Sales for Non-Sales Professionals: The Sales of Science

I was talking to a friend two months ago. She used to work for an environmental company, one of the ones that tries to do a lot of good, but everyone only ever asks how much money you make and wonders if you were a biology major with no other options.

She said she loved her job (as all science nerds do), but as an adult education program manager, her “students” often didn’t care about what she did. They didn’t care about sandy loam, they didn’t care about reusable straws, some didn’t even care about climate change. They cared about the one thing all students or clients care about, no matter the industry, no matter the school.

WHAT’S IN IT FOR THEM?

Climate change, saving the turtles, the benefits of quality topsoil. Some of us see the value immediately in these things. Some of us see ending climate change as a way to guarantee we have a home in the next century. Some of us really like turtles. Others know that choosing the right soil can allow for proper farming, healthy runoff, and proper biodiversity at a microscopic level.

Your clients (or students) are almost never going to know or care about all the things you know or care about, and they shouldn’t have to. Their business is not your business, their life is not your life. My friend explained to me it was her job to show them what’s in it for them.

If they are a CEO, tell them that over half of Millennials are more likely to buy a product described as sustainable (real fact) or that 80% of Boomers enjoy gardening (fake fact). If they are students, tell them an A might get them a better job. But if, and only if, it is clear how this information can help them.

IT’S ABOUT AN IDEA, NOT A FACT

Facts alone are not enough to win them over. The numbers may be flashy, but they still need to answer, so what? Is the client struggling with Millennial clients? Do they even know that Millennials are an important potential customer base (are Millennials even their potential customer base)? Does the student care about a job related to science? Addressing their pains and their needs are the right ideas to address, not just useful facts.

Climate change was important to my friend, but not always to her audience. What’s in it for them? Some were only there because their companies signed up for eco-friendly training to meet a federal requirement.

My friend is smart though, see? She would have told them they could benefit in their market by being eco-friendly and having the right knowledge. 51% of their potential users cared about these things.

Those are just facts, so what?

She would have reminded them that they were struggling with sales that year and their research team found out they were scoring particularly poorly with Millennials. Millennials who buy from people that know about the environment.

Her audience would have scratched their chins.

They would have thought about their next objection (if they are thinking about why not to do something, they are thinking about why to maybe do something, we love objections!). They would have seen that this could help their company, they would have seen their value, even if that was not the same value as my friend’s. They would have asked the one final grand objection.

IS IT WORTH IT?

This is something you should have discovered from the start. The first part of your discovery. The discovery worth discovering early when many things are covered. What is their budget? It’s one of the reasons asking bold or uncomfortable questions from the start is so important.

In the classroom, asking, “why are you here?” is scary as a teacher. You don’t want to hear, “because we have to,” but you know it’s the response you’re likely to get.

As a sales professional, you don’t want to ask what their budget is early, because what if it doesn’t fit your price? Surely you can sneak that along until the end and hope they change their minds.

You cannot motivate a student if you do not know their why, and you cannot change a client’s mind if you do not know their budget. My friend knew this, and so when adults were in her training sessions, she would ask from the start my favorite question, “Why are you here?”

She would smile and nod as she heard, “Because I have to be.” “My boss recommended it.” “I was caught littering, and this is community service.”

She would listen, actually listen, and respond. She would find the threads these people shared and use that to adjust her lesson to them.

Because you have to be? Good, you have to be here, so what can I do to engage you if you are going to sit here regardless? Because your boss recommended it? What about your boss made you follow their recommendation, and how can I use that to catch your interest?

My friend would make it worth their time, and that is why she is my friend. Because she listens and as much as she loves topsoil and electric cars, she makes conversations worth it for everyone all the time and addresses aspects of her stories she knows we will like.

Sales is the same thing. If their budget is not what you were hoping for, that is not the end. A good salesperson will do more discovery. Is that really their budget? Are they holding back? Is this product truly worth it for them?

Selling someone something they do not truly need is for car dealers, not us. But if our product is good and worth it, we will discover ways to show our clients it is worth it. We will find out why they joined our call, our meeting, and use that to uncover the ways we can make a deal work to fit their budget, to change their budget, to fit their needs, and close more deals every day.

Not everyone cares about sandy loam or science or turtles, but everyone cares about something. In sales or science or any industry that involves people caring about your product, it’s about figuring out what drives them. That’s how you’ll get to the finish line.

We can help sales professionals and non-sales professionals alike. Reach us at mastery@maestrogroup.co for more information on training, coaching, and consulting.