tenacity TRUST follow up

I'm pretty pleased with myself because I am here once again, in my commitment to give insights to what characteristics identify a potentially top performer in sales.  

Just so we're clear, however, I want to emphasize that the three qualities identified:  tenacity + TRUST + follow-up are inter-twined.

I recognize that I may have made recruiters' jobs a tad more challenging by stating that these three characteristics go hand in hand with the ideal candidate for sales superstardom.

• Tenacity:  those that are committed to a career in sales have one common trait, that is uncommon. They don't give up easily.  If you happen to be in their horizon or sphere of targeted prospect, be ready for a ride.  They might write, call, email or post to get your attention that you should be talking to them.  They have a value proposition that will solve a business need that they just know will make your business' life easier.  Why? Likely because they have an uncanny ability to instinctively identify the ideal prospect and set out to understand everything that makes you tick.  That is before they even hit a keyboard or pick up the phone.  They more than likely know who your customers are, who your competitors are and play to that.  They may sense that their offering will be a winner for you, even if you haven't figured that out yet.

• TRUST:  they give off the air that they are not solely intelligent, charismatic enough to be on your team.  They portray an aura of trust.  You instinctively sense that they have your best interests at heart while simultaneously achieving their own goals.  They call or follow up when they say they will.  They start at the top, because really only the important top executives will recognize that this smart, pro has communicated in a fashion that mirrors your values, image and goals.  In other words, they will make you look fantastic in others' eyes for trusting this new avenue or approach ... and it pays off.

• Follow up:  Forget the over-promise and under deliver -- these keeners will do what they say they will.  And, if you think you're savvy, you've got nothing on them:  they have a diary, calendar, Outlook system that would make the most gifted project manager blush.  They may have their own system for following up, or they may utilize the tools available to make them a stellar professional:  a CRM (Customer Relationship Management) tool.  When they are following up, they have all the details on what they perceived resonated with you, or you told them.  They know the who, what, why and where your problem lies, or what they have to solve them.  

Pretty simple?  You'd think so.  Yet, only the very BEST have these combined attributes.  Your talent recruitment system may have some identity metrics, but not as captivating as this.   Think about it, your recruitment process is to try to fit a

square peg into a round hole.  Yes, you have search power to make it easier to cast out a web of candidates, but you haven't identified these important qualities have you?  Trust me, they're important.  

Get out of your own self-absorbed importance and open your eyes to what qualities make the best in your camp:  tenacity, TRUST and follow up!

super STARS!

Today is my Friday.  Yip-e-DO~DA!

I had started to reflect on promises I want to make, and to really internalize it and strive to make it happen.  I have started to put into practice the great qualities are to succeed in sales into my own life.  Huh?  Well, think about it:  if you can't keep a promise to yourself, how can you ever find meaning?

I mentally rehearsed my practice, most likely several times, then I put it into writing.  What blogging allows me to do is put ideas to practice.  The ones that bloom from instinct, creativity and intelligence with strong economic value.  

It went something like this .... I treasure most of my really great mentors and friends.  They will instinctively know who they are.  Some could be someone I mentored to help others.   This particular friend who was not only a mentor AND A friend, they were and are a CHEERLEADER.  Most of my strongest connections are those that treasure my values, because they know that is my biggest currency in life.  Profoundly amazing, very often humbling by either an example to live by or someone very strong and mild.  

LOL, I could sidetrack about personality identifications, another hobby of mine, added to social media, blogging, and student of demography.  

This very great friend/mentor/cheerleader kind of asked me or told me, see how wise they are because I couldn't tell which.  Why ... DO...nt.....YOU....Blog more about sales again?  So, that's been brewing at the back of mind and decided to put it into practice.  Write more about sales.  Then I wanted the re-entry to be remarkable and outstanding.  Something of which only the greatest of sales man or lady could relate to:  What are the things that can be identified in characteristics which you would probably use to identify the biggest of super star (actuals or traits) to pluck out of the very narrow talent pool.  

So the theory will soon show through.  If applied, and it works WONDERbar! If it doesn't?  Go back to the START over!  What are some of the unique characteristics of only the SUPER STARS?  The audience can decide if it believable or the participators can verify if it is foolproof.

