I always look forward to hearing your thoughts, even if you disagree with me
Keep em coming :)
Thanks
Robert Johnson
Friday, January 25, 2008
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
They can't ALL agree with You
Post by "HearOfTexas"
Stephan, I agree completely with your comment, not only in sales but in your personal life as well. It would be awful to try and sell something to someone only to find out that you had burned that bridge in your personal past and therefore miss out on an EXTREMELY large sale. Many times your personal life and your business life will ultimately overlap. That is why so many business deals are based upon connections.
Thank You for you comments HeartOfTexas
Robert Johnson
Stephan, I agree completely with your comment, not only in sales but in your personal life as well. It would be awful to try and sell something to someone only to find out that you had burned that bridge in your personal past and therefore miss out on an EXTREMELY large sale. Many times your personal life and your business life will ultimately overlap. That is why so many business deals are based upon connections.
Thank You for you comments HeartOfTexas
Robert Johnson
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Another Snowy Day in the Colorado BackCountry
At the top of 'Super Chicken Hill', Grand Lake, Colorado.
It was a cold, snowy day in Grand Lake, CO and while screaming down a trail at a cool 60 MPH I approached a sign with a trail map posted. Among the various routes to take, there were two which caught my attention, 'Chicken Hill' and 'Super Chicken Hill'. I can assure you these two places are not for the weak. With blowing winds and snow falling, it was a cold day at the top.
Good Riding and Go Sell Something!
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Creating Value - Published Comment from S.G.
I agree and understand your perspectives on such touchie subjects within the realm of approaching sales. But, I feel like you may have left an important value out.Do not burn bridges with people, it's about people. not companies. People will come in and out of your life. You should always meet and part on good terms, because you just never know how, or when, you might see them again. I pulled this of another blog and these words are not mine, but I agree with them truthfully. -SG
Thanks for your input Stephan.
I too agree with you and look forward to many long bridges in my life, if that makes any sense at all...
Robert Johnson
Thanks for your input Stephan.
I too agree with you and look forward to many long bridges in my life, if that makes any sense at all...
Robert Johnson
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Creating Value
A tough place to be with no doubt, is where little value is perceived. Whether in a sales situation in attempt to gain enough interest with a prospect to move forward with other team members, or trying to meet that perfect someone in your life – creating value can be overwhelmingly difficult.
In both cases there are number of vendors, and as the prospect, they can turn them away at a whim. But how can you prevent that from happening?
A few things I have learned from personal experience that you may not necessarily read from book are:
-Guts
-Honesty
-Creating Doubt
I will talk about others, but I like these. It can take a lot of Guts to pick up the phone knowingly that you about to get kicked in the face. The same goes with dating. You have got a lot of personal humiliation on the line if it goes poorly. Especially when you are still dusting yourself off from the last beating.
What keeps Guts going? Persistence, Ego, Self-Deprecation, whatever you want to name it, it’s sales.
Maybe that is way they say salespeople are a different breed. Companies are always trying to find the right salespeople to fit their company culture, that is crap. Salespeople will never meet your definition of company culture. Some schmooze with their clients, some are hyper-professional, some are rebels.
Honesty; This can also fall into the bucket of being unique in your approach. When you make that phone call, saying something like, “I know, this is probably your 45th sales call of the day…”. By acknowledging what is happening and putting it out on the table, you can take the edge off the initial conversation. It does take more than just that to keep the call going, but at least your foot is securely lodged in the door. On the other hand, sometimes brutal honesty is so in your face it can backfire. This is one that is dependent on the person on the other side of the phone.
I will say though, having the Guts and gusto to ask the tough Honest questions will get you much further than standing around all day waiting for someone to hand you a deal. Is it really that hard to call someone’s bullshit over the phone. When you ask a prospect about something pertaining to their business that you know the answer to and they lie to you, why not call them out on it.
