BtoB Sales: keep your product up to date and remarkable

By the way, you are the product.

“You are the captain of your own ship.” It is not the first time you will see me using this expression. As a sales professional, you are “as good as your last quarter”. Without being overly dramatic, it is commonly observed that sales roles tend to experience higher turnover rates compared to other functions. Sales is a demanding profession that often involves performance-based incentives, pressure to meet targets, and a dynamic, competitive environment. And it works both ways: a salesperson can be let go due to poor performance just as much as they can decide to move on to pursue a better opportunity.

In any case, there is one critical aspect that you must remember: you are a business owner, and the product is you. As stated by Peter Drucker, “Because its purpose is to create a customer, the business enterprise has two—and only these two—basic functions: marketing and innovation.” Applied to you, it means two things: keep learning (innovate) and make yourself “remarkable” in a Seth Godin’s sense.

Don’t be a “Sandwich man”

“Not to innovate is the single largest reason for the decline of existing organizations,” claimed Peter Drucker. As a sales professional, especially if you work in a fast-changing industry (and which one is not?), you have to invest in yourself by acquiring new skills. Don’t solely rely on the training provided (or not) by the company you work for. If they give you access to platforms like LinkedIn Learning, Udemy, or others, embrace the opportunity and become a heavy user. If not, don’t spend; instead, invest in your training, shape, or reshape your profile based on your own situation.

“A flower is a weed with an advertising budget.” - Rory Sutherland

Undoubtedly, the best tool for you to market yourself – and become a flower - is LinkedIn or any similar site relevant to your industry, geography, or the industry you are interested in. A common mistake we often observe is salespeople using their LinkedIn page solely to relay institutional messages from the company they work for, inadvertently transforming themselves into “Sandwich men.” This is not the way to be “remarkable,” especially if your colleagues are doing the same, and if you maintain the same institutional tone of voice as your company (which is obviously less personal than your own).

Use the tool to become a recognizable voice in your industry. It will not only aid you in your current job but also help you stay relevant for your next challenge, be it with your current organization (up-selling or cross-selling, if you wish) or with another one.

With only a few days left to close Q4, don’t you relish the heat?