#SALESCHAT : The online classroom. From posting to interactive dialogue.

“Stanzr puts the ‘engagement’ in Social Media”

~Jeannette Marshall

What is in a name preceded by the #?   It is called a “Hashtag” developed to allow Twitter users to join in conversation on a similar topic or interest.  About 5 months ago, Taariq Lewis, CEO of Stanzr.com was launching a BETA to take the Twitter conversation a step further by providing an environment to do so.  Now, it has evolved from a weekly #saleschat on Sunday afternoons to a mid-monthly Wednesday forum. 

The topics surround sales techniques, tools and processes.   Moderated by Jeannette Marshall, Taariq Lewis and Austin Miles, with guests experts ranging from top selling author Kevin Davies, Slow Down Sell Faster (www.toplineleadership.com) to Cesar Rodriguez, CEO, www.activitytracker.com.   Participants actively jump in or others sit back and read the content as it is unfolding.  It is free, there is no commitment other than having a Twitter ID (www.twitter.com).  You don’t have to be a social media guru, it could be an incentive to use Twitter as a learning tool. 

To give you an idea, the following is the October 12^th transcripts and attendees while we covered that month’s topic:   Activity Metrics ... How do you measure what you are doing in sales to maximize your time and focus on the RIGHT results!  Everyone logs on by the 9 p.m. EST time slot and off we go! http://stanzr.com/7ps9pui6

PARTICIPANTS:

• ·        Taariq Lewis, CEO, Stanzr.com ~Moderator @taariqlewis
• ·        Jeannette Marshall, BlogHER ~Moderator @optioneerJM
• ·        Cesar Rodriguez, CEO, www.salestracker.com ~Special Guest @activitytracker

§  Joseph Olewitz, Founder & CEO, www.22ndstorystrategies.com @jolewitz 

§  Maureen Blandford, Lead Strategist, Mind Time Group @maureenB2B

§  Gart Hart, Sales, www.SalesDuJour.com @salesdujour

§  Justin Pirie, Cloud Strategist, Mimecast, @justinpirie

§  Nick Bianchi, Account Manager, Dealermine, @nickbianchi

§  Sherree Worrell, Project Administrator, Management Consulting @sherree_W

§  Joseph Gier, CEO, Learn To Grow @josephgier

§  Deborah Thomas-Nininger, Founder/CEO, DTN Productions @DTNetiquette

§  Bill Gardiner, Channel Management Director, Cirrusabs, @b_gardiner

§  Andy Houston,  Director of Member Services, North American Inter-Fraternity Conference @hust0058

§  Perry Pucetti, CEO, The Triple-I Corporation @DelphiUSA

TRANSCRIPTS (Curated by Taariq Lewis):

What Metrics are you using right now?

OptioneerJM  Everyone, Cesar Rodriguez is our special guest, he's the CEO, founder and sales guru for Activity Tracker,

ActivityTracker I define tracking your activity as everything you do that goes into your sales process
ActivityTracker for example how many calls u make a day, appointments, presentations, sales, etc

SalesDuJour Quantity of calls, meetings (virtual, F2F, V2V) length, preparation and research, related admin

ActivityTracker the pieces that eventually lead up to a sale. I'm not talking about organizing your desk and the non essentials

SalesDuJour Proposals and correspondence, prospecting and networking.

DTNEtiquette Yes, I track calls, e-mails, connectivity updates - it is my own system

OptioneerJM As Cesar and I spoke about, most people, me included have used Activity Tracking within CRM dynamics

ActivityTracker We all know that every step in your sales process leads to that end sale, but seldom do we take time to track the core metrics that generate that end result.

ActivityTracker Some people do some people don't. Most sales people like me hate that stuff, and just want to get busy and not be slowed down by loggin in information, but we all know it's important

SalesDuJour Return on Time and Effort has always been critical to me.

ActivityTracker but it can also be very motivating to know what your own personal law of averages numbers are and your personal ratios

NickBianchi I have tracked call #'s etc. in the past. But not as much as much anymore. Not because it's not effective but my environment has changed in such a way that the path to the sale (the BIG win) is less clear now

DTNEtiquette Based upon current and/or prospective client I determine what type of follow-up is best first - all are made aware of my podcasts

ActivityTracker when u find your ratios show that you close 1 out of 10 then you don't focus on the yes's nad hte no's but rather the 9 you have to burn thru to get to that tenth

justinpirie This might be too detailed- but how do you integrate into existing CRM and ERP systems?

SalesDuJour @ActivityTracker Avoiding the 9 losers is critical to real success

NickBianchi @ActivityTracker Just don't be in too much of a hurry to burn thru the 9 that you burn right thru the 10th!

