The Art of Selling

Last April (2023) marked my 43rd consecutive year serving the satellite communications industry. I came in on the technical side as an electronics technician in the newly formed Cable TV Division of Scientific Atlanta. I wasn't used to the regimentation of an electronics production environment, having spend the previous thirteen or so years as a welder, ironworker, electrician and industrial mechanic.

So, after a couple of years, I jumped at the first opportunity to leave the factory and embark on a new career direction - living in the field building earth stations around the globe. My accumulated portfolio of skill sets made me a shoe-in for the job. And what a great job it was! No office politics - just me, my crew and the great outdoors.

There were more challenges and adventures than I could even begin to remember. But eventually, that adventurous lifestyle grew a bit stale and the time came to seek refuge - to come in from the elements. To transition from roughneck to refinement (a suit that didn't fit very well). I eventually adapted.

There was a few more years as a Project Engineer (a natural direction from 'field rat') and Applications Engineer supporting Inside Sales, and then came another fork in the road. S-A management concluded (on their own) that a position in sales would be the best way for me to serve the logo (and myself) - and here is where the story begins.

I've always been a bit extroverted, outspoken and at times critical of my environment - but always with a plan to improve things if given the opportunity. That bodes well with some managers and poorly with others. I was always walking a fine line. It took a little while for management to beat some of that aggression out of me, plus some sage advice from the veteran members of the sales team (thanks Macy, Jim, Oscar, Roberto, Jorge, Curt and a multitude of others) helped get me on the right track.

I discovered over time that there was a side to sales that was never apparent to me before. Now keep in mind, the kind of business we did at our S-A division was complex. It was almost always in developing countries and in an industry that was in its infancy. Sure, we had our share of transactional (product) sales, but that was handled by a very capable inside sales team. But the 'big deals' were where the fun was.

For those, we had day-long meetings (often into the night) scrutinizing and refining technical solutions, arguing over what the competition was going to do and the best part - developing a pursuit strategy and tactical approach to multi-million dollar deals in every culture imaginable. What a schoolhouse that proved to be.

As a sales team, we were gathered in some offsite location at least once a quarter and each Sales Director was expected to profile his top opportunities with a proposed sales strategy in front of the team, including our Sales VP. A very sales savvy executive from El Salvador, he would often pick the proposed strategies apart and make 'suggestions' for improvements. He was a master when it came to structuring a deal. He was both strategic and fearless.

For a young Padawan like myself, these sessions were highly insightful. Seeing these plans come together was a grand experience and one that I never forgot. Interestingly, the fields of topic were seldom related to the products or technology we were offering. We were focused on the opportunity itself - the 'deal'. That to have any hope of success, you have to - "know the deal", few words with profound meaning.

It meant connecting the dots - utilizing internal and external resources. I don't just mean the Miller Heiman stuff - I mean knowing what you've got and where you need to go with it. Knowing who your competition is and breaking out the chess board. There is always something going on in the background that you probably need to know if you're to stay one step ahead. Not knowing is often fatal.

For me, it wasn't a matter of remembering what he said during those sessions. It was understanding how he thought and the methodologies he drew upon to define a particular approach. He had a natural curiosity for everything to make sense, via data - not speculation.

I learned a lot during that time so many years ago. It's clear to me that what was relevant then is no less relevant today. I strive to live those lessons in my professional life, at least the ones I can remember. But one thing I'll never forget is - you had best know the deal!