Like batteries power Tesla cars, technical sales people need high doses of motivation to keep moving and leveling up their game.

Not for those seasons when you land multiple deals – seemingly back-to-back. But all technical sales people must push through winter seasons – times when you can’t seem to do anything right. For times like that, this little story will deliver vital power to your engine and keep you moving forward. Just a little mental ‘gasoline’ for technical sales people.

Watch the video by Kyle Milan featuring this story

When we were filming episode two for “Make Cool Shit TV,” we were at Ultra Green Packaging, which is a thermoforming packaging company in Mound, Minnesota.

During the filming of that episode, Kristen, the president of that company, was telling me a story about sales. And while it was a short and sweet story, it painted a strong picture of what winners do. The extra mile that winners take. The above and beyond effort that winners put in to get the sale.

So, we felt like this needed to be pulled out in its own separate video to give you, and all technical sales people, a heavy dose of motivation. This gives you one more picture in your head of what true grit and determination looks like for technical sales people. The president of Ultra Green Packaging, Kristen, will be speaking.

So, here’s the story.

In an interview between Kristen and me, she said:

“I knew they were coming into this market (Hy-Vee), and I wanted them so badly (as a customer). I was director of sales, vice president of sales for Ultra Green at that time and I set my sights firmly on getting Hy-Vee. You see, my friend Tim, who brought me into the company, laid out to me what I needed to do.

 He said, “You need to do two things. I need you to get Target and I need you to get Hy-Vee.” Well, I know they’re from Iowa.

 I thought, “Oh my gosh, okay, well I can do that.”

 Well then, we ended up getting into Target nationwide with this pan (see video). So we were in every super Target that had big pizza. So that was great. But now I needed to get Hy-Vee. Oh man, I mean that was a to-do. So, one day I show up at their construction site. I had to stand outside of their construction site where they were building their first location. We took pictures, holding shopping bags that had Ultra Green products with stuff.

 They had a sign that said, ‘Hy-Vee Coming Soon.’ I took a big Ultra Green banner, taught my mom how to use an iPad so she could take a picture of me holding it up in like 50 mile an hour winds, holding the picture up with Ultra Green and Hy-Vee.

 And I get in touch with the team at Hy-Vee and said, “Can I get a shot? Yeah. Can UG play with Hy-Vee?” And finally, they said, “Alright, all right. Are you going to be our first customer?” And I said, “I’ll absolutely be your first customer.” And I was. And that’s how we landed the deal with Hy-Vee.” 

First, be sure to watch the video to see Kristen’s energy as she tells her story. As I said in the beginning, this story is short and sweet, but it’s absolute fire for technical sales people needing that extra push today. Let’s dissect this story for some solid technical sales tips that you should use to land big fish, like Target and Hy-Vee.

The main setting of this story takes place at a construction site. As Kristen shared, it was like 50 mile an hour winds when she was out there, but she still showed up. That’s a lesson for technical salespeople, right there…

“If you want to hook a whale, show up like no one else!”

That’s right, Kristen went “whale hunting” as I call it. One of the best technical sales tips for whale hunting is to switch up your bait. You’ve got to use different bait than you use when fishing for Trout. You cannot expect to land more whales – the big client deals – if you’re not willing to step outside of the box. If more technical salespeople were willing to go the extra mile, think outside of the box, and get in the faces of their prospects, they would close more of them.

Enroll in the Ultimate Training Program for Technical Sales People at Industrial Sales University

Paint a Picture of What’s Possible

All technical sales people, including you, should take note of and be motivated by what Kristen did when she was at Hy-Vee’s construction site. She said that she had Hy-Vee shopping bags with Ultra Green products in the bags. She also took a picture of their construction site billboard next to Ultra Green’s banner and asked if they “can play together.”

This is not hard to do; it’s not rocket science. But most technical sales people don’t think to do things like that. But you’re not the average bear, are you? You can easily move past most technical salespeople by finding ways to demonstrate “what’s possible.”

Tenacity in the Technical Sales Process

Webster defines tenacious: “Tending to adhere or cling especially to another substance. Persistent in maintaining, adhering to, or seeking something valued or desired.”

Is that not what technical sales people need to do more of? Kristen demonstrated what tenacity looks like when she stood out in a blistering cold windstorm, at a construction site. This was not a trade show booth story. This is an outside of the box, break down walls with reckless abandon type story.

The technical sales people who take heed to this story and add some of the lessons we discussed into their technical sales process will certainly have more success with landing more whales, sharks, and fish level clients.

Enroll in the Ultimate Training Program for Technical Sales People at Industrial Sales University