Kind of where your own answers, or experiences, or success are going to collect into a group of the super super achievers.  Or, a humble super achiever (sorry, I'm getting ahead of myself) is just getting these amazing results that is taking her or him really high in achievement and he or she starts to wonder if it is a stroke of luck, they're being imposters, or they actually can relate!  That is the test of social media and the #bestofeverything ... can a common voice push up one common trend among all the networking sites?  That's part of THAT experiment.

So, today to a) write about sales, and b) talk about, or start with, what defines a super star?  Exceeding the results of which the top 25 percent of the population have barely entered.  Another sidebar and thought process tugging to the left .... can it be defined with association by the most gifted in so many offshoots like music, artistry, writing, designers, imagineers, 

So, I'm going to start with some of the things that I come up with that would make me think in sales terms that may make me different than the molded corporate suit, adaptable and creative.  LOL, jumping ahead just a tad bit.

Here we go:  what are the most unique qualities about me (as it may relate to business, management, marketing, sales or social media; with an ability to launch new initiatives).  Besides those I guess, here they are:

1) FREAKAZOID:  Maybe one of the freadazoid things about me, and what may have happened to allow me to achieve success in sales is because I actually like creating a "TO DO" list.   (Can you imagine how thriving I am because it is my Friday, and I am going to lux in extasy creating this LIST).

2) LAID BACK or DRAMA QUEEN? For as lax adaxial as I may seem, underneath the bubbly, energetic and often wise demeanor, to the point.  Yes, no, I'll get back to you within _____ hours or minutes and tried to never miss that.  I can go from leaning in attentive to stand at attention and create motivation!  

3)  ENERGETIC or STOID?  If you ask people who know me or have met me, they're first description will almost always be to describe me:  ENERGETIC.  Then they sense this scrutiny, taking it all in and sounding it all back:  must mean a STOID!  Especially, when crafting a proposal or crunching numbers.

4)  HONEST TO A FAULT.  Okay, I was just cheating because if you read 3) you have connecting some other really great attributes among ENERGETIC or STOID, crafting proposals or crunching numbers.    But really great SUPER STARS seem to be trusted automatically.  These folks greatest indignity is when trust is given and abused.  

5)  TRUST< TRUSTED<TRUSTING.  Amazing if you put those three qualities behind a character, you will uncover one of the most uncanny talented contributions.  How many people in your life can you can identify by those three things:  trust+trusted+trusting.  I would challenge to find those three ingredients combined multiply in being a SUPER STAR.

Well, folks.  That is a start within the world of sales.  I am moving on to new goals, slowly being discovered.  The potential within me, and by that karma will attract the most remarkable people.  That are either a) identified as one or b) want to be one.

You may likely stay tuned.  I would be very appreciative if you subscribe, even if you hardly ever visit.  I'm not asking you for money, while I share my secrets to the world.  To demonstrate the difference between online editorial or traditional printed media.

There are more qualities I will share.  I just ask if you visit more than once, subscribe.  I won't force you to comment (never works anyhow except with the inauthentic "I'll scratch yours if you scratch mine" membership).  

I discovered this article on Business Insider  after I had written this post three days ago, and found it worthy to include this.  What struck me is its reinforcement of what I was getting at:  you can be competent and intelligent, however, if people don't deem you trustworthy, they may negatively perceive you!

Oh, if you know of anyone who may want a leg up online advertising:  share the link to my blog and let them know that I have a few spots available, at wholesale, not third party rates.  I haven't assigned any numbers, as I originally said before New Year's, that I would accept bids.  

You see, I am tenacious.  Another extreme quality that I'll throw in.  Those that are can identify with and others want those qualities, will tell others, that there is a fairly unique concept of blogging and sharing images that could be an advertisement (which is really a .jpeg) that I can upload as an image after I'm paid with currency or crapola in kind.

The above image was extrapolated from a long ago Google search.  I do that sometimes:  look for one thing and another one snaps into view so you save later and use.  That is the case of this caricature:  I think it is to resemble Cameron Diaz.  It isn't as much as the physical resemblance as the exuberance of attitude that grabbed me.  My vibe, my charisma, it captured in that image.  Thanks to the artist. (unknown)

Hey guys and gals,

If you like my sales, marketing, social media and business side, you may like to read about my more personal side of life in Meanderings about ... being a fabulous fashionista fighting her fifties.  I just share some of the things I like on the sidebars, which sometimes I update as I go along, or when it strikes me.

