The Sapient Salesman: Technological Inertia
Editor’s Note: The Sapient Salesman began as a series of internally-focused sales coaching pieces written by SugarCRM team member Erin Fetsko. While initially focused on “selling Sugar,” Erin’s advice and wisdom have proven useful to Sugar partners, and well, anyone in the business of sales. Thus, we are happy to add her insight to the Sugar corporate blog. You can read all of Erin’s musings at The Sapient Salesman.
Remember the days when you vehemently opposed getting a smart phone? You hated how your husband couldn’t seem to leave it alone for a entire meal and you vowed to forgo the hyper-connectivity in favor of actual human interaction. Remember teasing everyone about how their blackberry was simply too big for your dainty pockets? Going on to preach how the last thing you need is to give your mom another reason to criticize your purse-free lifestyle. And really, who needs that much access anyway? You’re online all day, when you’re out, it’s because you need to put the Internet down!
… okay, maybe that was just me …
Well, 11 days ago I caved and got a smart phone and I’ll begrudgingly admit, I’m hooked. But not for the perpetual email access and reliable phone call reasons you might think. I’ve come to realize that despite their functionality border-lining on excessive, these phones aren’t themselves evil.
Okay, DUH! But many people have the same stick-in-the-mud attitude toward software. Even I, who generally advocates loudly for the excessive use of technology, found myself irrationally, passionately, cynically advocating for the status quo.
As technical salespeople, we too soon forget how scary change can be, but as they say: with great risk comes great reward. When you find yourself up against a prospect whose breezed thru the sales cycle, the guy who saw the demo – loved it, understands the value prop , and has the budget to buy, only to find them suddenly coming up with wildly off the wall objections at contract time, remember they might just be afraid to change. As soon as they sign, they get to start realizing all the great benefits you’ve promised and maybe they just aren’t ready to be home every day for dinner. Who knows “the wife” might be a sub par chef.
Remind them of the last time they took a technological leap that seemed excessive or risky or one that forced them to break a bad habit, and ask them if they would ever go back to the old way. You don’t see VCRs, answering machines or phone books giving DVRs, voicemail and Facebook a run for their money anymore. So why should Rolodexes, spreadsheets and Post-it notes continue to blockade your prospects road to CRM success?
In fact, less than a week after seeing the shiny new world the flashlight app on my Droid illuminated, I’ve already talked my never-had-a-text-plan-in-her-life mother into getting one too. So I guess the moral of the story this week is: I’m a hypocrite. (Just kidding.) Seriously tho, you may find that once your most stubborn prospects allow themselves to try Sugar, they won’t only improve their own processes (and your bottom line), they just might turn into your biggest advocates.