Saturdays interview at Content

Every weekend, Content Amersfoort publishes the Saturday interview with one of its members. This past Saturday, Anthon Geersing of The SalesCenter turn.

You can read the total interview below:

SATURDAY INTERVIEW - ANTHON GEERSING | THE SALES CENTER

Saturday morning: time for a delicious new Saturday Interview! With this time Anthon Geersing of The Sales Center. Besides his professional insights into sales and entrepreneurship, he also takes us into his personal life. From his favorite place in Amersfoort to his dreams for the future. 'The best day is still ahead of me. Or in other words, The best is yet to come!' This life motto reflects not only his outlook on the past and future, but also his ambition to speak in front of a room of more than 1,000 people.

What can we wake you up in the middle of the night for?
'The only reason I wake up and spring into action is if one of my children or my wife has something I can help with. For everything else, I like to be available during the day.'  

Did you experience anything special or go anywhere this summer?

'At the end of May we got the key to our house in Hoogland. We moved there with our youngest. The chores and moving were made possible by fantastic friends. My wife was not fully employable due to a medical procedure, then it is great to have such people around you.'

If you could be a character from a television series or movie, who would you choose and why?
'I would pick Jordan Belfort in The Wolf of Wall Street. Amazing how this guy can sell everything without any shyness or shame. But I wouldn't want to rip people off, so I probably won't win an Oscar for best character.'

If you could choose a dream destination for a summer vacation, where would it be and why?
'Santorini in Greece. The pictures online are fantastic. How I would love to spend a week there to enjoy sunrise to sunset and log off completely for a while.'

What is your favorite place in Amersfoort and why?
'I should of course say my new house in Hoogland now, but my heart still draws me to the old town of Amersfoort. The whole atmosphere there appeals to me enormously. From the historic buildings on the Muurhuizen and the Singel, to the shopping streets and the squares full of cozy terraces. It's great to bike that way on a Saturday and have a drink. And on a summer evening? Then I like to stay up for a beer with friends on one of those terraces. So yes, that is something you can wake me up for! Or rather, what I stay awake for!'  

Do you have a bucket list? If so, what's at the top?
'At the top of my list is speaking in front of a room of more than 1,000 people to tell them an inspiring story. My bucket list was inspired thanks to a visit to the Hillsong Conference in London. There, an American pastor shared why he had a bucket list and how he accomplished one of his dreams of flying in a jet plane. By the way, that seems great to me too: flying in an F-16 or F-35.'

If you could be the mayor of your city for one day, what changes would you make regarding housing and urban development?
'First of all: what I appreciate about Amersfoort are the gradual neighborhood renewals, where old and new complement each other. If I were mayor for one day, I would make a strong case for filling the empty storefronts in the downtown area. In consultation with property owners, I would seek a permanent solution to ensure that retail spaces do not remain vacant. In this plan, I would also create space to give start-ups a chance to get off the ground. In this way I strive for a vibrant city center with a varied retail offer that is attractive to both residents and local residents of Amersfoort.'

What do you do to relax after a busy week?
'For a few years now, we've had a regular date with friends on Friday nights. It's a cozy way to end the week: we enjoy a nice snack and drink together and watch a good movie or series. We take turns choosing a film or series, which sometimes leads to moments when you look at the screen with crooked toes because it's not your choice at all, but also to surprising discoveries.'

Is there a day in history you would like to relive?
'I prefer to look forward to what lies ahead. You can't change the past, only learn from it. That's why I like to live with the thought and realization that the best day is still ahead of me. The best is yet to come!'

Which entrepreneur would you like to trade places with for a day?
'Richard Branson of Virgin. I love how he has built his company with guts and entrepreneurial spirit.'

A good salesman!

Stories

Everyone knows stories of how a vendor ... well and then it comes!

Last week I spoke to a relation who spontaneously shared his experience at a large furniture chain (not in Amersfoort ;-)). He told me that he and his wife came especially to look at chairs they had seen online. After the seating was approved, only the color remained to be determined. The saleswoman, who joined them after a long wait, indicated that they could also just order online when the couple hiccupped on two colors. If the color wasn't right, they could return the chairs in no time. On the way back in the car, the chairs were ordered. Online... only with another company, because not only were they €70 cheaper, they could deliver within a week.

My relation told it with the comment that the company could very well use sales training. Indeed, had the saleswoman gone ahead and asked for the order, she would have scored it. The couple would then never have looked further online. The path to online ordering was the ‘well-intentioned tip’ that caused sales to fall elsewhere.

Cheap sellers

The Internet seems to be overtaking many businesses left and right as customers easily buy online. Yet it is often the traditional companies that by their own choice lay the breeding ground under this. One hires cheap salespeople because “it saves so much on costs.” Or the training of the sales team stops after all the product information has been transferred. After all, investing more in people is not necessary - people learn to sell on the shop floor.

The difference

As my relation's story also shows, the human link makes all the difference! Where saving on qualified personnel seems smart on paper the difference often pays off negatively. Whether people make private or business purchases they want attention! People want personal interest in the challenge where the product or service they are buying can make the difference. Product knowledge is necessary but in itself insufficient. Sales Skills are essential to making a difference.

A good salesperson (m/f) can:

We all know stories of sellers like my relation shared. Some may be even more extreme. If you, as a Content member, are now scratching your head and wondering whether such stories about your sales team could get out into the world, let's do the Sales Scan. Through this no-obligation scan you will get a good mirror in front of you and immediately beautiful insights.

My name is Anthon Geersing and I welcome you to The SalesCenter! We develop your sales team into proactive sales people, who connect well with customers, work more effectively and successfully!

The above article was written as a contribution for Content Amersfoort as part of Content XL Pencil

Content Pencil XL

Content Amersfoort

Retrieved from LinkedIn and through the website, The SalesCenter received nice promotion thanks to the Content XL Pencil. Content Amersfoort is a business club to connect entrepreneurs in Amersfoort, Leusden and Hoevelaken. From this connection can arise the possibility of doing business together. The SalesCenter joined Content Amersfoort shortly after its founding.

Pencil XL

The XL pencil was created to give an entrepreneur an opportunity to promote himself or the business he is involved with through an article. Anthon wrote an article sharing experiences around the topic of sales. The post below was appreciated and read by many people:

 𝗖𝗢𝗡𝗧𝗘𝗡𝗧 𝗫𝗟-𝗣𝗼𝘁𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗱 #𝟮𝟳: 𝗔𝗻𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗻 𝗚𝗲𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 - 𝗛𝗲𝘁 𝗦𝗮𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗖𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗺

This week, the well-known XL Pencil of Lucas van Ouwerkerk to Anthon Geersing owner of the SalesCenter . 

Anthon: ‘Where saving on qualified staff seems smart on paper the difference often pays off negatively. Whether people make a purchase privately or professionally they want attention! One wants personal interest in the challenge in which the product or service to be purchased can make the difference.’

Read the full contribution here:

Anthon Geersing passes the pencil to Martijn Gompel from Van Poelgeest BMW & MINI
Please be patient, his contribution will be available to read starting next week!