Or, the expulsion of my hobby about demography The inBETWEENers where I ponder, research and exude theories and fact about characteristics of those born from 1960 to 1965, neither Baby Boomer nor Generation X.

 Appreciate it.  Thanks to all my Facebook and Twitter fans!  You really are the #bestofeverything ... remarkable, talented, intelligent: who look for the #bestofeverything ... always.

If you want me to give you a hand, pop me a note to optioneerjm@gmail.com to see what I can do.

Happy New Years!

Continued success in 2016,

Jeannette

@optioneerJM

Brand For Sale II #bestofeverything #blog #sales #selling #socialmedia

There are a lot of things to remember when you are selling, but cleaning up should always be the first that comes to mind.  There are many reasons you have to clean up:

• The boss is coming in to take a look around
• A salesperson is stopping by with a very big potential customer
• A very big customer is coming in with the boss on the last minute meeting with the organization you have to solve a very big problem for.
• Your reports are scattered, mixed up and your desk is a big fat mess.  
• Your presentation is due: the bosses with their boss, the customer, are almost at your office.
• Before you scan your surroundings, grabbing your head, spinning into circles, you stop, snap your fingers to tackle it.  Firstly you want to make that big last minute check on it to ensure that there doesn't appear any technical glitches.
• Forget the hair slick, you just got out of the shower and thought this quick look was multi- tasking when you discovered the blunder ... some of your pages in Powerpoint weren't given the last eyeball or a finishing hand to erase the jumble of images on some pages, text only on others, with the real presentation on others.  Template hell?
• Your team mates, George and Anne, both are early risers, and after biking from the gym are already at the office now, peeling an orange as they chomp on a breakfast bar.  You have to tell them a) you are running late b) the .ppt presentation hasn't had its finishing touches.  c) On top of that, your office where the meeting being held looks like a Cyclone it it. d) you just got out of the shower, and haven't even left.

Then *boom* into the head:  what was I not thinking.  It is just too suspicious.  The boss and the very big client is coming in TOGETHER ... oh groan.  The company is being sold.  The very big customer are bidding to win optioneerJM for December 31, 2015 closest to midnight.

Just who in their right mind would put a brand up for sale?  What are you:  nuts?  Nobody would do that said the left shrugging shoulder.  While the tinkling of the bells on my right creative shoulder.  

Starting out with a squeak, the creative said that they really wouldn't be buying just the brand name.  No, of course not, they want the audience.

Like many companies have been starting to do, even more will continue for 2016, they are scrambling to be back on the ground floor of the basics.  Innovation is what is going to continue to surge in 2016.  Just hints of them made me take a bite into Apple:  watch this week's (December 19, 2015) 60 Minutes episode with Mr. Allen.

Apple is going to lead the charge in technology and innovation because it is the one true culture for any organization.  

How many Masters in Business Education have assembled case studies to attempt to understand what makes good companies great?

Steven Paul "Steve" Jobs (/ˈdʒɒbz/; February 24, 1955 – October 5, 2011) was an American technology entrepreneur, visionary and inventor. He was the co-founder, chairman, and chief executive officer (CEO) of Apple Inc.; CEO and largest shareholder of Pixar Animation Studios;^[3] a member of The Walt Disney Company's board of directors following its acquisition of Pixar; and founder, chairman, and CEO of NeXT Inc. Jobs is widely recognized as a pioneer of themicrocomputer revolution of the 1970s, along with Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak. Shortly after his death, Jobs's official biographer, Walter Isaacson, described him as the "creative entrepreneur whose passion for perfection and ferocious drive revolutionized six industries: personal computers, animated movies, music, phones, tablet computing, and digital publishing."^[2]

Adopted at birth in San Francisco, and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area during the 1960s, Jobs's countercultural lifestyle was a product of his time. As a senior at Homestead High School, in Cupertino, California, his two closest friends were the older engineering student (and Homestead High alumnus) Wozniak and his countercultural girlfriend, the artistically inclined Homestead High junior Chrisann Brennan. Jobs briefly attended Reed College in 1972 before dropping out, deciding to travel through India in 1974 and study Buddhism.  (SOURCE:  Wikipedia)

