The morning started off with an introduction to, and brief history of, Dyn, an Iaas Managed DNS and email service provider that puts uptime on the front line. Kyle York, CRO (Chief Revenue Officer) described how Dyn grew from humble, dorm-room beginnings to a excellent (and local!) brand. Kyle spoke about the values he and his team find most valuable in new talent, with a focus on cultural fit. While it’s hard not to be distracted by the awesome amenities Kyle described, their focus on people that fit and are hungry is refreshing, particularly for those of us having come from more regimented experiences. It sounds like Dyn has a pretty fantastic culture; one that you want to emulate. Kyle even blogged about his experience!
Following Dyn’s dynamic discussion, the S&BD track got schooled by Jim Kearney, who offered a very different perspective (or at least tone) on sales. Much like we’re learning from the other tracks, one of the most important traits Jim looks for in talent is passion. To quote him, he wants to “find people so excited they’ll go through a wall for you.” And that means being excited about the work, being ready to hustle, make the difficult calls, have the long conversations. and convert prospects into sales.
Much as we did in our first week at BSS, Jim led us through a “what do I suck at?” exercise meant to help us identify our self-identified weak points in terms of salesmanship. For me (and others) there’s the fear of rejection or objection; this can be offset by understanding your product, researching those you’re speaking to ahead of time, and spending the time learning how to handle and tactically respond. He identified the three types of leads (they can’t do what they want to do without you, they want to understand the competitive landscape, or they want to get your info), and taught us about the ‘MUSH’ zone.
One of Jim’s most important points was about ‘Hope Island’, where you as the salesperson gets parked while the prospect stalls, hems and haws, or goes into hiding when you call. Much like other lonely islands, this is not a place you want to end up. As we progress through the syllabus, our capabilities in leaving that island will be developed, and we’ll figure out how to more effectively turn those castaway moments into sales.
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