This interview is with Richard Harris, Founder at The Harris Consulting Group.

Richard Harris, Founder, The Harris Consulting Group

Richard, can you tell us a bit about yourself and your journey to becoming a sales expert, particularly in the realm of sales strategy and processes?

Helping founders with GTM strategies and teaching sales reps how to earn the right to ask questions—which questions to ask, and when—is the primary driver for Richard. He brings 20+ years of experience, having done all the roles—SDR, AE, Manager, Director, VP of Sales, and Director of Sales Ops—to the table. His client list includes Zoom, Salesforce, Human Interest, Dusty Robotics, Gainsight, and more. He's also the co-founder of Surf and Sales as well as the host of the Surf and Sales Podcast. He lives in Northern California with his wife, Cathy; sons, Riley and Bodhi; and two Cavapoos, Lola and Luna.

What pivotal moments in your career solidified your understanding of the distinction between a sales strategy and a sales process?

It happened early in my career. I was in high school, selling at The Gap, and I quickly learned there is a process in how you approach someone, which is very different from how you speak to someone.

You've emphasized the importance of stage names and exit criteria in a sales process. Can you share an instance where a misidentified stage name or unclear exit criteria led to a missed opportunity, and what you learned from that experience?

Misidentified stage names happen when people create stage names that are particular activities within the sales process. In fact, those activities are more likely exit criteria. Some examples might be creating a stage name called 1st Meeting, Demo, or Proposal.

You mentioned that an activity, like a demo or proposal, shouldn't be a stage name. How can sales professionals effectively incorporate these activities within their sales process stages without mistaking them as stages themselves?

When done right, the activities are the exit criteria—meaning what information or activity must have occurred in order to move a deal from one stage to the next. For example, if a demo is required to move from discovery to selection stage, then the demo is the exit criteria, not the stage name.

You've highlighted the significance of identifying and understanding the 'skeptic' in the sales process. Can you walk us through a specific deal where addressing the skeptic's concerns was the key to winning the sale?

You will always get to the decision-maker at some point during a good sales cycle. However, you will never get to the decision-maker until you have identified and convinced all the skeptics. We also know that after every call, especially the first sales call, there is going to be an internal meeting about you. You will not be in the room while they talk about you. And now you have to rely on your champion to actually sell for you. So, the best practice is to simply say, "Hey Rebecca, I know when we are done with this conversation you will need to have a conversation with your team. I am curious, who on your team would be the most skeptical, and what would they be skeptical about when reviewing what we've discussed today." As for a specific example, I use this in every sales call. And it immediately not only identifies the skeptic(s), in many cases it reveals the decision-maker(s) too.