Innovation is the name of the game in the metamorphic industry of modern sales. By adopting new methods and implementing them with a sense of urgency, salespeople are able to evolve into strategic leaders while guiding their customers to previously unanticipated solutions.
This requires a qualified sense of trust on behalf of the client, built on transparent communication.
That feeling of reliance should extend throughout a company’s sales team as well. While external competition can be a driving force of success within the industry, eliminating it between teammates through transparent collaboration can produce strong results, according to Senior Account Manager Bryan Heflin.
We caught up with two L.A.-based fintech companies to learn how they have disregarded tradition in order to stay ahead of the curve, for the success of their clients and themselves.
As a cloud-based financial solutions company, InvestCloud strives for consistent growth in the fintech industry. Executive Vice President Megan Schmit understands that relationships must be more than transactional in order to achieve impactful results.
What’s something unique about your team from other sales orgs you’ve been part of?
I don’t look to hire classic salespeople with product backgrounds or a large Rolodex. There’s nothing transactional about what we do.
Instead, we need thought leaders who our clients trust to help facilitate the right dialogue with C-suite executives, challenge the status quo, and ultimately craft the blueprint for success. Working with the top of the house to frame a solution that aligns with a clear and measurable outcome requires a different skill set than the “point-selling” method more common in the industry.
The most important aspect of my sales team is that we never stop listening, learning and pushing ahead.”
What’s the most valuable sales lesson you’ve learned in the time you’ve been with your company?
There’s an old adage that the client is always right. While it’s true that our clients are incredibly knowledgeable, they are not always right when it comes to their approach to digital. Most of them know they don’t know – and they look to us for those answers.
We have to continue to push ourselves to remain the experts in digital. Innovation is a never-ending journey and the most important aspect of my sales team is that we never stop listening, learning and pushing ahead.
At PaymentCloud, a digital merchant services company, progress is achieved together. By removing internal competition from the sales team’s process, Senior Account Manager Bryan Heflin says that they are able to better focus on the uniqueness of each sales opportunity and deliver stronger solutions to their customers.
What’s something unique about your team from other sales orgs you’ve been part of?
There’s something unique about PaymentCloud’s culture, and more specifically how we communicate the ever-changing intricacies of our industry.
The competition within a sales environment tends to be fierce – and don’t get me wrong, we’re very competitive as a whole. But where we thrive is in our willingness to share vital information to serve one another. Industry news and updates are not withheld for personal gain. We are all aware and on board with the company-team dynamic, which has driven our success higher and higher year over year.
What’s the most valuable sales lesson you’ve learned in the time you’ve been with your company?
I’ve learned a proper balance between urgency and patience. With so many moving parts within the sales industry, a constant push-and-pull or forever standing on the sidelines do not prove to see the best results. My tenure with PaymentCloud has given me the education, experience and opportunity to find that sweet spot, which gives me the upper hand I need in a robust range of sales opportunities. Each and every sales opportunity is unique and different, and I continue to use this lesson daily: knowing when to pour some gas on the fire or let it simmer.
Each and every sales opportunity is unique and different.”
Are there any new or emerging technologies or tools your team is leveraging in their work?
Recently, PaymentCloud has rolled out a new payments solution (Paysley), which turns every customer’s phone into a point of sale. Customers can now pay a merchant directly from their mobile phones, without the need for a physical terminal or email capabilities. The impact this has had on our sales process has been a game-changer. Considering how fast-paced this industry is, the ability to pay for a product or service should be quick and painless; customers and merchants alike have no time to worry about the transactional aspect of their interaction.
