Our guest today says sales is all about helping buyers make informed purchase decisions and giving them the information they need. But there is so much more nuance behind that simple definition, and what goes on in the day to day of a salesperson.
So we are thrilled to be discussing applicable lessons from sales that can be useful for any professional with Brian Higgins, a Teaching Assistant Professional at Leeds Business and sales and business development executive.
Brian joins host Amanda Kramer to talk about misperceptions many have about working in sales, the art of a good conversation, surprising skills taught in sales courses at Leeds, and the unique mentorship opportunities available here.
If you are interested in becoming a mentor for sales students at Leeds, and have 5 years experience employing a sales process with good results, we would love to have you reach out! You can email Brian directly at Brian.Higgins@colorado.edu to learn more.
Leeds Business Insights Podcast is a production of Leeds School of Business and is produced by University FM.
EPISODE QUOTES:
The illusion of good and bad personalities
[00:10:02] You know what's interesting is that we suffer from this illusion that we have good personalities and bad personalities. There really is no such thing as a good personality and a bad personality. It's that I have a certain kind of personality, and you have a certain kind of personality. And if we're going to get along, we're probably going to need to flex a little bit so that, you know, we can come together in the middle.
The value of building relationship in sales
[00:02:54] I think what's important is that people understand that no matter how well you communicate, if you don't have the ability to develop some relationship with a person or the people you're selling to, your ability to communicate is not going to be very valuable.
On understanding how to sell
[00:08:12] Even though you may not be employed to sell, understanding how to sell and understanding what's important in order to sell yourself or your ideas can be very, very helpful in your life.
Questions are powerful
[00:14:54] Questions are so powerful. The ability to ask questions that are purposeful and meaningful puts the focus on the other person. It's not about us. It's more about you. Tell me about this. Tell me about that. So the ability to ask questions in a conversation is incredibly powerful.
SHOW LINKS:
Brian Higgins Faculty Profile at the Leeds School of Business
S3E9: Brock Weatherup - You Don’t Get Lucky If You Don’t Work Hard
S3E8: Alix Barasch - Crafting Immersive, Enjoyable Experiences
S3E7: Ethan Poskanzer - The Gender Gap in Predicting Entrepreneur Success
S3E6: Case Swenson - Define and Hone Your Expertise
S3E5: Gloria Urrea - Get To Know Your Stakeholders and Be Transparent With Them
S3E4: Richard Wobbekind and Brian Lewandowski - Economic Update and Forecast
S3E3: Ashish Kothari - The Science of Happiness, Inside and Outside of the Workplace
S3E2: Shaun Davies - Bank Failure Fallout
S3E1: Alexis Walsko - The Rise of the Influencer
Season 3 - Trailer
S2E10: Lawrence Williams - Consumer Behavior and The Pursuit of Meaning
S2E9: Jeff York and Brad Werner - Actionable Entrepreneurship
S2E8: Jennifer Forman - Corporate Social Responsibility
S2E7: Erick Mueller - How to Become an Entrepreneur During The Great Resignation
S2E6: Mike DelPrete - Real Estate Technology Trends and Updates
S2E5: Sloan Speck - Are You Election Ready? Talking Taxes and Midterms
S2E4: Ovunc Yilmaz - Data-Driven Ticket Pricing Strategies
S2E3: Richard Wobbekind and Brian Lewandowski - Economic Update and Forecast
S2E2: Jaclyn Hester - Giving First In Venture Capital
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