Could Your Current Sales Playbook Benefit from an Audible?

“In sales, it’s not about having the right opportunities. It’s about handling the opportunities right.” — Mark Hunter

Sales is the lifeblood of any business. 

Because I’m in business, I think about sales a lot. 

Recently, I’ve interviewed two sales experts on the Disrupt Yourself podcast. Both of whom are CEOs. 

Tina Vatanka Murphy is the CEO and president of GHX, a global SaaS company focused on reducing the cost of healthcare.

“The most effective salespeople I’ve seen,” she said, “are people that truly take the time to understand their customers.” 

True sales, she said, actually involves deep thought leadership. That can only occur when you comprehend the things that will not only make your client most effective, but you’re actually in tune with the things that keep them up at night with worry. 

“Then and only then, after having that deep and profound understanding of their world, do we earn the right to talk about our solutions,” Tina said.

That was the real mic-drop moment for me in our conversation. By caring more about deepening the bond with her clients than making a quick sale, Tina earned the trust to make continual sales over a longer period of time. This is a powerful insight. 

Yamini Rangan, CEO of HubSpot, started out thinking there was one way to sell. She tried it that way but recognized what worked for others—such as golfing and sports ice-breakers—were inauthentic to her. Instead, she started playing to her strengths by doing a deep dive into each client and each person she would be meeting.

Her mantra became, “I may not be good in the first five minutes, but I’m going to win the ensuing 25 minutes.”

Yamini may not fully understand football terminology, but what she did was call a perfect audible. She realigned her offensive strategy on the fly. Yamini then dropped her biggest insight: “Sales is about getting your buyer promoted. Nothing else.”

What a powerful statement. And fairly universal, too. The more Yamini asked about her customers’ journey, the more they trusted her and bought into the idea that—as she said—she was there to help benefit their careers.

“That completely changes the conversation,” she said. “You’ve got to embrace who you are and what your strengths are rather than, in my case, trying to learn to golf pretty poorly.”

There’s more than one way to hack the sales-client relationship. But both CEOs intersect at putting the customer first. Learn about their worries. Gain an intimate knowledge of their pain points. Focus your efforts on ways to make them look good and get promoted.

Do all that, and sales will naturally follow.

What ways can you fine-tune your approach to relationships, whether it be with a client, a colleague, or a friend? Can you be more curious, listen better, or put others’ needs first? Are there any audibles available in your playbook?

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