Craig M. Jamieson, Author at NetWorks! Boise Valley

On Being The Bearer Of Bad News

For the majority of my professional career, I was plagued by two overwhelming deficiencies – I was a terrible procrastinator and whenever something went wrong with a project, anything went wrong, I was struck by a paralyzing fear and panic that precluded me from taking any meaningful action to correct it let alone bring it to my customer’s attention. Of course, my procrastination was often the cause of these issues and they also carried over to my personal life. Approximately six years ago I experienced a life-changing event and, for whatever reason, my procrastination and fear disappeared practically overnight. I really can’t explain it other than to say that it did involve a “spiritual awakening”. The benefits soon became apparent in many ways.

Prior to this, if something went haywire with a project, I was consumed with: “How and what do I tell my customer?” “Will I lose the deal?” “Will they yell at me!?” My fears were generally far in excess of reality, however, there were a number of major opportunities that I had to literally scramble in order to salvage. The worst part of all remained my fear, the panic, and my paralyzation. Continue reading “On Being The Bearer Of Bad News”

“I’m On Commission. I Can’t Afford NetWorks! Boise’s Dues!”

First let me state that NetWorks! Boise is not just for salespeople. Some of our best members are business owners & serve in a variety of capacities other than sales. That being said, if you are a commissioned salesperson and you are of the opinion that you can’t afford our dues, is that a joke? It must be because you can’t afford not to belong to NetWorks! Boise Valley! If you are a crummy salesperson, that’s different. Then again, we don’t want crummy salespeople anyway. NetWorks! Boise Valley is, quite frankly, a “no brainer” if you are at least partially compensated on your selling efforts and those efforts include cultivating new business.

Still, I hear it all the time …. “I can’t afford the $29 per week dues ($348/quarter) and my company won’t pay them for me.” Are you compensated, at least partially, by commission? Do you eat out for lunch at least once per week or do you “brown bag” it? How about coffee or a tasty adult beverage with a client or co-worker? Do you ever take clients to lunch?

Let’s talk about priorities and simple math. Your investment in NetWorks! Boise Valley is …. Continue reading ““I’m On Commission. I Can’t Afford NetWorks! Boise’s Dues!””

What Would Your Customer Say About Buying From You?

Or, are you too afraid to ask? That’s a bit of a loaded question. A lot of salespeople I know are either too afraid to ask their customers how they are doing, are too afraid of the answer, or see little to no benefit in doing so. Sad on all three counts. So, how would your customers rate you in the following categories (in no particular order)? Continue reading “What Would Your Customer Say About Buying From You?”

Sorry But, I Have No Leads To Share

Say what!? Last time I checked this was a leads group and you and everyone else in this room agreed that we would share leads. Weekly. “I don’t have any leads” just don’t work. We don’t do “empty hands” here 🙂 Sure, there are occasions when everyone will have a day when he or she comes up short, however, this should be the very rare exception to the rule and not the norm. Fact is, there are great leads everywhere and all you need to do is to open your eyes and your ears and carry a voice recorder (your phone probably has one) or a notepad. Being open to gathering great leads for others is merely a state of mind.

In my play book, there are three basic kinds of leads and all of them are valuable: Continue reading “Sorry But, I Have No Leads To Share”

You’ve Joined A Leads Group. Now What?

Despite the explosion of Social Media, make no mistake about it, there is still a place in the business world for the traditional “Leads Group”. While Social Media is a great tool for reaching out and finding new connections, networking remains very much a contact sport. Nothing can replace getting “nose-to-nose and toes-to-toes”, doing it on a regular schedule, and doing it with the people you have built a relationship with!

Therefore, if you have taken the first step and joined a local group, you might as well take those critical steps that will be necessary in order for you to ensure your success. I recommend a two-stage process which will involve a minimum commitment from you, to the group, of six months. If you are unable or unwilling to follow these suggestions, save yourself both the time and the money and don’t even get started. On the other hand, if you are ready to substantially increase your earnings, please read on ….. Continue reading “You’ve Joined A Leads Group. Now What?”