optioneerJM

LEADERSHIP: Work ON the business, not IN the business

2011-10-24T18:34:00.004-06:00

"If you think you're too small to have an impact, try going to bed with a mosquito in the room"

~Dame Anita Roddick, founder, The Body Shop

A boss asked me once "Are you working ON the business or IN the business?" He was a President I directly reported to. It was asked while we were reviewing the financials I was responsible for together. That advice remained with me. It rings true if not several times a day, it is magnified often. I've seen many entrepreneurs struggle with growth. Often, it is because they have difficulty letting go and allowing other people to take over.

There is a fine line between "if I don't do the work, nobody else cares as much as I do about success" and "hiring people whom you trust, mentor and help follow in your footsteps so you can focus on the business and not the tasks".

Once you consider that advice, you can clearly see those that fall into the trap from those that make the transition successfully.

I recommend succession planning from day one. That way, you will ensure you have the "right" people ready so you focus ON the business. You will discover yourself moving beyond tasks to vision.

A Fortune 500 corporation that I worked was phenomenal at succession planning. The previous year’s ink would barely be dried and already planning for that year’s end began. All managers would meet, bringing forward candidates for consideration for that year’s leadership path. Amongst the pool, three or four would be agreed upon. The culture dictated that everyone, from the VP to the operations team, would help groom and prepare that candidate for a leadership post by year’s end.

Wise entrepreneurs will take heed: Don’t wait until your back is against the wall, crisis sets in, or you're being shredded apart by the bombardment of decisions that freeze your organization until you give your blessing. That isn't leadership. It is fuelling the ego and the need to be in control. Often it is disguised. If you are leader in place by shareholders or executives what goes around comes around eventually ... to bite you. If you are an owner/principle of the organization, who has the nerve to tell you that you should be grooming your people to be able to step up in a heartbeat. They should have the confidence that they are not being set up to fail or be reprimanded for making the wrong decision.

Start today. Look around you. Who has potential to step in and step up in the event a crisis arises and let’s say an instantaneous decision has to be made and you’re in the air flying somewhere, and unreachable? (I’d rather not present a situation that is more life-threatening to raise alarm bells.) If you are hedging on a quick answer, then you have a huge issue to deal with.

Take a chapter from Steve Jobs, whom we are examining more and more after his passing. He was known to say that one of his greatest skills was recognizing and managing talent. The book “Good to Great” by Jim Collins provides oodles of examples of extremely successful empires that were only successful while its main leader was holding all the reigns. What resonates with me on the book is that the organizations that continue to weather many storms and survive decades are when the leadership surrounds itself with highly capable individuals who may be more talented in a particular area.

This may require baby steps. It isn’t easy to give up “control”. Often, ego gets in the way. I’ve seen executives confuse surrounding themselves with “yesmen” (aka political/gender unbiased “yes people”) as having the right people on the bus. Don’t fall into that trap.

You may have someone that bristle hair on the back of your neck when they don’t succumb to your point of view and are prepared to be passionate to argue a different stance. They may go against the rest of the “yesmen” team. Don’t consider that person controversial, not a team player, or opinionated. Look beyond the style to the substance behind the argument. Consider the passionate ideas behind the message that they are prepared to stand up for. Consider embracing them.

Perhaps it would be wise to sit down separately to clarify their ideas, coach on the style. You could end up discovering that they "get it" and truly cares enough about your success or that of the organization because they’re prepared to risk themselves for that. I’d put my money before one individual like that, than 10 “yesmen” All may be equally talented in several ways, but success doesn’t make a good bedfellow with “yesmen”.

Unfortunately, I’ve witnessed where a leader may have had only one truly trusted sidekick. No disrespect intended for “sidekick” – that trusted someone that you share friendship, respect, vision, workload with. That person could be gone and then what? That is why I recommend you create a team of experts that truly respect each other and share the same vision you do, with the ultimate passion and talent to drive success. That team can be “masters of their domain”. They’re people you trust with your vision and believe in the organizations success before their own political prowess. Try not to give only one other “power”. You could be still limiting the organization the same way as if everything halts if you’re not there to stamp “GO”.

“Leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it.”

~Dwight D. Eisenhower

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MEMO: Sales needs to get on the same page

2011-10-20T20:55:00.004-06:00

"I have never worked a day in my life without selling. If I believe in something, I sell it, and I sell it hard."

Estee Lauder

It's no wonder there is a fascination, fear and disrespect for the profession of sales. There are oodles of experts with unique perspectives, definitions and advice. Seriously folk, let's get on the same page for goodness sakes!

Most, many, MBA, B.Comm., BA consider "sales" as a final resort. Defeat when CEO doesn't appear to be accomplished any time soon. Then you have your father-in-law or someone several times removed tell you their worst sales nightmare when you admit that you are considering sales as a career.

Sadly, only the ones that "get it" really "get it". Sales as a profession has so many opportunities. For example, where can you build a business without putting your own capital up front? Be rewarded, compensated when the business grows without any ceiling? Sales.

What frustrates me is that sales professionals, sales experts, sales trainers are their own worst enemy. They are too readily prepared to offer advice without explanation, credentials, or common language. It is little wonder, that if you look up sales under Google, Twitter, Wikipedia or Facebook you are bombarded with conflicting and massive information overload.

PLEASE. Everyone get on the same "page".

Let's agree that "order takers" are not sales reps, they are "customer service reps". Hunters with the capability to market are Business Development Representatives (BDRs). Farmers that are pros at expanding established customer base, are called "Account Executive" or "Account Manager". Then there are "Sales Representatives" that sell, with a little bit of everything else thrown in. Get over it. Most knowledgeable buyers recognize titles ... Managers, Directors, VPs. What they want is "listen to me".

It all comes down to hunting (catching), farming (sowing) and then cooking (customer service) and delivering (operations). Each has a unique role, none more important than the other. When everyone can understand that, get on the same "page", share, communicate, strategize .... it's amazing what can happen!

I admire those that come up with "Customer Experience Manager" or "Big Cheese" as cool or innovative. BUT please, can we at least agree on what is what, who is who, when it comes to sales? That is, get on with our jobs. Bring in new revenue.

"Catch a man a fish, and you can sell it to him. Teach a man to fish, and you ruin a wonderful business opportunity."

Karl Marx

Wisdom. Knowledge. Understanding. What I wish I knew when I was a teenager.

2011-10-20T00:47:00.009-06:00

"Information is not knowledge."

~Albert Einstein

With free time until a new assignment November 1^st I have been working through a “MeDOs” list. Except, it seems my two teenage daughters have decided that they are in one crisis or another defined as "stressed out" to them:

A) HOMEWORK: After job, boyfriend, friends

B) SLEEP: Cell phone alarm doesn't work

C) BOSS: Won't switch shifts because of A)

D) MONEY: Equals clothes, gas, entertainment

E) CAR: Gas drains from D) because of A)

I bet you know of cures or recommendations. Trust me, they’re teenagers. They don't want it. They want to be heard and understood. They certainly don’t want you to tell them how to solve anything.

My father passed away a year ago October 28, 2011. I miss him. We would always have these great conversations. He was 76, just shy of 77. He seemed to always call when Mom was out playing bridge and between his beloved Vancouver Canucks games (or baseball, etc.) When I was the same age as my daughters, he went to work and that’s all I remember really. Everything else revolved around me. Hmm, let’s see, homework (check), working (check) … you get the picture! I don’t recall asking his advice or if I did, what that advice may have been. I doubt I was listening.

It was the past 5 or 10 years that I started to ask his advice. Perhaps retirement and aging brings out the glory days of wanting to revisit them, share them, or just plain have your kids learn from them? Most likely, nature evolves into a pattern where we want to hear about everything from our parents.

I’d rather my kids learn NOW what I know several years later, wish I knew or paid attention to while I was in my teens. Most likely, that will arrive when they hit their 40s, with families of their own. Miraculously, if they were to listen, this is what I would say:

MISTAKES: Everyone makes them. When you admit them and learn from them, that is when you will grow.

INTEGRITY: Is something that you have and nobody can take it away from you.

LEARN: Be a sponge, ask questions, then more questions, clarify if you don’t understand, restate it in a way you comprehend, finally share it. There is always something you can learn from anyone regardless of age, station or background.

SUCCESS: As soon as you think you’ve “arrived” you have just limited yourself. Always have goals, with ladders or specific goals within those goals.

FAILURE: Is normal. No, it isn’t cool. Yet, the coolest people can count the number of failures they’ve had.

REPUTATION: No matter how far you reach, how far you’ve come, there will always be someone out to discredit you, take you off track, or suck you into negativity or character assassination. If you keep a steady path, you will see it for what it is.

CHARACTER: Be known for being a person of character. It is within your own control. Beauty, wealth, athleticism fade long before character.

YOUTH: Youth is not a look, it is a spirit. Like words in a song: there are young people wise beyond their years and old people immature.

PERSEVERANCE: Continue no matter what. It doesn’t matter how often you face challenges, it is more important how you face them.

HUMOUR: Always and often. Find ways to laugh so hard that it is contagious.

COMMUNICATION: Listen more, speak less. You may not realize what you're missing if all you hear is yourself. Write often to inspires yourself. Nobody else has to read it to be of value.

DECISIONS: (My dad’s favourite) “What’s the payoff?” What is the worst that could happen? Instead, focus on what could be the best.

HUMILITY: Be humble. There is no such thing as saying “thank you” too much. When people ask how you are, they’re not asking for a play-by-play. Let others brag about accomplishments, if they’re meaningful, you won’t have to.

INTELLIGENCE: Is not IQ. It is a measurement of what your brain can absorb. Your attitude determines what you retain.

