I read a recent article that was pointed to from a Blog that I read regularly -

Jill Konrath’s Selling to Big Companies Blog.  In her current blog post One Sales Strategy That Really Works, she points to a good video that describes the use of White Paper marketing and how it can help your organization succeed.

Jill writes:

“Michael Stelzner used it to get 60,234 leads over a five year period. He’s a small business owner … a regular guy who stumbled onto this strategy that:

• Brought him high quality prospects virtually overnight.
• Established him as a thought leader in his market space.
• Kept on generating leads for years.

Using educational marketing, his company landed accounts such as Microsoft, FedEx and Dow Jones. Not too shabby a client base!

Today Michael is launching a series of videos on how he used these educational techniques to transform his business. ”

My current company uses this pretty effectively.  By having people in the organization that are respected in the local community as well as from Microsoft (our services are all based on Microsoft), we are able to leverage their status and knowledge in writing good quality, high value white papers that attract attention.  These papers in turn establish our firm as a thought leader on topics that are directly related to services that we offer our clients.  While we have only done this twice, since I have been with the firm, we still get hits, reads and consequently leads from these papers.  We need to do more of these!

The real interesting part, and an area where we miss the boat, is leveraging these papers in a Nurture Marketing Campaign.  While we do other nurture marketing activities to stay close to our prospects, we don’t leverage our White Papers to do this.  We don’t require registration to download the white papers, and we don’t track who is downloading.  This is more of an IT issue than anything else - not having the infrastructure to support the functionality.  However it is something we should really think about getting in place.

I highly recommend using White Papers and event to establish your firm as a thought leader in your space.  As a result your company will become a go-to partner and vendor, rather than “just another vendor” in the eyes of your prospects.  IT will take time to establish this, but with a little effort, and some organization you should see results!

I welcome your comments on this topic!

ITSalesPro -.-

Jill Konrath writes about why Free is not selling in her blog: http://sellingtobigcompanies.blogs.com/selling/2007/03/why_free_isnt_g.html

She points out two reasons why nothing is free:

“Everything that’s free ultimately requires two things:

• An investment of time.
• And a decision – which also takes time. “

She is correct.  If you look at things outside of their financial investment nothing is free, everything takes time.  She mentions that people just don’t have time today.

 Jill goes on to write:

“So even if your company has something it gives away for free – don’t lead with it. Instead, focus on the business value. Unless decision makers know that it will reduce costs, increase productivity, shorten time-to-revenue or such, they won’t clear time on their calendar for you.”

My company sells IT project based services.  We are tasked with working with clients to understand their business challenges, map those to a technology and set of services that can solve those, and ultimately get them to sign a deal for us to do the work.

It is very difficult to get time from the people we sell to.  They are so busy running their IT shops that they have little time to meet with vendors.  One of our larger Partner Vendors likes to try to have us do Free Assessments.  Companies are not receptive to this.  They are tired of free assessments…why?  Because nothing is free.  They take too much time and energy and the results are often worthless.

So what works.  We request and recognize that getting to know each other and understanding what it is they do and how we can improve on that takes time.  We put our very best resources in front of qualified leads.  Why waste your very best resources on something that is just a lead?  Because the client gets value from these people that a sales guy could never deliver.  The client is investing time, why should we not make their investment worthwhile.  Companies that lead with sales people all the way to close miss this point.  Unless of course their sales people are truly the best and the brightest in the company.

If you offer value, your prospects will make time to meet with you.  If you want to pitch how great your company is and talk the whole time, you will not get much time.

ITSalesPro -.-

your comments are welcomed!

Wow, I posted my article “Customer Experience #1? Are you helping your client or Devouring them!” last week in response to the many postings I have seen recently about selling and how differentiate yourself by being truly committed to helping your client succeed and not just committed to selling your product.  This is a fundamental shift in the way a lot of sales people sell, and it is again refreshing to see additional posts related to this subject.

Anyone who has read my other posts knows that I am a big fan of Mahan Khalsa.  Mahan has a great perspectiveon the dysfunctional relationship between buys and sellers and why that relationship has become so dysfunctional over the years.  He also has a great perspective on how you can overcome this by being upfront, honest, ethical, and by doing the right thing.  I have always had the philosophy that a sales rep’s job is not to SELL but to find a customer that has a need that we solve where the FIT is right.

I once worked for an organization that saw things differently.  During a sales conference for the company one of the sales directors went into a speech on how we are the LIONS and our clients are the PREY!  He even GROWLED!  He said our job as sales people is to find the prey, pounce on it, and devour it!  No lie, he was playing the part and all.  It always seemed to me that Sales People focus too much energy on trying persuade and too little energy trying to find the right fit for their product.  I always think about when you go to buy shoes.  Would you ever buy a pair of shoes that are too small?  Even if the sales rep spent hours trying to convince you that they are right fit for you.  NO it just does not feel right.  Shoe Sales People spend time educating you on the differences between shoes and ENABLING YOU TO MAKE THE RIGHT DECISION.  Most car sales people (from my experience) do the opposite.  They try to convince you that you need all these extra things that you don’t need.  A good number of IT Sales People do the same.

