Not that you asked, but I have some things to say.

I attended the Partnership 2020 / Nashville Chamber Event this morning. Representatives from the city were well attended with the Mayor Karl Dean, Randy Goodman (Co-chair of the Music City Music Council), and senior leadership from The Recording Academy (you know, the Grammy guys??!!). There was a lot of talk about multiple successes our lovely city of Nashville have accrued (hit show on ABC, Top rankings for best-start-up, music scene, etc, etc) But the big talk of the morning was the landing of the first EVER Grammy Nomination Concert to occur outside of LA. (Side note, Nashville was home to the big Grammy event in 1973, making us also the only city to host the BIG event other than NY and LA...the past is precedence and more will come). Anyhoo, they spoke of the multiple things that occurred to bring the historical #grammynom (as the Twitterverse is calling it) to our town. But there was one thing that truly stuck out.... Mayor Karl Dean, as the first step in the process, asked

"A contract is, simply put, the rules to a fight."  - John M. Anderson, Esq. (I feel I've earned the esquire part...below you'll see why) Now, let's start by saying that contracts are an essential tool in the business world. They create within them an accountability for both parties. The world needs them. Now...let's discuss Legal Departments....I enter this discussion with reticence....trepidation...years of pent-up frustrations that I must temper with prudence. I'm not real sure who reads this blog of mine, you may have earned your Esq. title a bit more traditionally, and I may need your approval on things soon. I've seen legal groups work together in a manner that was rather intimidating. I've sat on conference calls where two representatives, one from my company and one from my client, have spoken in a beautiful weaving of mutual beneficence. It was like two parents coming together to make sure that occasionally unruly siblings had guidel

Publicly traded companies put out quarterly reports. They list earnings....revenue. Collective deals closed by salespeople (typically). Take a look at a company you've invested in. When was their first quarter report issued?  I am asked at the first of the month what I will close for said month. Every Monday, we have a sales meeting (very typical amongst sales teams) and we are held accountable for what we have forecasted. As the date gets closer to 'end of month' we are held even more accountable. The last week of the month, any forecasted deal is either 'written in blood' or we take it 'off the board'.  So...if you are reading this...and you are a decision maker, influencer, detail gatherer, or in any way involved in a sales process.....please listen. Do not avoid delivering bad news. Ever. Keep us in the loop, explain to us where things stand.....dare I even say it....forecast. We have to, why shouldn't you? And the higher up the chain

"In the modern world of business, it is useless to be a creative, original thinker unless you can also sell what you create." David Ogilvy Mr. Ogilvy...original Mad Man, advertising guru, and a man I've written posts on before (two of which you can find by clicking  here  and  here  ), sums it up pretty well. Unless your product outright sells itself (which is remarkably rare), you need marketing and sales. The more complicated your product/service, the less you can rely on marketing and the more you need a salesperson.  I recently posted about the amazing entrepreneur/start-up community in Nashville (find  here ) that I had the honor of mingling with during the 2012 Nashville Technology Council (NTC) Awards Gala. I mentioned to several of the folks I chatted with that night that I needed to A) re-engage with the NTC and it's offshoots; and B) get to know the start-up community better.  So, I have a plan. I've been trained for over a decade on how to sell, an

Officially I am an employee. I collect a base, get a W2, and am regulated by corporate HR policies. But....I am a franchise. The rules, to me, aren't exactly intended for me. I have been trained to ignore the metaphorical and actual "No Soliciting" signs that exist in the world. I must tell C-level executives that they are wrong (often). I often operate outside of many of the norms of the 'social contract'. I must contact total strangers, and let them know that the research I have done on their company leads me to believe they are missing something. I must ask for the opportunity to interview a client to see if they are worth spending more of my time with. I will set my own schedule, my day may start at 7am. It may start at 10am. It might end in the wee hours of the morning. If I want to go get a milkshake at 2pm in the afternoon, I do so.These are not typical employee situations. I must market my company. But I also must market myself, because I am a franch

The Nashville Technology Council recently had their annual Awards Gala. In a nutshell, the night is to celebrate the many key players in our grand little community. What I love about the evening is how it brings together folks from some pretty diverse walks of life. There are your 'Enterprise' type folks, larger companies working with larger companies on facets of business that can be, well...larger. This is the category I generally find myself in, and there is never a dull moment. But the 'larger company' dynamics can sometimes bring with them a large degree of work that many would consider tedious, possibly even mundane. I love my job, don't get me wrong, but I do get a bit envious of some of the other folks in the category I'll define below. NASHVILLE'S BEST KEPT SECRET.....Tech Cocktail released an article in August of 2012 listing Nashville as one of the Top 12 cities ranked by  The Young Entrepreneur Center  that is "a start-up paradise&quo

