Want to become the 007 of the B2B industry? You came to the right place.
During the B2B Marketing Exchange, Sell Like a Spy’s Jeremy Hurewitz will pull back the curtain on the mysterious world of espionage and share practical applications of spy tradecraft and ideas specifically for B2B marketing and sales professionals.
We caught up with Hurewitz to hear more about how the work of CIA case officers is often more like the work of your BDRs and account managers than James Bond, as well as how these spies leverage unique psychological skills to make their very particular kind of “sale.” Check it out below!
B2B Marketing Exchange (B2BMX): So, this is your first time speaking at one of our B2B Marketing Exchange events. What are you most excited about?!
Jeremy Hurewitz: I’m excited to interact with all sorts of people from the world of sales so I can learn from them, hear about cutting edge technology and trends that I might not know about and share the lessons that I’ve cultivated over my career to make my own contribution to improving the sales world. I’m also excited about visiting Scottsdale and staying at The Phoenician, which I hear is beautiful!
B2BMX: This year’s event theme is “Performance Plus: Embracing Creativity. Elevating Results.” What inspires your creativity?
Hurewitz: I LOVE this theme. Creativity is so important in sales (and in life generally) and is a huge driver in my approach to sales and what has made me successful. My creativity is inspired by the varied interests I have and the different paths my life and career have followed. I’ve lived overseas for a decade, changed careers a few times and have a deep well of intellectual curiosity — I believe these are the wellsprings of my creativity.
B2BMX: Tell us about a time you took a big risk and it paid off.
Hurewitz: I’m a risk-taker so I probably have a lot of these. Whether it was moving on a one-way ticket to Europe with a backpack and a guitar when I was 22, moving to China years later without knowing anyone there or shifting careers a few times, I enjoy betting on myself.
B2BMX: Can you tell us about your “Sell Like a Spy” ideology, and how it applies to B2B marketing and sales?
Hurewitz: I designed Sell Like a Spy with B2B sales in mind. While the idea of Sell Like a Spy is widely applicable — including B2C and more transactional forms of sales — it is most relevant to businesses focused on cultivating long-term relationships with their clients. I share ways in which spies (who, in my estimation, are the world’s best salespeople) can subtly collect information on their targets to figure out the best path to make the sale. I share methods to short-cut rapport building and strategies to break the ice and connect with targets, all with entertaining anecdotes from both the worlds of sales and espionage to illustrate those points.
B2BMX: Can you give us a sneak peek into your session? What are some of the biggest takeaways the audience will have?
Hurewitz: The session is going to be great! Attendees will come away with a better understanding and a greater respect for how spies do their job and how in many ways it’s not that different than the work that salespeople do. They will leave my talk with a few new tools about how to network more effectively, listen better and connect more deeply with their sales targets so they can more effectively and efficiently close deals.
Jeremy will be joining us at #B2BMX for a track breakout and a workshop! The workshop is only available to All-Access Pass holders. Get your pass at the Early Bird rate to save $700.