So it is refreshing that recently I have seen a ton of posts that point to some of the same ideas that I have.  One that jumped out to me is from Deborah Schultz

She writes:

“At the center is the CUSTOMER and I don’t want things PUSHED to me and I don’t want to be MANAGED.   This strongly demonstrates the dramatic need to create new attitudes and language around how to interact with the customer.  This means redefining the traditional silo-ed roles of marketer, advertiser, pr, customer experience, product design. “ 

She also points to a good article that looks at how Amazon.com uses money that would otherwise be spent on TV ADS to improve their offering.  Read it!

So it is time to get your company to provide a good product that solves a real need in the market so that you can spend time finding clients that have that need and educating them on how you can help, truly help them!

Jill Konrath has a good article on how your company should become a Thought Leader in your field to increase sales.  My company recently spent money to do just that and we are now putting on CIO Roundtable Events that attract Top leaders to our company.  Stop spending time trying to persuade and start spending time and money HELPING! http://sellingtobigcompanies.blogs.com/selling/2006/10/thought_leaders.html

 For more on Mahan Khalsa and to subscribe to his Tip of the Week email go here: http://www.franklincovey.com/letsgetreal/bios.html

Two things happened to me this week.  One I lost a big, really BIG deal to a competitor and Two - I read an article in Selling Power Magazine related to selling in the face of bad news.  These may seem to be two separate items on the surface but they an interesting connection that I thought was worth writing about.

The article in Selling Power ran in the back (page 7 of the September 2006 issue and is all about tips for selling when your company is having bad press.  While this is a difficult time to be selling for your company the article does a good job at highlighting some tips and techniques to get over it. 

The most interesting part to me was an insert in the article called “secret Technique: Booby Trap the Competition”.  This insert can be referenced here: http://www.sellingpower.com/article/display.asp?Action=Sidebar&aid=SP6955668&sid=SP4891302 (you may need to register to open the link)

Jim Holden has a very good technique for PROACTIVELY addressing the competitions inevitable comments related to your company’s bad news.  Sales people can not resist the urge to pounce on their competitors bad news.  Sometimes this works but more than not it fails.  I made a practice long ago to not speak negatively of any competitor, regardless of their size, sales tactics, or bad press.  Why? Because it never casts you or your company in a good light.  Any informed, bright, or due diligence oriented customer already knows the competition, their value add, and any questions regarding their ability to deliver what the customer needs.  By bringing up dirt on your competition you are telling your customer they do not have the intelligence to make an educated decision on their own.  This should never be done.  By not throwing dirt you are setting yourself at a higher ethical level and your customer will see that.  — I just wish those damn politicians would realize how insulting their negative attack ads are!!

 So the technique in the link above is perfect for those of us taking the high ground.  It give you a way of not throwing dirt and at the same time defends you against your competitor who will throw dirt at you.  I have used this time and time again it it works if you focus on doing it at the right time and in the right way (casual introduction and then leave it).

So my week - I lost a huge deal because my firm could not produce a relevant reference to a project that was similar in size and scope to the one we were bidding.  We have many references but they were in the Federal Gov’t and could not be referenced on a call.  The Federal Gov’t just will not do that.

We made the client promises on delivery time and cost, to limit their risk.  We bid fixed cost.

We gave the client numbers written case studies on work similar to their project just could not produce a client for them to talk to.

We lost - our competitors pushed their experience and our inexperience, and had a better written proposal than we did.  The decision was not cost based, it was PERCEIVED experience based.

While we never bashed our competitor, I am confident they did against us.  I did not use the above technique and I lost the opportunity to make them look bad.  Would we have won if I did?  Maybe, or maybe not.  But since I did not use it I will not know.  The lesson here is to use what you have, defend what you don’t, and always take the high ground - win or lose you will sleep better at night and your customers will respect that.  This customer even told me that they really liked our professional, low pressure approach and would be open to using us in the future.

As always I welcome your comments

ITSalesPro -.-

I usually stick to B2B selling, you know the “professional selling” however I am going to take a side track here.  I really can not believe how the retail sector in this country has such a low level view on their sales personnel.  This recently came to the front when I bought my new Motorola Q handheld smart phone.

I worked with the guy at the retail store.  He was helpful.  Telling me all the great things I can do with the phone - active sync to my corporate Exchange server, use it as a modem (I will come back to this), surf the web, etc.  Intrigued I asked about the modem part.  See I have a problem, I am on the road a lot!  I am always searching for free or paid WiFi connections at Starbucks, Panera, etc.  It is a pain.

