someone with perhaps a more ‘technical’ background and role be more confident in having a sales conversation with a customer?
CS: That’s a great question. For someone from a technical background, I would say, don’t underestimate the value of your technical knowledge. Customers appreciate when you can speak their language and understand their technical challenges. Use your technical expertise as a strength.
Remember, sales is not just about persuasion, it’s about understanding the customer’s needs and providing a solution. So, focus on understanding the customer’s problem and think about how your product or service can solve that problem and deliver the outcome the client is looking for.
Also, don’t be afraid to ask questions. It’s okay if you don’t know everything. Asking questions shows that you are interested in understanding the customer’s needs. It’ll also help you build more lasting business relationships.
Finally, practice makes perfect. The more you engage in sales conversations, the more comfortable you will become. So, take every opportunity to engage with customers. You might surprise yourself with how good you are at sales!
Q: Any final thoughts or reflections on your career journey?
CS: Thank you DEC, for taking the chance on an upstart marketer who thought he could make it in the world of sales.
And a final thought
At JA Consulting we help businesses and individuals take the theory of selling and put it into practice. We’re here to help you learn how to spot and grow business opportunities, how to develop strong and transferable selling skills and how to generate robust account management. To find out more, talk to us, our team is waiting and ready to help.
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