Stop selling. Start guiding.

The art of sales has evolved dramatically with the rise of the Internet. Today, modern buyers have access to vast amounts of information about your product, competition and the market. With a Google search, buyers can compare product features, pricing options and more. 

Information is both a blessing and curse. On the one hand, buyers pre-qualify themselves and see if they are a good fit, even before they reach out to schedule a demo. This saves everyone time. But on the other hand, evaluating a product category can be overwhelming for buyers. It’s time consuming to understand the intricate differences between two different products. Marketing websites have gotten so big these days, it’s hard to find the right content to answer specific questions. Oftentimes, the assumptions a buyer makes when comparing two products - via their website or G2 - leads towards false conclusions. 

This is where sales reps are a valuable resource in the buyer’s journey. The best sales people I've met look at their job as guides. They are river guides, helping a buyer reach their destination. 

Successful salespeople aren’t scheming, trying to pull a fast one over the buyer. Instead, they are teachers, helping buyers navigate the complex web of different features and the pros/cons of each decision. These sales people don’t talk shit about the competition. Of course, sales reps are biased. But the best AEs earnestly make sure the buyer makes the decision that’s right for their business, even if that means not going with their product. 

The best sales people look at the sales process as a collaborative relationship where the buyer and seller are working together. The best sales reps don’t try to jam a product down a buyer’s throat and get them to buy something they won't need. The days of Boiler Room / Wolf of Wall Street sales is a dying breed

Sales reps know that the reputation of the business, and the retention rate of customers is even more important than closing the initial sale. So they take a long game, they are transparent about the product and make sure that the product is a good fit for everyone. Sales is not about closing the deal. It's about building a long term relationship that provides value for everyone on both sides. When you build trust, everyone makes money.

This collaborative and transparent sales mentality starts with sales leadership. Today’s leading CROs and VP of Sales know that a collaborative and transparent buying process will lead towards more closed deals and higher retaining customers.