If You Know Your Customer By Their Invoice Number, Something Is Wrong

“In sales, it’s not about having the right opportunities. It’s about handling the opportunities right.”  – Mark Hunter

Sales are the lifeblood of any business. All the research and development in the world won’t mean much if you never actually make a sale.

I wanted to take this week’s newsletter to highlight my interviews with two sales experts – and CEOs – on the Disrupt Yourself podcast.

For episode 390, I spoke with Tina Vatanka Murphy; she’s the CEO and president of GHX, a global SaaS company focused on reducing the cost of healthcare.

“The most effective salespeople I’ve seen,” Murphy said, “are people that truly take the time to understand their customers.” 

True sales, she said, involves deep thought leadership. You’re not just keyed in to what the customer is looking for, what would accelerate their growth. That’s the straightforward part. You’re also in tune with what they’re desperately seeking to avoid – the scenarios that keep them up at night, worrying about the future.

“Then, and only then,” Murphy said, “after having that deep and profound understanding of their world, do we earn the right to talk about our solutions.”

That was the real mic-drop moment for me in our conversation. By centering the depth of her sales-client bond, instead of how quickly she can get them to a handshake and an invoice, Murphy earned the foundational trust needed for continual sales over a longer period of time. 

During episode 388 of the Disrupt Yourself podcast with Yamini Rangan, CEO of HubSpot, she said she began her career assuming that there was one right way to sell. Golfing, ice-breakers, laying on the charisma thick and early. But Rangan, trying it that way over and over, recognized that the techniques others used felt inauthentic to her. Instead, she started playing to her strengths, by doing a deep dive into each client and each person she would be meeting.

Her mantra became, “I may not be good in the first five minutes, but I’m going to win the ensuing 25 minutes.”

Rangan then dropped her biggest insight: “Sales is about getting your buyer promoted. Nothing else.”

What a powerful statement. And fairly universal, too. The more Rangan learned about her customers’ journey, the more they trusted her and bought into the idea that – as she said – she was there to help benefit their careers.

“That completely changes the conversation,” she said. “You’ve got to embrace who you are and what your strengths are rather than, in my case, trying to learn to golf pretty poorly.”

There’s more than one way to tackle the sales-client relationship. 

But both of the CEOs highlighted here intersect at putting the customer first. Figure out what keeps them up at night, not just what drives them. Gain an intimate knowledge of their pain points. Instead of trying to maximize the bottom-line invoice number, focus your efforts on getting the client promoted instead.

Do all that, and sales will naturally follow. Because if your client trusts you like a friend, and they get promoted, then you can almost certainly count on them as a return customer. They’ll recognize that you didn’t push your product on them – you pushed them, instead.

Is there a one-sided relationship in your life, where trust doesn’t flow both ways? Why?

What ways can you fine-tune your approach to relationships, whether it be with a client, a colleague, or a friend? Are you listening first?