Hippie CEO Life #47 - Selling Like a Farmer
A behind the scenes view of building a more humanistic company.
March 3, 2023
“Business happens over years and years. Value is measured in the total upside of a business relationship, not by how much you squeezed out in any one deal.”
—Mark Cuban
“You’d make a much better farmer than a sales guy!”
This is what i was told by a previous employer when i talked about building out a team to offer a new service for the company. They asked, “great, who is going to sell it?” And i replied, “i am!”
Clearly they didn’t have much faith in me that i could sell and honestly neither did i. i never had been in any type of formal sales role, never had any formal training in sales, never had a quota that i was required to hit, so i guess it was fair to think i’d be better off being a farmer than a sales guy. And i didn’t get “sales executive” added to my title then either, as it was determined i wasn’t the right person for the job.
But….the more i thought about it, the more i realized that being a farmer seems to have a lot in common with doing sales. Well, maybe not the sales that you and i are used to, with the high pressure sales tactics, the overuse of FUD (Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt), the wine-n-dine technique where you pretend to be your prospects best friend, i’m talking about the type of sales that isn’t seen as transactional but more as a deep investment in a relationship, over a very long period of time.
So when we started 33 Sticks, i decided to embrace my inner-farmer and i started selling like a farmer.
🌱 Farmers Understand the value of building relationships 🌱
In sales, relationships are key. Building a relationship with potential customers creates trust, which leads to positive customer experiences, which leads to repeat business and referrals. Take the time to truly get to know your prospective customers, their needs, and their pain points.
It's here where listening is one of the most powerful tools you have access to, yet how many sales people actually listen? It's very few. Most want to talk and talk and TALK about how great their product or service is. All of this talking before even having a simple and authentic human conversation. All before ever listening to what a prospective customer is struggling with.
🌱 Just as farmers have to adapt to different seasons, salespeople have to adapt to different prospects 🌱
Each prospect is unique, and their needs and preferences will vary. Taking a one-size-fits-all approach will create frustration for both the prospective customer and the salesperson. It's important to be flexible and adaptable in your approach. Take the time to understand THEIR needs and customize your offering to fit those needs.
🌱 Farmers understand the importance of nurturing their crops 🌱
In sales, it's important to nurture prospects. i'm not talking about an automated drip campaign that lacks personality. What i am suggesting is to stay in touch with them regularly, and provide them with valuable content and resources that they will find helpful and STOP with the passive aggressive "it sounds like you might not be the decision maker at your company...."
By nurturing your prospects through providing actual value to them, you can create long-term relationships that will benefit all involved.
🌱 Farmers know the importance of perseverance 🌱
In sales, and really every single one of you is in a sales role regardless if you have the title or not, you are going to face rejection, A LOT OF REJECTION, but it's important to keep going. Every "no" is one step closer to a "yes." Be persistent, and don't give up. Keep providing value. Keep having authentic conversations. Remember that every prospect is a potential long-term relationship, and every sales interaction is an opportunity to either build, or destroy, trust and credibility
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Build relationships, be adaptable, nurture your prospects, and persevere through the ocean of NOs that you will receive. Hell, this is one of those times that the phase "if i can do it then you can do it too" absolutely applies 😊
✌🏼💛