So my PAIN/Problem is that I need connectivity anywhere, any time.  The solution was to use my phone as a modem.  Pain solved.  Well not quite.

I am told by the retial sales guy everything I need is in the box.  There was a cable, software, etc.  So I got it home, everything worked well except the modem.

So I called the company support from the phone service.  They told me I needed a package called Office Mobile Kit.  This includes software, cable, and instructions.  I thought I had the cable and the software!

So back to the store to be told again that it is in the box.  I mentioned that there was nothing in the instructions or on the phone that told me how to connect to the phone as a modem.  I am fairly technical so I usually can figure this out on my own.  But not this time, I was at a loss.

After 5 hours of on-line digging I found a user forum that directed me to needing a Software Upgrade on the phone, so I did that.  Wow, now there was a modem icon on the phone.  I tried to connect but as this is riding over a dial up I needed a password, phone number, and user name.

Again called the support line…on hold…10 minutes….20 minutes…click.

So I tried calling Motorola support.  I have to say…Awesome.  He hooked me up with everything I needed.  However I still could not connect.  He did however give me the number for the phone company support - direct to the Q support team…saving me endless hours of holding on the line.

I was pleased with the Technical Support team.  He told me that my account needed an add-on service and then the credentials I was given would work.  So he did the change, updated the phone and made sure I could connect.  DONE!  I told him about my experience and he said “yeah, those guys in the store don’t know much, you should call us here anytime you need anything”.  When I asked him why they did not how to solve my problem (just by updating my account) he said “they are the bottom of the barrel and turnover is high.  It is hard for them to know all this stuff and they never call us for support”.

Wow, bottom of the barrell.  When did an idustry as a whole decide that the people on the front lines, interacting with customers on a daily basis, driving revenue, etc., etc. are the bottom.  They should be the top.

I am personally fed up with having to spend countless hours trying to solve my problems when companies are out there telling me if I pay they can do it, but then DON’T Deliver!  If I did this on a daily basis I would be out on my butt, out of a job.  Why does the retail industry get away with this?

Is it our own fault?  After years of flocking to large national retialers with “low price” marketing messages, horrible service, and ignorant, rude employees - is this what happened?  In an ever increasing need to cut prices to compete rather than offering sevice we are left with self service stores where employees don’t have a clue.

Well I am one customer that would gladly pay extra for better service.  The problem is the service oriented stores are all shutting down.  When will the madness end!  I spent some 5 hours trying to solve a 2 minute problem.

ITSalesPro -.-

I recently took on a role at a new company, I was lured away from my cushy sales job at a huge Software company for a chance to build a division at a small, real small IT services Company.  I was a but naive in thinking I would have budgets to outsource lead generation, marketing support, etc. to help make me successful.  Wow, was I shocked when I came on board.

 Shortly after joining I spoke to one of the sales reps.  He had been there 8 months and had not closed a deal, not even a small deal.  He said he was a one man show doing everything and that this model did not scale or provide him with what he really needed, LEADS!

So I got started, realized the marketing dept was a 1 person show, and focused on developing a new “sales” system so they did not have any time to help me with my “new division”.

5 months later I got one brochure (a single page data sheet) on the company and what we did.  2 colors, no focus, nothing of substance.  I thought - how am I going to attack the market, differentiate myself, and close a deal with NO TOOLS to do it.  This was an impossible uphill batted to say the least.

After meeting with the CEO to talk about why my “numbers were not in line with my goals” I suggested drastic changes.  I had managed to close one project, with a new client in 5 months.  This I felt was pretty remarkable considering I had nothing (no decent website, no marketing materials, no leads, nothing…).  We talked about the need to have a better website, the need to upgrade our marketing materials, the need for a pre-sales support function to help close technical deals, and the need for lead generation.  The CEO responded to this by saying “that is what we hired you for”.

 So what gives, do people really think that they can hire a sales rep who will magically pull deals together in today’s economy?  How?  I must be missing something.  I lived through the tech shortage from 1999-2002 and loved it.  If you had talent, people, and maybe a website you could close a deal.  But that is why companies failed!  Now everything is justified, and then re-evaluated over and over.  Sales people are blown off, written off, and hated in some cases.  It is terribly difficult to cold call and get results.  It is equally difficult to open a door period, differentiate, demonstrate value, and get an appointment to show off your product or service.

So why is it that companies spend $ in technology (laptops, servers, CRM, etc.), hire administrative support, book keepers, tax accountants, etc. BUT do not seem to get it when it comes to sales support and how Marketing can and should help sales be successful.

If you are anything like me, you do well in front of a client.  You listen well, understand technology and your product/service, demonstrate value, navigate a client organization, and close.  The trouble is getting the 1st appointment!  So stand up and shout, let your company know that the Marketing Department should be helping to drive leads.

