The survival of the fittest Salesman. Evolution of a closer!

1. NATURAL SELECTION
THE SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST SALESMAN
evolution of a closer

2. YOUR ORGANIZATION
-Small Start-up
-limited funding
-leading/bleeding edge product(s)
-very few resources
-no marketing
-no brand recognition
-no customers
-smart management team with no clue how to sell
their very powerful technology
-no HR

3. YOUR PRODUCT/SOLUTION
-COMPLEX SW/HW
-$100K ENTRY PRICE
-$MILLION++ POTENTIAL
-MARKET=F1000/LARGE ORGGANIZATIONS
-ADDRESSES BIG DATA MARKET
-BASED ON BREAKTHROUGH TECHNOLOGY
-TACTICAL AND STRATEGIC VALUE
-DIRECT SALES MODEL

4. YOUR HIRING PROCESS
• You have countless candidates
• You have filtered down to 5 great applicants
• They have excellent resumes and references
• The interviews went great
• You hired the top 3
• They failed!!
• WHY???

5. WHY DID THESE SEEMINGLY SUCCESSFUL, INTELLIGENT, WELL-EDUCATED
EXPERIENCED SALES PERSONS FAIL?
ANSWER
• CANDIDATE SELECTION FAILURE
• WHERE DID YOU FIND THEM?
• INTERVIEW PROCESS FAILURE
• WHY WERE THEY SUCCESSFUL?
• HOW WERE THEY SUCCESSFUL?
• WHAT IS THAT SPECIAL “THING” THAT MAKES IT HAPPEN?
• SALES CAPABILITIES REALLY DID NOT MATCH PRODUCT VALUE
• WAS THE SR WELL ROUNDED ENOUGH TO UNDERSTAND THE
TARGETS IT ECOSYSTEM?
• DID YOU TRAIN SR PROPERLY?

6. SOLUTION!!!
JB ANDERSON’S NATURAL SELECTION TECHNIQUE
PROVIDING THE BEST MATCH OF CANDIDATES WITH/ORG/PROD/ECOSYSTEM
What about the candidate?
Not personality traits like-aggressive, shy, smart, decisive, strong willed, honest, caring……
Or
Strengths and weaknesses-(I always hated that question. It implies-the questioner does not know how
to really do an interview and diminishes the candidates value!)
A real good(able to execute multimillion dollar deals in the high tech biz) salesperson is NOT a
collection of attributes or strengths—this is an over simplification and inaccurate.
They are a fabric of countless points of sometimes organized and conflicting actions, thoughts,
attributes, preferences, fears, etc…….
What really matters is—do all of the above result in a person who has the ability to:
• Understand the value they represent/offer and the targets who require their value.
• Can initiate a dialog between the two
• Establish the path of least resistance to value “appreciators”
• Leverage that to revenue

7. CANDIDATES
There are some fundamental capabilities that seem to be consistent among good sales folks-in an unknown start up or with a new product/technology
and it must be rather complex—or else why would we need them.
So, Can they: BTW-if they can’t do ALL the steps-sell something else.
1-Locate and identify “value” players in a large/med organization-with minimal research and time?
2-Find a way to establish in-person communication with above player(s)
Can you pick up the phone and get them? Have something very cogent to say.
3-Engage in a questioning technique that discovers/ illustrates your players desires/needs…..
You better be well rounded! Software, HW, Servers, Networking, Cloud, Storage/mobile
NOT APPS Specifically! But generally
Only horizontal technologies-which gives you the basis to understand the overall landscape and where/how you can position your value.
You will begin to understand the underlying problems. This may take a few meetings.
The APPS will determine the scope of the landscape.
Of course your products will overlap some part of the landscape(infrastructure) and you will begin the matching process. Your solution to
their issues.
4-Make a determination if your value can satisfy your players needs. How much does he win?
Here is where you must understand your company and your products-thoroughly!!!!
How will your value influence the app performance on that landscape?
If you determine your target does NOT win then you must go. Only Win-Win!!
Go quickly!! Don’t waste time and energy on a non opportunity!!

8. BTW:
You are NOT necessarily looking for a:
• Team player
• Good at paperwork
• Easily managed, if at all
• “great personality”
• Very likeable
• Harvard/Stanford/MIT etc… folks(there are a few exceptions)
• Big company guys-IBM, HP, Oracle, etc….(recently-5yrs + -)
Litmus test/indicators/out of context:
• Can the candidate walk into a museum, bar, restaurant, etc…. And
introduce ones self and make a connection with a stranger?
• And get the follow up meeting
• Can they be themselves? No BS.
• Do they fancy themselves as “cowboys”, “gunslingers” etc….
• Do they exhibit an attitude of “I know I’m good and I respect others
who are good as well.”
• They compete with themselves more than the competition

9. So, how do we find these folks?
--Through a comprehensive questioning/interview technique that uncovers/discovers
the core elements necessary to accomplish the above.
**remember-we are looking for a certain kind of rep—not just a good rep with
successes but a person who has that special ability to crack open large accounts with a
complex technology offered by an unknown startup for 1million $$ or more.
Interview technique??? Resume and references will give you an idea but aren’t ALL
resumes and references ALWAYS positive? So, it really depends on what is inside this
candidate.
When looking at a candidate’s skill set-do not assess from bottom up. i.e. breakdown all
the skills and attributes and determine if there is a fit or advantage. ASSESS from top
down.
i.e. Candidate was paid commission for closing a deal.—now work backward through
the process until you get to the initial contact. Follow the money!
Look for my next post. Interviewing for the successful candidate.