“Nothing is impossible. The word itself says “I’m possible”

~Audrey Hepburn

“MeDOs”

HEALTH: Annual Physical: Usually schedule around my birthday. Life is a gift.
AUTO: Maintenance: September is a good goal to have. Back to everything.
CLOTHES: Sort through clothes I no longer want. Donate to charity
PAPERWORK: Organize paperwork in advance for tax season. Proactive.

Health, Heart, Soul spells GO!

2011-10-11T23:51:00.001-06:00

"Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity."

~World Health Organization, 1948

A healthy, happy and well-fed sales pro or leader is created by balance at home, great company, family, and a holistic outlook from the inside out. For example, the post Thanksgiving Dinner I had tonight with my husband was splendid. Although his first reaction was there wouldn't be enough for his carnivore pallet :

POST THANKSGIVING DINNER:

JM's Lite Cheaters Ceasar Salad topped with fresh shrimp
Hard boiled egg
Home made Bruchetta
Couple slices of cheddar cheese
Few Carrot Sticks
Crantini

Bruschetta (8 Roma tomatoes, 4 garlic cloves, 1 T fresh Basil, 1/2 tsp ea. freeze dried Oregano, 1 small red onion; sprinkle sea salt; chop everything into fine pieces ~ let ingredients absorb ~ahhh can you say garlic?

JM's LITE CHEATERS CEASAR SALAD: Fresh Ceasar Salad Dressing from Produce section of Supermarket, 2 Romaine Lettuce Hearts (washed in ice cold water with ice, absorbed in towel and store wrapped in fridge until ready to toss); approx 3 T Ceasar separate container; add about 3-4 cloves minced garlic; let sit for 20-30 min.; when ready to serve lightly coat with Parmasan Cheese, douse with coarse pepper, then toss with Cheaters Dressing. I leave out croutons because there are enough calories .... ahhh garlic .. again!

Crantini Martini made from left over homemade Thanksgiving Cranberries (below) Place 2-3 cups ice; 1 oz vodka, 2-3 T leftover Cranberry mixture into Blender ~let it rip!

FRESH CRANBERRIES: Fresh cranberries, 1/2 cup brown sugar (or sugar to taste), cover fresh cranberries with water, boil/simmer/mash/cool

CAUTION: Ensure everyone eats at the same time to enjoy each other's garlic "aroma"

VOILA: You feel healthy, prudent using leftover while being happy (thanks to the Crantini)

NOTE: Flowers from Thanksgiving Dinner Table

TIME: No more than an hour if you follow the menu order.

P.S. No, hubby didn't go looking for snacks afterwards.

DESSERT: Go for a walk, preferably a park close by (like the one I'm fortunate to have nearby pictured above) and just "BE".

"Diseases of the soul are more dangerous and more numerous than those of the body"

~Cicero

Knock off JOBS!

2011-10-08T00:42:00.002-06:00

“Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life.”

Steve Jobs

I certainly was expecting that sooner or later someone would start bashing Steve Jobs, as most, if not all, icons have their weaknesses, nor are perfect. I'm respectfully ascertain that most have even done the appropriate amount of research before publishing their article.

What I despise and would expect is "professionalism". Meaning respect for those that knew him personally (wife, children, inner circle, colleagues) who loved him intensely, warts and all, and allow them time for grief …. Before having to face the ugly side that was sure to emerge.

To assume that anyone of us is perfect is naive. Give people credit. The wide world of web means access to a ton of information, opinions, truths, and lies. Very few faced with so much information, believe everything they read. About Jobs already? All I know, is very little is accomplished without a lot of sweat and tears. Many of us have had teachers or bosses that seemed impossible, didn't always communicate in the best fashion yet we look back at them with respect to the degree in what they taught us.

My own naivity continues to believe in the best of people. Yet, I would still expect grace to allow the mourners the time to reflect on wonderful memories before having to face those that want to be the first to “expose” Steve Jobs weaknesses. I guess there is that notch out there -- to be recognized as one of the first to uncover the ugly side of Steve Jobs. We all have our choices. My choice is to think about the magnificent impact he did have on my life. i.e. a colleague sending me his “Stanford address” around 6 months ago so I could pass it on to my 18 year old daughter who was trying to decide what to do with her life, what to take in university, etc. I forwarded it to her, we discussed it, saying: “don’t worry so much about figuring out your whole life, start by understanding what you are interested in, want to learn, and go with that”. That is what Steve Jobs’ address inspired me to say to her.

Uncovering the commentaries on who, what, where the iPODs, iPhones, iPADs are manufactured. China: imagine that! Look at what you wear, where you shop. I could pretend that I’m brilliant to say that there is a pretty good chance many are “Made in China”. I certainly hope those same authors are asking people to boycott places that sound like W-mrt. Let’s see, 1 billion people, minimum wages unheard of in North American terms, an outrage! Teens and younger having to work instead of going to school, that is beyond fathomable! I have had teens who turn up their nose at washing dishes in my own home, never mind at a restaurant. Who are we fooling here? Give credit that there are people out there that respect, help out their families, placing others before their own desires, just to put food on their tables by everyone pitching in. Those same articles and beliefs are where all this self-entitlement comes from. We push our kids off to university, let them live at home, while their degree measures up to working at a fast food restaurant because if the job isn’t the CEO, then they’ll bide their time.

So those that do want to continue to bash Steve Jobs. Continue. I’d love to see you wrestle the iPhones and iPADs away from your kids. Do you think they care who, what, where or how they’re made? If you do, hats off. If you don’t, I’ll root for the long climb ahead of you. Those that say “huh?” well, ‘nuff said …. Perhaps controversial readership is where its all at?

At the end of the day … when my time comes to pass, I would be thankful if people celebrate the good that I’ve done, respect my family and loved ones mourning. Thinking about it, perhaps obscurity won’t be such a bad thing. At least, there won’t be an “a-wake” to what I could have done better.

“Be a yardstick of quality. Some people aren’t used to an environment where excellence is expected.”

Steve Jobs

Is Cold Calling Dead? Instead ask: "What if there were no longer sales pros?"

2011-10-05T16:30:00.000-06:00

"It's not whether you get knocked down; it's whether you get up."

Vince Lombardi

I have to give credit where credit is due. A Google+ posted by my pal Gary Hart (Salesdujour) whom I respect and follow inspired me to write this Blog! The same question keeps cropping up in several different ways, in several different manners, regardless of what forum I dip into: Linked In, Quora, Blogs, Facebook, Twitter and now Google+ "Is Cold Calling Dead?" .... there is even professionals out there that tell you it is dead in no uncertain terms.

Cold calling is part of sales, like "prospecting" "closing" "objection" functions are. In my perfect world everyone will join together to get on the same page, agreeing on a definition. Instead, when you ask what people feel towards cold calling you end up with a debate on whether it works, alive, etc. If you "Google" cold calling, you may end up at Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cold_calling that explains it to be: "Cold calling is the marketing process of approaching prospective customers or clients, typically via telephone, who were not expecting such an interaction. The word "cold" is used because the person receiving the call is not expecting a call or has not specifically asked to be contacted by a sales person."

Oh, oh. The last business development role I was involved in, they would have hired "Telemarketers" to do "cold" telephone calls, which some are asked to schedule appointments for sales people. What they wanted was a warm body in front of customers that they weren't reaching by advertising, marketing, etc. Most bosses I know who have sales departments consider hiring telemarketers an overhead cost. More often, that falls under "sales" on the balance sheet. Even more, would say they don't need telemarketers if they have sales professionals to do their own telemarketing.

My first take when I see the question asked is that not cold calling means you be handed engaged buyer-ready customers. Perfect, all you have to do is "close" them. I want a million dollars and a second home in the tropics too. Doesn't mean I'm going to get either. In fact, if the world agreed that cold calling is dead, then sales pros may just be killing their own careers!

Seriously, if companies want order takers primed on the ready for warmed leads banging down their door, a sales career would become obsolete. If marketing could bring in new customers all nice and neatly tied up in a bow that just needed to be written up, would they need sales professionals? I think not, they would be called "Customer Service Representatives". In fact, if that were the case, I'm sure most executives would pour more money into marketing and be talking to accounting more about what to do with all that money.

Sales professionals are one of the toughest groups to manage. Each brings in a set of tools, success strategies, and war stories that would make even the most notorious war generals blink! Asked why sales aren't improving, you better sit down because that may take a while.

One of my first Blogs ever, written last August 2010 "When the Going Gets Tough The Tough Go Hunting" http://optioneerjm.blogspot.com/2010/08/when-going-gets-tough-tough-go-hunting.html What I said then and say still is when the economy softens and revenue streams dry up, people turn to their sales professionals or even some stretch resources to hire sales professional(s) to offset declines.

Now, if we start talking techniques that take the "Cold out of Call" http://optioneerjm.blogspot.com/2010/11/take-cold-out-of-call.html and devise solutions on making it seem less intrusive to people that are too busy to stop for a call from a customer, never mind a sales pro that somehow got through, then we're getting somewhere.

The great part of these debates, they fuel my passion to write more! That is why so many sales Blogs like mine are alive and doing well. Well folks, you won't find any excuses NOT to cold call on this one.

"Success seems to be largely a matter of hanging on after others have let go."

William Feather

Walk a Mile in my Shoes ... FIX your Organization's Dysfunction

2011-09-30T04:53:00.003-06:00

"We are in a race between cooperation and catastrophe, and the threat is outrunning our response"

~Sam Nunn

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I wonder why organizations hire sales training to help their sales pros be stellar … the underlying, hidden agenda is maximizing results. Many concur that most sales training programs, books, etc. fall short. I asked myself why? I then deliberated about the challenge amongst all the distinct agendas within organizations.

Pondering, I took a look at the CEO, along with his team at the C-Suite: challenged by meeting shareholders expectations. Those expectations typically fall on making a profit which translates into dividends or ROI (ROI=Return on Investment). That oftentimes equates to operating revenue.

