As a kid, my dream was to become a loudspeaker engineer. Building speakers was my passion–small speakers, large subwoofers, car systems. Because of this, my first job was at a DIY loudspeaker store. I certainly never thought I’d end up founding a software company. The two couldn’t be further apart, right?
Recently, Dave Brock asked me to tell him why I love selling. Immediately, I thought back to this first job, and how much I loved it. And then I realized that, actually, that job and my passion for it did set me on the path to the job I have now.
One of the most exciting parts of that first job was seeing new drivers and tweeters show up from vendors who innovated with new technology and materials. I loved learning about the new tech and understanding how to compose the perfect speaker combination, crossover, and casing for the “product” to sound as good as possible.
But what was just as exciting was helping customers get as hooked on the passion as I was. It was fun to showcase our speakers, and it was fun to help them find exactly what they wanted for their particular needs and preferences.
I love good sound. My son says I don’t have a passion for music, I have a passion for great sound effects :) But everyone is different in how they like to experience sound. One person might just want the biggest and baddest subwoofer they can find, so they can play really loud. Someone else might live in an apartment and love classical music, and they want speakers that can simulate the nuances of how an orchestra sounds in person but at low volumes. And of course, factors like age and taste and how your ears receive sound impact the best possible solution for each person.
My son says I don’t have a passion for music, I have a passion for great sound effects :)
I loved being the person who had the knowledge, expertise, product, and willingness to learn–the one who could actually help customers find exactly the solution they needed to fulfill their desire for their idea of “great sound.”
And that is still what I do today. I use my knowledge and expertise and the things I learn from our customers, to carry the vision for a product that helps sellers and their companies and teams actually get what they want.
To answer Dave’s question, here are 5 things I loved about that job, that I still love about selling.
I didn’t grow up to be a loudspeaker engineer. I could not possibly have imagined, as a 17-year-old in a DIY sound system store in the 90s, where my life would take me. But I couldn’t be happier with my career than I am today. And selling is still one of my favorite jobs in the world.
George is the founder & CEO of Membrain, the Sales Enablement CRM that makes it easy to execute your sales strategy. A life-long entrepreneur with 20 years of experience in the software space and a passion for sales and marketing. With the life motto "Don't settle for mainstream", he is always looking for new ways to achieve improved business results using innovative software, skills, and processes. George is also the author of the book Stop Killing Deals and the host of the Stop Killing Deals webinar and podcast series.
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