Tuesday night, Betts Recruiting hosted its first quarterly event, “Navigating the World of Enterprise Sales.” The event featured the following three panelists: Brian Cope of Medisas, Pier Iberti of Fluxx, and Brett Samurin of Engagio. The panel was moderated by Cameron Weller, Director of Sales and Recruitment of Betts Recruiting. Below is a recap of the major points of the discussion around what an enterprise salesperson looks like, how they create relationships to their clients, and ultimately how they successfully close a deal.
Interested in enterprise sales? Reach out directly to Cameron at [email protected].
“NOTHING IS NOT YOUR JOB”
A crucial aspect of enterprise sales is hustle. Enterprise sales call on salespeople who are willing to do all aspects of deals, regardless of level or assignment. The idea of ‘all in’ is the mindset of every successful enterprise salesperson. The passion of this level of sales is apparent from the beginning of a salesperson’s career. Their passion carries them into enterprise sales and then to accomplishment.
The enterprise sales department is built on networking. The enterprise sales community is too small to not make sure every interaction is positive. Exceptional enterprise salespeople are not only eager to learn, but also eager to cement a solid working partnership. Having a natural ability to think through your product with the mind of your potential client. Networking doesn’t just mean making connections, it also means connecting your company with another. This is the difference between mid-size sales and enterprise sales.
Additionally, there is a level of anxiety that is essential to pushing a salesperson through enterprise sales. The need to make a deal, and do it quickly and easily, fuels these kinds of sales. If you plan to dive into enterprise sales, you need to not only work well under pressure, but use it to your advantage.
“UNDERSTAND THE CLIENT’S MISSION”
Enterprise sales are fueled by relationships. Selling to larger companies or blue chip companies means they have countless vendors knocking on their door and offering similar products. Enterprise salespeople face constant competition. Learning to set yourself and your company apart from the rest requires in depth knowledge of your company and the benefits you provide. Coming to the door to knock with a passion for what you bring can get you past the initial roadblock.
To be truly successful, though, you need to create a dialogue rather than a pitch. This process is different than cold-calling or smaller sales deals. Enterprise salespeople learn quickly how to establish genuine trust and rapport. This is one characteristic that sets this department apart from others within a sales team. Although all sales require a relationship, enterprise salespeople learn and speak to a company’s mission.
To appreciate a company’s mission, an enterprise salesperson will speak to how their product aligns with the company’s overarching purpose. Uniting with a company’s future is the best way to further the conversation and make the final sale. Enterprise sales don’t focus solely on a product’s features; instead, enterprise salespeople show how a product will help a potential client’s company improve their organization to better reach their objectives.
“SELL BY CONSENSUS”
Unlike mid-market sales, enterprise sales require multiple decision makers. Successful enterprise salespeople work with executive level decision makers, which focus on value-based attributes, and end-users, which focus on product features. Understanding the entire team of the company you are looking to sell to is key to making the process easy.
Beyond knowing the potential client’s team, you also need to understand your own internal team; enterprise sales require multiple people within an organization. You need to know what your team can offer before pushing to make a sale. Enterprise relies on delivering a product and all it entails completely, smoothly, and quickly.
Lastly, enterprise sales require strong decision makers that are able to establish a clear timeline. Using your knowledge of the team helps you set the sales timeline: outlining the length of the process and the steps needed to finalize the deal. This level of confidence and rapport with your potential client is what will make you an excellent enterprise salesperson. Don’t let the size of the client or deal fool you into thinking that the process needs to take longer than a small or mid-market level deal. Setting a timeline requires knowing your team, knowing their team, and selling by consensus.
Interested in enterprise sales? Reach out directly to Cameron at [email protected].