Operations is faced with meeting deadlines, goals, targets, with the resources that they are given. Always, always, ALWAYS with a critical eye on the bottom line geared towards profit, or making do with what finances they have to make it all work.

What about marketing? There is a responsibility to convey brand and attract new customers who will buy today. They are tested to understand and anticipate the customer’s wants, needs, joined by what they expect to spend, their budget, their industry, their critical criteria.

Afterwards: What customers can sales deliver based on the C-suites promises, operations requirements on deliverables while meeting marketing’s brand?

Most organizations state that their best interest lies within meeting the customer’s expectation, having happy employees, and being stellar at what they do. Many are successful at what they do. Many more fall short on customer’s expectations, having happy employees, can provide an excellent marketing outline, human resources mandate .. while still failing to meet financial goals: increasing revenue.

Interestingly, this REAL example is typical of most organizations. Do you see what I see? They are all operating under silos within goals, trying to meet goals and agendas that are disconnected. I’m sure they all have convincing business plans.

Disconnection breeds ineffectiveness. How often have the sales team heard from the C-suite how important shareholder confidence is? (Translation: the organization’s ability to delivery on what returns on their investment that has been promised)? The closest communication typically is disgruntled operations complaints that sales has to sell more in order to justify the resources that they are asking from the C-Suite to meet the existing customers, never mind increased customers’ pressure.

What about marketing? They’ve taken the time to develop the brand, deliver the message and, in their eyes, deliver ripe prospects that all the sales folk have to do is “close” the prospects that they have brought forward on a silver platter.

Excusemoi, Sales says: While the C-Suite is promoting the organization to shareholders, we’ve memorized our value proposition, mission statement, and are out pounding the pavement! Before they’ve even have a chance to take a look at the leads that Marketing brings forward, we’re looking for new customers, filling in CRMs (Customer Relationship Management) systems, providing forecasts and Business Plans (in pretty power point presentations no less). Furthermore, half the time the leads Marketing brings us aren’t qualified and even a quarter of the time just tire kickers (price shoppers). THEN, when we do finally bring a new customer forward, unless it fits into a certain profile, operations is challenged to deliver. Ohmygod, if the customer happens to want a unique, customized application, service or product …. Operations response is “show me the money”. Sales expresses their concern that customers (which really could be them) are losing confidence in the organization’s ability to deliver on what they’ve promised.

If you’re selling widgets, the issues may be easier resolved. However, if you are trying to sell solutions or services, that becomes a different challenge altogether.

I’m exhausted already. All I have done is drawn all the silos in the organization. Ahhh, the bright observers say: it’s easy, all you have to do is collaborate and cross-section all the silos to a joint effort. Brilliant!

OK, fair enough. How DO you do that? Duh: Communication!

Wouldn’t it be easier if all silos within the organization came together to map out what needs to be done? Ultimately, it is to expand upon existing customers isn’t it?

A credentialed expert you've hired says: “Well, no. One cannot survive on customers alone. You have to drive new business or attract new customers.” There are several charts and excel spreadsheets backing how quality improvements, operational excellence and process re-engineering will meet or exceed your goals.

The C-Suite folds its arms: That is what I have this operations, that marketing and this sales force to do!

Hhrrumph, says operations. I told the executive if I had this widget, software, budget, personnel I would have be able to deliver what sales “supposedly” tells me the customer wants.

Alas, marketing has their back up. I’ve done the research, compared amongst peers, created the brand, engaged an agency (or something), produced the best website (social media, campaigns, sales collateral, etc. etc.) and delivered this ROI and that statistic, don’t look at me.

The sales department, who happens to be the front line to the customer, hasn’t heard much of any of this until now and much later and usually once they've heard "OK, this is what we're going to do". Why? Yet, they are in front of the customer, translating most of this ever-changing message, asking for the business! Imagine that. Certainly, the turnover in the sales bullpen may not look good. Several sales pros have left because they are frustrated by looking like a fool in front of the customer. Seriously, we convinced them to give us a try and we can’t deliver on our most basic value proposition, never mind their customized requirements.

As the organization turns … who is really listening to each other? From this scenario, I imagine that everyone is concerned with saving their own bacon and facing their own challenges.

What results, and I have no crystal ball, is everyone starts to finger point. The higher up the chain you are the better it is for you to have someone to be “accountable” (aka blame). However, in this challenging economy we live with what tends to happen: everyone is looking for a fall guy.

Seriously, how more dysfunctional do I have to draw out for you? Sounds like a nightmare to me, and I’m the one writing this all down!

From the perspective of a sales professional, as a manager and after being on an executive management team, I’ve seen it from several angles. Sometimes each silo engages outside expertise, i.e. consultants, marketing agencies, web gurus, sales trainers … hungry sales reps who spill their guts on what your competitors are doing ….. still sounds like everyone is still working in circles and covering their butts!

As the economy becomes more of a challenge, less customers are simply walking in the door, and a serious marketing campaign just isn’t a role, you need traction …. What do you do?

Communication. Appreciation. Understanding. Collaboration.

MOSt Important of all: Desire to succeed!

Get everyone on the same page. You all have to respect, understand, where each area is coming from. What do you have to gain? Hmmm, let’s see … your jobs, your respect, your security, your pride for starters. Check your agenda, pride at the door. Start a true collaboration. Don’t ask the manager of this department or that supervisor to be the voice. Trust me, they will sugar coat it to save their own hides. Ask the folks in the trenches.

If you are going to engage an expert from the outside, I’m going to suggest a communications expert with a round table. It may be amazing what you all come together with. You ALL have an important role to make the organization successful. If you truly understand what part you play, be humble, open your ears and eyes … you just may get there!

Until you all truly understand what it means to walk a mile in each other shoes, you will keep running around in circles.

The day soldiers stop bringing you their problems is the day you have stopped leading them."

~General Colin Powell

Google+ is the Way to Go to Build Online Influence

2011-09-22T15:25:00.004-06:00

"Learn before you earn pays off in the long run."

~Jeannette Marshall

Whether people admit it or not, they "Google" their name(s) … Not a bad idea. In a sales meeting about five years ago, I recall our General Sales Manager posing a question to the team something along the line of: “What is the one reason prospective employers (you can add customers too) will write you off before they’ve even read your resume?” Imagine the assortment of answers:

No cover letter
Typos
The position had already been filled
and a bunch of "Ooh-ooh-ooooh" like Horshack from "Welcome Back Kotter"

The answer? By “Googling” your name. He went on to explain that your online profile is your brand. Basically, what you do/say online can come back to haunt you.

Fascinated, I Googled “Googling”. Merriam-Webster is the first site to come up and this is what it says (see for yourself http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/google ):

goo·gle
verb, often capitalized \ˈgü-gəl\

goo·gled goo·gling Definition of GOOGLE to use the Google search engine to obtain information about (as a person) on the World Wide Web

Examples of GOOGLE

To the movies; to television (hours and hours); to Googling obsessively (hours and hours); to blogging, emailing and text messaging —Cynthia Ozick, Harper's, 2007

2. [+]more

Origin of GOOGLE

Google, trademark for a search engine

First Known Use: 2001

Interesting statistic also noted: Google is currently in the top 1% of lookups and is the 5th most popular word on Merriam-Webster.com. Holy cow! THAT is online influence!

So for fun, I decided to do what many of us do but rarely admit …. I “Googled” my name. For my first name “Jeannette”. Wikipedia was the first result shown. According to Wikipedia, I’m a town in Pennsylvania that settled in 1888 with a population of almost 10,000 people:

Sorry Mom. I think I was named after a Saint. Foreshadowing perhaps that I was not going to be one? Well, if you like to have fun with numbers, I was born on the “18^th” so there’s that. What explains how "Jeannette" allows me to come second?

Next up. My last name. First, humour me by taking into consideration that I once had a maiden name, I had a first marriage and “borrowed” that name for twenty some odd years, and remarried only five years ago. So the name “Jeannette Marshall” is really only a child in online terms. Then, I only started my online Linked In, Facebook around May 2010 with my Blog around August 2010. Ok, you get it, I’m still a baby!

Imagine my amazement when I “Googled” the last name “Marshall” this is what come up:

1) Marshall Amps -that’s cool, I like music)

2) Marshalls – brand name :o) shopping

3) Jeannette Marshall Google Profile

WOWZERS. Once again, I’m on the first page. Not just once, but THREE times! Twice under Google and once under Twitter.

OK, enough about me! (REALLY?) What about you? Do you still scoff at the importance of online branding? I am starting to imagine that Marshall Amps and Marshalls store has invested quite a bit of money in their website design and marketing personnel/campaigns.

There is a lot of discussion whether people like G+ more than Facebook or Twitter, especially since Google has opened the doors wide open for Google+ and Facebook is making a lot of changes that some believe takes some of the best part of Google’s offering and incorporated into Facebook or improved other things.

What this tells me is that, no matter how you shake it. We all like Facebook or Twitter or what have you for personal or professional reasons.

However, if you are looking to build your online presence or brand, the power and influence of Google can’t be ignored. Wondering if you should try out G+? I’m thinking you’ve climbed on board before you finished reading this.

Now, if the next HR firm “Googles” me, they may think I don’t do anything besides hang out online … which is far from the truth. I simply G+ and Twitter a bit, read a lot, and VOILA!

I’m happy with coming in third. Maybe there is a career for a gal from Calgary CANADA in “online marketing”?

Your thoughts?

12 Sales Career Myths

2011-09-20T02:18:00.004-06:00

“Many of the things you can count, don't count. Many of the things you can't count, really count.” ~Albert Einstein

Many people go into sales career for the wrong reasons. You may be considering sales yourself. Here are some of the myths uncovered to shed light on misconceptions:

1. Anyone can do it. FALSE. Like a nurse or a fireman, not everyone can be a sales person. There is ongoing training and skills improvement.

