Jerry Acuff Interview
In this interview with Jerry Acuff, a seasoned sales expert, he shares his customer-centric philosophy and key insights on achieving sales excellence. Acuff emphasizes the importance of “thinking like a customer” and adopting an “other-focused” mindset to build lasting relationships and drive success. He reflects on his own sales journey, from early frustrations to transformational moments that reshaped his approach. Acuff discusses how trust, continuous learning, and understanding the true needs of customers are crucial for long-term success. He also highlights the balance between leveraging technology and maintaining the human element in sales interactions.
Adopting a Customer-Centric Mindset
We started the interview by asking, “Your philosophy emphasizes “Thinking Like a Customer.” Can you elaborate on how sales professionals can effectively adopt and practice this mindset in their daily interactions?”
Jerry Acuff replied, “Years ago I recall one of the sales gurus that I listened to said this: “To sell Jane Brown what Jane Brown buys, you have to see the world through Jane Browns buys.” Later on Jeffrey Gitomer said this in one of his great books: “People hate to be sold. But they love to buy.” Those 2 realities taught me that IF we are going to be wildly successful than we have to think like a customer. My philosophy has been driven by 3 things: The 2 phrases I learned and #3 is this: the reality is you CANNOT change what someone thinks until we know what they think! And you cannot know what they think until you see the world through their eyes! Customer focus is the only proven way to find out what they think.”
A Pivotal Moment in Sales Transformation
The Worlds Times: Early in your career, you faced frustrations as a salesperson. What was the pivotal moment or realization that transformed your approach to selling, and how do you help others navigate similar challenges?
Jerry Acuff replied, “My first attempt at sales was calling on grocery stores in west Tennessee. I worked for a great company (Lipton Tea). I didn’t want to be in sales but it was the only job I could find. I had a great manager (Miles Boyd -now deceased) but I felt like I had to be aggressive to succeed and that isn’t my personality. I left that job to coach football to see if I could get into college coaching and that was not to be. My college roommate called me one day and asked me if I wanted a job as a pharmaceutical representative and I didn’t think I would get hired but Jim Crutchfield hired me to cover central Virginia. The training was difficult but exceptional and Jim was a fabulous coach and teacher. Jim was a huge influence on my selling approach. He was not a pushy leader, he believed in customer centricity and he never named it that but as I began in 1981 to read and study the sales experts it was clear Jim was a great teacher. As luck would have it the people who shaped my philosophy were Jim and my next 2 supervisors (Gene Vezina and Don Cutcliff). These incredible leaders were so successful and such great leaders because they insisted on us to never stop learning. In 1981 when I became a sales manager I realized that I knew how to sell but not how to teach it. I went to a bookstore and bought a book: In that book they quoted Charlie “Tremendous” Jones: “You will be the same person 5 years from today with the exception of 2 things: the people you meet and the books you read. The person who won’t read is truly no better off than the person who can’t read.” That changed my life. I have read 660 business books since then and written 5 books.”
The Power of Being “Other-Focused” in Sales
The Worlds Times: You advocate for being “other-focused” and caring more about the customer than the sale. Can you share a real-life example where this approach led to extraordinary sales results?
Jerry Acuff replied, “When I was the VP/GM of a pharmaceutical company I got a call from a client that shared that in his hospital were using our product for patients it was not indicated for. He was concerned because our product was more expensive and he asked me what could I do. I asked him if he could get them all together I would fly there and ask them to not use our product for those patients. I did go there and armed with the clinical data I was able to make this hospital staff understand that our product was not needed for those patients. The person who called me was thrilled and so was I. Because we did the right thing!”
Changes in Sales Excellence over the Years?
The Worlds Times: Over your 30+ years in sales and consulting, what do you believe has fundamentally changed about sales excellence, and what remains timeless?
Jerry Acuff replied, “The biggest changes are that technology has been a big boost in helping companies reach sales prospects easier and the knowledge that technology can bring to almost any issue is incredible.
Sales excellence is still by and large unchanged in many ways. The tools sales people have today are eons ahead of what we had in the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s and this new decades!
But great sales people are needed everywhere! Sales people who can build relationships with customers and want to be seen as an asset to every client. The best sales people are ones who have terrific knowledge that can be of value to any customer. They ask great questions that shine the lights on opportunities not yet thought of.
Selling is teaching and it’s finding out what most people want. The reality is most people DONT know what they want but they think they do! Great sales people will always be the ones who can navigate a conversation so that IF that prospect truly is unaware of a solution that is far more efficient or less expensive they are fortunate that the sales person who can do that is a gift and most likely a valuable partner.”
Building Trust with Customers
The Worlds Times: Trust is a cornerstone of successful sales relationships. What are your top strategies for building trust with customers, especially in competitive markets?
Jerry Acuff replied, “Building trust is as old as the Bible. Be nice, treat everyone as important (because they are important), be honest, don’t waste their time and remember they are people too. The person at the front desk is just as important as the decision maker. Be thoughtful whenever you can. People love thoughtful people. Do unexpected thoughtful acts- every person has an invisible tattoo on their chest that says: “Make me feel important.” Make them feel important BECAUSE they are.”
Balancing Technology and Human Connection in Sales
The Worlds Times: With the rise of technology and data-driven decision-making, how can salespeople balance the human aspect of selling with leveraging digital tools and analytics?
Jerry Acuff replied, “Any sales person who craves success can master anything necessary to be so successful. Do what you need to do to be great. You will have to figure it out yourself!”
Inspiring and Motivating Sales Teams
The Worlds Times: As a sales leader and consultant, how do you inspire and motivate sales teams to maximize their potential while staying true to customer-centric values?
Jerry Acuff replied, “The way to inspire people is to hire people with an inspiring personality who loves competing! And make sure that they are in a culture that promotes success and hard work because that is what it takes to be very successful.”
Defining Success
Lastly we asked, “How do you define success in sales today, and what advice would you give to a salesperson striving to not only meet quotas but also achieve long-term career growth?
“Be an inveterate learner with a “can do” spirit. And only work fora leader has a track record of huge success AND has gotten others promoted!” Jerry Acuff Concluded
Connect Jerry Acuff through his website
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