How to be a Sales Detective
I’m obsessed with the detective Harry Bosch character from the Bosch novels, written by Michael Connelly. I’ve literally read over 30 of them. There’s also a show on Amazon with the same title that’s really good.
Randomly, it’s in these books and the show that I’ve found some of my favorite pieces of sales advice. And, oddly, I’ve realized that sales pros aren’t unlike a good detective.
Hear me out… imagine a crime scene where the lead detective, instead of asking questions and examining evidence, just drones on and on about how his department has the best crime scene tech and the best close rate in the area. Probably wouldn’t solve too many cases.
Same goes for a ‘features and benefits’ sales person. If you only talk about your company and about yourself and neglect to ask good questions and listen, your chances of winning a deal are very low.
We need to remember why we’re here. To uncover pain and add value to the customer.
Here are the quotes from the books and show that I love and actually take to heart in my role.
“Everyone counts or nobody counts.”
I’ve written about this one before but, it’s worth bringing up again. To me, this is empathy based sales. It’s how you become a pro in an amateur game. You care. You treat every customer like they’re your only customer.
Now there is a caveat here. Not every customer is a good fit. BUT, once you decide to onboard a prospect, it’s your duty to treat them like a VIP.
“Get off your ass and go knock on doors.”
A good detective can’t solve a crime from a cubicle. And we can’t 2X our business by checking email and answering Slacks all day. Staring at your order screen and CRM isn’t going to win you much business.
We need to make the dials and press SEND. And then keep doing it day in and day out, for years.
It’s like the old Ronnie Coleman quote, “Everybody wants to be a bodybuilder, but nobody wants to lift no heavy-ass weights.”
Be the person who does the work.
The characteristics of a great sales professional align with the qualities of experts in any field and that of being a good human. Do you care? Do you listen and seek to add value? Do you put in the work?