2. Your relatives tell you, you would be good at it. FALSE. Mom and dad think it would be nice for you to be out on your own now you are 35.

3. You are good at meeting people. FALSE. It is getting harder and harder to schedule meetings with decision makers who are savvy to all the tricks and are simply too busy themselves to get caught up in meetings for the sake of meetings.

4. It can be rewarding. TRUE. That comes after you’ve put in long hours, built a strong reputation and customers have come to rely on you. You are also the person that they will turn to when something goes wrong.

5. You're tenacious and never give up. TRUE. It will come in handy when you hear a lot of "NOs" before a "YES". You may not want to be too tenacious or you will be tuned out, turned off and shut down.

6. You have the gift of the gab. FALSE. Sales is 3/4 listening, 1/4 talking.

7. You get to take customers out for lunch. FALSE. Many companies have employees sign codes of ethics which disallows them from taking anything from suppliers or vendors in case it may be considered a bribe to win the contract. Gifts, fishing trips, concert tickets, etc. all fall under these extra-curricular events.

8. You’re good at golf and heard business is done on the golf courses. TRUE. Except golf doesn’t usually start happening for a long time after a "business" relationship established.

9. You're aggressive. FALSE. The best sales pros are not aggressive. They are people oriented, and strive to do what their customers ask them to do or solve problems.

10. You can make big bucks. TRUE. After you spend a few years learning the trade, often you start out in a commission-only compensation, and once you’ve put in one to two years developing your client base and territory.

11. You get an expense account. FALSE. In today’s economy many companies have cut back or eliminated expense accounts. However, you can save your receipts and claim them against your income tax.

12. You look good in a suit. TRUE. Then again, shouldn't you have a better reason than that?

The following video does an exceptional job of explaining what sales is all about and what you should expect if this is the career route you decide to take entitled "Selling is Hard Work" by Infoteam Consulting (http://www.infoteam-consulting.com/ ):

Don’t sell widgets, ask QUESTIONS

2011-09-11T21:47:00.006-06:00

“Asking the right questions takes as much skill as giving the right answers”

~ Robert Half

You read everywhere that in order to become a super star sales pro, you should ask great questions. That hasn’t changed. I am going to share an exercise in asking terrific questions for the aspiring or veteran sales person.

Put everything you've learned and morph into a new dimension of “equal business stature”. What I mean by that is instead of being programmed to do feature and benefit dumps, you should start thinking of yourself as a professional that asks real business questions. This exercise is shared so that if you try it, you may “get it”.

If you’ve read my other blogs, you will be familiar with a consistent theme:

It is EASIER to sell to organizations when you understand issues that your product or service can solve
Start as high in the organization as possible
Ask great questions.

If you are solely interested in selling widgets today, then this may not be the best sales Blog for you to be reading.

If you're still with me, then that’s great! That may mean that you want to L-E-A-R-N! Being keen to read is second to wanting to A-S-K great questions! I will try to explain the “jargon” and why they matter.

Let's start out with an exercise so you can start applying what you are learning: Write down these questions in a manner that suits your own unique style so that you are comfortable. Try them with your partner or room mate. Not a colleague because that defeats the purpose -- they have a head start in understanding you. Rotate between asking and then answering each questions. Convey in normal language. You should avoid jargon, acronyms or gibberish (because sales lingo to some seems so). If you stumble, that is ok. With practice, it will soon become natural and fall smoothly from your tongue. If your partner looks at you as if you’ve started speaking in a foreign language, that’s ok. They didn’t fall asleep did they?

What is your value proposition? Hold it! Before you pick up the phone or meet with an executive or decision maker, you better know this. Why do customers need your product? The best way to be able to answer this is to interview to understand why your best customers buys your product or service. Use their words, believe them, they’re paying for you to. Even the most vocal (some may call worst) give the the best feedback.
Does your product address a viable market? Pretty simple. No? Look at it this way: it is far easier to sell to those circles that your best customers move in – i.e. their industry. Look up their web site, read their Press Releases, who are their partners and why? What projects or initiatives are critical to their business? What issue(s) do you solve? How is your product/service solving a niche in that business? Let your competitors do feature dumps while you position yourself as the "go to guy/gal" because you understand who they are, what outside influences are impacting their industry?
What differentiates your product/service/company from the competition? Sorry, I’m going to have to send you to the corner if you start spewing features and benefits. There must be a reason you have customers otherwise you wouldn’t have a job to begin with. Look, you know why you’re priced a certain way, manufactured to meet a particular need. Do your homework. Speak to the folks in research and development, question marketing on what the key message is? Someone, somewhere did a lot of research to launch it, so why not ask them? Offer to buy them a coffee or green tea because you want to "pick their brain". Mentally excuse them politely when they are amazed that a sales person is actually interested!
How does your business scale? “Scalable businesses are those that can produce the next widget at a fraction of the cost.” Here, you are conveying a deeper understanding of what you are selling. Why not ask existing customers what makes them special, what went into their success? Often it could even evolve into sharing what some of the problems they encountered while building their business. This is not permission to burden your audience with techno mumbo jumbo! What does that have to do with sales? Go directly to sell widgets based on price.
How committed are you? Do you recognize an issue that your product or service solves? Do you understand how you go beyond just selling it to ensuring that any implementation or execution has the right team on board? Do you clock out at 5 and have your people call their people? Does your management support your efforts even when they appear unusual because they are solving your customers needs .. which may require more resources (this is where you have to convince them in a business case how it is going to pay dividends -- their language). The higher up you are, the better your audience can smell commission breath. If you don’t believe me, ask them why they are so committed to the current incumbent who was on call 24/7, weekends, evenings, brought donuts (whatever) while everyone on both teams were working around the clock to meet a deadline? You won’t need me to tell you that you can wave the best price or incentive in front of a customer who has had exceptional commitment and service. What you will discover is they won’t budge or consider your sales “pitch”. If you do run across this type of situation, do NOT knock your competitor! Admire them for having the insight and integrity to ensure their commitments are made beyond the customer's expectations.
What are your strengths? You, your organization, product or service has made it this far so why is that? You have customers who buy, why do they? Yes, many will buy strictly on price – nix them (yes, you are cancelling membership in the "sell widgets or price point" association). Find out why some customers switched from a competitor to you. Has your organization had to about face, change solution at the last minute based on a customer need, industry change, Government regulations? Well then, you’ve just shown an example of how “flexible you are to meet your customers ongoing demands.” That is a strength … isn’t it?
What are your weaknesses? If you don’t think you have any, proceed to selling widgets based on price in "The Half Price Club". Seriously, this is where you have to be R-E-A-L-I-S-T-I-C. Granted, we all like to be proud of whom we work for and what we do. Yet even the APPLES of the world understand what they’re good at and what they stay away from. “Stick to what you know and find trusted partners to handle the rest”. A customer will appreciate honesty and not think of it as a weakness. You can share with them at what point you stop and another service/product has to step in. The secret here is to offer them knowledge and the option to go that route themselves or you do it for them, at a markup. (They’re businesspeople, they “get it” that there is a cost to doing business). The best sales pros recognize that there is more work, perhaps they don’t even get compensated for it, but in the long run it pays off if they or their team oversee completion. It shouldn’t be surprising when a customer is prepared to pay for a markup when they’ve established trust with YOU!
What price are your customers willing to pay? Straight out. Ask what the budget is. What are they comparing your product or service to? I’m not suggesting you unprofessionally ask them to divulge what the competitor is offering so you can “match”. That’s kind of tacky don’t you agree? The gem is asking this question at the outset. When the customer is making their needs known and you are being asked to present your proposal. Don’t be asking it when you think the ship is sinking and you may be losing the deal. You will lose credibility quickly. If you’re sunk, then ask why they chose that direction. Suck it up. Class is what you’ll need at this point. Take it as a valuable lesson to understand for the next time. Unless you quit, there will be a next time.

I will be sharing more great questions to ask on your next executive sales call in future Blogposts. First, let me know by commenting, if you liked this exercise, tried it, and see how differently you position yourself ... or making sales calls without dumping features, sales or screaming deals.

"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."

~ Sir Winston Churchill

Top Guns don’t need Bullets

2011-08-30T19:34:00.002-06:00

You can always tell the size of the man by the size of the things that upset him.

~J. B. Harris, Jr.

Knock knock

Who’s there?

The competition.

The competition who?

The competition that knocks you!

Have you ever been in a sales situation where you discover that the competition has been saying unprofessional things about you, your company? How about fear mongering? What about out and out lies? How did you handle it? Do you call it gorilla tactics like me to incite humour into what appears to be a desperate time calling for desperate measures?

Unfortunately, it happens far too often. You are just about to sign a new customer and out of the blue, a bunch of questions are hurled at you. You sense it is greater than buyer’s remorse and there is an underlying issue at hand. Do you keep calm, and respond by saying: “Ms. Customer, I appreciate these questions and will do my best to handle them one by one. However, I am curious as to what really may be bothering you?” That’s when it unfolds that your competitor, sensing a loss, is bringing out all the artillery.

Most customers are intelligent enough to recognize when a competitor is being underhanded and trashing you in a last ditch attempt to save their own sale. Most will appreciate when you take the high road. Experience dictates that when competitors start trashing you, it sends alarm bells ringing to your customers. If you start scrambling and going on the defensive, similarly raises red flags.

When faced with a competitor throwing garbage out at you, stay calm in front of the customer. Always take the high road and avoid getting tangled up in their web. Going on the defensive in front of your customer only acknowledges that there may be a grain of truth somewhere in the allegations.

