Tech Capital Partners Blog

I was approaching the end of my academic career at engineering school on Black Monday (October 16, 1987), a single day when the global stock market was hit by massive selling, resulting in the instantaneous evaporation of trillions of dollars of wealth). Not surprisingly, as I attempted to enter the work force in its aftermath, on-campus recruiting was substantially diminished.

As I recall, the few jobs that were being offered were for technical sales reps. The idea of a job in sales caused in me a severe allergic reaction. After all, I thought, it is a very mundane occupation, especially for someone who had just finished stuffing all the knowledge of the universe into his brain. I had no intention of wasting. Perhaps too, I had in my head a vision of Arthur Miller’s pathetic character, Willy Loman from “Death Of A Salesman” - a broken down walrus of a man who’s sense of integrity was continually compromised by his addiction to hyperbole.  That wasn’t me.  No, I was going to use my brain!

Half a lifetime later, I have revised my view on this and many other topics. I am much more circumspect about how much knowledge was ever actually between my ears and I am becoming alarmed about the rate at which whatever was in there is disappearing. Second, I am re-thinking Willy Loman. Today I see a man who admittedly has personal character flaws but has the core redeeming qualities of courage, dedication, and the self confidence to withstand rejection.

“…he takes his valises out of the car and puts them back and takes them out and puts them back again and he’s exhausted…He drives seven hundred miles and when he gets there no one knows him any more, no one welcomes him…And you tell me he has no character?”
Linda, (wife of Loman)

Maybe my changing viewpoint came from watching my wife travel from strip mall to strip mall in the whipping winter wind in Mississauga selling photocopiers and the like…facing the elements, strangers, and her heavy pitch book with joy. Maybe it was watching my father-in-law whose company would increase his quota and decrease his territory every year, and every year he would answer the bell. Maybe it was simply that I realized how hard it was when circumstances forced me to do it myself.

Ten years ago this month, I left my nice comfortable paycheck because Tim Jackson and I were going to strike out on our own. A few weeks into the adventure, I realized that if I didn’t sell I wouldn’t be able to feed my family. The product I had to sell was an investment in a venture capital fund. That might not be what we usually think of as a product but I had to sell none the less. I was scared. Could I keep going? Could I take my “valises out of the car and put them back and take them out again”? Could I handle rejection? What would I do if no one welcomed me?

During this time of epiphany, I learned that selling is a skill. There are some who are naturally gifted. I had to work hard to gain the fundamentals. But practice is rewarded and what is difficult at first, gets easier with time. There are many styles of selling, many of which are effective. Since I needed to be comfortable in my own skin I wanted to find a style that matched my temperament.

My current view is that everyone needs to know how to sell because everyone has to sell something. The engineer on the internal design team needs to sell his ideas just as the sales rep needs to sell the company’s product. When a company approaches the venture capital community, they are selling their business plan and eventually their shares. If you have aspirations of being a founder or president you need to be the best sales person in the organization. Finally, if you can ring the cash register, you will never be out of a job.

If I have convinced you to start your journey, there are many great resources. A personal favorite is How to Become a Rainmaker by Jeffery Fox, but here are a few others:

• Jeffrey Gitomer books on Sales Techniques, Training, and Motivation
• Sandler Sales Institute
• SPIN Selling
• and in many cases a simple Google search can yield some great info

“Willy was a salesman. And for a salesman, there is no rock bottom to life. He don’t put a bolt to a nut, he don’t tell you the law or give you medicine. He’s a man way out there in the blue, riding on a smile and a shoeshine. And when they start not smiling back—that’s an earthquake…A salesman is got to dream boy.  It comes with the territory.”
Uncle Charley (brother of Loman)

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