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

Do you remember the G.I. Joe series? Not the 'Kung-Fu Grip", bearded, larger model. Think more of the later series where there seemed to be as many specialized characters as there are Hindu gods....Got it? Good. I recall snow specialists, explosives experts, HALO jumpers, communication engineers, Ninjas, and a flame-thrower operator. The folks that made these action-figures would crank out a new one, seemingly every few days. So....what's my point??? They were really on to something. The 'Team Joe" mentality translates well to the world of sales teams. They all were focused on warfare and the defeat of COBRA (if you don't understand, go look it up). But they were defined specialists that put forth a unified point. None of my team can be summed up very easily. We all have specialties that transcend our job titles, we all have specific approaches. My team seems to use the GI Joe approach. As we target our clients (for this analogy, COBRA is the client...which is...

Today, I took a nap on the couch I have in my office. Yes, I have a couch that is designated for nap time. It's quite comfy. Mid-day naps are endorsed by many psychologists and Japanese businessmen. Also....I am at roughly 200% of my monthly quota, and about 170% YTD. So....what's my point?? Well, other than the fact that I am a tad lazy? It's that I have 10 years plus of momentum under my belt. In my last blog titled "There is no Secret Sauce (Part 1)" I discussed the fact that there are really only two ways to be/get better. The first is to work your ass off. Hustle, hustle, hustle. Set 2, run 2, smile and dial. This level of activity drives the second part. OTJ!! On-the-job training. Be a sponge, soak up knowledge, make contacts, build relationships, etc. Unless you are a moron (and many in my line are) you will grow away from outright activity and gravitate towards an approach with more finesse. If not, activity will be your friend. And the world needs the bac...

well....OK...there is. Inherent capabilities are possessed by some. Wit, intelligence, humor, general attractiveness, assertive nature....kavorka.....there are things that people are (eye-roll now) just simply born with. It's a fact of nature. But I will not focus on these things. What I intend to discuss are those things which can be implemented, available to all. Monkey in a suit?? Even you may be successful. There is an old saying that asserts 'if you put an infinite amount of monkeys in front of an infinite amount of typewriters, one of them will crank out the entire works of Shakespeare.' It boggles the mind, but statistically is correct. So...what's my point?? It's the infinite part. With enough blind work, even a monkey will stumble upon 'Hamlet'. Persistence can outdo talent most of the time. Step 1, make 50 calls, set 2 appointments, run 2 appointments....daily. These are the basics of my sales world, translate this to yours. Many of you who know me...

I received a quote for a rather extensive home remodeling job. The amount quoted fell within my expectations. I spoke with my fiancee and she felt the price was fair. ...and then a funny thing happened. We realized that we had no real basis on why we felt the quote was fair, or how we created our expectations. We discussed this a tad more and realized that the ability for a crew to come in and rip out something as seemingly permanent and solid as walls and structure, and then recreate an even more solid and permanent structure was a tad magical. What would be accomplished with hammers and nails could just have easily been accomplished with wands and spell books (in our simple minds). So what's my point??.......My industry seems to have lost it's magic. This seems ironic to me, as telecommunications/technology is very intangible, incredibly impacting to the world around it, and evolving at lightning speed. Very few can understand what it takes to pick up the phone and make a cal...

St. Lucia or St. Lucy is the Patron Saint of salespeople. Her story?? She stood strong in her faith and was persecuted because of it. She was hooked to a team of oxen, but could not be moved. She stood strong in her beliefs. Then she had her eyes cut out and was stabbed in the throat. Nice metaphor. In October, I missed my 'quota' for the first time this year. My 2010 personal goals allowed for this (plus one actually), but I was attempting to pitch the sales equivalent of a no-hitter. I missed. Even though I am still at roughly 150% YTD Even though I am guaranteed to go to President's Club (they've already listed it under 'taxable gift' on my last paystub). Even though I will almost assuredly be in the Top 10 nationwide..... Even though I have not been dragged away by a team of oxen, I still feel my eyes on a plate. But, I'm the one doing the gouging. There is no one as critical of me as me. Self-flagellation....works well with the Patron Saint/Catholic mot...

Using an RFP to select a vendor is like selecting a girlfriend by how well she writes a book review....of a bad romance novel. It is my experience that RFPs are for suckers and chumps. They tend to only benefit consultants and write down revenue for incumbents. They are a 'price-first', one-sided discussion that tends to rob the bidding parties of any ability to bring value. As you may guess, I am working through an RFP bid. It's a biggie, and I am hopeful and optimistic (both of which are signs of weakness in the sales world). But my company is truly a great fit. I made several mistakes in this particular process, all of which could be traced back to my general distaste of RFPs. Ten years of training has ingrained in me this is a lost cause 95% of the time. I was apathetic. This particular RFP seems to fall in the other 5%.....we will see. I will embrace this process, push to win, and act as though the RFP is my best friend. I will put on my suit and a smile. I will do eve...

I crave, long for, desire, and pray for the ability to be precise. I strive to eliminate as much guess work as possible from my line of work, and be an expert...a consultant...a highly valuable resource. But....I realize more and more that I am a blunt instrument. At my best (and I am one of the best), I am still more of a baseball bat than I am a scalpel. I am realizing that this is not a unique situation to me. Our world is filled with experts. These experts, however, are generally no more than educated guessers. I have discussed in the past that the more moving parts something has, the more likely it will break. I think the same could be said for experts. The more we need to know, the less precise we will ultimately be. I have to study my clients, create urgency, understand my service offerings, understand my competitors, study the technology that my service plugs into, read minds, win hearts, overcome objections, change perceptions, psychoanalyze, pontificate, evangalize, etc. etc....