Jill Konrath has a good e-book on this topic for further reading.  It is free and filled with good insights.  I encourage you to get it, read it, and forward it to everyone in your company!  Good luck… (oh and by the way, I am not in that job anymore, I joined a company with a marketing department!)

http://sellingtobigcompanies.blogs.com/selling/2006/08/download_what_s.html

Selling is hard, it is time we all got some support.

I welcome you comments…

Wow,  I watched a show for the first time last night called 30 Days on FX Network.  This show was created by that guy who ate nothing bu McDonald’s food for 30 days to see how his health would hold up.  He not has a show dedicated to other people doing things for 30 days etc.  you get the point.

So last night they had a Computer Programmer who lost his job when his company decided to outsource application development to TATA in India.  This episode focused on him going to India for 30 days to find and recapture his job at an outsourcing company.  What a plot, it caught me right from the ad and I was hooked until the end of the show. 

This guy ends up staying with a middle-class Indian family in Bangalore, one of the major outsourcing centers in India.  The area had brand new skyscrapers with shiny glass and American company names at the top all over the place, positioned right next to the worst slums you could imagine (tent cities to some degree).  The contrast was amazing, and the guy on the show was really taken back by it.  The worst poverty we would ever imagine next to a huge Computer Company building. 

the other thing that was very interesting is that all of these recent college grads there were aspiring to become “Call Center” employees.  This was a great job to them, not the typical looked-downed on telemarketer her in the states.  India people attend language schools, not to lern English but to learn the accent of Americans.  They take tests and when they pass they get a great job as a call center employee on the night shift 12:00 PM - 3:00 AM.  They love it!  They take on American names to make it easy for us Americans when we call. 

This all struck me as odd.  Obviously I have been in IT for years and I am very familiar with IT Outsourcing.  I even worked for a consulting company that built their own development center in India.  What struck me was the fact that all of these recent grads are lining up to pretend to be Americans.  They change their names, they learn the accent, they work in the middle of the night, etc. all for us!  What the hell is going on here?  Why would they want to do this?  Well, I think the answer is they have little choice.  India is a country gripped by poverty and to some degree unstable and corrupt government.  People there are suffering, they want to work, they want to earn, and they want to do a good job.  The outsourcing industry has been a huge relief to people there, providing good paying jobs to many, many people.  They do what we no longer want to do.  Has America become so spoiled that we no longer want to do telemarketing?  I am not sure, I think there are plenty of people here that would.  Companies how ever seek competitive edge and are forced by the market to adapt or die.  Outsourcing is not inherently bad, it is just bad when it is your job that is outsourced.  Economics are looked at globally but your job is still your livelihood, I understand that

Another interesting point is that the India programmers he encounters are convinced that India’s outsourcing is being driven by the fact that they are the best technicians in the world, not by the cost factor.  The guy responds by saying that Americans are on the same level but cost is driving the move, not skills.  Your thoughts?  It will be interesting to see when Vietnam, Russia, China, and the other developing countries give India a run for their money by providing even lower cost.  Will it be that all of these countries have superior skills or just a cost factor - I don’t know…

One of the interesting side bars in the story was the young couple living with their parents.  The wife and husband moved in with the family after their arranged marriage.  Her “duty” is to take care of the whole family, doing endless chores and serving the family.  She however aspires to be a “call center employee” and ends up getting a job at the call center.  Her husband, after punishing her for not bringing his tea, allows her to get the job but he worries that she will not be able to handle her duties at home as well as at work.

Welcome to the American lifestyle my friends, could there be a beginning to a woman’s movement in India - lets hope so!!

I welcome your replies…

ITSalesPro-.-

I read an article recently about selling in the summer time.  It indicated that most people do not think this is the best time to sell because of vacations, people’s minds being elsewhere, etc…The article, and I disagree whole-heartily with this. 

The summer is great, I love the summer, I mean I love selling in the summer.  Why?  Because most people are thinking about vacation or are on vacation…hmmm.  I mean most of my competition is on vacation or thinking about vacation!  Companies that I and many of us sell to also have people on vacation, but that does not change the fact that they have project schedules, commitments to their end user community, etc.  I have found that a lot (maybee not most) companies plan for large deployment during the summer.  Why? Well because people are on vacation and are more tolerant of things like outages, disruptions, etc.  So while all of these other sales people are day dreaming and travelling…I am making calls, prospecting, and moving things up the scale.  I find the summer to be great for selling, particularly IT selling and I find that most sales people just use the summer thing as an excuse to not do what they should be doing. 

 So far this summer (since June) I have moved 3 prospects to qualified targets to opportunities.  So I find it hard to believe that the summer time is slow.  I think our prospects are using this time to plan for the fall.  So get out there and get some business closed, let your competitors slug along in the summer time.  Summer is wonderful….

I welcome your comments…

ITSalesPro-.-