The biggest underlying cause of this type of behaviour is called complacency. The competitor was caught off guard, perhaps not as attentive with the customer, kept up with ongoing changes in its business or with the decision maker. One should never take their customers for granted. Treat them as your best customer every day, all the time. That way, when gorilla tactics come into play, the customer will immediately see it for what it is, shoddy fear mongering. It is their reaction to you being a threat.

The next time a competitor starts waging war. Shrug it off, pat yourself on the back! You are doing a GREAT job .... they have every reason to feel worried. You won’t stoop to their level now will you?

A people that values its privileges above its principles soon loses both.

~Dwight D. Eisenhower

WARNING: Old Geezers Are Taking Over Social Media

2011-08-18T11:04:00.008-06:00

Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter

~Mark Train

As I was going through my e-mail this morning, I came to the realization that I probably should encourage my 76 year-old mother to try Google+ since Facebook bombed miserably (she didn't seem to grasp that the grand kids photos and messages were directed at their friends and not her).

When my son introduced her to the web and e-mail about seven years ago, little did we know he'd created Mrs. Frankenstein.

One thing we failed to realize was what should have been obvious: seniors have more free time on their hands than all of us combined in one day! I must get at least five e-mails a day, ranging from:

Catastrophic warnings to my health
The inevitable computer crashers
"if you don't forward this, you will have bad luck for the rest of your life"
Unite for this cause by signing this petition if you have a conscience
"old geezers" sex jokes

Honestly, I didn't even want to imagine my parents doing anything other than cooking my dinner or giving me my allowance when I was young, why would I want to know anything besides words of wisdom or new recipes now?

If I can get my Mom on track with Social Media, starting with Google+ because it's so user friendly, it could mean she'd still be satisfied that she's sharing under the "groove" with her kids and grandkids ... then I can read her posts in my own time and my own head space.

I love my mom, bless her heart with all her good intentions. Did I fail to mention English is not her native tongue? That in itself presents a whole different matter under the umbrella of “what not to say in an e-mail”.

The fact is: “Geezers” are taking over Social Media. Don’t believe me? Watch this:

Do your senior parent or grandparent a favor: show them how it’s done; that way, you can help them navigate the web-sphere. Like it or not, they’re taking over. Don’t say I didn’t warn you! At the very least you should help them to minimize the level of embarrassment they can cause themselves (of course, not you).

Then again, perhaps I should be content that she’s still in e-mail mode. At least that way there is still damage control. Or, most likely, I should call her more often to see how she's doing ... the "old fashioned" way.

Growing old is mandatory; growing up is optional.

~Chili Davis

RRR REcycle REuse REnew

2011-08-06T01:00:00.004-06:00

Ok, so I may be switching it up a bit. After all, I tend to focus on sales tips, with the a couple of sidebars. Call me behind, or having a gigantic job underway, but I want to touch on one of my other passions – sustainability!

No, I don’t own a pair of Birkenstocks -- not that I knock people that do because I’m one in a million who are not comfortable because of a high arch … many friends would ah hem point out that it’s due to being vertically challenged, I’m accustomed to wearing heals. Nope, I haven’t chained myself to any great tree … if you don’t count the chain link fence surrounding my yard facing a beautiful pathway to allow people to freely admire my garden as they cycle, walk, jog by.

My mother is coming to visit! Seriously, I’m not a bad housekeeper (boy, do I miss my nanny/housekeeper) but compared to mom, who was married to my air force father for 54 years gets me cracking! As we moved from Canada to Europe and back, there was always an inspection of our house because it was rented through the military. Yes, they did come in with white gloves. The only time my mom ever got dinged was while waiting for the inspection she had a coffee (maybe it should have been whisky?) while waiting and it left a ring mark.

Everyone should have a mom like mom come visit so they can clear the clutter and clean. Beats waiting until you move. While prepping for the inevitable, I realized that there were quite a few items around my home that signified that I walked the walk, not just talked the talk about sustainability … from a unique angle. I had a couple to share.

I accessorize, accessorize, accessorize! I have more jewellery, most of it costume, than a bohemian boutique. A few years ago, frustrated with always untangling necklaces, never mind being able to match with earring, I came up with, what I think pretty clever idea (at the time, I thought I could retire by mass producing) I had this old bulletin board limping from its glory days as a command center for schedules, art work, and “to do” lists. I painted the wood around the bulletin board (please, don’t drink and draw). Secondly, I applied leftover wallpaper to the cork board.

Since cup hooks to neatly hang cups within cupboards were passe’ (yeah right, in your dreams I’d have anyone in my house hang cups when they can throw them in the cupboard – yup, teenagers). I screwed the cup hooks on to the bulletin board with the wallpaper as my artistic backdrop. Voila! I hung up the necklaces with matching earrings looped to them and it formed almost a piece of art.

Now, you are thinking … the loyal readers that are male are tuned out. Sigh. Sadness settles in. I definitely have changed tactics on sales. Then again, I’m passionate about coming up with ways that someone like me – a shopaholic in green heels – can do my part by making toss-away items into innovative ideas.

But guys .. this one is for you. Sort of. What about bras? Did you know that bras with padding are great utility items? Cut around the cups and you now have a silky smooth cleaning buffer! For your vehicle! Don’t tell me, someone “else” does the housework? Come on .. if you can use a bra, you may partake in household chores more often. If you use those old bras on rings around the bathtub, imagine the other instances your hand could be on a … well, never mind.

One of my best forms of recycling that I learned from my teenage girls. Thankfully, they limit their high cost items are their jeans. In my day (ok, sounds old), we never paid $200 for a pair of jean! They love excursions to Goodwill or Value Village (in Canada) second hand stores. At first, I’d let them scour the clothes while I focussed on the book section. Then, it became a mission. Can you find the most expensive designer clothes at a fraction, or a fraction of a fraction, of what they’d normally cost? I love a challenge. Hooked, you bet! The best part is I donate to those same stores. Now, shopaholics, unite, you can say you RECYCLE.

In case Mom reads this. I do have another tip. Instead of just tossing the fabric softener into the recycling bin, I like to tip it upside down to drain the last bit of fluid, add a bit of water, then soak the sink wash cloth with the residue. In my house, if I don’t put it into the laundry, who knows what it smells like!

A relapse from a business sales blog. Perhaps. Gotcha thinking? Double the bonus then!

Canucks No Longer Schmucks. My take on the American Debt Crisis

2011-07-29T20:14:00.007-06:00

Believe you can and you're halfway there ~ Theodore Roosevelt

Q: VinayKG of Bangledore via Twitter DM (Direct Message): Hey, Can you give me your expert opinion towards US recession towards end of this year? I heard there going to be recession again.

A: Whew, what a question Vinay! I am not sure I would consider myself an expert on the US recession, however, I did ask readers to post questions and I will answer. Thus, I can certainly give my personal opinion on what I see from the northern border, Canada, as cousins to our US neighbours and friends considered by most in the world.

I certainly can relate to the question in the first place. Many countries, businesses and people rely on the United States to be a strong country. In Canada, many head offices are located in the United States. I remembered an advisor several years ago recommend that if you want to predict what is going to happen, just watch what is going on at Wall Street. Some would say from that advice, I have accurately predicted the domino effect for dominant leaders like Quebecor in their print division shortly after 911 based on reading about all the catalogue cancellations written up on Wall Street. A couple of years later, they were shutting down successful operations. It seems to always come down to money, interestingly.

Since I do a lot of driving travel, I’m glued to CNN, Fox News, etc. on Sirius Satellite. Why not listen to what is going on than just empty space music radio? It’s my idea of multi-tasking since I’m interested in what is going on in the world.

Think of Canada and the US relationship as that of siblings … the United States has been like an older brother to us, who we look up to and rely upon for many things. All of a sudden, the younger sibling starts to grow up, form opinions of its own after absorbing everything that they’ve learned and applying unique ideas, stretching itself, spreading its wings and soaring to new heights on its own. Canada has a dollar, the US has a dollar. The Cdn dollar has been below the US for several years. Fast forward, through numerous events, our dollar is stronger than our cousins and our banking system is one of the strongest is the world. Sounds to me like the younger sibling learned a lot from its older brother, made some improvements and moved on.

But, this isn’t answering Vinay’s answer …. yet.

I like President Obama. I think of another President that I truly admired even though I was probably at a self-absorbed age when he was in power and read/learned about him long after because after leaving politics he has had the opportunity to allow his true character show through … Jimmy Carter.

I wouldn’t want President Obama’s job. You couldn’t pay me enough. In fact, sidebar thought, what is it that even Donald Trump who has fame, power in his own right and wealth doesn’t have it all until he has what is considered the ultimate prestige of being the President of the United States.

I relate to President Obama what many, thousands, millions of us go through. You apply for a job, you’re given a job description, a salary yet it isn’t until you actually start the job do you REALLY discover what all the challenges are. Oftentimes those challenges are the budget is a lot higher than you thought, or you were so mesmerized by the company or title, you didn’t really anticipate what was in store. Then, there is this and that employee or boss who has this or that influence in making your job a living nightmare. On top of it all, it is a bigger mess than you realized from the incumbent that you have to deal with before you can even go on to doing before any of those great ideas you presented at the interview.

It gets worse. Your team doesn't play well together! Your management has its own ideas and its own agenda. Then, there are all those promises that you believed in, that vision created to get the job done ... all before you had any idea how dysfunctional the group was.

Matters are much graver than you imagined. Your budget is blown, you’re up to your eyeballs in the red (i.e. China), you’re competitors are ten times more aggressive than you realized (Republicans), and your employees (Nation) are restless, while confidence has nose-dived from your customers (voters).

