I won’t be mentioning any names here, naturally, but heard a wonderful quote yesterday evening in an informal chat with one of my clients.
They work in civil engineering and groundworks, and we were unwinding in a rather nice country pub. We had a very senior contact in a major contracting group along with us, and as one does, we got to reminiscing about ways to make friends and influence people.
At one point in the conversation our guest commented that one of his main competitors has an upwardly mobile young BDM who has turned out to be somewhat counter-productive. In fact, they had unwittingly proved to be a real asset to our guest’s company when pitching for big projects (£10m and more).
How so? Because although this young BDM was undoubtedly very technically qualified, he couldn’t help but tell everybody about it. His arrogant, “I know better than you” approach was getting up people’s noses - an anti-sales gift to his company’s competitors. Of course, that was working out perfectly for our client!
It’s an anecdote that underlines the old truism that “people do business with people they like”, but it also highlights some important lessons about sales. Humility is undervalued in sales, but ultimately we’re there to solve the client’s problem. That means listening and putting their needs above our own need to sell - not because it’s somehow virtuous, but because it works.
It’s also a reminder that marketing isn’t just about branding and copy. It’s about who we are. Perhaps some of our senior managers could do with some diplomat training, just to make sure that they aren’t accidentally working for the competition. Because every member of staff communicates something about the company in the way that they approach their work, and how they relate to others, whether that’s on site, in the office or in the pub.
