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

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 curren...

We receive many answers. Yes, no, maybe...silence. All are forms of answers. I was faced with a rather unique epiphany to a rather old and repeated answer to a question I asked of a prospective client today. I won't get into the question, or it's answer. What I will discuss is the epiphany. The answer didn't serve my purpose. My options were a) accept the answer as gospel; b) re-ask the question, but in a different manner; c) try to change the situation that made the answer correct, or d) find the real answer elsewhere. I may have missed an option, this is a complex scenario. But the summary above served my purpose, and in the spirit of expediency, I limited it to those three. How should I address this? Step 1: Assess the individual. Is there historical precedence that would lead me to believe that the person is not being truthful? Is there precedence that the person may believe what he or she is saying, with the answer being incorrect? Does this person even have ...

In a recent post I used the term 'atrocious' to define my new office. After consideration, I felt it necessary to expound on this a tad. The office is located in the area of BNA airport. It is dense with business offices, a blessing for a salesperson. It has free parking (my old office I had to pay), a conference room twice the size of my old settings, an impressive entry foyer that could almost be called an indoor arboretum, and a fully functional kitchen that I look forward to using soon. It is, as offices go, quite lovely. So why the word atrocious? I'll say it speaks more to me than the office. It's location is strategic and highly functional. The several locations (that we telco types call POPs) are deployed based on how they will tie together a fiber network. This generally means they will be dotted around the periphery of a city. So again...why the word atrocious? It's strategic location, on the periphery of the city, means that many of the things I...

I'll admit...I stole the word 'Co-opetiton'. It was either from Frank Platt or Ron Styers, two of Nashville's Technology Titans, and all around damn good guys. The idea was one I already followed, but they both cemented it for me. Thank you both. The brief definition of this (and I've already blogged about it before, excuse any repetition) is to embrace your competitors as inevitable and, where possible, to engage them on behalf of your client. To expound a tad, my client will be looking at CarrierX. They currently do not have a contact. I will ask, on the clients behalf, to make an introduction. The iPad carries a strong app for Windows Office suite. This is due to the inevitability of Windows Office. To not have co-opetition here would be fruitless and detrimental to Apple. So it goes. At a Golf Tourney today and a Technology 'special interest committee' meeting yesterday, the idea of Co-opetition arose. Many at both events could not accept the ide...