I go skiing every year with a group of college friends. It’s a trip we all look forward to all year. Besides email, we don’t really communicate much the other 51 weeks, so we’re very interested in catching up with each other’s lives during that week. Last year, I wanted to understand one of the guy’s jobs more thoroughly. I knew he did a lot of global travel and would spend weeks in China. I also knew that he was in the paper business. What I didn’t realize was that he was in the pulp side of the business (actually, I knew that but I didn’t know what it meant). After he described that he was in charge of driving business of the pulp division to other paper manufacturers, I made the statement: “You don’t even sell paper… you sell the stuff that makes paper.” After he agreed, I asked: “How do you differentiate yourself? Why does someone buy from you vs. your competition?” He had a great explanation about delivery guarantees, price, service, etc. I also know my friend – he has a lot to do with it. He’s a pro. But really, how dull is that?
If you ever get bored selling security systems, think about the technology we have today, and where innovation is taking us. Then, think about my buddy that sells paper pulp. The second reason for being thankful you’re a sales professional in the security industry is because of the cool technology we get to sell and talk about every day.
