Emotionally Invested Selling: A Key to Success in Tech Entrepreneurship

Unlocking the art of selling: Kris Nagel, CEO of Sift, shares his 30-year journey in sales, revealing insights on process discipline, emotional investment, and the importance of building relationships.

  • 1. Selling is a process, a science, not an art.
  • 2. Understanding the buying process and enabling it is crucial.
  • 3. Creating awareness for a product can lead to a successful sale.
  • 4. Kris Nagel is the CEO of Sift, a digital trust and safety company.
  • 5. Sift helps enterprises build great consumer experiences and prevent fraud/cybersecurity risks.
  • 6. Nagel has 30 years of workforce experience, including time at Apple Computer.
  • 7. He started his career at Apple when it was smaller, during a challenging period.
  • 8. Nagel learned the value of accepting "no" as a learning experience.
  • 9. His first sales manager advised him to talk less than 30% of the time and listen.
  • 10. The goal of selling is to help solve a problem for the customer.
  • 11. Process discipline, finding what works, and asking customers for small yeses are important.
  • 12. Selling is a team sport; managing the right value proposition for the evaluation team is key.
  • 13. As a salesperson, understanding the customer's needs and bringing in experts to help is crucial.
  • 14. Marketing organization, executive commitment, and personal commitment play roles in selling.
  • 15. Orchestrating the process and relationship with the buyer is an important skill.
  • 16. Product led growth is valuable, but the best technology doesn't always win.
  • 17. Creating awareness and using a product, website, or trial process to sell is still selling.
  • 18. The nature of the market and enterprise buying processes require different selling approaches.
  • 19. Early exploration in one's career is encouraged; compensation will come with time.
  • 20. Trying different operational functions and technology types can help find passions.
  • 21. Putting pressure on finding the right thing too early may hinder self-discovery.
  • 22. Exploring and knowing what you're truly passionate about is essential.

Source: EO via YouTube

❓ What do you think? What role do you think emotional investment plays in successful selling processes, and how can you apply this understanding to your own sales approaches? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments!