Paul Atkins, managing director at invoice finance business Ultimate Finance, tells SalesTarget of his admiration for Disney and Derren Brown.
1. What was the first thing you sold?
Cash – it was loans and hire purchase agreements. I’ve never sold anything tangible – just money or data.
2. Did you intend to go into sales when you started your career?
I came into a sales job by default. I originally went into banking to convince my parents I was getting an education without going to university. I did my exams, got my banking qualifications and was bored senseless.
It came to a head when someone came into the bank with Danish kronor, and I got chatting to him: I was really interested in how he’d got it and the business he was involved in– but the attitudes of others in the bank were “don’t talk to the customers – just take the money”. I realised then I wanted to work with people, and it was time to get out.
I had no sales experience, but started selling financial products at North West Securities. I eventually ended up working for the software group Sage to run a sales team there. I realised selling IT solutions to accountants was too far removed from my core skills and I wanted a new challenge in finance, so I left to join Ultimate.
3. What’s the single most important quality you need to succeed as a salesperson?
You need to be a chameleon. You can never pre-judge what a client wants, so you have to be able to think on your feet and adapt. It’s the ability to change language, whether to appear knowledgeable or naive, subservient or important, friendly or formal – basically fit in with the customer’s outlook on life.
4. What is the one thing you would love to sell?
Rollercoasters for Disneyworld. I can’t think of anything better than designing rollercoasters – something that really excites and thrills people - and then selling them.
5. What is the last thing you’d want to sell?
Large scale IT solutions that take months to come to fruition.
6. What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
Keep it simple, and don’t be scared by the figures. There’s no idea or product so complex that it can’t be explained and sold to a client simply.
When I was working at Experian, the head of sales showed me that you should not be frightened by numbers: whether you’re selling something for £1,000 or for £10m, it’s the same techniques - the only difference is that the second has a longer string of noughts.
7. What advice would you give to someone following in your footsteps?
Be honest – to your colleagues, customers, peers and most of all yourself. A reputation for integrity is your biggest single asset, and if you lose that it’s almost impossible to regain. I’ve seen too many people in sales jobs who, whether it’s out of greed, desperation or pressure, lose it and do something silly.
Most importantly it’s the honesty to be brave enough to ask “is sales for me?’ and leave if it isn’t – I know what it’s like to be stuck in the wrong job and you’re doing nothing for anyone, least of all yourself, if you stay.
8. What did you buy with your first bonus?
A deposit for a house. It was a big bonus and helped me make quite a leap on the property ladder.
9. Who do you most admire in your industry?
I know it’s an obvious choice but Sir Richard Branson. I’ve got such admiration for self-made people, particularly those who get to the top by having a vision and drive, and who have built multiple businesses.
I admire those people who take a few knocks but still carry on, who see the big picture, and Branson literally ended up aiming for the moon.
10. How would you sell ice to an Eskimo?
Slush Puppy flavours. Imagine all the fun you could have adding taste and colour to all that white ice.
11. How important is image for a salesperson?
Hugely: you’ve less than two minutes to make a real impression to a client – that’s the time it takes for them to decide whether they want to work with you or not. It goes back to being a chameleon and dressing for the part - if it’s an accountant it’s a fair guess that they won’t appreciate you turning up in jeans, while a young software designer may not be keen on a salesperson in a suit.
But probably more important than external image is self-image, the self-confidence in yourself and knowing what your strengths and weaknesses are.
12. What is the single most important skill you need to close a sale?
The ability to read people and to know what they are really saying - if I had just 1% of Derren Brown’s skills I’d be a millionaire.
It’s being able to read body language. Closing is about being able to see beyond the words and knowing when to really push for a commitment.
13. Has anything ever gone wrong, that in hindsight, has worked out well for you?
Not really, no.
14. What’s been your biggest success?
Managing people. When I was at Experian I had 12 salespeople in my team, and when I joined they were at incredibly low ebb. The greatest thing I’ve achieved was turning that team around, to the point where two of the team were named in the top three salespeople of the year.
15. If you were to pack up your desk and leave today, what would you like to be known for?
I’d like to be remembered fondly. I’d like to be missed, that I’d left a void that couldn’t quite be filled: a nice bloke that got his job done.
16. How has sales changed from when you started out?
I’ve been in sales for 20 years and the changes have been huge, notably the pace driven by technology. When I started it was one-finger typing, and since then I’ve seen faxes at home, PCs and mobiles.
Once IT is introduced it’s hard to switch off. Now you can never really walk away from the job. People working in sales are particularly susceptible to always being available because there’s a fear that you’ll miss the next deal or opportunity.
17. What are the current challenges facing your industry?
Cash availability. Being able to access cash following the credit crunch has hit everyone. There’s been a misbalance of risk and reward among financial institutions, so it’s harder to access cash. There is generally more caution from lenders and customers and everyone is taking more time and care in making lending decisions.
18. How has the digital age changed sales?
It’s made things far quicker, everyone accepts that. What is less noticed is that we now have to multi-task a lot more, so you have to work on more projects at the same time.
There are also far more demands made upon us, not only to sell but to get involved in marketing and branding. How people can Tweet, blog, update Facebook and still have time to do the day job of selling is beyond me.
19. What will never change?
Human interaction. Despite technology at some point people will have to come together. There is a need for people to buy services and solutions from other individuals: yes you can buy online, but the really big sales are secured by people meeting each other.
20. Who is the best salesman ever, real or fictional?
Walt Disney: there’s a man who had the simplest of visions – the drawing of a mouse – and set out to sell it. The result was that he not only built a huge business of films and leisure parks, he actually changed the way we are entertained and how we see ourselves.
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