Industry experts to debate business development best practices at LAGCOE
Is selling an art or a science? That is the topic up for debate between Clayton George, founder and principal engineer of Practical Engineering Solutions LLC, and Tully Blanchard, business development manager for Billet CNC. The humorous and informative presentation, titled “Who Says Engineers Can’t Sell?,” is set to take place on Thursday, October 10th at 1:30 pm.
Bringing different backgrounds and disciplines to battle, the two industry leaders will discuss differing approaches to sales and business management in the oil and gas industry. Through a friendly but heated debate, George and Blanchard hope to bridge the gap between conflicting ideas of sales to agree on a definition that accommodates both the analytical and the abstract.
With more than 15 years of industry experience as a mechanical engineer, George is firm in his belief that sales is a science.
“Sales is based on the science of psychology and how people’s minds make informed decisions,” said George. “It’s not all about martini lunches and fishing trips. If Tully can’t see that then I’m worried for him.”
But Blanchard, who has more than 20 years of business development experience, doesn’t quite hold the same belief.
“There’s more to sales than cold-calling and bargaining,” said Blanchard. “You have to approach sales management from a mindful perspective that appreciates the needs of the buyer. It’s more about relationships than it is an equation; the buyer will notice if you treat them like a number. Clayton should stick to what he knows best - engineering.”