Chris Fogarty is a business development director and sells services for Crown Relocations, one of the world’s largest relocations, logistics and data storage companies. He answers our 20 questions.
1) What was the first thing you sold?
It was a form of protection service. I convinced my mates I could summon the dead, then offered not to do so if they paid me 10p apiece.
2) Did you intend to go into sales when you started your career?
No, I fell into sales by accident. I had an interview in London, but arrived to find I’d got the date wrong, and no-one was there. I went back home to Northampton, and noticed that a recruitment event was being held for sales jobs. I went along, still in my new suit, and 30 minutes later, they offered me a job.
3) What’s the single most important quality you need to succeed as a salesperson?
This may sound illogical, but I always try not to behave like a salesman, that is not throwing information about features and benefits at clients. I want to understand their needs then try to devise a solution.
4) What is the one thing you would love to sell?
If I had free rein, probably selling for Richard Branson’s space shuttle service.
5) What is the last thing you’d want to sell?
Personally, I’d find it a real challenge moving into a consumer sales environment, after so many years in a B2B sector, and I know I’d struggle to adapt.
6) What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
Tenacity allied to diplomacy is a very valuable combination. A colleague told me that, probably 15 years ago, and he was certainly right.
7) What advice would you give to someone following in your footsteps?
To become an expert in their industry, and to learn as much as they possibly can. I took time out in my career to run a couple of business units, and having a management role really gave me a deeper understanding of how this business operates.
8) What did you buy with your first bonus?
It was in the 80s, and it was a big bonus, so I got a Honda CVR 600FM, in Benetton racing colours.
9) Who do you most admire in your industry?
It’s hard for me to look past the founder of our company, Jim Thompson. He took Crown from a one-man business in the 60s, to now, where we employ 5,000 people in 55 countries, and operate across six continents.
10) How would you sell ice to an Eskimo?
I wouldn’t. If an Eskimo doesn’t need ice, he’d soon work out that I’d sold him something he didn’t really want, and that’s a customer gone forever. I’d maybe try to sell him an ice management service, so he would know how to preserve a wonderful natural resource.
11) How important is image for a salesperson?
I don’t think image is as important as some would have you believe. The really important thing is that you are consistent with the brand you are representing. There has to be harmony between their values and beliefs, and yours.
12) What is the single most important skill you need to close a sale?
I do try to avoid using that word, certainly in a service process such as relocation. I would say a useful asset though is to be a little bit robust in the face of criticism.
13) Has anything ever gone wrong, that in hindsight, has worked out well for you?
There are several, and I like to remember them, and not sugar-coat them, so that I can learn from them, and hopefully, not do them again.
14) What’s been your biggest success?
We made a strategic decision, several years ago, to move from being a ’moving’ company to becoming a provider of relocation services. Shortly afterwards, I secured a multi-million pound deal with a global technology company.
15) If you were to pack up your desk and leave today, what would you like to be known for?
Two things. As the person that they phoned when the stakes were high, I’d hope I always had a valuable contribution to make. It’s also important to have the respect of the people you work for, not just at the sort-of theoretical level, but because you have developed personal chemistry.
16) How has sales changed from when you started out?
I don’t think it has changed, although our business certainly has. Fundamentally though, sales jobs are all about having enthusiasm and credibility, and always will be.
17) What are the current challenges facing your industry?
There is increasing pressure on clients, to take a lot of costs out of their businesses, which is understandable in the current climate, and so there is a great deal of focus on the procurement teams, and there can be a risk of buying cheaply.
18) How has the digital age changed sales?
Some new tools have given clients more visibility of the process, e-auctions, for example. For us, digital has enabled us to be much more creative, and to engage with clients in innovative ways, such as through web-seminars and e-learning. We now rely heavily on digital technology during the sales process.
19) What will never change?
If a customer doesn’t like you, perhaps they are only buying from you because you are cheap, and that’s the kind of business you don’t want to get into.
20) Who is the best salesman ever, real or fictional?
OJ Simpson’s lawyer.
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