In my last post I talked about the importance of writing, this time I am going to talk about a vastly underutilized technique to be a great salesperson. Interviewing. No, not that interviewing, the one where you ask the questions!
Know who this guy is?
You probably don’t, but you sure the hell know his movies. Judd Apatow is one of the greatest comedy writers/producers in history. Some of his masterpieces include:
- Anchorman
- Talladega Nights
- Bridesmaids
- Step Brothers
OK you get the idea.
Know how he got his start? By interviewing comics in high school. He worked at the high school radio station (damn that must have been cool!) and he cold-called comedians he admired, managing to interview Steve Allen, Howard Stern, Harold Ramis and John Candy. Among some of the emerging comedians he hit up were Jerry Seinfeld, Steven Wright, and Garry Shandling.
Two things happened here that apply to sales, actually really any job that you want to master.
- First, you learn a great deal about a profession and the industry by interviewing people in those fields. You learn about industry trends. What works; what doesn’t work. You learn about future offerings. You are actually learning from the people in the trenches!
- Second, you create a tremendous network of contacts! When Apatow started doing stand-up in highschool and after graduation, he already had industry contacts, which resulted in his first writing gig.
Whether you are new to sales or a seasoned pro, interviewing other salespeople is a tremendous idea. How you use them is up to you. You can start a podcast, create a book or special report with the interviews…whatever you want.
The value of those interviews comes from actually doing them, not how you re-purpose them. Some of the things you will learn include:
- Gaining Competitive Insights – Interviews can reveal what salespeople think about companies in their industry, the one you are working in or considering entering. Understanding their preferences and dislikes regarding different companies’ products or services can be invaluable.
- Learning Best Practices – The information gathered from interviews can help refine your own sales approach and build new skills. Asking them for their favorite prospecting tip or how they landed their biggest client allows you to build a toolbox of strategies that you can implement in your own career.
- Identify New Trends – Salespeople can provide insights into industry-specific trends, customer behaviors, and market dynamics that can help you better prepare for a career in sales within a particular sector. Salespeople often know what customers are asking for that’s not currently being delivered.
Interviewing people who have important insight to the field you want to enter or continue your career in is a dynamite strategy! It also might be the easiest way to ascertain (yeah, I broke out the thesaurus!) ideas that can have a significant impact on your career and your future. I mean, salespeople love to talk about themselves right?
So jump onto LinkedIn and start reaching out and setting up some interviews!
Happy Selling!