Do I think that this mess is going to be cleaned up anytime soon? No. Why? Because as an outsider looking in, it looks to me more like positioning for the 2012 election is more important than cleaning the house. Metaphorically speaking that is of course. Or maybe not. There is a crisis at hand and everyone seems to be more concerned with taking a stand than fixing the issues. I like Obama. He made “compromises” and that still wasn’t quite good enough. A leader who makes compromises in corporate worlds is called a leader. A President who makes compromises (think back to Jimmy Carter) is considered weak or possibly waivers.

I’m getting closer to answering Vinay. Perhaps I already am. If the US cannot fix this problem, how can they move back to being the power it has been? It is starting to look embarrassing to its cousins to the north. After all, we are used to bickering and lobbying and disagreement because we’ve had a minority government until now. It’s amazing how much smoother things go when the people “vote” confidence in its government.

The power to fix the mess seems to me to be in the hands of the party who made the mess to begin with. Is it just me, or doesn’t everyone else see it that way? The corporate bail outs, lifting the debt ceiling, fighting competitors (foreign countries) is like giving marketing or research and development carte blanche spending power.

In the corporate world, you would not be allowed to squander money away fighting the competition. In the corporate world, accountabilities skyrocket when profit isn’t being made. Usually, those that spend more time pointing fingers than fixing the problems are fired. Most corporations would love it if their customers could vote for them to stay in their jobs. In the corporate world don’t the shareholders truly overpower customers because they look at the bottom line? Don’t they analyse whether or not they’re getting return on their investment? Who are the shareholders in the US? Could it be China who finances the corporation? I doubt it, because as long as they get their payments and earn the interest, it could continue to rack up for all they care.

Vinay, you’ve been patient … and so have the readers if they’ve stayed with us this long. Will the US go further into a recession by year end? Absolutely, definitely, you betcha if they continue on the path so far! In many instances, the questions get asked in the same context as a department employees asking its manager if they should pay attention to rumours that there is an impending merger or takeover that may risk their jobs.

What President Obama is trying to do is keep the organization together. The only difference I see between a corporation and this messy US government is …. they haven’t brought in consultants or arbitrators!!! Where are the HR or conflict resolution professionals?

In a corporation, or even a divorce, they bring in mediators. That is what the US needs -- an objective third party who has no hidden agenda whatsoever. Better if it’s someone who can look at the financial and the operational side of things. Like Canada perhaps? However, as in many dysfunctional environments, admitting there is a problem is the first step towards a solution. In the current US climate, it appears to me, as a humble, non-expert, nobody is willing to admit there is a problem. Until then, we will all watch in dismay, the decline of a great nation. Not by any other person, corporation or country’s hand but their own.

My friend, Vinay, even if the US can get it together, it doesn’t mean they won’t go into a recession because there are too many elements going against them. However, it isn’t a guarantee. Yet, one thing is for sure. If they don’t, it is more than likely it will go deeper into a recession.

Hunter or Farmer: What type of sales professional do you want?

2011-07-24T23:38:00.009-06:00

Clever people will recognize & tolerate nothing but cleverness.

~Henri Frederic Amiel

I am often asked how do you really find a top performing sales professional? What characteristics or qualities can you readily identify that will ensure you’ve got a winner? That takes me back to what my own sales manager advised me when I was replacing him and asked to a top performing sales role to my first “gig” as a sales manager: “Hire’em, train’em, send’em out, then watch’em like a hawk!”

I wish it were as simple. Looking back now, I can clearly see what mistakes I made when I started and find it easy to identify new or bad managers based on repeating those same mistakes. Good and bad managers will be left for another blog while I tackle this weighty question: How do you reduce your risk of making a bad hire in sales?

Initially, you have to understand what type of sales professional you looking for. Most organizations will say they're looking for "Hunters" and not order takers. What they mean is someone who can drum up new business. They can be titled “Business Development Representative” or simply “Sales Representative”. They are more easily identified when you take the time to understand the Hunter mentality:

Short sales cycles
High call rate/activity (they will look and sound busy)
Transactional sales: Find’em and Close’em and Move on
Someone else takes care of the follow through (deliverables, implementation), follow up and customer satisfaction
They should be armed with lots of marketing pieces and tools to sell
They will rarely make formal presentations or get involved with RFPs
The call types are usually small to medium-sized businesses
Networking to them is to gather as many contacts as possible
They don’t need leads, but appreciate being fed leads once in a while
They tend to turnover quicker because what attracts them to hunting may also go hand in hand with becoming bored with doing the same thing over and over again.
Hunters aren’t as respected amongst colleagues because others tend to have to do clean up from the “sell at all costs” mentality.
Make sure they are base salary + commission – reward based on results
They will thrive in a competitive environment – post stats or sales scoreboards – that motivates them to see themselves on the top
Don’t expect them to be a team player in the office because their game is winning sales, not fans
They excel at “feature dumps” and may be more technically savvy with every gadget known to speed up sales
They may be annoyed by too many meetings or impatient with training that takes them out of the hunt
What paperwork? You want them to make calls right? Enter information into a CRM (Customer Relationship Management) system – yeah, right, whatever you say … then back out they go.
They may drive you crazy when you have to constantly remind them to complete administrative tasks. On time? When’s that?
There will be several fish stories and a few whales that got away
Research for leads is scanning newspapers or web Career Section
In when the boss is, lunch with "prospects" and out of the office at 5

If you’re still gungho on taking on a Hunter, you should have a plan on how you will take care of existing customers or new customers once they’re signed. For the sake of clarity, we’ll call them Customer Service. Here are questions that should be addressed:

Are these personnel trained to handle complex issues?
If existing customers are your bread and butter, should they be left in the hands of someone who may not be your most experienced employee?
Is there an elevation process to move up quickly to solve issues?
Does someone proactively call on customers before issues come up?
Who monitors your company's service level agreements are being met?
Does anyone personally call on the your customer's place of business?
How do you promote new product offerings to existing customers?
Do you identify customers levels? By revenue? How they do business? Or frequency? i.e. Business to Business (B2B), mid-level, major accounts or enterprise.
Who can keep track of whether competitors are swimming around your customers, low-balling to get in the door, and you only find out after they've already left by the donut crumbs (zeros) on the revenue sheet?
If you bog your sales reps down with administrative tasks, writing their own proposals, composing RFPs from scratch, doing their own estimating, etc. etc. is it fair to call them a Hunter?

What often paralyses organizations is when you point out “take care of your customers and your customers will take care of the bottom line” ... or, it takes 85% more effort to attract a new customer than it takes to keep existing customers happy. This is where there is a disconnect. Organizations want to pay someone commission to find the new customer and then have them move on to find more. That is fine as long as you understand:

How do you define new business? New customers or net new revenue?
Who manages the relationship with the customer?
How are you going to take care of new customers once they sign on?
Do you know whether the customer bought the person selling them just as much as the organization, service, product?
At what stage or how do they transition from the rep to someone else?
How complicated is the sales process?
Is pre- and post-sales support required?
How long are the sales cycles?
Is your offering transactional business that churns quickly?
Do you support sales efforts with captivating marketing or sales tools like brochures, samples or demos?
How accurately are the territories aligned?
Are you giving kudos to a rep who carries a $750,000 territory and increases new business by 10% and not to another rep who carries $1.5 million but only increases new business by 5%?

If you want your sales reps to do the hunting while the organization takes care of the business they sell, that is completely fine. However, depending on the answers above, sales cycle, ongoing involvement required, you may hire an Account Executive or Account Manager. They come packaged looking like a “Farmer” with most or all of the following attributes:

Builders of strong and lasting relationships
Not as high activity as their Hunter counterparts; there is a balance between hunting versus taking care of existing customers; more of latter
They will be thorough because they care about their reputation
They can be annoying by being actively concerned and want to be involved during any implementation process
They will do follow up, know everyone and everything about the customer
They’ll research a prospect, understand who’s who, what’s before they pick up the phone or enter the premises
Networking to them is within the context of their customers' industry so they can attend their events, see them in their own environment, with their peers and learn more about the customer's business
Yes, they appear to spend time doing pretty power points customized to who/what they’re presenting
They rely on referrals more than cold calls, because they’re warm and a testiment to their hard work and reputation
The new business may not be from brand new customers, but from brand new individuals or departments within their customer base
There will be little clean up from over promising and under delivering
They will have ideas on how to make the life of “their” customers easier
They won’t turnover, as long as you recognize the value they bring
Don’t criticize their sales efforts, new business means new revenue
Paperwork will usually be detailed, updates whether you want it or not
CRMs are conscientiously updated because they want to track and remember each customer as though each one is their only one (that is how they will be treated)
They won’t mind meetings as long as it is discussing their customers, resolving issues, coming up with innovative ideas to manage customers better.
You may wonder if that rep leaves if that customer will leave with them?
They will be more of a team player because they’re open to learning better ways to retain their customers or new avenues to create revenue from their warm pool.
Chances are while everyone else is sharing whale tales or discussing sports scores, they're at their customer's office or working at their desk; they'd rather not discuss it until its done
You probably don't notice what time they start in the morning, unless it seems late, failing to notice dark circles under their eyes

This sometimes circles back to organizations rethinking the original complaint that they want hunters. Many sales managers fall short on this area. Especially new sales managers. Ask yourself: as long as revenue is growing, what is the problem with feeding off existing customers? The predisposition is to expect new customers. Many executives love the war stories of Hunters and think that they must be doing extraordinary. What is wrong with new revenue channels from existing customers? Aren’t the results the same? The challenge being, you can't rely on existing customers in the long run.

As a matter of fact, most end up with Farmers because they actually prefer the behaviours of a Farmer. They are easier to manage. They don’t turnover as much, nor do they strain the organization resources as much as a hunter does.

By now, you may be irritated. What you really want is new revenue. Well, then you have to decide what that new revenue will look like and how it will be managed once it arrives.