With respects to my company, Innotas, I typically ask about a companies “Resource management”. Dealing with resources is always tough no matter what industry. So when they say it’s going fine, or nothing could be better, I say, “really?”. Or I ask the question again in another way. It can take up to asking the same question 3 – 5 times to get an honest answer.
Honesty from you will get Honesty from your prospects.
When creating doubt, it’s a little similar to playing hard to get. By almost talking them out of the situation, you create more value in what you aren’t giving them. Prospects are pushed and peddled all day long. By letting them know you exist but giving the image they aren’t good enough for your product of service, creates some sense of mystery and intrigue. This can then lead to Urgency. Creating doubt is very powerful. Think of things in your past life you have doubted and to what extent you have done to prove it right or wrong. Yeah, kind of embarrassing at times.
I think there is a misconception of having to show your product to others. Some people believe ‘you have to see the product, it’s amazing’. Selling something based on Features and Benefits will only be a small percentage of your overall sales, I promise you. IF you do start selling like that, you are no better than a multi-level-marketer. “I cant tell you about, you just have to see it so I call give you the hard sell and have no shame by the end of the night!” How embarrassing.
Companies do not (typically) spend $30 – 50,000 or even a $1Million dollars on something because some guy in IT was sold on the features of some Demo he saw on the web. Selling into real pain, need, and problems that keep people up at night is what sells.
Michael Cooper, step aside son.
This is not to say a live Demo isn’t necessary to sell your software or service, but people aren’t going to buy because of that, and if they do, put your seatbelts on for a bumpy road with unhappy customers.
In both cases there are number of vendors, and as the prospect, they can turn them away at a whim. But how can you prevent that from happening?
A few things I have learned from personal experience that you may not necessarily read from book are:
-Guts
-Honesty
-Creating Doubt
I will talk about others, but I like these. It can take a lot of Guts to pick up the phone knowingly that you about to get kicked in the face. The same goes with dating. You have got a lot of personal humiliation on the line if it goes poorly. Especially when you are still dusting yourself off from the last beating.
What keeps Guts going? Persistence, Ego, Self-Deprecation, whatever you want to name it, it’s sales.
Maybe that is way they say salespeople are a different breed. Companies are always trying to find the right salespeople to fit their company culture, that is crap. Salespeople will never meet your definition of company culture. Some schmooze with their clients, some are hyper-professional, some are rebels.
Honesty; This can also fall into the bucket of being unique in your approach. When you make that phone call, saying something like, “I know, this is probably your 45th sales call of the day…”. By acknowledging what is happening and putting it out on the table, you can take the edge off the initial conversation. It does take more than just that to keep the call going, but at least your foot is securely lodged in the door. On the other hand, sometimes brutal honesty is so in your face it can backfire. This is one that is dependent on the person on the other side of the phone.
I will say though, having the Guts and gusto to ask the tough Honest questions will get you much further than standing around all day waiting for someone to hand you a deal. Is it really that hard to call someone’s bullshit over the phone. When you ask a prospect about something pertaining to their business that you know the answer to and they lie to you, why not call them out on it.
With respects to my company, Innotas, I typically ask about a companies “Resource management”. Dealing with resources is always tough no matter what industry. So when they say it’s going fine, or nothing could be better, I say, “really?”. Or I ask the question again in another way. It can take up to asking the same question 3 – 5 times to get an honest answer.
Honesty from you will get Honesty from your prospects.
When creating doubt, it’s a little similar to playing hard to get. By almost talking them out of the situation, you create more value in what you aren’t giving them. Prospects are pushed and peddled all day long. By letting them know you exist but giving the image they aren’t good enough for your product of service, creates some sense of mystery and intrigue. This can then lead to Urgency. Creating doubt is very powerful. Think of things in your past life you have doubted and to what extent you have done to prove it right or wrong. Yeah, kind of embarrassing at times.
I think there is a misconception of having to show your product to others. Some people believe ‘you have to see the product, it’s amazing’. Selling something based on Features and Benefits will only be a small percentage of your overall sales, I promise you. IF you do start selling like that, you are no better than a multi-level-marketer. “I cant tell you about, you just have to see it so I call give you the hard sell and have no shame by the end of the night!” How embarrassing.
