Monday, October 1, 2007
- Tim Wall
From time to time, I will be posting interviews with some of the many amazingly talented people who make up this great company of Element Fusion. To start us off, because she was the first one to return the answers to my questions (she's such an overachiever), here is an interview with Consulting Director, Andrea Decker. I also like her interview alot because of her use of the words "idiot" and "socks." To find out more about Andrea, check out her page on the Element Fusion website.
Me: How did you get started in your sales career?
Andrea: Fresh out of college I went to buy a car. The salesman kept talking to my husband even though we had informed him it would be my car. I went to the general manager of the dealership and asked if I could have a female salesperson instead. He said that he didn't have any female salespeople because having such always created problems with the salesmen and their wives, etc. It was his policy never to hire another woman to sell cars. I basically told him he was an idiot and that I could sell the socks off of any guy there. We walked out without buying a car.
The general manager of the dealership called me back the next week and asked me if I wanted a job selling cars for him. With much trepidation, I took the job and blew their socks off for four months before being recruited by a marketing firm. It was the best revenge I have ever had. Plus it launched a great sales career for me.
Me: What is your favorite thing about being an Element Fusion internet consultant?
Andrea: Every day is a new day. Because web development is not industry specific, I get to work with just about every kind and size of business. I love that. It keeps my soul alive and my brain challenged.
Me: What makes you unique in the way you go about meeting a customer's needs?
Andrea: I listen. I try to listen past what someone says in order to hear what they really need. Plus, I try not to talk "over" or "under" my customer. Sometimes customers feel intimidated by web stuff thinking it is beyond their grasp or understanding. I am very sensitive to this and make an effort to present solutions in a way that the customer understands them.
Me: Can you share with us one of your best "sales tips?"
Andrea: I suppose the best "tip" I could give is to care more about the customer than the sale. Doing the right thing always wins in the end.