4/1/1: 4 Random Thoughts from me, 1 tools to help Sales Engineers, 1 quote for motivation
4/1/1 Even Public Speakers Learn About Listening
By Ramzi Marjaba
4/1/1 Wednesday
4 Random Thoughts, 1 Tool, and 1 Quote (June 3, 2020)
Stand and Deliver by Dale Carnegie is an amazing book. It has 12 chapters, 11 of them all dedicated to the art of speaking. There is 1 chapter however dedicated to listening. That’s 8.3% of a book about public speaking talking about listening and only listening. Obviously that got me thinking.
4 Random Thoughts From Me:
1- Sales Engineers should think of themselves as Public Listeners. Our whole job is listening to customers, whether it’s to understand a problem, to answer a question, or empathize with an issue they are going through.
2- I’ve been a hybrid Sales Engineer for almost 2 years now. Being a Salesperson is not hard, but they have to deal with a lot of headaches that SEs don’t have to. Now I have a lot more respect for the role. It’s not something that is enjoyable, but at least I have a better understanding of what they do. So if you’re looking to transition to sales, make sure you understand what comes with the glitz and glamour.
3-I reached out to one of my customers this week, just to say hi. He picked up the phone and called me. He just wanted to chat. After that, I started putting in every email I send to a customer that if they just want to chat, pick up the phone and call me. I can easily call them, but I don’t want to intrude on their lives. Customers seem to appreciate that.
4-Last thought, the customer is not always right. Sometimes they believe it with all their being. As Sales Engineers, it is our job to correct them as tactfully or forcefully as needed to get the job done. Just don’t burn a bridge.
1 Tool:
Sticky Note. Yes, I said it. I use the sticky note for many things, mostly not related to taking notes. The one use I want to share today, and if you’ve heard my podcast, you’ve heard this tip, is to draw a smiley face and stick it to your webcam. Make sure the smiley face is on the sticky side too, otherwise it will be facing away from you. I drew a self-portrait.
1 Quote:
“Ideas are like slippery fish. They seem to have a peculiar knack of getting away from us” – Dale Carnegie
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