Often times, the people doing the pre-screening are not sales people. Unfortunately, the mediocre sales pros are sometimes better at selling themselves than producing results. The Hunter is who HR tends to gravitate towards if they're pressured to hire someone that can sell. In some circles, Hunters can be stereotyped as “bottom feeders”. From my perspective, if you're not careful, they'll tell you what you want to hear then afterwards eat your bottom line.

Personally, I’d opt for the person who is attentive, appears to be somewhat humble, and asks great questions. I understand that high turnover in sales actually detracts from creating revenue streams. Many short-lived sales people result from being fakes, not being able to add value or deliver results. I get it that there are ones that may actually look like a Farmer but still have the Hunter instincts. That's when you have found Utopia.

How does Social Media fit into the traditional sales funnel?

2011-06-19T12:55:00.005-06:00

"Success doesn't come to you, you go to it."

~ Marva Collins

Q: How does social media fit into the traditional sales funnel?

A: Social Media has not evolved far enough to help sales, other than being used as a tool for communicating, networking, gathering knowledge and at the bottom of the ladder -- generating leads. Unfortunately, far too many misuse Twitter or Facebook to spam, broadcast, a deal or sale. That was my initial perception and can turn someone off immediately. However, social media pros are using it to learn, promote, educate, and/or communicate.

When I ask executives I know professionally about their social media involvement, most say that they are on Linked In but rarely on Twitter. A few are on Facebook for friends and family. Others claim they have a Facebook Page for Business, under someone on their team's responsibility, usually IT or Marketing.

Blogs are a great way to drive "return" traffic to one's site if it is done as a way of educating customers, establishing expertise. The following chart from Nielsen Research illustrates a 43% increase in Social Media:

I had a long conversation with my sister recently whereby my brother-in-law has a successful furnace cleaning business (for our Canadian igloos right?)that has expanded to air conditioners and humidifiers. My advice was to develop his company website, include a blog where he can write about what he is a walking encyclopaedia on. For example, here were a few ideas I gave:

· How furnaces can impact your clean air;

· What happens to health if you don't clean your furnace?

· How often should you have your furnace cleaned?

· What are the best or safest ones and why?

· When should you replace your furnace?

o When it breaks down?

o Every 5, 10, 15 years?

VOILA! If that information or blog happens to be on a site that sells the type of service or products people are researching before they buy, chances are they will trust that expertise greater than another that simply has a "Testimonials Page" and should generate a lead. Sadly, most organizations don't include testimonials never mind White Papers or Case Studies. You probably get my drift by now. Use Social Media as a conduit to “share” information, communicate and educate.

Today, the best use for Social Media for sales is to network with other like-minded tWeeps or to access knowledge. One of the most critical steps in sales that rookies don't understand or others cut corners on is the research phase -- what you do before you pick up the phone or approach a prospect or inherited customer. Social Media is an excellent vehicle to source information.

HR Professionals no longer simply “Google” you. Now, they will look you up on Linked In and check out your Facebook page. You should always have this in the back of your mind: every single day you are online, you are selling yourself. What you put out there is open to scrutiny and will determine whether a prospect will do business with you or if you will get hired.

People often misunderstand that Social Media’s primary purpose is not just for those looking for work or consultants broadcasting their know-how. Take time to learn how you can sift through the clutter to find ways to use it to your advantage – selling or otherwise. There are multitudes of on-line webinars and networking events available. Most are free (with a sales pitch somewhere, the weak ones more obvious).

Promote your Customer Appreciation, Open House, Product Launch event using Social Media. Invitees can see who has been invited, who has agreed to attend, who has declined. It requires more innovation and creativity. I wouldn’t suggest you forego printed invites – they’re still important the higher up the ladder your invitee is.

Face to face will always be best! Just don’t ignore the fact that Social Media does make it easier for people to hide. Those prospects may decide whether or not they will do business with you or meet with you just by clicking your name!

How far is too far in sales ethics?

2011-06-04T01:53:00.005-06:00

Q: In competitive sales, sometimes work ethics take a backseat... you are compelled to do "certain" things. Would love to hear ur view on this.

Kaleem, UAE

A: What a great question Kaleem, thank you.

Just by having to ask the question may indicate that you are not comfortable with the "certain" things you are being compelled to do or address with your prospects or customers.

Wouldn't I love to sit in on your sales calls to understand the hidden message or what you are being asked to do to make a sale. I joked with one of my favorite managers once, as a woman, that I would fall short of prostitution to get a sale. It was always good for a chuckle because he was male and also thought that was funny, adding that I was one of the few that didn't need to.

While I can certainly empathize with your question, you most likely have your answer. If you have to ask yourself the question, never mind someone else, chances are your instinct is telling you it stinks.

I speak from experience in the past 24 hours, I hit a landmark sale, up 1300% year over year in this particular segment. To emphasize this discussion, while we were doing the paperwork I asked this customer if they got freebies based on their position. The answer was no. It was a fair sale, there was more negotiation than I would have liked (every sales pro prefers a smooth close) but because it was also big, there had to be some give and take from both sides to "seal the deal".

I share this because it is that old saying: people buy from people. Remember how they say that you tend to be attracted to a lifemate that represents the gender of the parent they represent? It is my firm belief that people tend to buy from people or organizations that they share similar cultural and core values.

I've never "done lunch" to win business. In fact, many customers I don't do lunch with. The rare times I do is because something has been earned, you share common ground with. They're someone who I want to spend time with outside of the office in a more social setting to get to know them better. That doesn't mean I will invite them to my next family BBQ. There is that fine line between business friendship and friendship ... you can have both yet far nicer when you can distinguish between the two. I do agree that informal setting encourages information to pour out. I do try to test the limits formally or informally, on what information I can access -- i.e. the health of the organization, its culture, how happy employees are, what the real chain of command is, who their boss is, what role they play in decision, how long they've been there, their career, their background, education, family .. it all tells me what I can expect from the relationship. You have to earn the right to ask deeper questions mind you!

At the beginning of each day, before you even put your sunny sales game face on, it is you and the mirror. Ask yourself what limit those "certain things" are. Granted it is easier to have your organization set those limits for you. That way, you can blame your boss or company policy. Each and every time you sit before a customer, you should have a clear understanding of what your own personal limits are to make a sale.

I've had organizations that I've sold for that encourage this and that. However, it is myself that decides which limits I will engage. I'm a decent golfer, so I've done that ... but only after a relationship has been established aka a sale. The best piece of advice I ever received in this corner was "spend their money" .. don't spend "our" money to win them.

Call me seasoned, but I know that my biggest and best customers have high integrity and wouldn't expect me to compromise my values because they see the value in what I offer. I won't share information, other than generic, on competitors I work with to each other. Often, if I'm asked a point blank question, I will simply state that if the tables were turned, they'd appreciate I uphold their own confidentiality. You will find that this builds trust. Trust is the number one attribute buys want from their sales representative, miles ahead of product knowledge. I stand behind the belief that the best customers in the long run, and end up being the biggest sales, are from the ones that don't compromise my honesty or integrity. I want to look at each great customer square in the eye, like I do in the mirror every morning, and not blink.

Those same customers that make unreasonable demands are telling you something. There is a reason for it. Your job is to ask a ton more questions to figure out what it is. Some cultures perhaps will only feel satisfied if they've bartered. However, those that are savvy, appreciate all the hard work you've put behind presenting a propsal that appears to fit like a glove to their needs. They'll forget about the bargaining because they'll want a sales pro that understands their business more.

The customers that don't operate that way, enjoy toying with you until the next victim (er, sales pro) comes along. Chances are they don't see the value in what you are offering, only in the fun in the bargaining or toying. It tends to signal to me that I'm not dealing with the decision maker. Some can smell a new sales rep a mile away. That sales rep may not be new to sales, just new to them or to the organization they are representing. They are going to test how far they can push. If you have to give in, it could be a free lunch or tickets to a football game. Be sure you use that to your advantage to get as much information out of them because chances are their guard is down, you're in a social setting. Turn it around and put it to good use ~ ask more questions for goodness sake!

For the past 10-15 years, any organization I've worked for has had me sign Code of Ethics and Confidentiality Agreements. That isn't surprising because I work for organizations that take their own core values seriously. If you work for an organization that compromises your values, and wants you to win at all costs, it may not be the best fit. The one executive I did work that who disguised shrewd business savvy with unscrupilous business practice, causing me to move on, does not maintain the relationships I still have long after those contacts ceased to be clients.

I will repeat myself .. based on my own experience. My biggest sales and best customers are those that recognize a win/win relationship, compromise when there are hurdles, and actively participate in resolving issues. After all, you worked hard to address their business needs, you want them to succeed, they're your cheerleader, in your corner, rooting you on.

Try not to become a man of success but rather try to become a man of value.

~Albert Einstein

Hope this helps somewhat Kaleem .... I wish you well, JM

***

Do you have a sales situation or business question that you'd like to ask? Drop me a note under comments and I will do my best to answer. Until then, Happy Selling!

Social Media Videos have changed how we sell and buyers buy

2011-05-29T15:21:00.002-06:00

Long before Social Media Videos, television and the movies were our best source for information on sales. Nowadays, you can gain access to videos that make us learn, think or laugh at the sale profession. Amazingly, it was only a few years ago that this video had an entirely different meaning than it does today:

So you still think social media is a fad? You may think twice after taking at look at this video and the startling statistics. With 1.5 million views since posting on You Tube May 2010, the data is already outdated. Its predeceasor with 2.8 views was less than a year old from July 2009 when it had to be updated.

One of my favorite catches was how social media impacts sales: "listen first, sell second". That isn't far off from what most sales pros know and rookies always hear. Now, social media forces you to listen, otherwise you will be labeled as "spam" , blocked and forever lost. Wouldn't a spam label be nice to have on our caller IDs during dinner by telemarketers? What is interesting is the challenge to be more clever in less time across more channels while attention is fleeting and today's news is now mere minutes ago.

