The art of the sale

The art of the saleAt the most basic level, being an excellent salesperson is about doing what you said you would do at the outset, says Joost Schramme, Santa Fe Relocation Global Client and Regional Business Development Director.

‘It’s not complicated to win a client by making promises,’ says Schramme, ‘But you need to follow up and deliver on what you promise, or everybody loses. Never promise something you cannot achieve.’

It sounds simple; but his advice is the product of almost four decades’ experience of sales in the moving industry – and a well-won recognition that there is more to earning and keeping a client’s trust than it might appear at first.

Schramme entered moving industry sales via an unconventional route, having studied for a degree in physical education at university in Leuven, Belgium. Jobs in his chosen sector were scarce at the time, so after spending a year in the army, Schramme joined Belgian mover Arthur Pierre in 1987, driven only by a desire to ‘work with people and languages, and help people’, but knowing little about the sector itself.

However, by starting in the internal sales department he quickly learned what a move is all about, coordinating surveyors’ diaries, calculating prices, following up on quotations and maintaining relationships – and generally carrying out actions to fulfil jobs for clients. From here, he gradually moved into external sales – the classic ‘hunter and farmer’ sales role that mixed developing existing accounts with prospecting for new business.

This grounding in operations provided him with a practical understanding of what the business could deliver – as well as its limitations – before he was actually making commitments to clients.

Crucially, Schramme’s on-the-job learning was complemented by formal training through the FIDI Academy (then the FIDI Institute) – with trainers Brian Charles, Lar Ostman, Michael Scott, Ben Steen and Colin Quarrington (then editor of FIDI Focus magazine).

Unfortunately, during his first training, he didn’t finish his studies, as he was called home urgently when his wife suffered a miscarriage. However, he returned the following year, completing the programme and accompanying examinations, and earning recognition as the course’s top student – no small feat.

‘The course really wasn’t a walk in the park,’ he says. ‘It showed us that this was a serious business,’ adding that the skills salespeople developed in a formal setting like the Academy were an essential part of their professional and personal development. While natural confidence and an ability to talk to people can take you a long way in the sector, real success involves study to understand the industry better, give structure to the work, and develop emotional intelligence and soft skills.

After a decade at Arthur Pierre, the company was sold, bringing a gradual change in culture, alongside increasing pressure from the market of the time. Schramme felt the time was right to leave – a move he considered extremely carefully.

‘I had a feeling that I could only make that move once,’ he says. ‘You can tell your clients why you are leaving and ask them to believe in your new company, but you can’t ask them to change with you every five years because you have found “an even better one”.’

On 1 January 1997, he joined Interdean, bringing with him a significant client base – opening and running a new Antwerp office from his home, buying in services from the company’s operation in Brussels. It expanded rapidly. ‘One year we doubled the revenue in Belgium,’ he says. ‘We grew incredibly quickly.’ Interdean expanded its facility in Brussels and Schramme took on responsibility for sales across Belgium and later the whole of the Benelux region.

This huge shift coincided with the rise of relocation management companies, which saw Interdean – under the leadership of Paul Evans – diversify into wider relocation and immigration services.

For Schramme, the evolution of Interdean – which was acquired by Santa Fe in August 2011 – saw the business move from being a supplier of services to becoming a partner that aimed to understand its clients’ broader objectives and pressures, anticipated their needs and helped them solve problems beyond single assignments.

Above all, this required listening, he says – the first of several pieces of advice for selling well in the modern business.

‘You don’t go into a client and offer all the services that you have,’ Schramme says. ‘You first need to listen to the client. I think that’s the most important part: listen to the client and be prepared. You need to know the latest news about them and what is going on within their company. Then you can ask interesting questions that help you understand their role and allow them to open up to you.’

With today’s corporate clients already well informed and easily able to research suppliers and compare their services before they agree to a meeting, a salesperson who doesn’t understand the business to which they are selling is unlikely to get far.

The object isn’t to force a sale, says Schramme, but to understand how you can be useful to a potential client.

‘Your first intention should be: how can I help our client or potential client? What are they looking for? How can I help this person to grow in his position within his company? If I can do that, I will automatically benefit from it,’ he says.

