Academics are wired to learn and teach. They are those sales people who are always asking: “why?” And not because someone told them to; they are genuinely curious about how things work. Academics often refer to the book(s) they are reading as points of conversation or supporting arguments and are some of the best sales debaters because of their wide knowledge set.
One of the most important things that Academics need is an organization that promotes learning & growth and in general, excellence. Academics have a sincere desire to look at macro-level business challenges and understand how best to address them or better yet, prevent them. This ability allows them to succeed in Series A and Series B companies.
Academics are intolerant of reactive thinking or worse pretentious use of intellectualism. Partnering with Classic selling peers/management will be important as they can finesse relationships where Academics may lose patience.
Academics are the true ‘trusted advisor’ as their actions are steered by what’s true and real rather than by sales incentive plans or having to be the smartest person in the room – probably because they already are. Because of this, it’s critical that Academics represent complex and large impact solutions and those they can stand behind. Think you’re an Academic? Take the Quiz here.
Matt Damon as an Academic
