Google. Whole Foods Market. Zappos. Apple. Facebook. Patagonia.

What do these giants of industry first bring to mind? For me and many other consumers, it’s a positive company culture and a dedication to support that is unparalleled by their competitors.

As a member of ReadyTalk’s Inside Sales team, I work on the front lines of our service, taking inbound calls from prospective customers, hosting live demonstrations of our audio and web conferencing services, and acting as a point person through many of our clients’ first experience with our product. With ReadyTalk being a Best Company to Work For in Colorado for more than five years running, I’ve found that—much like Google and the aforementioned companies—culture has become one of my go-to selling points at every stage of introducing prospects to our conferencing services.

If you’re fortunate to work at a company dedicated to building a culture that is people-centric, you should absolutely be incorporating this aspect into your initial sales conversation. I’ve found the following points to be really helpful in not only engaging clients but creating a company identity that reaches much deeper than simply being a fantastic conferencing software provider with an awesome platform:

1. Incorporate cultural material into demonstrations. Maybe it’s an example of your company’s mission or a slide showing the availability of your support team or a picture that embodies the spirit of your workplace, any of these create an opportunity for a talking point that allows for engagement on the end of the prospect.

2. Frame the conversation from the prospects’ perspective. It’s all well and good that you and I have a great, amazing, awesome, totally sweet workplace, but how does it affect the prospect?? I tend to explain it from the support side:

“What a people-focused culture means for you is that you are going to have a live Customer Care representative who is happy to help you with whatever it is you need,  and we’re available to help seven days a week, 24 hours a day.”

Who wouldn’t want that?? I want that! In every aspect of my life! But of course, this also begets the third piece….

3. Dedicate yourself to the follow-through. Every time you connect with a prospect, you are creating a framework for their experience with your company. Build a strong foundation, and hit it out of the ballpark every time.

If there is anything more fun than actually being in such a great workplace, it’s being able to share the experience with the users’ of your technology. And if you are looking to be able to work more from a referral basis, this is a key way to stand above competition in a way that is atmospheric.

Do you have different ideas about how company culture can factor into the sales process? Do you have experience being sold on a company culturally? We’d love to hear about it!

Nicole Qualtieri is a member of ReadyTalk’s Inside Sales team, where she acts as a first point of contact for future clients. Prior to working at ReadyTalk, she worked in a corporate leadership development program and spent a year volunteering as an AmeriCorps VISTA in Boston, MA. Outside of her professional life, Nicole is an avid writer, horseback rider, and contributor within Denver’s stand-up comedy and story-telling community.