The Rube Goldberg Machine  is an amazing metaphor for sales. You've seen them at work with examples such as the classic game "Mouse Trap" , in  some of your favorite cartoons , in  movies , and even  music videos . A series of incredibly complex events, often seemingly unrelated to the end result, culminating with a simple task being accomplished. If you haven't clicked on one of the links above, go ahead.... From David Mamet's classic Glenngarry Glen Ross we get the prime directive to "get them to sign on the line that is dotted!!", in Jerry Maguire it's "Show me the Money!!", from Boiler Room the shouts of "Reco!!!" ....these have all become cliches or mantras, or both, depending on your view. So what's my point? Simple....I spend hours, days, months, quarters, years all in the search of a client putting pen to paper. Executing a contract. The very simple act of signing one's name, which procures an order. The Ink

I try to keep this blog focused on business related topics. Today, I shall stray. Indulge me. Several years ago, I was at one of the large home-improvement stores with my father. We were elbow deep in bins of hardware, when a man with the store's signature bright apron walked up and asked if he could help us with anything. He noticed the hat my father was wearing, black with "Vietnam Veteran" in yellow. The man commented on this, and I noticed he wore both a hat and shirt listing his Vietnam Veteran status. They began speaking in a code I had heard before. They listed years served, along with the names of cities that all seemed to end in "-ang" or "-san". They spoke of their infantry divisions. They even asked of people they may know in common. The man then said something that left me speechless. "Thank you for your service....and Welcome Home." At first, such an odd statement. These two men had served in a foreign war roughly four

Wow...I probably have your attention....the meaning of my title (in German) is 'My Struggle"....sorry to snag you like this, but while I have you... My primary struggle in my professional life is in my attempt to sum up my multi-product, mutli-competitor, multi-disciplne industry. I have so often longed for the ability to sell ball-bearings...so little complexity. But...there is something here, that as I struggle with, I uncover. Telecom is really complicated. This is why so many of my clients choose (either by choice, or lack of involvement) to ignore it. Shame on you. It's intangible, it's difficult, it can transcend understanding. And the entire time, there are so many in my industry that work hard to commoditize it....30% off, sign here, third copy is yours. You provide a disservice to yourself, your company, and your client...our industry bleeds because of you. Shame on you as well. Dear prospect...client....friend.....listen close....dig in deeper.

Today, I broke a cardinal sin of the sales world. I chose to postpone a meeting with a prospect. Old school sales manuals will typically command you to meet with the client, regardless of.....well, just regardless. I do not hold this belief. I need an hour, at least, to accomplish an introduction. I've timed it, and even when I am as succinct as possible, it takes about an hour. The prospect, when explaining his truly busy day, had thirty minutes. He had committed to meet with me, and in a very uncommon way, decided to stick to his commit. I suggested we reschedule. I explained to him that I wanted to be seen as a resource and not a nuisance. If he had an immediate need for the services I offer, we could have a quick call. If not, we could set something up for next week. A meeting would impede on his other commitments, and we had time to discover long term needs....I strive to be a long-term partner, versus a quick gain vendor. The prospect replied with the (paraphrased) co

If you are not the lead dog, the view doesn't change. An old joke, but still funny. As salespeople, we are trained at many things. One thing we are not always trained to ask is "Who is your perceived leader?" This question can tell so much, so quickly, and with only five words. Here's why... If the client answers anything but the incumbent, there are issues with the incumbent. Few offerings are worth the change of switching providers, unless there is an issue. Dig in here. This will help you build how you will win. If another provider is mentioned...ask why....outside of the "brother-in-law scenario", this will help you unseat the competitor that is in the lead. What do they have that is worth switching for??....were they just the first to call?...have they shown something I can beat??? Seems simple, right? So, are you asking this question?

Actions speak louder than words. This idiom is attributed to several people.  Michel de Montaigne (credited with creating the writing form of the essay) is one.  St Francis of Assisi was credited with a version of this saying "Preach the gospel at all times. Use words if necessary." The actions of great leaders fill our history books...but so do their words. Think of one truly great leader, modern or ancient, and see that they almost invariably share one thing. The ability of eloquent, poignant, impacting oration. Churchill, JFK, MLK, FDR.....even the monstrous Stalin, Machiavelli, and Hitler. As our world evolves we become more distanced from physical heroic capabilities (think of a modern day storming of San Juan Hill...seem unlikely?). Actions are, in modernity, a more cerebral endeavor. Policy, causes, even recovering from a personal hardship have replaced the literal facing off against bodily harm.  So what's my point?? It seems our current lea