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Your Best Sales Partner May Be an Engineer

November 29, 2011 By 6 Comments

Technical/non-technical collaboration for business development is considered the equivalent of being asked to cross over to the Dark Side from the Star Wars movies or walk across the abyss in the movie Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade . Many of you dismiss this concept as non-viable without letting the collaborative force be with you and crossing that conceptual chasm in a non-discipline-driven leap of faith.

In my recent blog post “Collaborate with Technical Colleagues and Close More Sales”, on Josh Hinds’ tremendous SalesTrainingAdvice.com site, I address the opportunities that many of you on the sales side may be ignoring in remaining true to a sales only perspective when trying to generate revenue for your company.  After the economic meltdown of 2008, the world has become a different environment for many aspects of life. Governments and economies are tottering and the status-quo of just about everything is being challenged. Which makes people more desperate to hang on to the status-quo than ever before. But there’s no security in that tack.

Sales people may avoid working with an engineering collaborator like the plague. There’s a lot to be learned from our colleagues from other disciplines who sit across the table from us during those dreaded Monday morning meetings. Taking the initiative to reach out to them expands your knowledge base, makes you more comfortable communicating outside of your discipline and allows you to be more productive in your business development efforts.

Whether a technical or non-technical professional, you cannot afford to ignore your role in your company’s revenue stream. And one of the first ways in which you can engage in this process is collaboration across disciplines.

Doesn’t it make business and career sense to move yourself one millimeter outside of your current comfort level and join forces with your technical/non-technical colleagues?

No one’s going to get you to take that first step but you. And there’s a tremendous return on your personal investment waiting for you on the other side.

 

Let’s continue this discussion!  I have a book coming out in February 2012 on this topic. Click on Do YOU Mean Business? Technical/Non-technical Collaboration, Business Development and YOU . Let’s talk.

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Think you have all the answers? Did you ask the right questions?

November 22, 2011 By 2 Comments

All of us know a “Know It All.” One of “those people” who is the first person to answer the question, even when the question was directed towards someone else.  We know one of those people who cuts off the person answering the question because “that person” figures what she has to say is far more important (at least in her mind) than what the other individual could possible offer as a response. After all, a “Know It All,” well,  thinks that they know it all… as long as they control the conversation and keep the topic within their know-it-all frame of reference.

And as irritating as “these types” of people are, we all tend to be a “Know-It-All” to our colleagues, at some point.

…….Particularly during those cross-functional meetings when we lose patience with our non-technical colleagues, whom we figure could not possibly be as smart as we are.

…….Or we lose patience with our technical colleagues because they keep asking us to clarify discrete data points when we want to extrapolate these findings into a broader context across demographic segments.

After all, we are professionals. We know our “stuff.” We’ve studied for our degrees. We are rock stars in our companies. We Know It All. At least we feel we know it all. Because we live inside our departmental and discipline-driven Know-It-All Boxes.

So we become impatient with our colleagues’ questions. We don’t understand why they don’t see what we see and why they simply don’t “get it.” Or else we give up on them because we figure they just won’t ever “get it.”

If you Know-It-All, then you “know” there’s no security in being a Know-It-All.

Did you ever consider that being a Know-It-All is disruptive? It’s lecturing. It’s grandstanding, it’s limiting and it’s certainly not collaborative. Did you ever consider that your cross-functional colleagues are asking all the questions that you have not asked? Perhaps they are inquisitive because you’ve gotten them to think out of their boxes!  They are asking those “right” questions, not to put you on the defensive, but to stretch everyone’s brains.

This status-quo habit of ours, to react negatively and defensively when our cross-functional colleagues question us, prevents colleagues from determining what they don’t know. And you certainly won’t  expand yourself outside the confines of your discipline-driven box unless you ask the questions you missed out on asking. Those really good, probing, in-depth, honest, let’s get the cards on the table types of questions.

The “right” questions.

So unless the meeting agenda is entitled “all about me,” what happens if you don’t talk? At all. And listen. And refrain from pontificating in an all-encompassing summation that you feel solves everyone’s problems? What if you start the conversation off with some really good questions and the only other thing on the agenda is to ask more of those really good questions, so that you generate a free-wheeling discussion? The meeting becomes self-directing and self-generating. The really good facilitators always love when discussions get into this type of auto-pilot, self-directed, self-facilitated mode. Then they know they have done their job.

The objective of this type of discussion forum is to not reach an endpoint, but rather to observe, collect and embellish upon all of the dialogue that is happening around the table. Then, the possible outcomes are endless. Then the discussion becomes creative and collaborative.

You will never Know-It-All. And why would you want to? Asking the right questions is so much more enlightening.