Companies do not (typically) spend $30 – 50,000 or even a $1Million dollars on something because some guy in IT was sold on the features of some Demo he saw on the web. Selling into real pain, need, and problems that keep people up at night is what sells.
Michael Cooper, step aside son.
This is not to say a live Demo isn’t necessary to sell your software or service, but people aren’t going to buy because of that, and if they do, put your seatbelts on for a bumpy road with unhappy customers.
Thursday, January 10, 2008
The Obvious Rubbish
I always thought I would know exactly what I wanted to do by the time I reached college.
When I was in college, I expected to have a job right when I graduated. A high paying one at that.
When I was in my twenties, I figured I would know who I was, my goal in life, where I was going, and so on.
Hardly any of that became a reality. I had a job right out of college, but that was out of ignorance. If I could do it all over again, I would be lost in some mountain range right now, snowshoeing through 4 feet of fresh snow, approaching my next near death experience.
It can’t be so hard to figure out what you are to do in life, perhaps your purpose. That is the case for me. Don’t misunderstand me, I am very happy with my job and I love sales/business. But who wants to die working for someone else. I’d rather die having people work for me. What a though – having employees work for you, trading hours for precious dollars. It blows my mind and feels like slavery.
I spend a lot of my time planning and gathering ideas of my own to pursue. When I talk to friends about starting a new company, they always come back to me with “new” inventions and plots to make it rich off of some crazy technology. Why try and re-invent the wheel. Some of the greatest moneymaking ideas are continuations of other products, or simple add-ons.
Take Jibbitz for example. Crocs made it huge with those simple, funny looking shoes, and Jibbits thought they could jam plastic figures through the holes…makes sense to me.
Or something as simple as a cell phone case, computer case. The dice that hangs from your rear view mirror. People make money off of unnecessary consumables, millions actually.
A side note, Jibbitz recently thought it would be a good idea to lay off over 20% of their entire workforce. A company of about 100 people and $40 Million in revenue needed to fire roughly 20 people because they didn’t hit their Q4 number. What a load of shit.
As we have all seen more and more in the last decade and especially in the last 12 months, are Green companies and products popping up everywhere. Among the other dozen or so more industries to grow in the next 10, I strongly believe a lot of dollars will be made here. Just recently, I saw a clip on CNN about couple of young guys who started a green company and partnered with Target. They make and sell plates, cups, and other kitchen items. They have given their products a modern look and feel, but sure as hell haven’t reinvented the wheel by any means. They took something that has existed for hundreds of years, leveraged what is happening in the economy today, and moved forward. Simple.
If the model is that straight forward, it can be applied to anything. Look at people like Al Gore and what he is spending all his money and time on…GREEN.
Another evolving industry Server cooling. Not only does it take an enormous amount of energy and money to power massive server rooms, but it takes the same, if not more energy to keep them from overheating. Again, just another example of a company with Green in mind.
In all honesty, its hard for me not to start think of new products and companies to run with while I write this. I look around me and see tables, cups, picture frames, carpet, bookshelves, clothing; …everything can be changed and marketed as Green. It’s only a matter of time before this becomes a standard for our society. It makes people feel good about themselves when they are contributing to a good cause.
I forget the name of the movie, but its with Nicholas Cage… and he sells guns to the middle east and Africa and makes an enormous amount of money doing it. The people he sold guns and weapons to were going to get those whether he sold them, or someone else did. He was in business to make money and do something that was happening whether he did it or not. The same idea goes hand in hand with going Green. If the earth may melt itself into extinction I might as make a buck.
This reminds of Proctor & Gamble: I once read a book about Warren Buffet and he was talking about his investments. He said something of the sort about toothpaste, floss, etc…everybody needs it, everyone uses it, so why not be in the business of it. Makes perfect sense.