A modern sales approach demands fostering visibility well ahead of the start of formal procurement processes – and marketing, online research, LinkedIn and in-person networking can all help businesses establish connections and demonstrate their knowledge to would-be customers. It’s a far cry from the old strategy of cold calling prospects (which Schramme says he never enjoyed).

With regard to networking for business, Schramme says becoming head of the Belgian chapter of the Forum for Expatriate Management more than 10 years ago was ‘the best step I ever took’.

‘Immediately, I was surrounded by corporate clients with responsibility for global mobility,’ he says. The organisations includes mobility heads from some heavyweight firms, which, he says, has ‘helped me to better understand what keeps these people busy.’

Marketing and sales departments working closely together helps the sales process, too. Marketing content such as social media posts boosts visibility and provides subjects for salespeople to discuss with their prospects, while sales teams can give insights into their customers’ concerns and needs, which in turn feeds into marketing output.

The long game

Schramme points out the timetable for making a sale today can vary widely. An inbound enquiry needs a prompt response (backed up with the right understanding and action) while strategic business development can take years of relationship building before an opportunity arises.

‘This is the more complex business development role, where you are working on a long-term relationship and gaining the attention of people at moments when they don’t need you,’ Schramme says. ‘Some of those relationships will only bear fruit in five or 10 years.

‘It is about being seen and adding value. Organisations like ours need to understand that they have to invest in business development, in building relationships and in networking, so that your name is known when there is a need. The sales process can be extremely long. I can be in contact with clients for five years before an RFP comes out.’

Of course, this can present a headache for businesses that are only focused on short-term targets. Not every useful conversation with a client can be connected to closing a sale and a salesperson may invest considerable time without any certainty of an opportunity arising. However, good sales management really should account for both short- and longer-term timescales.

‘Our’ client

Schramme says that salespeople should also be wary of owning the relationship with ‘my’ client at the expense of their colleagues. Be open, he advises: bringing the right experts from within your company into discussions only strengthens your offer and reduces the risk of making promises that cannot be fulfilled.

‘I have never kept things for myself,’ he says. ‘Quite often, salespeople try to keep the client for themselves and don’t want to open the relationship to the broader group within an organisation. That is wrong, because the salesperson can’t be a subject-matter expert in every field.

‘My responsibility as a client manager is to make sure we have the right team in place to support the client, that we work together as a team and that we do not see it as my client: it is our client. We are all engaging and working together – and the client will feel that immediately.’

This shared ownership of a client relationship has inbuilt resilience, too. If a salesperson who is the sole custodian of a relationship changes roles or leaves, it’s not difficult to understand the vulnerabilities this creates for a business. Several connections within a business make for continuity; and show clients that the whole organisation is committed to their account.

‘It’s all about creating long-term partnerships,’ says Schramme. ‘One of the best compliments we had was from a global head at Total Rewards who said he saw Santa Fe staff as an extension of his own team.’

In conclusion, he adds: ‘When you have a conversation with a client, make sure you note what was agreed and always think about the next step: what can I do to help move this process forward?’

Crucially, he says, ‘It is always better to say “let me check internally” than to promise something you cannot achieve. Manage expectations – that is very important.’

For all the changes in sales Schramme has seen while perfecting his sales craft during his long career, ‘keep your promises’ remains as vital today as when he started out.

Principles for sales success

Joost Schramme’s advice in a nutshell:

1. Keep your promises Only commit to what your business can realistically deliver.

2. Follow up consistently Record the actions you agree, take action and manage expectations honestly.

3. Listen before you sell Take time to understand the client’s needs and pressures before suggesting services.

4. Prepare well Research the client and ask relevant questions.

5. Be helpful Consider how you can support clients’ wider objectives and success.

6. Build trust over time Stay visible, nurture long-term relationships – opportunities may take years to emerge.

7. Work as one team Involve other colleagues to offer wider expertise to the client.

8. Keep learning Invest in formal training and stay up to date with changes in the industry and technology.

To find out more about the FIDI Academy’s Sales Programme contact Academy Manager Chantal Fera: Chantal.Fera@fidi.org