When the going gets tough, the tough go HUNTING!

Can you imagine if we all went to sleep tonight and woke up tomorrow morning in the caveman era? If we don’t starve first, we’d be bruised from fighting each other to get the only small morsel of food left! Ugg.

In today’s world, the terrain is wider from globalization, yo-yo financial uncertainty, or confusing tools.  Guess what? Nothing has changed. Everyone is STILL fighting for that small morsel. Today’s hunters come in all forms, genders and technical know how.

That small morsel of food is smaller and more evasive and it is called “customers”. With many economies soft, organizations limping along, the spotlight on sales and marketing is brighter than ever before. Organizations should be looking for hunters, not farmers, and least of all order takers. Sales professionals have evolved into order takers because they leave the office to existing customers’ offices -- that is not hunting. Organizations can hire additional customer care personnel at a fraction of the cost to take care of existing customers (wasn’t it Sam Walton who said it best: “Take care of your customer or else your competitor will”?)

With eyes shifting between sales and new customers, forward thinking organizations are investing more in technology or tools to maximize results. Those clever, slick sales rep can be so personable, chat about sports stats or baffle everyone with sales-speak. Now, survival instinct kicks in to realize who they really need are hunters to keep that food, keep up the cave … rocks in the pocket are less important.

Organizations are reading books, talking to sales trainers, bringing in guest speakers -- all  from people who were once sales pros but make a better living telling a BIGGER story!   The organizations start believing they might have grasped some of it, start asking their own sales folk what they’re doing. Out comes the baffling speak that sounds somewhat logical. For added drama, sports score stats are now replaced with sad stories about the economy or what support they're not getting or they would do better if they just had this or that. It all makes sense, sorta.

Just ask people about cold calling and you will get a variety of definitions. If it’s your sales reps, they will tell you that cold calling went out before Glengarry Glen Ross went to DVDs.  There are now bloggers and sales sites saying you don't have to cold call anymore for backup.  That is just wrong!

As the economy has become uncertain, ongoing changes guaranteed, you HAVE to keep the " bucket full" to protect against the unfortunate event that existing customers slow down or halt completely.

What organizations need today, as always, are hunters. True hunters are cold calling, making appointments with nonbuyers, qualifying prospects to test opportunity potential, predicting reasonable success ratios, creating unique presentations and proposals that address unique needs, then following up effectively to close. Time spent should be minimum 6 hours a day out of the office in front of prospects. Time for 2/3 of their efforts on new business development with 1/3 on existing customers. Time to reverse the lazier habits, one being calling on the same customers that are already doing business, easier to get in front of and some times can be upsold.

The challenge many organizations face is understanding what they should realistically be able to ask for combined with what should be expected in return. Taking a cue from the top sales organizations’ culture, it would be to set up "best practices" whereby every sales rep is given daily goals broken down by cold calls, in person calls, presentations, proposals and service calls. Based on the cost of what they’re selling does impact the sales cycle and can reduce some of the numbers. However, establishing “best practices” sales metrics on activity is the most assured way for an organization to establish realistic goals and evaluate their return on investment.

The best recommendation I can give to organizations, especially smaller ones who may not be comfortable understanding reasonable expectations from their sales team would be to consider a CRM system.  After working with Goldmine, ACT!, customized systems, the one I favor is Salesforce.com.  The benefits are as follows:

• 24/7 accessibility, from home, office, anywhere
• E-Learning sessions for users, managers, administrators
• Integrates with all members of the team -- sales, customer service, technical and other support
• Everyone connected to the same system -- speaking the same language, internal communications
• Managers can assess dashboards, do forecasting, etc.
• Allows benchmarking top performers activity
• Keeps everyone honest

Top sales pros understand the value of CRM systems, or other means of documenting activity, planning/forecasting.  They do NOT consider it "big brother".   Organizations understand the value gained from the ability to accurately forecast, predict ROI, and proactively implement contingency plans.

Cold calling, like hunting, will stay around even if the cavemen haven’t.

The rules haven't changed in sales basics

People buy from people. That hasn't changed over many generations. Yet, how we interact with customers and prospects certainly have.

Professionally, I just had to take the "Introduction to SEO/SME" online course by Google that I was fortunate to gain access because it was a qualifying step to exceed 75% to move on for an interview with one of their partners.  Ironically, the talent scout told me after I'd passed that in less that a week, he'd had to tell 4 other people ACTIVELY in the field that they wouldn't move forward because they didn't pass the test.

I am sharing this because I actively started a BLOG even before that, signed up to TWITTER around the same time. Next up will be FACEBOOK. I, like so many others, considered these avenues for keeping in touch with family/friends.   I look at it humorously at times to see what is really going on in my teenagers lives.  Ask them in person and everything is cool.  You don't have to wait to ask on Facebook, they're prepared to tell  a world of aquaintances, even strangers, what is on their mind.

What startled me recently was a study released just over a week ago that by 2014, Social Media will replace e-mail. What startled me more was the parents dinner a couple of weeks ago while we were out of town for a soccer tournament with our 16/17 y/o daughters -- we were told then that "e-mail is old fashioned". We all were shocked, with our Blackberries and iPhones, close at hand.  How could that be?  Yet if truth be told, if did want to reach them, they won't pick up the phone but they'll respond to a text.   Pretty soon, I will have to read their blogs to find out what really is going on in their heads, where our parents could just simply ask us, even if we still edited what we told them. 