Interested in continuing our dialogue?  Click on this link to learn more about my new book: Do YOU Mean Business? Technical / Non-Technical Collaboration, Business Development and YOU, available February 2012. Let’s start talking!

Nancy Nardin blogged about my book this morning: “An Engineer and a Sales Rep Walk Into a Bar...” on her great blog, Smart Selling Tools. You will enjoy this post as well!

 

Filed Under: Angels, Venture Capital, Private Equity, Entrepreneurs and StartUps, Sales, Pitching & Business Development Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Being Relevant To Your Customers

November 15, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Everyone is involved in the business development process: finding markets and identifying customers for our product and service offerings. No one is exempt from this process, either. Even if you are a technical professional who is transitioning into a sales role!

We all talk about “doing our homework” before we call on current and potential customers. What does that phrase really mean? The Digital Millennium overwhelms us with information. And not all of it is relevant to our customers.

 

I recently asked this question of Sam Richter, an internationally recognized expert on sales, marketing, leadership and web search as well as author of Take The Cold Out of Cold Calling.

To  download our entire interview, right click here.

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Here are some points to keep in mind when using the web to locate information.

Everyone’s in Sales …

Sales has gotten a bad name. Your customer thinks you only are calling them to convince them to buy something from you or to sign off on your technical solution. They often feel you have no clue whether they are even interested in your products and services, or whether your solution is relevant. So think before you call your customers. Do your homework to determine what is important to them, not you, such as: their business objectives, how can they earn their bonus, whether you even have product or service solutions to help them achieve their goals.

Establish your Relevancy…

Being relevant to your customers allows you to be regarded as a valuable solutions provider. Find information on what that other person is concerned about and ask really good questions based on this information. You don’t get permission to show up and immediately fast forward and ask those “deep discovery” questions until you have proven your relevancy and trustworthiness to that prospect or customer. Then they will invite you to ask them these questions. Do you have stories you can share showing how you have helped others?

Your buyer doesn’t care about you or your company, no matter how nice you are and how great your company is. They have problems which are keeping them up at night. You need to be aware of these problems before you meet with your customer. They want to talk about themselves, their company and their problems. Not yours.

Focused Web Searching, not Surfing, establishes Relevancy…

Before you fire up Google, write down a list of questions you want answered. You want to search the web, not surf it.  Your goal is to unearth  the trigger events that are shifting your customer or prospect’s company’s decision making processes and creating problems for them. Keep in mind that a company only puts good things on their website, so that is not a reliable source of information. Use the left hand Search side of a Google results page to fine tune your results. Click on the “News” button to find out if the company you are meeting with has been featured recently in the news. Tip: use quotation marks around words and it treats everything as a complete phrase.

We are connecting on a human level, not a technical level or a sales/marketing level…

Your homework can be as simple as going to LinkedIn. There’s a high likelihood that when you are meeting with someone, they have a profile on LI.  Find out about them: who are they, where have they worked, what is their experience, where did they go to school? We are trying to find information to connect on a human level. You might be selling a very technical product, but the person behind that decision is a human being. If you do not have that ability to connect on a human, emotional level, then you become perceived as a commodity.  Once you connect on an emotional level, then you become a valued provider and, more often than not, can even charge a premium for that product or service.

You are trying to determine what their problem looks like today. You are asking them to envision what the future would look like if you solved that problem. You want them to know you can work together with them to bridge that gap. You are telling them about some relevant experience and information that you have, which shows how you have solved problems for others. This discussion is the same, whether you are technical or in sales. You are solving their problem. It’s the same mindset. And as a sales person, your ability to understand what the buyers’ problems are, and translate and connect with the appropriate technical expert in your company, is huge.

Business development involves The Platinum Rule, not The Golden Rule…

The Golden Rule assumes that others want to be treated the same way you do: do unto others as you would have it done unto yourself. However, just because you feel that your products and services are wonderful doesn’t mean that they actually are or that your customer is even interested in them. The Platinum Rule, proposed by Dr. Tony Alessandra, states “treat others the way they want to be treated.” 

Most people sell via the Golden Rule. “I love my company and we will spend the next hour going through our catalog so I can tell you how great we are.”  Platinum Rule business development involves “Hey I’ve done some homework on your company. I see you are moving in this direction. You have this capacity and this equipment. Are you able to move in the direction you wish?” Now you can share a story of how you have helped similar companies. And, if you show that catalog, you can tailor the content to fit the reality of this customer’s needs.  You don’t know what your customer needs until you ask.

Entrepreneurs often approach venture capital or angel investors from a Golden Rule perspective: this idea is so important to me, that I am sure it also is important to you. They have to approach funding from a Platinum Rule perspective: I have this idea, what do I need to know to determine whether it is important to you?