Apple sure has a lot of tell-tale signs:  

1. a spotless image: every work surface crowned by a Mac, or Notebook, or iPAD, or iPhone is spectacularly laid out retail environment that seems to scream:  "only the very cool and smart people hang out here".
2. They haven't lost sight of the heritage:  Steve Jobs.  Never a day goes by that the spirit of Jobs is softly drumming on the inner doors and coridors.
3. They are already working on the next sensation, when the latest is setting new benchmarks and records across the globe.
4. They understand who they are, the misfits and creative types, who hardly belong anywhere, join the brotherhood of innovation.
5. Check out the new headquarters:  it is going to look like a spaceship by aerial views.
6. They are making money leaps over bounds, it is not being lost on only the executives ... the bonus structure reaches the very tiny microscopic screw that keeps it together is shared be all that belong

Well, I'm certainly no Apple.  But the resilience and innovation of people like Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerburg, or even Donald Trump should reach out and grab us.  It did me.

Why don't I create social media brands and then sell them since trying to help others create their social media identity is trapped with chaos, lack of accountability, wasted money and a whole lotta finger pointing going on.  LOL, I can create things without the interruptions on process because I create the process as I grow and study.  

There are a lot of genius inventions out there that barely can put together a brochure, decide on a logo, and pay their web team way too much, more out of

indecision and recreation multiple times.  Then who should be writing the blog?  The marketing team's messages are static and boring if not surrounded by the fluff created by an agency for you to nod or sway your head to no.

There will be people who want to sell their products or gain more customers so that they can survive so many factors because just as they are legalised up the ying yang, it appears to constantly have to change and avoid copyright infringement.  

There are others that will follow the high techies who can constantly come up with solutions and schematics and specifications and engineering attributes, but put them in front of a .ppt screen to tell their story, and what is importantly, why you should buy them.  They freeze because they forgot all about marketing and think sales are shysters.  

ORANGE:  A color that resembles bright, energetic, optimistic and juicy

Nope, not me.  This is my office.  Take a look around.  It can be anywhere USA or Canada-eh!  I have a laptop with a keyboard.  I'm in the new land of opportunity.  Information = content = readers = consumers = buyers.  I can speak to them and create brands that resonate with the online crowd.  

So, I've begun ensuring my web blog and pseudonym @optioneerJM is all spruced up with the holiday spirit, to get the bidders on a ho ho whole lot of money to buy this brand name.  It comes equipped with all the major networks established, it has positive identification of an orange, being bright, spirited and full of wellness.

Most of the emails will end up in my spam folder, so you don't have to worry about me taking a sneak-a-peak to see which brands may want to acquire this brand, to be able to emulate and boosted immediately by that established audience of consumers, early adopters, hipsters and distinguished technicians.

Let the starting bid of $10,000 begin ............

Submit your date marked email to optioneerJM@gmail.com with RE:  @optioneerJM for sale*BID* submission and I will know not to open it before midnight on December, 31, 2015.

Viral advertising is a scam #bestofeverything

David Ogilvy

"Our business is infested with idiots who try to impress by using pretentious jargon."

~David Ogilvy

This is the time of year when the count down starts.  Media organizations clamber for attention in this space:  so WHAT were the top stories of 2015?  We can all decide what resonated with us when we include the hashtag #bestofeverything and start it trending, to stay at the top.  WHY?  Because it is up to the populace to decide what we think, not the media to tell us what they think we should.

The emergence of the IoT:  Internet of Things or what I would like to consider the power at the disposal of anyone and everyone who wants to make a difference.  We can decide what is best for making our world a better place.

Consider what surfaces in trending on Twitter tends to be what the people say it is.  What story resonates with people in real time?  The hashtag is now the tool for everyone to use to decide what they want to read.  It has no borders, it has no financial gain, it has no political clout.  It is simply what people everywhere, anywhere use to strengthen their position on what matters to them.

"Never write an advertisement which you wouldn't want your family to read.  You wouldn't tell lies to your own wife.  Don't tell them to mine." 

