Category: Articles

Think Like A Pirate

Just the other day a colleague asked me why I fly a pirate flag in the back hatch of my car. I told him the obvious … “Because I am a pirate.” That and the way that I have it positioned actually causes the image to literally float in my back window when I look in my rear view mirror. Constant reminder. LOL.

The fact is, pirates are hunters and I have absolutely no problem with being identified as such. Furthermore, there is nothing that says that hunters can’t be farmers (relationship builders) and I am of the strong opinion that you need to be both. Certainly, in business to business sales, you must be competitive. I ask you … who can you think of is more competitive than a pirate? Continue reading “Think Like A Pirate”

Garbage In = Garbage Out – Sales Forecasting

I’ve been talked quite a bit on previous posts about using a CRM so it only seems fitting to remind everybody that any sales tool is only as valuable as the accuracy of the information that has been put into it. Frankly, before investing in any CRM for either yourself or your team, I think that you need to ask yourself some critical questions. As a manager, what do you hope to get out of this? As a sales rep, what do I hope that this will help me with? Are we doing this to increase sales, manage salespeople, or both? What other applications need to be integrated? Accounting? Case management? Outbound telemarketing or email campaigns? The list goes on and on. Will this tool need to be accessed and maintained remotely or is it strictly desktop? Best to answer these questions now because there are a lot of solutions out there and they all come with different capabilities and price tags. Continue reading “Garbage In = Garbage Out – Sales Forecasting”

I See Dumb People

I was going to title this something else and then I found this cartoon which says it all (smile). I have written a bit on this topic before and I am warning you ahead of time that this may come off as a “rant”. Fact is, this post is born out of both frustration and a sincere desire on my part to see folks achieve maximum success at whatever endeavor they choose to pursue. They say that “you get no second chance at a first impression.” To a large degree that is true but, I can guarantee you that repeated boorish behavior will firmly solidify that sad condition and leave for little, if any, hope of recovery.

I own and operate business to business networking groups so I perhaps tend to have a slightly more heightened awareness of these things. I have also been in B2B sales virtually all my adult life and I am pushing 57 right now. I’ve been around the block. As a sales person, I lived on referrals and made a very nice income doing so. While I no longer actively sell a product or service per se (other than membership in our groups), I never made a single cold call during the last 5 years of my direct selling career. I earned referrals by: Continue reading “I See Dumb People”

Leverage What You Have & Get What You Need

The inspiration for this post actually came from one of our NetWorks! Boise Valley members who was struggling with his decision whether or not to remain with his group. I’ve heard the arguments (excuses) many times before …. “I’m just not getting enough out of the group” or “The people in the group are not really the people that I need to be networking with. I need people (industries) more like …..” As it turns out, this individual consulted others and made the right decision to stay. I have no idea what pearls of wisdom he received but, here is what I have would have told him and others … Continue reading “Leverage What You Have & Get What You Need”

Diversify Your Networking For Maximum Results

Last Thursday really brought to my forefront the necessity of having a diversified networking plan. NetWorks! Boise Valley fills what I like to call the “Business-Social” networking slot that many folks are accustomed to. Our groups meet weekly and our focus is business. Still, I am always encouraging our members to get out and network outside of our group settings. These activities should include: Continue reading “Diversify Your Networking For Maximum Results”

Musings On The “Six Degrees Of Separation”

Earlier this week I was contacted by a gentleman from another city who had been referred to me by a software company in still another city. He is going to be in Boise in a couple of weeks to facilitate an event that runs over that weekend. Not knowing anybody here in town, he was hoping to get connected to some folks where both he and they might benefit from such a relationship. I was more than happy to assist. Connecting others is what I do. Continue reading “Musings On The “Six Degrees Of Separation””

25 Customer Retention Tips Via NetWorks! Boise Members

There is a very old adage that says “it is 10 times more expensive to find a new customer than it is to maintain an existing one.” Not only do I believe this to be very true, I believe it to be even more true today. With the condition of our economy, our good customers are exhibiting behavior today that I have rarely seen in the past.

When times are good, most of us will happily continue along with the vendors who we have traditionally done business with and who have generally met our expectations. But times have changed and many folks are now deciding that perhaps a little investigation of the alternatives available may be prudent. Do I really need “best” when “good” or “better” will do? Having worked in construction related industries, I can tell you that right now it seems that everything is on sale. It’s a great time to buy and most people know that. Continue reading “25 Customer Retention Tips Via NetWorks! Boise Members”