DTNEtiquette Yes, it is homegrown - 20+ years in business!

Josephgier well sales is a bit like commodity trading in that way... 8 losses in row but the two that you get more than make up for them

SalesDuJour Activity tracking of ROE & ROT helps prioritize and become selective

OptioneerJM CRMs is a lot of data .... lots of which create dashboards for mgt ... what we're speaking about is instead of a homegrown

ActivityTracker Yes, here's an example of why tracking is important and a great motivational tool....

Justinpirie @josephgier I was thinking- we use Netsuite for ERP which drives everything- how would we use it?

Josephgier Well, I have a sales question for the sharks..are there generally accepted metric to guage a sales success or failure

SalesDuJour @josephgier That needs to be tailored to each sales environment. In other words, there is not a "standard"

ActivityTracker we all know that every thing u do in ur sales earns you money, for example if you have to ten people to get that one yes and that one yes earned you $100 then you know that every No or rejection earned u $10

ActivityTracker people forget that sometimes or to figure it out it takes a long time and is time consuming or cumbersome

NickBianchi @SalesDuJour Yes! Attempts to set goals/quotas using a system from a different space can be REALLY bad!

ActivityTracker Also within the Yes's and No's are further ratios

MaureenB2B I have so many clients and they all have different systems and I have 1 F1000 that has 6 regions and 6 different sales processes. Oy vey

ActivityTracker for example if you had to make 50 calls to the 10 prospects then that $100 commission divided by 50 calls = $2 per call right?

OptioneerJM Yes, how does it work basically @ActivityTracker ? lOTS of sales would be worried about just more data entry

ActivityTracker I've been in sales since i was a kid selling baseball cards and magic cards and hustling anything i could because i loved the trill of the sale

ActivityTracker to make a friend to have some fun and to make them happy and me money

MaureenB2B @NickBianchi old bricks and mortar. they really need to do an actual reorg, lots of old, engrained relationships with clients - some RMs threaten to walk with their businesses if anyone forces them to change.

OptioneerJM ok, let's move to the next question in a couple min as it leads into to the WHY you should be tracking your activity

ActivityTracker In sales there are only 2 reasons why ur not successful...

ActivityTracker you're either not doing something right or your not doing something enough

ActivityTracker how many calls, appointments, presentations, new people prospected etc

ActivityTracker One person might be a killer closer on the presentation table but they might be horrible at setting appointments that stick

ActivityTracker one person might be a killer appt setter but have a weak closing percentage

ActivityTracker over the phone they don't know why they're missing it. they just know they're not getting sales

ActivityTracker I developed an fun free and easy sales activity tracking tool that allowed people on my team to go online...

ActivityTracker and click buttons to increment their activity

I cannot teach anybody anything, I can only make them think

~Socrates

Products. Benefits. Cost. ROI.

hust0058 @ActivityTracker I could see this being helpful in the #nonprofit #fundraising space for tracking donor outreach.

ActivityTracker @taariqlewis Pricing is the best part...it's currently free

ActivityTracker It was going to be a freemium model

OptioneerJM BINGO when u click the buttons to increment the activities you do it crunches ur numbers and shows u ur ratios for every area of ur sales process

hust0058 @ActivityTracker thanks for that info on (the lack of) pricing! :)

OptioneerJM so the main benefit from what I can see, its for you, the sales pro or entrepreneur or NFP

OptioneerJM if you can examine your activity and decide where you're getting traction, there is your ROI ...

ActivityTracker Freemium meaning our biz model was going to be where had 80% of the features free and if u wanted advanced tracking features it wud cost something like $15 a month, but we decided to open it up in a beta test

ActivityTracker and not charge anyone anything just yet and give it all away for free in exchange for avluable information on future features and whatnot

OptioneerJM the fact that it's free, not a CRM and personalizable ... looks like a no brainer doesn't it?

ActivityTracker Go to www.ActivityTracker.com/join/FreeAccount

ActivityTracker the site is ActivityTracker.com but the free account invitation code will set u up with a few free templates

ActivityTracker Penn Life insurance, Robbins Research International aka the Tony Robbins company

hust0058 @ActivityTracker just signed up.

ActivityTracker I love tony robbins so the fact that his people use it to track their sales is pretty cool

Personally, I am always ready to learn, although I do not always like being taught. 

~Winston Churchill

After this discussion will you start using Activity Trackers?

