‘Sometimes you have to go out and get drunk’: 8 ways to become a sales rockstar

(From right) Puneet Chhahira, Zal Dastur, and Shekar Sahu. Customer experience and community engagement consultant Vijetha Shastry (left) moderates.

“In China, sometimes you have to go out and get drunk with a person – get really, really drunk with a person for a deal.” The room erupts with laughter.

It’s the kind of simple and punchy, but novel advice that comes from a panel discussion. “Sales for Startups,” an event held by lead and callback tech startup Lucep along with BHIVE in Bangalore, tackles the struggle faced by all businesses: at the end of the day, the greatest, most helpful, and technologically-savvy product goes nowhere if no one will buy it. A startup that doesn’t focus on that fact shoots itself in the foot.

Lucep co-founder Zal Dastur’s the one who’s sent the room into stitches. He’s joined by Shekar Sahu, co-founder of HealthcareMagic (he sold the company for US$18.5 million to Ebix in May 2014), and global marketing head Puneet Chhahira, who works with Infosys subsidiary EdgeVerve. Together, they point out eight tips for startups struggling to sell well.

Don’t worry – very few of them involve drinking.

See: Meet the artificially intelligent sales gorilla that closes deals faster

1. On social media, keep your content consistent

A stronger following on social media tends to grow your company and ultimately close sales. When trying to build a solid base of social media followers, frequency is key, says Shekar. That doesn’t mean pelting your users with posts, but it does mean keeping up a steady stream of posts.

“Automate your posts,” he advises. Timing posts that way can help improve consistency and make for one less thing you have to deal with.

See: Come tech bubble or fundraising struggle, India’s startups stay optimistic: report

2. Know your social media platforms

Even after years of practice – HealthcareMagic got its start back when Twitter was simply another frivolous blogging tool – Shekar admits that “converting social traffic” is still challenging. He offers a few simple ways to get ahead of the curve.

Keeping updated on social media platform policies can also help make sure you reach a greater number of people. For example, posting articles too often on your company’s Facebook page can decrease its reach because the site will flag you as a potential spammer.

And always make sure your social media posts have pictures or videos attached – if you’re posting a link, make sure it has a picture that attaches to the post. That’s the easiest way to boost visibility – and possibly pick up customers.

See: ‘Start small, start scrappy’: a Y Combinator startup founder’s tips on making killer videos

3. Know where you’re doing business

“Australia, for a lack of a better word – they don’t like bullshit,” Zal tells the room. People doing business in the country should make sure they give straight, direct answers. That’s not always the case around the world.

He tells a story about doing business in India and offering a special discount for a year, only to find out that a customer, who responded to the offer long after it had ended, wanted an even lower price. He contrasts the US, where the quoted price is treated as the final price – no negotiation.

“Selling in any country is never easy,” he cautions, “but a little understanding goes a long way.”

See: Thinking of outsourcing your app to Southeast Asia? Here are 4 tips for success.

4. Know who you’re doing business with

“Know your customer” is a common piece of advice thrown around in business. Puneet argues that companies don’t take it nearly seriously enough.

“They try shortcuts,” he asserts. For example, saying you have a target audience of “large banks” is way too broad. “Large banks in India” is still broad – India is a huge country with varying kinds of large banks.

The trick is to go as specific as you can. The clearer idea you have about your audience, the more you’ll know about how to reach it – and how to make a product that it needs.

“Sales are not driven by tech – tech is driven by sales,” he says.

See: Why localize: life-changing tips for globalizing your customer service funnel

The panel takes questions at the end.

5. The customer’s POV comes first

Know that you’re going to have bias – your company’s product is most likely a labor of love on your part. Your customers are not going to have the same affection for what you’re seeing, so you need to meet them where they are. Instead of trying to get them to do what you want, you must first find out what they want, then tell them how your product gives that to them.

“Start with what [the customer] wants to hear,” suggests Puneet. “Then, open him up to listen to your ideas.” If you’ve done that, you’ve won half your battle.

See: Pixar co-founder shares 6 tips for startup success

6. Respond fast

Even with tech startups, old school rules can still apply – sometimes, you land a sale simply by getting to a customer before everybody else does. A company that responds to a potential sale within the hour – as opposed to an hour later – is 7 times more likely to get the lead, and 60 times more likely than companies that waited a day or longer.

Zal recalls speaking to a client who runs a test automation website. A request for a callback came in at 8 pm, and because of the company’s quick response time, the deal was closed before midnight – before any of competitors had emailed back.

“If you’re a startup, who are you competing with? Literally everybody,” says Zal. Speed is an advantage, so take it – small companies need all the help they can get.

See: Here are 10 ways to become a better salesman

7. The human touch and authenticity win trust

Don’t rely on your company chatbot to make your customers feel like giving you business – keep human interaction in the sale as much as you can. “You [the customer] want to know there’s a human on the other side of that,” says Zal. “That just gives you comfort.” Don’t shy away with meeting customers personally – especially if you’re a co-founder.

Look to help your customers in other ways besides providing them your product. If they mention something they need and you have access to that resource, share it with them, says Puneet. The trust built there is worth more than a simple sale because it helps to build a lasting relationship.

It’s just not the same (for now, anyway). Photo credit : joruba / 123RF.

Building that relationship can be hard when you’re part of a fledgling startup. You don’t have proof that you’ll be around next year. Zal advises treating those customers – your first users – differently than your thousandth user. Unlike later stage businesses, you’re selling yourself right along with your product.

“Before [the company’s growth], people have to believe in you – they had to trust you,” says Zal.

See: 8 smart tips to get your first 1000 customers

8. Take it easy on the events

Events are great ways to make yourself and your business known, but Puneet cautions against overdoing it. Events are as much of a time and money calculation as other business decisions.

“He [the customer] might like it, but it’s not on his priority list to buy it,” explains Puneet. What a lot of event attendees are looking for is to learn, ideally for free. Looking at the audiences of your events, it’s beneficial to know who wants to simply learn from you versus who wants to actually buy from you. Your company wants to cater to the latter.

See: Exhibiting at a tech conference? Here are 5 tips for you.

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