Same concept going with Green. Hell, even the government is getting involved with automobile manufacturers in requiring them to make more fuel-efficient vehicles.
Serial entrepreneur, maybe, but I think I need to have actually started a company or two before that can be true. What scares me is if I actually go ahead with one of these ideas and another one comes along. How do I keep the laser focus on the objective at hand. Maybe its just plan and simple ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder)
When I was in college, I expected to have a job right when I graduated. A high paying one at that.
When I was in my twenties, I figured I would know who I was, my goal in life, where I was going, and so on.
Hardly any of that became a reality. I had a job right out of college, but that was out of ignorance. If I could do it all over again, I would be lost in some mountain range right now, snowshoeing through 4 feet of fresh snow, approaching my next near death experience.
It can’t be so hard to figure out what you are to do in life, perhaps your purpose. That is the case for me. Don’t misunderstand me, I am very happy with my job and I love sales/business. But who wants to die working for someone else. I’d rather die having people work for me. What a though – having employees work for you, trading hours for precious dollars. It blows my mind and feels like slavery.
I spend a lot of my time planning and gathering ideas of my own to pursue. When I talk to friends about starting a new company, they always come back to me with “new” inventions and plots to make it rich off of some crazy technology. Why try and re-invent the wheel. Some of the greatest moneymaking ideas are continuations of other products, or simple add-ons.
Take Jibbitz for example. Crocs made it huge with those simple, funny looking shoes, and Jibbits thought they could jam plastic figures through the holes…makes sense to me.
Or something as simple as a cell phone case, computer case. The dice that hangs from your rear view mirror. People make money off of unnecessary consumables, millions actually.
A side note, Jibbitz recently thought it would be a good idea to lay off over 20% of their entire workforce. A company of about 100 people and $40 Million in revenue needed to fire roughly 20 people because they didn’t hit their Q4 number. What a load of shit.
As we have all seen more and more in the last decade and especially in the last 12 months, are Green companies and products popping up everywhere. Among the other dozen or so more industries to grow in the next 10, I strongly believe a lot of dollars will be made here. Just recently, I saw a clip on CNN about couple of young guys who started a green company and partnered with Target. They make and sell plates, cups, and other kitchen items. They have given their products a modern look and feel, but sure as hell haven’t reinvented the wheel by any means. They took something that has existed for hundreds of years, leveraged what is happening in the economy today, and moved forward. Simple.
If the model is that straight forward, it can be applied to anything. Look at people like Al Gore and what he is spending all his money and time on…GREEN.
Another evolving industry Server cooling. Not only does it take an enormous amount of energy and money to power massive server rooms, but it takes the same, if not more energy to keep them from overheating. Again, just another example of a company with Green in mind.
In all honesty, its hard for me not to start think of new products and companies to run with while I write this. I look around me and see tables, cups, picture frames, carpet, bookshelves, clothing; …everything can be changed and marketed as Green. It’s only a matter of time before this becomes a standard for our society. It makes people feel good about themselves when they are contributing to a good cause.
I forget the name of the movie, but its with Nicholas Cage… and he sells guns to the middle east and Africa and makes an enormous amount of money doing it. The people he sold guns and weapons to were going to get those whether he sold them, or someone else did. He was in business to make money and do something that was happening whether he did it or not. The same idea goes hand in hand with going Green. If the earth may melt itself into extinction I might as make a buck.
This reminds of Proctor & Gamble: I once read a book about Warren Buffet and he was talking about his investments. He said something of the sort about toothpaste, floss, etc…everybody needs it, everyone uses it, so why not be in the business of it. Makes perfect sense.
Same concept going with Green. Hell, even the government is getting involved with automobile manufacturers in requiring them to make more fuel-efficient vehicles.
Serial entrepreneur, maybe, but I think I need to have actually started a company or two before that can be true. What scares me is if I actually go ahead with one of these ideas and another one comes along. How do I keep the laser focus on the objective at hand. Maybe its just plan and simple ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder)
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