~David Ogilvy

If you're anything like me, I'm a little tired of being told what is important to me.  Thus, the creation of #bestofeverything hashtag.  I will say what songs I like, what movie is best, what charity is doing the most with the donations, what matters to me at the present day, present time.  The beauty of a hashtag is that you can go back on it and click so that anything and everything covered under #bestofeverything is sorted and appears in a sequence.  

#bestofeverything

Pretty inspiring if you think about it.  

I look back at a blog I wrote a couple of years ago called:  "Advertising boxes out Social Media"  where I evaluated the news and opinions at the time on how traditional advertising is being hung on to by the major brands.  I would endeavour to state that it was because the decision makers who plunk their money down on the roulette of response or ROI: return on investment.

"I notice increasing reluctance on the part of marketing executives to use judgment; they are coming to rely too much on research, and they use it as a drunkard uses a lamp post for support, rather than for illumination." 

~David Ogilvy

I'm a little giddy now.  It IS happening.  Brands are hiring agencies to spin stories in such a way that it fools the viral community into thinking it is a feel good story and is shared like the California Wild Fires

I called it back then, assertively calling it for what it was:  West Jet's feel good story back on giving gifts to unsuspecting recipients -- advertorial that leverages social media:  You Tube sensation and beyond.

"You now have to decide what 'image' you want for your brand.  Image means personality.  Products, like people, have personalities, and they can make or break them in the marketplace." 

~David Ogilvy

This week, I watched a story on Canada's CBC News on how West Jet is putting together another story that they hope will have the same results as before.  It was calculated, it was created and it was formulated so that people will click on it and VOILA!  They have free advertising ... in their own words.

"The pursuit of excellence is less profitable than the pursuit of bigness, but it can be more satisfying."  

~David Ogilvy

I called it back then and now it isn't surprising.  Social media gurus have been saying for at least five years, that social media has the ability to be free, explosive and immediate by reaching all corners of the sphere. As in all things remarkable, there is the good and the bad.

"Never stop testing, and your advertising will never stop improving."  

~David Ogilvy

This is where my opinion comes in:  back in the day, when I was in magazine advertising sales, and it still holds true to print media still today, that a story has a greater impact than any other form of advertising.  My first business book I read was just after high school in the early 1980s, on the eclipse of media power, "Confessions of an Advertising Man: Ogilvy on Advertising" an icon to many of that world, sharing his opinion and valuable advice that telling stories will have a greater appeal than an image or creating desire.

To the dismay of so many government bodies and regulatory organizations, they have no power over the internet.  Although print media has to have the disclaimer "Advertorial" on the top of any advertisement that appears like a story to fool folks out of thinking that they are reading a carefully crafted advertising piece.  

So, how do you distinguish the targeted, intentional advertising that has a main goal: to go viral.  They have teams of artistic, creative geniuses behind the force to create a viral hit.  The accidents will be fewer and farther between, while many folks will be fooled to think that it is a viral, feel good story.  When, in fact, it is created, written, acted (sometimes with or without employees or with hired actors), filmed, video, recorded and launched on social media:  You Tube, Twitter -- two of the greatest fuels for hashtags.  
Reader, observer:  beware.  They are trying to trick you into thinking it is an accidental capture of a feel good, or tear jerker  so that you will share, comment, and send it off into viral heaven.  

Best Online Advertising Tools

"If it doesn't sell, it isn't creative."  

~David Ogilvy

One can't help but wonder if any regulatory enforcement will be launched to force brands to tribute it as such:  advertorial.  Perhaps a warning:  "If you click on this, you will be helping this company advertise for free."

The interesting part is there are folks that can and still do launch a viral explosion without a creative machine behind them.  Will people be able to distinguish it as such?  When I commented on West Jet's viral hit a few years back, I had a lot of irate people rant at me for not appreciating the wonderful work that West Jet was doing and couldn't I just be nice and accept it as a nice story that happened to go viral because people got free gifts (including a pair of socks).  According to others, it was hailed as "marketing gold".  For what?  Tricking people?

"A good advertisement is one which sells the product without drawing attention to itself."  

~David Ogilvy

I was trying to let the cat out of the bag then, and now they're broadcasting under CBC's story on how they are putting together this year's viral hit.  I'd like to think people are more informed and savvy.  However, the rules on print media to label "advertising" as what it is should be captured by the You Tubes and Twitters of the world to only allow it if it is labeled as a "sponsored promotion".  Make the rules for those who think they are so clever to break it.

