3 characteristics to look for in a vertical-focused seller

3 characteristics to look for in a seller who will be targeting a new vertical: (for example, selling into dentists)

1. They've been selling your product for a while

2. They've had success selling your product

3. They have a personal or professional connection to the vertical

Having all three is great, but the one that will lead to sales the fastest is #3.

Why?

Having a background in that vertical means you can speak their language.  (every vertical has insider language)

It also means you can speak to the unique pain points within the vertical.

This lowers buyer's resistance. 

For example, back at Scorpion, we wanted to start selling into the home services vertical. So we recruited a long-time Scorpion seller who had been a home services business owner. His ability to be relatable with the home services leads created a deep rapport with them.  

This contributed to generating quite a few sales in the early days.