Because of the importance of information in this type of selling, the first duty of the salesperson is the acquisition and maintenance of a high standard of technical expertise. This does not necessarily mean an advanced degree in a scientific or engineering field. In most cases this simply means an initial training program and a thorough and continuous study of the particular product or market. A major portion of the job consists of gathering and assimilating information. Information is frequently obtained from customer and supplier contact, but there is also a considerable element of just plain old studying.
In complex/professional sales there is commonly a continuing, long-term relationship with clients. The role of the salesperson is similar to that of a consultant. In order to sell a product, the salesperson must carefully explore the needs of the customer to make certain that the right product is being sold and used in the right way. In this type of selling, more than in any other type, problem solving is a key skill. Each sale has its own difficulties, requirements, constraints, and specifications, in short, its own personality. Solving problems through knowledge, insight, hard work, and creativity in order to closely match the unique needs of each customer is the basis of this type of sales. If it doesn't work that way, then the relationship with the client will be very short indeed.
The length of time it takes to make a particular sale is likely to be longer than in other types of selling. The complexity of most applications requires a lot of work to get them right. Sales are seldom made on the first contact. It usually takes working together, checking, and rechecking to iron out all the twists and turns. In addition, a large amount of money is often involved. Big money and complex needs make for group buying decisions and are subsequent concerns for the salesperson, who has to generate some sort of consensus in order to close the deal.
Generally complex/professional salespeople have a great deal of freedom in their work. Despite being on a salary and having a quota and continual reporting functions, there is more freedom than one might suspect. The reason for this freedom is the high level of expertise that a salesperson commands. This expertise is an important commodity and therefore imparts a degree of insulation from constraints. For example, having worked with a particular client for many years in the development of a complete computerized system of inventory and production control, it is a bit unreasonable to expect a new salesperson to enter into the situation, at least not with having any real insight. This field of sales gives meaning to the statement "Knowledge is freedom."
Question - How did you get into this business?
Answer - I started out in foods. I began in territory sales and eventually worked my way up to a sales supervisor. I directed sales and distribution of food products staffed by approximately ten salespeople. We sold to retail, wholesale, and institutional accounts. That was considerably different from calling on manufacturing plants where one communicates with buyers, engineers, quality control people, and executives who are responsible for management decisions. It's a totally different requirement-much more complex. Industrial is a much wider field. It offers greater opportunities and more challenges, it's more highly technical, and it gets into different variations and problems.
I went to college to be a stockbroker, but in 1973 the market really started to plummet, so I thought I should have a backup. Real estate intrigued me somewhat. It wasn't sales I wanted to get into as much as real estate. I had looked around the city and seen people who had made very good money. Most of them were attorneys who left their law practices and got into real estate. So I decided that maybe a smart, energetic entrepreneur could do the same thing.
I was interested by the fact that there are bricks and mortar worth significant amounts of money. It's a changing field, one that separates the men from the boys when big dollars and big games are at stake. I'm still intrigued by it every morning when I get up.
The monetary aspect was important to me. I felt that working my way up the ladder in a big company to a position where I could make the kind of money I wanted would take much longer than through sales. So one of the strong factors that motivated me to get into sales was the money. The other aspect was that I liked being on my own, more or less making my own decisions. I didn't like being tied down to a routine desk job from 8:00 to 5:00.
Question - What sort of training is involved?
Answer - There is much more of a technical background required than you would imagine, but in terms of looking at it in the context of an overall career, it's minimal. For example, when I first came out of school and started to work here, I spent fourteen of my first eighteen months in training of one kind or another. That was enough to give me a good foundation, the building blocks. You really learn this business by doing it, and so I pulled an early assignment as a junior partner of someone who does the kind of things I do now. He was with a very large account, and that is how I learned how things are put together, what works, and how to make it work. It is still pretty much the same today.
As you would expect of anything as complicated as a line of highly technical equipment, the salespeople who have the largest accounts have a few years under their belt.