One can't help but wonder if these same airlines paid as much attention to their customers by ensuring they get frequent flyer program points they may end up in the same monetary gain.  Rather than padding themselves on the back for fooling people.

It should be labeled as advertising.  It should be highlighted as "sponsored ads" and within the rules of marketing that has been around for decades.  Or simply, people will just ignore it and they will have to chalk it up to a poor return on their investment .... or the fact that people are wiser now.

"The best ideas come as jokes.  Make your thinking as funny as possible."  

~David Ogilvy

My choice for the best print ad for 2015

Selling BULL**** and whoppers

"With integrity you have nothing to fear, since you have nothing to hide.  With integrity, you will do the right thing, so you have no guilt."                                                                              ~Zig Ziglar

Hi former Sales Manager

You must be REALLY important to me because news landed center page, not just a corner in the top right hand side of my Linked In page!

Well, you are, damn it (ah, excuse me, darn it). Who saw this young blonde bimbette actually packed a solid punch on delivering what she said she would (or make up for times you said "we would" in front of my biggest, happiest clients).

Yeah, those times, you impersonated Bill Gates, your hero and go from zero to instant vision faster than I can hit SEND button on my Smartphone (Apple and Samsung are fighting over name placement on this article so you may see some editing happening later on).

Come to think of it ... who REALLY taught me the art of telling BULL**** stories that knock prospects off their thrones not because of the whoppers, but because we had to figure out how to deliver on that bull**** that actually amounted into something.

Remember, teaching me about how to respond to RFPs? It went something like, let's go for a beer and talk. I may have not recorded anything but they left me a lasting impression. Yeah, those were the days, where you figured out how to really flip out the competitors by promising something so ludicrous that even they couldn't assemble enough talent in droves to try to make meet expectations that insurmountable you gave in your pinky finger.

So what's happening now? Have you forgotten you are Canadian!!! Or, are you trying to turn Calgary CANADA into the Seattle of the great Canadian northwest?  We could sure use an infusion of something other than our declining Canadian dollar. Not to mention, because we only whisper about it now in Calgary, or else we may get bitten by the disease called "FALLING OIL PRICES".

Well, listen to this ... if it ain't the most amazing yet amusing coincidence ........ my youngest daughter's diztziest friend is working at our biggest competitor from back in the day. If I had it confirmed years ago, what you already suspected, that our competitors would become so distracted battling those extreme promises they came up against from us, they all turned or were already pot heads.

Now I think about it. Drugs wasn't in our vocabulary nor did it invade our lives or workplaces. We were just beyond-kids-old-enough-to-have-them characters building the dream. Yeah, big commission cheques, awards, free travel and corporate celebrity status from the numbers posted. I think Canada really jumped out on the scoreboard and some of the regulars bumped their heads.

I don't want to get you too antsy when I have to tell you that that ditzy friend of my daughter's I was telling you about? Well, she went to a prominent institute (insert name upon payola) and, like me, learned from the best. Who you reckon? Well, BeanoCappicino, yeah you guessed it. Imagine that, Beano teaching our youth on the ways of the world. Amazing, profound way she has of touching people, pushing them, and making them remarkable contributors in our society.

No problemo, I am barely mentioning that they're only 20 years (OK, so almost 30) younger than us. They don't  have mountains to climb, lions to slay, and be on forefront of the internet curve.  They can Google or ask "Suri" anything deployed instantaneously.  I admire their confidence.

That reminds me of your "don't ask for permission, ask for forgiveness" rule of management? All because those memos from the Ivory Tower in overnight courier bags were going three cities daily. Little did anyone of us know that instead of having a pile of unopened envelopes, unfolded memos, piling up on your desk ... if people e-mailed you, they couldn't tell that you just hit DELETE without reading!  Yes, you were a rebellious visionary.  You have that in common with Steve Jobs, except with the shower and shoes.

I truly do wish you all the best in your new venture. Even if I wonder if the tales get taller or the tails get longer?

Well, if truth be told, you did teach me a lot.  Primarily, if you are going to promise bull**** you better be sure it can be delivered.  Admittedly, I felt safer under promising and over delivering.  Then again, you certainly pushed me outside my comfort zone to realize sometimes a little B.S. can catch a customer's attention!

