Ask a Sales Leader: Donald Dunbar

 

  1. What is it like coming from the clinical space into a sales role?

When a sales position opportunity came up, I jumped at the opportunity to build on my career.  I did question it as I was coming from the clinical space, but it worked out for the best.  It was apparent very quickly that coming from the clinical space enhanced conversations with customers and potential customers as selling became a conversation.  I was able to answer all of their clinical questions, and this became a trust builder.  I was (and still am) learning but I found out very quickly that I could leverage my clinical experience to discuss the benefits and the problems that our products could help solve.  At first, coming from the clinical space caused me some doubts coming into sales, but I have learned to use my clinical experience to my advantage.

  1. What keeps you going when you are having a bad day?

Several things keep me going when I am having a bad day.  First off, any job is going to come with its share of bad days, but you have to keep going.  In sales, there are always opportunities.  If and when one deal falls through there are a bunch of others out there to go after.  Also, there is always going to be a current customer that needs to be taken care of and taking care of your current customers is one of the most important things you can do.  Having the mindset that I will have a bad day here and there but there are always opportunities out there is what keeps things in perspective for me.  Always keep pursuing.

  1. How do you improve your sales skills?

Since I am only a few years into my sales career, I improve my sales skills in several ways.  First off, I love learning from colleagues who have been doing it for much longer.  My colleagues always have great advice and pointers and are a great resource.  Subscribing to newsletters such as the one from Flannery Sales Systems are also great resources as there are so many articles with valuable information in them.  Making sure I have complete product and company knowledge is very important for my sales skills. Lastly, attending seminars on different sales topics have been extremely helpful in growing my skills.

  1. What advice would you give to others who are new in sales?

One of the biggest pieces of advice I would give is to be totally transparent with customers and potential customers.  Being transparent even when the news is bad could and most likely will lead to good things in the future.  Customers will remember your transparency and will begin to trust you which could lead to more or new sales in the future.  Transparency is key even in the tough times.

/by