Yet it hasn't changed in sales or business.  People still  buy from people and face to face is ALWAYS best!! However, as sales professionals keep trying to get in front of key decision makers, it is becoming more challenging when there are more shields for us to penetrate or for them to hide behind.  It's no longer just the Gatekeepr.

Time to roll up your sleeves and get back to the basics of sales. You have to create a compelling business reason or establish value in order to earn the right to see a decision maker personally.  That hasn't changed.  Unfortunately, with all the new media, ongoing changes, if we think we're confused, imagine how much more e-mail/social media/tweets our prospects are weeding through, eating up their time, allowing them even less time to meet with sales professionals.   The circle is more crowded.  Decision makers need us to help them weed through the good, the bad and the ugly, now more than ever before.

A good ole fashion approach letter, on letter head, with handwritten addressee, a real postage stamp (not from a metre) would be such a relief, I'm sure they'd welcome something other than a flyer or e-mail to read!!  You still have to go further and be able to say how you are going to make their life easier, save them time, improve the bottom line, increase revenue ... before they even consider the less precious moments they have to spare.

I just put forth my opinion on sustainability (previous BLOG Hogwash, Brainwash, Greenwash or Lipgloss) that's another issue that is clouding key decision making criteria that is causing debate on how valid it is.

SUSTAINABILITY: Hogwash, Greenwash, Brainwash or Lipgloss?

Do you consider sustainability Hogwash, Greenwash, Brainwash or Lipgloss? 

Depending on where you stand, you might sit under one banner.  A Hogwasher may be someone who may be more of a traditionalist who views it just another thing that people are hyped up about that will soon settle down or be replaced by something like 'social media'. 

A Greenwashers may consider those on the GREEN bandwagon, tree huggers, or creating hype or scaring people with "global warming" warning. 

A Brainwasher could be someone who thinks that they've always considered themselves kind to their environment so they don't need someone preaching to them how they are suppose to do something differently.

What about a Lipglosser?  I would say they are in a position that dictates that they cannot ignore that sustainability is an important issue to many, so they better promote themselves or their organization as a caring one.  Don't take my word for it.  Look for yourself, to see how many free images with palms open holding dirt or a seedling to be sure you don't forget to include on your messaging.

Don’t get me started on acronyms as that is being saved for another blog. The idea of sustaintability is something that I hold dear to my heart and yet I wonder if it has been glossed over, compartmentalized like I just did, like so many things, because it’s so timely or “sexy” in referencing.

Let’s get it out in the open and then take each step. What does sustainability mean as it relates to business and marketing.

If you want to understand how the environmental issues are impacting businesses, it is far easier if you have a scientific brain to process "how to reduce carbon footprint"  or ask an organization if it has to pay "carbon taxes" that starts to create dialogue on things that impact their bottom line.    Those that say environmentalists are "tree huggers" was probably have said  the Beatles were a long haired bunch of hippies that wouldn't last in the 1960s -- yet look at how much influence their music and lyrics hit us everyday - on the radio or in advertisements.

To ignore that environmental-influenced buying decisions better not watch CNN or updates on what is happening in Iraq or how BP's Gulf tragedy.  Of course, they impact global financial markets.  We just don't do much about it until it's time to gripe at how much we have to pay at the pump.

Interestingly, as I have conversations with some key decision makers they strike social media and sustainability as something that is appealing today, that will have its time, but go on to other issues. Their previous generation probably said that about the internet.  Then they want to go back to strategies on increase revenue, reduce costs or streamline process.

To ignore environmentally influenced buying decisions is like ignoring how social media will impact how we communicate. So far, many of us, me included, attributed social media as a means to communicate our going ons with friends and family.

You see, there are ways in which to communicate, that relies on anything than paper. Online information has been around as long as Google and inquisitiveness.   There are many solutions available.

Social media really is a means to help the environment. It CAN reduce our footprint. By communicating online, via e-mail or social media, you are not printing on paper. Ironically, the most vocal on sustainability are paper companies. There is the FSC, another acronym, that says that you are printing on environmentally friendly paper or with environmentally friendly printers. It is certainly a start. Yet to think that the main pushers of FSC certification are paper manufacturers is quite crazy! They promote paper products that have less impact on the environment.

So now qualified printers have to prove that they use less environmentally impacted inks and papers to cooincide with your organizations’ sustainable program, but certifying that they are FSC certified?  I've seen it live where someone thinks FSC is ineffective or how I would categorize as "Lipgloss".

As a seasoned business owner or sales professional, take the time to ask your clients or prospects what their personal views are on sustainability.  Ask deeper questions on what corporate initiatives they have in place for sustainability -- don't be surprised if many say they "recycle their paper more" as their contribution.  If you want to find interesting data to introduce sustainability dialogue, just Google "toxic toners"  and you will find a hornets nest after a study in 2007 after Queensland University of Technology Professor Lydia Morawsky released a  study saying that office laser printer could be damaging to your health.  Professor Lydia Morawska found that melted printer toner turns into tiny liquid particles that can be breathed in ...  the debate continues still.

Creating compelling business discussions can create value to those you are finally getting a chance to meet face to face and do something other than a feature/product dump.  Sustainability is not Hogwash, as organizations examine their own corporate culture or what they deem necessary.   I just ask that we refrain from Lipgloss --  for the sake of a marketing campaign --do it for the sake of what it means – reducing your footprint.  Ask your customers what you, your product, service or organization can do to help.