Do you want to sell something?

You may want to seriously consider whether or not videos or social media should be an important part of your marketing or sales plan. Since Old Spice's commercial's original launch in 2006, it has is the most successful viral campaign. Recognized as the #1 Viewed (26 million) and Uploaded (210 million) it has caused mini-revolution with amost 273,000 subscribers.   I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall in the boardroom when the idea first pitched.

How about learning?

By just plugging in this search can learn just about anything. From the #1 dog training tips (17.5 million views) how to do crunches for 6-pack abs (17 million views) to how to play Guitar Hero (8 million views).

I've shown Glenngarry Glen Ross to sales teams on more than one occasion to create dialogue on selling.    It also showcases the different characters on a sales team from the top salesperson, to the rep who relies mainly on leads, to the narcicist Alec Baldwin character.

The following is my favorate of late. This scene gives a great example that in sales, it isn't always the questions being asked, but how they are comminicated.   There is also the forgotten art of the "pause" sales technique that is classic.

There are a multitude of great sales training videos on You Tube. However, call me lazy ... or smart. My favorite website to watch sales videos is www.bnet.com. After all, they've taken the time to surf or provide many great ones so that I don't have to. Oh, and if you haven't figure it out already ...... the best, funniest, greatest of anything tends to be NOT!

Not convinced yet whether social media will help or hamper your sales efforts? Here is one last look at what sharing has come to:

Hit the Road Jack: How do you decide it is time to move on from a prospect?

2011-05-22T20:44:00.003-06:00

Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goals

~ Anonymous

Q: What do you do when you’ve done everything in your power to win the sale and your buyer seems to all of sudden be stalling at actually making a decision?

A: You probably didn’t do your homework at the beginning of the process so now you have to do some backtracking. Regardless, have the confidence to be direct and ask the customer what may be preventing them from making a decision to move forward today? There could be several reasons for the stall:

Your contact is not as high in the organization as they led you to believe
Their role is the quote gathering when someone else makes the final decision
Who you are selling to is not able to make the final decision and, to save face, they don't want to tell you that

Hesitation in itself should provide you with clues:

Ask direct questions to uncover why they are hesitating;
Perhaps there is another proposal on the table and you are just there to reinforce that their decision is a good one
They have a current supplier and they just want to make sure they are being treated fairly
You may want to move on tactfully, while keeping the door open for when they are in the market.

If you are a true sales professional, you aren’t dividing and conquering. You should remain realistic that some just aren’t ready to buy. You have to determine why they aren’t ready to buy by asking the right questions. Ultimately, there are questions most experienced sales pros know to ask at the beginning of the sales process, rather than scrambling at the end when you forecasted as a done deal, or thought it was time to close.

Here are some suggested questions you should ask at the beginning of the sales cycle in the preliminary qualification stage in the sales process:

1. When are they planning to buy?

2. What are the steps in deciding how they will buy?

3. Who is involved with the decision making?

4. Do they have a specific budget in mind?

5. Is there specific criteria to determine who/what they will buy from?

6. Who do they currently buy from and why?

7.    Is there a specific reason why they are in the market right now?
8.    How will their business be impacted if they change from suppliers?
9.    What business issues are they trying to solve?
10.  Perfect case scenario, what do they really want?
11. What will it take to earn their business?

Answers from all of the above responses provide clues to you on what the next steps are. You may have simply overshot the close date or too optimistic on timelines. Customers drive the close, not sales reps, even less management who are trying to meet quotas.

If you have done your homework and feel that you completely satisfied the aforementioned questions then perhaps the stall is coming from left field. You have then earned the right to ask direct questions or find out what you may not have addressed for them to make a decision today?

Their response may give insight on how you decide to move on - either to the next step or period:

1. Handle the obstacle that surfaces by asking the direct question,

2. Ask what you can do to help address that obstacle

3. Were you a benchmark against current supplier, or price comparison

4. Decide to move on tactfully yet agree to keep in touch

I don’t want to kick you while you are already down. Especially, if you’ve already told your partner to plan that big vacation based on the sale. However, most sales pros sense when they are being stalled and can avoid last minute appearance of “buyer’s remorse” by asking direct questions up front at the earliest qualification stage.

Experienced sales pros also keep up a positive, professional image no matter how deflated they may feel or how much they counted on that particular sale. They know, that by leaving a positive experience, they will be the very first person that will be contacted whenever the next opportunity comes along .... because they are optimistic realists that know they do. They don't give up, they're tenacious, committed sales pros. They will review every step in the process and ask themselves what questions they should have asked, what signs they ignored, how they can do better the next time. Great sales pros distinguish themselves by knowing there is a next time and optimistic by how much they learned by avoiding the same mistakes. Everyone makes mistakes, the best are the ones who review the mistakes and take tactical steps to avoid them the next time .... there is always a next time!

The Top 10 Sales Terms You Should Avoid

2011-05-14T20:01:00.006-06:00

There are worse things in life than death. Have you ever spent an evening with an insurance salesman?

~Woody Allen

10. I will have to talk it over with my sales manager. It was my sales manager's idea to offer this deal to you. Now I will simply move on to the next person on my call list and never call you again.

9. It will only take a few minutes of your time. That is, to agree to meet with me but the sales pitch will take 30-45 minutes, more if you become a tough nut who forces me to bring out the high pressure tactics.

8. We only offer our best customers. You, my friend, are a loyal customer. With your help, I will win a sales award or hit the commission jackpot!

7. This is your last chance on this great deal! ...... until next week when we have something else to sell you after we’ve gotten rid of this loser.

6. There is no obligation: Unless you read the fine print and discover something else hidden there that you will wish you had read.

5. We offer the best value. We can’t negotiate on price so we’d better think of another reason to convince you that this is our best price and you should buy what is on the table.

4. I guarantee you! I am not the one who has to make sure that this thing works, my job is to sell it to you. Operations, service or support are the ones who have to make sure it does what I promised you.

3. Trust me. I can’t answer your stupid questions or provide you with the credibility you are asking for so you will just have to take my word for it.

2. Do you have a few minutes? That’s good because boy oh boy do I have a sales dump that I’m gonna lay on you in less time than it is going to take you to come up with a reason to say no.

1. How are you? I really don’t give a hoot how you are, I just wanna know if you’re in a good enough mood to fall for my sales pitch.

Click on the following link for an amusing look at sales:

http://youtu.be/1VjVlwl1Jqc

Top 13 Sales Terms and What They Mean

2011-05-08T19:15:00.004-06:00

I would rather entertain and hope that people learned something than educate people and hope they were entertained.

~Walt Disney

Ever wonder what all the sales jargon means? Here is a look at some of the more basic terms:

Close: If you close a sale, you’ve slam dunked and high-fived your colleagues and boss. Can you say return or refund? Most sales only begin once you’ve come to agreement to do business

Cold call: The term alone seems to raise the “b.s. meter” jump several decimal points. Go ahead, ask a group about cold calling and you will get endless advice, debates, opinions, and experts. News flash: Everyone does cold calls! You've walked into a business without an appointment, you've asked an administrator who the best person to talk to, you've followed up a referral, or you've telephoned, e-mailed, sent a letter to someone you’ve never met to introduce yourself, promote a product or sell a service.

Decision Maker: Is the Ogre that will jump out at you or growl at you if you disturb them. In reality, many sales professionals have learned the hard way after they’ve wined and dined the person they thought was the decision maker only to find out that they bought from someone else who was talking to the decision maker all along.

Farmer: Someone who harvests crops, sometimes complains about the weather, and drives a tractor. In sales it is used to describe a sales style. Some sales professionals like to rely on warm leads while talking about their golf score, while others specialize in growing existing business by finding other departments or persons within their customer base to add revenue.

Forecast: Usually, it is because you are planning an outing and want to know whether or not you should take an umbrella. To sales professionals, it is how you determine what dollar figure you will arrive at and will be accountable for.

Gatekeeper: Someone you should avoid at all cost! They will make your life miserable, often curt or sometimes rude, they’re job is to get rid of you before you annoy or interrupt their boss. Should you start out with this super person, it is best to get on their good side, ask them for permission to speak to

Hunter: Someone that Daffy Duck always avoids in cartoons. It is a sales professional who gets an adrenalin rush from uncovering a prospect, steals a customer from the competition and knows what the term “cold call” means.

Negotiate: Some people will negotiate just to barter the price down – they don’t see the value in what you are offering, their only goal is to see if they can squeeze a “deal” out of you. If you’ve done your homework, understood your customer, really listened, you avoid this phase altogether.

Networking: Scoring marks of a networking champion by the amount of business cards they can hand out in the shortest period of time, like speed dating. Networking is when you speak and share information with attendees at a business conference, luncheon, dinner, or event.

Objection: Is where you haven’t convinced your prospect to buy because they are asking you endless, annoying questions when all you want to do is get them to sign or give you the money. Objections are clues to figure out what the hesitation to move forward is.

Prospect: Synonymous with target, market, or object for whom you are attempting to sell to. If you haven’t done your research to even know if they’re in the market, they are a suspect. Once you’ve established communication and interest, you’ve earned the right to call them a prospect.

Qualify: Can they even pay for what you are selling them? Or, do they enjoy playing with you, like a cat does with a mouse? Yes, it may look promising if they take a Porche for a test drive, however, if they drove up in a ’69 Beetle (unless they’re a rock star) they may be wasting your time where you can try selling to someone who can actually buy. Asking the right questions will tell you that they were delivering pizza.

Referral: Geez, you gave me a smokin’ deal or I get a rebate if I tell my friends to call you. The best referrals often take place after an extended period of time because most people don’t refer someone unless they think they will make them look good.