Let me tell you what UX designers are if you are a salesperson and don’t know what they do. UX designers are the people you love when your software and hardware give you a great user experience. When screens load quickly that’s when you love your UX designer. You can thank a UX designer when the buttons are located on a device just where they should be so it makes your user experience fantastic.
I just read about how to spot good UX designers. I was curious to read the article because I always want to know how other people spot good talent. It’s harder to spot good talent than you think. Have you ever interviewed someone and it turned out their best day was their interview? You don’t want that in sales.
I think UX designers are a lot like salespeople. They have to have good technical skills and then be able to translate that skill into great products that customers love. Salespeople have to know their products technically well also. It’s not enough to be successful in sales if you just know your product though.
So what is it that good UX designers and talented salespeople have in common? They’re both good listeners and problem solvers. They’re able to put themselves in their user/customers’ shoes so they can empathize with their current situation and create a solution that will improve their current situation.
Here’s one comment that struck me as especially important if you’re a salesperson. This was important:
“iterating—looking at observations from users’ stories and iteratively analyzing them to see whether there is additional goodness within them to help identify new insights.”
Wouldn’t you be more valuable as a salesperson if you saw something that would help your prospect or customer and shared that with him? You would. So keep listening and looking for new ways to help your prospects when they buy your products. That’s how UX designers do it. Sounds like it’s good for salespeople, too.
Best wishes for your sales success!