Josephgier Yes Ill give it a shot

OptioneerJM agree Cesar ... but some would say time is money :o)

NickBianchi I will commit to creating an account. Too early to say if I will use it.

hust0058 @ActivityTracker your sales activity from #salechat should be 100% :)

Josephgier whats the downside

ActivityTracker Chatting doesnt do the tool all that much justice, there is 3minute a video on the homepage with a very handsome young man overviewing the site and how it works, i recommend watching that

OptioneerJM +RT @hust0058 @ActivityTracker your sales activity from #salechat should be 100% :)

ActivityTracker if you watch the quick start video within the site it'll overview all the cool things you can do like how u can friend up other people, share it with ur friends, and view other peoples activity

DTNEtiquette yes I will give it a try as well - & love sharing new tools w/my clients!

ActivityTracker the beautty of the AT is that I know exactly how much i make per phone call $17, and i know everytime i shake a hand I average earning $42

hust0058 @ActivityTracker thanks. My org doesn't have a flashy crm, so this can help give me some data!

ActivityTracker i also know that i close 45% of evreyone i send to a website video for my other company

ActivityTracker and 64% of every appointment sticks

ActivityTracker @josephgier Exactly! It's a HUGE motivation tool!

OptioneerJM Personally, professionally I knew that you have to be able to understand your own success ratio and this is the ticket

ActivityTracker when i don't feel like prospecting someone i ask myself. If that person had $42 in their hand and was wanting to give it to me in a handshake sould i walk over there and take it

OptioneerJM You can't just tell people they have to do more calls ... you need to show them what calls are successful and go from there

ActivityTracker often i don't want to prospect people but when i think about how much i make per my average closing percentages and dollar per prospect my lazy butt gets in gear!

hust0058 @OptioneerJM getting to the success (sale) takes failure along the way. Some can't see past those in the sales process.

ActivityTracker my fav part is the split testing to

ActivityTracker once u see the ratios between ur activities u can coach urself

ActivityTracker i coach people and charge $400 an hour

OptioneerJM Well part of sales is networking right? So hopefully, you all enlightened at the same time

ActivityTracker but realistically if u use this tool it can break down ur ratios and u can see where ur weakest

ActivityTracker that's why i created this tool

OptioneerJM great idea ... assumptive close (that they will watch); alternative time: I am available at this time, what works best for you?

ActivityTracker Yup, u have to inspect what u expect. Before AT we both woulda been clueless as to what he was doing wrong

OptioneerJM BUT the Activity tracking enhanced his efforts to focus on where he'd be more successful

ActivityTracker in one glance i saw it plain as day

ActivityTracker all i did was see he had a weak appt setting ratio and percentage

OptioneerJM Problem with many CRMs activity measurement tools are for management not for the sales pro

SalesDuJour @ActivityTracker Thanks Cesar. We have similar philosophies.

ActivityTracker and reply back to the intial welcome email to message me once u setup an account and let me know u found the site thru this sales chat and I'll be sure to give u personal help

ActivityTracker go to http://youtube.com/CoachCRod

ActivityTracker there's a video called "Why u suck at setting appointments"

ActivityTracker and another that says "bootcamp appointment setting"

OptioneerJM OK, maybe we'll use that as a basis of our next topic .. an assignment, then a discussion ... for Nov 16th - agreement?

ActivityTracker also my video blog http://cesarlrodriguez.com has tons of videos and even some fun and crazy ones.

OptioneerJM That would make a great #saleschat theme Tariq: "Why you suck at making appointments"

ActivityTracker probably stuff i shouldn't post seeing as i run a company now, and shud prob act a lil more serious and businessey. LoL!

OptioneerJM Well I'd like to thank Cesar as our guest, and as the topic was so interesting we didn't have any missiles flying tonight

ActivityTracker @OptioneerJM Thanx Jeannette, i think this is a cool idea, i love networking with people into sales, I LOVE sales people! We're just so dang fun and outgoing & lovable aren't we! =)

hust0058 @ActivityTracker @OptioneerJM Yes, thanks for the chat! H/T to @Taariqlewis for it showing up in my tweets

OptioneerJM Stanzr puts the "engagement" in social media doesn't it @ActivityTracker ? You're interacting with your audience live

ActivityTracker def. Btw, we're developing a killer sales blog so if we have some people that'd be interested in contributing blog posts please contact me

ActivityTracker always looking for killer content to share

Give interactive learning a try!  The next event will be Wednesday, November 16^th at 9 p.m. EST under the topic “Why you suck at getting appointments”.  http://stanzr.com/7ps9pui6

I never teach my pupils; I only attempt to provide the conditions in which they can learn. 

~Albert Einstein

LEADERSHIP: Work ON the business, not IN the business

"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

Image permission: 

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MEMO: Sales needs to get on the same page

"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.

"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!

"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!

“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?"

"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