Welcome to our guest blogger, Reshmi Ramnarine. Reshmi is based in Trinidad and Tobago as a Strategic Account Manager for Epson. She is also a 2021 Swamini Graduate.
I am an Island Girl, and there's nothing quite like island life…I mean, yearlong sunshine, sand between your toes, salt in the air, coconut trees swaying, the hustle of tourists all around you – pure energy!
That is, until a worldwide pandemic hits…
It hit us all, and my brand-new territory 4 months after you took a brand-new job with a manufacturing giant. It hits and borders becomes closed off to travel and isolation becomes the norm. For a region that survives on the tourism industry, like so many more around the globe – this couldn’t be short of a disaster. Your mind is racing, worry sets in, how does a salesperson survive this when they just started?
Everything then started to happen at once!
Like so many other companies, we pulled together to strategize around this new normal. What it meant for me as an individual managing the entire English-speaking Caribbean was that I needed to accelerate more than ever now getting to know my clients even better than if I was able to travel to their countries to meet with them in person.
My selling style has always been less aggressive and more of a ¨trusted advisor" role. Meaning, I love learning about my client's environments and how they do what they do best so that we can fit into their perfectly working conditions with little to no disruption – adding value to them so this value can be passed on to their clients.
Becoming a trusted advisor…
It takes time and effort, consistency and commitment, diligence and being available to your clients as much as humanly possible. It sounds like a lot, but personally, I truly prefer this to the typical "sales shark" selling style. I have seen clients roll their eyes at their phones when
certain names and numbers pop up and avoid these calls at all costs – I never wanted to be that person. My clients happily ring me up and are comfortable enough to ask for advice and even if I don't have all the answers – they're confident that I will get back to them on it.
Empowerment!
I've always believed that knowledge is power. Investing the time and effort in the various channels across the region meant that they all became subject matter experts on the various product lines. This meant that during the second year of the new normal, I was able to laser focus on working the large strategic deals. The result – successfully displacing our competition in various government and financial sector institutions across the region! Additionally, various opportunities to affect change within the education sector to assist with hybrid learning was an absolute joy, as I am passionate about this vertical and helping as many children as possible amongst Caribbean countries.
Final words…
Find your sales style and own it!
Be your authentic self and show up for your clients.
Build relationships and trust with your clients.
Be mindful – we are all managing this new normal as best as we can.
Stay the path – remain consistent, believe in yourself, your knowledge and skills and let your personal brand grow for you.
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