It’s All About Insight

What can you discover when you immerse yourself in a customer’s world? Look closely at the above logos. 

·  Amazon—The arrow looks like a smile, or is it pointing from a to z? “Amazon Everything from a to z.”

·  Cisco—It was founded in San Francisco; can you see the two towers of the Golden Gate Bridge?

·  Hershey’s—Look at the space between the K and the I in “KISSES.” Is that a Hershey’s Kiss?

·  Goodwill—Is that a “g” or a smiling face in the logo above the word “Goodwill”?

·  Tostitos—Look at the middle Ts: There seem to be two people holding a chip over a bowl of salsa?

·  Baskin Robbins—Have you ever noticed the “31” as part of the “BR” for 31 flavors?

Did you see something in a logo you may have not previously noticed? 

Look beyond a company’s business information, objectives, and risk factors. Research helps you gain insights to influencea customer’s operational, financial, and long- and short-term goals. Leverage your research to validate your assumptions, and look for insights about trends and challenges.

Review the words and numbers.

Words: Examine documents for themes, patterns, or movements (analyst reports, leadership presentations, CEO letter, annual report, Form 10-K SEC, proxy statement, and quarterly earnings call). See if you can discover enterprise goals, “Big Bets” (new strategic initiatives), key objectives by business unit and line of business, departmental initiatives, external environmental factors, and KPIs.

The Numbers: Data that can be described, counted, and manipulated  (cash-flow financial statement, income statement, and balance sheet).  The financial metrics you uncover during research can be used to identify business opportunities. Analyze the financial data vertically for ratios and horizontally to pinpoint trends. Financial results drive strategic decisions.

Use both a qualitative and quantitative approach.  Find the sweet spot,  the intersection where your newly discovered client insights (interests and needs) overlap with your company’s product, services, or expertise. 

Sales is simple, yet we insist on making it complicated.  Remember that clients are human.  And people only care about what’s in it for them.  No one cares about your product, your company, how good you are at your job, or how long you’ve been selling your product.

What clients care about is what your product can do for them.  What problems can you solve?  What pains can you remove?  What goals can you help clients achieve?  How can you help your client be bigger, better, faster, stronger, shinier, or quirkier than their competitor?  

Leverage your client research and insight to make your sales story/value statement compelling, thought-provoking, and remarkable.  

Sales is simple when you effectively use insight.

Here’s to selling Mastery. 

-Cherilynn

Head of Education and Growth, Sistas In Sales

Executive Coach/Managing Partner, CGI

Cherilynn Castleman, Executive Coach/Sales Trainer, has been a sales executive for 20+ years. With a natural talent for teaching and a drive to sell, Cherilynn uses her skills to coach and train other executives and sales professionals.

“Success isn’t about how much money you make; it’s about the difference you make in people’s lives.” –Michelle Obama

Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama is an American lawyer, university administrator and writer, who was the first lady of the United States from 2009 to 2017.