Sales is more of a science than it is an art

I've been asked before, "What is one thing you stand by that a lot don't as it relates to GTM?"

I typically default to this answer:

• Sales is 70% science and 30% art

This article was inspired by a 20Sales podcast with Harry Stebbing and Larry Shutz earlier this year. In it, Larry said that sales is 70% art and 30% science.

Before I rip into this, it's important to define what we mean by art and science. This is subjective, but I believe it to be:

Art

• Interpersonal skills

• Relationships

• Storytelling

Science

• GTM engineering tooling (doing more with less)

• Quantification of a business use case

• Linear sales process/structured

• Analytics of tools like Gong recordings to improve skills linearly

I understand Larry's perspective and where he comes from. In the world Larry grew up in (old-school selling: PTC, Oracle, SFDC, etc.), relationship selling was how you did things. The old-school way was less cerebral and more brute force, more “let’s chat about this over a nice steak dinner.”

In 2024, there are too many good products and a brutally competitive landscape. You need to cut through that noise with science, truly being a consultant to your prospective customers and advising them on how to make more money, cut costs, and/or reduce risks.

• This isn’t to say that evangelical selling isn’t important also. We’re in this new wave of AI, and during the sales process especially as an early stage company, you need to sell the “journey” with them for sure

They don't want to go to a steak dinner with you anymore or buy from you because you have confident pilot voice and Kennedy hair. They'd like you to be easy to talk to, but that's secondary to you solving their problem.

The modern buyer is sophisticated, well-researched, and time-constrained. They've likely already done significant research before engaging with sales. What they need isn't a friend - they need someone who can:

• Quickly understand their business challenges

• Demonstrate clear ROI

• Navigate them efficiently through a buying process

• Show them exactly how the solution will deliver measurable results

I challenge the adage, "People buy on emotion first and then justify logic to it later." This implies that art is first and science second. It speaks to Larry's point, that sales is 70% art and 30% science.

I think this is true for some decisions in life, but as it relates to B2B sales, let's get real:

• If your product doesn't hope to help your prospect make more money, cut costs, or mitigate risks (which stems back to preventing lost revenue or the cost of fixing that problem), they aren't going to purchase your solution.

That is not to say that art doesn't play an important role - it does - it's just secondary to science. It's the cherry on top.

The 30% art component remains important because it's how you deliver the science. It's about:

• Reading the (Zoom or real-life) room in crucial moments

• Knowing when to push and when to pull back

• Building trust and rapport

• Adapting your style to different personality types (selling to business vs developer personas, for example)

But these skills enhance and deliver the scientific foundation—they don't replace it.

The elite modern sellers master both but prioritize science first.

I've seen some of the worst salespeople close a ton business (slow to respond, run a clunky process, bad interpersonal skills) all because they had a killer product that the prospect needed to buy to help improve a quantitative metric. The other way around? You have people who have felt they were oversold.

People want to/enjoy buying from the people they like. But what they care most about is the business impact of what you’re proposing. That’s science.

Don't get me wrong, skills like storytelling and being great with people are two super important. In a commodity sale or if your product is equal, they’ll buy from who they like more.

The bottom line is this: in 2024's B2B landscape, you can't relationship-sell out of a weak business case, but you can science-sell your way through average relationships.

The best sellers do both well, but they build from a foundation of science first.