Web searching provides data for asking questions, not finding answers…

When we search on the web, we’re not looking for answers. People confuse Google and searching for finding answers. Companies are not putting out “click here to find out what our problems are” information for you to find. Yet it’s your job to determine what their problems are.

What you are looking for is “trigger events:” something that is going on in that company’s world that is changing things. Press releases, mergers, acquisitions, new technology. By adding quotes around search terms and “+” between words, you get a lot of press releases related to trending information about that organization. Google isn’t the only search engine you can use. Mool.com/media is a new search engine based on media. It deals with news related to companies who are not in the news frequently, such as industrial manufacturers. Another alternative search engine is biznar.com. Click “advanced search” and search for information by date ranges, key words, etc.

Think of data differently…

Most of the time when we think of data, we think of information we can put into an Excel spreadsheet. Engineers are so data oriented. They are looking for data that means 2+2=4.  What you are really looking for is 2+2=8. When I say data, I am talking about disparate pieces of information that can help us come up with hypotheses so we can ask better questions. What is the holistic nature of the issues, what problems might this company have? How can I ask better questions based on the information I find? The data we are talking about is what you find via different search techniques.

This doesn’t have to be that hard. The goal is to get the other person to start talking. Find that one article, not a lot of information. It allows you to ask a question that gets that person talking about themselves and their company.

The most powerful search engine ever created is that person sitting across the table who you are trying to get to talk. So shut up and listen. The key is, you have to have permission first, to ask the question. Make the other person feel important. Ask that question and then be quiet and let that other person talk.

There is an art and science to web searching. Those in the engineering profession have the mindset to connect the dots. They are wired to be very successful.

Sam Richter is the Founder and CEO of SBR Worldwide/Know More! and SVP/Chief Marketing Officer at ActiFi, a software and solutions firm serving the financial services industry. He was named by InsideView as one of the Top 25 Most Influential People in Sales and he was also named as one of the Top Chief Marketing Officers on Twitter. He is a member of the Business Journals/ “Forty Under 40” list honoring the top Minnesota business leaders under the age of forty. He also was finalist for Inc. Magazine’s Entrepreneur of the Year and he’s one of the more highly recommended persons on LinkedIn.

Go to http://www.samrichter.com/ and the Warm Call Center. Download the Know More! Tool Bar which accesses the most relevant sites for your search. His book, Take The Cold Out of Cold Calling, is available on Amazon.com and via his website, www.takethecold.com.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Do YOU Mean Business?

November 9, 2011 By 2 Comments

Do you dread those Monday morning cross-functional, technical / non-technical meetings? It doesn’t have to be that way, you know.

You can start by asking yourself how you impact your company’s revenue stream. Which generates your paycheck, by the way. If you feel the responsibility for generating business is up to someone else -traditionally the sales guys and gals – I’ve got news for you. It’s up to you, as well. In collaboration with everyone in your organization who touches the customer. Even if you are a technical professional.

Now that’s something to think about…

How capable are you participating in today’s business development continuum if you are unable to put yourself in your customers’ shoes? And that includes your internal customers from other disciplines, seated across the table from you in those dreaded Monday morning meetings.

I was interviewed on November 4 about my book: Do YOU Mean Business? Technical / Non-technical Collaboration, Business Development and YOU. For those readers who do, as well as those who do not, know my platform: I have a firm belief that successful business development is fueled by businesses, organizations, and institutions which value synergy between technical and non-technical professionals.

Have I just described your workplace? Or how you were educated and trained? There’s a rather large gap between the ideal and the real, I’m afraid. So how can you, as a technical or non-technical professional, span that conceptual, discipline-driven communication and collaboration gap?

Businesses are losing revenue because of lack of collaboration across technical and non-technical disciplines. Especially those businesses organized with a traditionally siloed infrastructure. Which describes the majority of business models. In this type of vertical organization, there isn’t much opportunity for lateral flow of information across departments or even disciplines.

I’ve been a “simultaneous translator” between technical and non-technical disciplines for most of my career. Even though I came from very technically focused training, I have always worked across disciplines. I eventually became the “go-to” individual for my company, due to my bringing a broad-based perspective to cross-functional team meetings. Oh, did I tell you that this perspective was productive and profitable for the companies I’ve
worked with and for?

I’ve had the privilege of working with manufacturers and technical service companies over the past few decades. And I am a coach and mentor for some very bright, yet very frustrated, engineering and business school graduates working for major companies. I can tell you that this cross-functional disconnect fueled by our professional disciplines is very much alive and well. Why am I hearing the same stuff I heard when I was a corporate newbie?

I sometimes spend more time untangling the misconceptions of discipline-driven status-quo, or “the way things are” mindset, than I do working on pointing mentees, companies and start-ups in the right direction. Something has to change.