Continued success,

Jeannette

"The supreme quality of leadership is unquestionably integrity.  Without it, no real success is possible, no matter whether it is on a section gang, a football field, in an army, or in an office."                                                                                                         ~Dwight D. Eisenhower

BATTLE of wills: Marketing and Sales

"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

 

 



 

I read an article today on Linked In by an author whom I respect and often read articles by:   Daniel Newman.  He had some great insight when the Marketing and Sales departments don't mesh Linked In PULSE.   

 

 

Good on Daniel Newman for bringing this to light.  Organizations should pay heed to his advice.  They are often not aligned, in my opinion, because they don't have the same accountability metrics.  Marketing generates leads and sales complain that they're weak.  There are multiple branches under each organization, or should be, so that the strengths of each or highlighted.  i.e. Sales are looking for high valued customers that takes focus and commitment to win while Marketing brings brand awareness and the leads generated could be pre-qualified before being handed over to sales. 

 

I'm always thankful when more prolific authors write about something I have a long time ago (without the clicks or attention). 

 

I wrote in October 2011 on everyone needing to get on the same page:  I had written succinctly:  It all comes down to hunting (catching), farming (sowing) and then cooking (customer service) and delivering (operations).

 

I am going to side with sales on this debate simply because "sales" seems to be a catchall title Responsibilities evolve depending upon who the person is selling for, what the organization's definition of sales is, or who is selling.

 

Why?  Because I have found across the years, that most people in organizations consider "anyone who talks to a customer is in sales".  That is just wrong - everyone in every organization should be talking to customers. 

 

To reason why this attitude is fragmenting companies and scattering the focus of its sales professionals.  A really cold lead generated from an inquiry from your website is not something that you automatically hand over to sales.  If you want your sales to increase, they need to focus.  You can't expect them to be running around like a dog chasing its tail following up every single slip of napkin with a name on it as sales lead. 

 

To help this debate, everyone needs to get at the table (again) with a flip board.  If you're the business owner, don't delegate this to someone else.  If you end up refereeing between marketing and sales, it is your own fault for not clearly outlining what is expected from marketing and sales. 

 

What is marketing's job?

• branding
• sales material
• direct mail
• website
• generating leads
• social media
• communications with customers
• promotions or programs to create sales leads
• increase awareness
• advertising campaigns
• telemarketing campaigns
• email campaigns

What is sales' job?

• hunting for new business
• visiting/servicing existing customers
• following up ALL leads
• following up pre-qualified leads
• solving issues by customers
• chasing past due accounts
• networking
• communications, writing, proposals
• securing and responding to RFPs (requests for proposals)
• solving billing issues
• cold calling
• completing weekly, daily call sheets for management
• scheduling appointments with decision makers
• forecasting revenue from accounts, prospects, suspects
• projecting new sales opportunities
• keeping CRM (customer relationship management) systems up to date

I hope you get my drift ... if you bombard sales with so much on their "to do" is it any wonder that they're unfocussed, scattered and unable to plan carefully where their next activity will be.  Depending on the company, the frequency of responsibility can vary as well. 

 

 

 

If you want sales to focus on driving new sales from high valued customers, why would you have them pulled in so many directions at the same time and by so many people?

 

Successful sales organizations have a structure and tiered system on which to handle incoming inquiries, issues, soft leads, etc.  They understand that their sales funnel has multi-levels and should be handled by the right people, with the right skills, at the right time.  Distinguishing deal seekers from customer relations is critical.

 

I wrote this so you can begin the conversation.  Whether you are launching a new business with a sales arm and marketing arm, carve out the expectations and responsibilities for each activity.  Don't just have sales forecast revenue, have marketing predict leads to be generated.  Have them assign a dollar amount but don't just have it as an amount in a column in a month.  Do follow up on a quarterly basis to monitor who is blowing smoke up everyone's hinds.  Far too many fall for great numbers without comparing with actuals. 

 

 

 

Don't fall into the trap that a sales pro who generates a lot of activity is doing you any favors.  That is done so that you will be distracted and think they're doing amazing work for you, until you look at your actual revenue graphs.  Show them who's the boss in a way that you lead in a way that gives your team to perform while you hold them accountable.