My book takes what I know, that “simultaneous translation” not-so-soft pretty powerful skill set, and teaches it to you. You can’t move forward until you understand what is holding you back. This book gives you a 50,000 foot eagle’s eye view of the business development landscape so you can develop the mindset and communication skill set to increase the value you provide to yourself, your clients and your organization. Oh, and we work on business development and revenue generation skill sets, too. After all, that’s the main event.       

This book was inspired by my clients, colleagues, mentees and my network. The book is written for business owners,  C-level executives, VP’s of Engineering, Sales or Business Development, Sales Engineers, recent technical or non- technical graduates and entrepreneurs who want to be “more than” rather than the “same as.”  And it’s written for technical and non-technical professionals who are beginning to understand that all the degrees, certifications, and expensive education that you have invested in are not going to make you bullet-proof and your job secure in this competitive global environment.

If you’d like to hear the complete audio version of my interview about my new book, Do YOU Mean Business? Technical/Non-technical Collaboration, Business Development and YOU  click on the book title link and opt-in to receive the audio download, updates about my book, and some great gifts I will be providing as we move towards the launch date of February, 2012.

What are you waiting for?

 

Filed Under: Angels, Venture Capital, Private Equity, Book Reviews, Entrepreneurs and StartUps, Professional Development & Social Selling, Sales, Pitching & Business Development Tagged With: , , , ,

Are You Chasing Around Customers and Prospects Who Are In Crisis Mode?

November 1, 2011 By 6 Comments

Have you ever noticed? You only get “that” phone call or email when “they” have a problem? A problem which they probably tried to remedy themselves countless times before throwing their hands up in the air, and calling you. And probably calling everyone else who has been prospecting them, too.

Our current and potential customers feel they are bullet-proof. They have all the answers. They can handle any curve ball thrown their way due to their great internal resources and robust business models. And they are right, within their frames of reference.

So no matter how many wonderful prospecting techniques you are using, “pain points” you are so skillfully navigating them through, and informative technical phone calls you are using to express your non-sales concern for your customers and prospects….they really aren’t buying it. And they certainly aren’t listening to what you are saying to them, either. Like the spiel about your wonderful engineering expertise, your ability to solve their technical problems, your fully integrated solution, and your ability to create relationships.

Because they are not in crisis mode. Yet.

Several months ago, I received an email from a business owner who was interested in speaking with me about forging a potential business relationship. He was very specific about when to call, to whom I should speak to arrange for an appointment, and on what day I should call. I did my homework online and found out all I could about him and his company. I compared his information with industry trends and trigger events. I  created a preliminary snapshot of his business, markets, potential customers and even extrapolated about what his potential issues might be. I spent about 30 minutes on this exercise and gleaned some information which I also could apply to other companies I am researching. It wasn’t wasted time. I learned a lot.

And I gotta tell you. The more I read, the more skeptical I became. Because his company fit the profile I’ve encountered so many times before, in small to mid-sized businesses in the manufacturing sector. They contact you. And when you return their call (even on the date, time and to whom, per instructions), they aren’t available. They disappear. And not necessarily because these companies and prospects aren’t interested. It’s because their problem, in their minds, “disappeared.” They decided they over-reacted and they don’t need your help anymore. Until the next time they are in crisis mode.

I did my follow up:multiple attempts to contact this company over a three week period, via email, voicemail, etc. (yes, I got to 10 attempts). Then I figured, you know, we are LinkedIn contacts. The company sees my activity. I am not interested in being treated like a stereotypic vendor who is expected to keep pursuing them like a greyhound chasing that rabbit around the racetrack, hungering for their “bait.” C’mon man.

There’s a LinkedIn discussion circulating about how to cultivate a “hunter” mentality in sales professionals. Well, in this economy, chasing around prospects who have no intention of doing anything with you in the first place is a waste of your time, and you will starve doing this. The problem is, with all of us trying to hone our client development skills, how can you tell the difference between the “real deals” and the posers?

Sometimes it comes down to going with your gut. Basing the call on your experience. Or giving the customer or prospect enough rope. And then putting them on the back burner. Because we all, as business development and technical professionals, have a lot of things we need to do for those customers and prospects who aren’t playing games with us.

Don’t you wish you had $10 for all the customers and prospects who call you, in crisis mode, and end up getting free consulting services and expertise from you? Because you thought they were interested in doing business with you, when all they were after was picking your brain when they are in crisis? Wow, if that “free advice”, which we call prospecting, were part of billable time, our employers would be thrilled.

We’re just chasing the wrong rabbit on the wrong track. That paradigm is broken. The next time you have an opportunity to participate in an exercise like the one I just described, don’t. Develop your own specs and persona for the type of customers you want to develop. You know, the ones you do your best work for. Spend your time and expertise on them, instead. And stop beating yourself up about the “other” ones that get away.

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