I write most of the posts that end up on this blog on my BlackBerry, the memo pad allows me to capture ideas as soon as I think of them.  I could be waiting for a client, or standing in line at the bank, or waiting for a show to start, idea pops up, bam, it’s in the blog run.  Some get worked on right away, others sit in binary state waiting to be taken to the next stage of evolution, then presented to you, the loyal reader.

This morning I was watching the talking heads on the financial network when an idea hit, went for the Berry, and then realized I had a few unfinished ideas sitting there.  So I thought why not present them as a list, give them the light of day as is.  Some will get the full treatment next year, and if it is good enough you won’t see it as repeat but a form of green writing where I recycle ideas as a means of balancing my carbon foot print, even though I don’t use a pencil.  Right!?!

Language and Credibility:
Let’s look at the thing that grabbed my ear this morning.  As mentioned, I was having my glass of digital Kool-Aid on the financial network, the head of North American research from BofA Merrill Lynch , in discussing outlook for 2010 said something to the effect that one of the things that could negatively impact the recovery is “irresponsible behaviour by the government.”  I couldn’t stop laughing, notice the name of the company BofA Merrill Lynch, remember when they were just Merrill Lynch (not too long ago), as I recall it was their irresponsible behaviour that got us to this to begin with.  As smart as this guy’s hair cut was it wasn’t going to make up for his poor choice of words.  Same is true for sales, watch how you say it because it does impact reception.

Choice or Confusion:
There a number of schools you can place sales people into, like are you the modern, the classic, the neo classic, post modern classic, post modern neo classic reconstruction minimalist, and so on.  Each school has certain beliefs and styles that describe the art, its attributes, and certainly help the audience know where to stay away from.  Once you know the school, you have an idea as to how they stand on specific subjects.  It is the same in sales, two specific schools are determined by how a particular sales person stands on choice.  Choice in the form of multiple solutions presented in the same proposal to a  prospect.  Option one includes these features for this term at this price; option two is this, and option three is that.  Frankly I am not from this school, I believe in the single option plan.  Now before you go jumping up and down, I know that those that believe in options have what they feel are legitimate reasons for providing options, I have heard them, I respect them, I just think they are dead wrong.  As professionals who have taken the time to conduct a proper Discovery processes with a buyer, should come back with their best plan.  If that plan does not fit, there needs to be further discovery and the plan adjusted to reflect the new discoveries.  But to me choice just invited debate and negations on top of the confusement caused by presenting options to begin with.  So just like you are never going to sell me a post modern reconstruction neo minimalist landscape, I can’t see the utility in options.

15 Minutes of Conviction:
Ever notice how fleeting principles and convictions are?, “I believe today, I am different tomorrow.”   No doubt amplified by increased demands and shrinking resources, by the media, page one till Thursday, then page 16.  Remember in June everyone was green because the wrong mad man got in to office in Iran, so everyone went Green Tweet, not that much green now, still the same mad man, on to the next flavour.  Similar in sales, “I am selling blue today, but I know I was telling why you should buy red yesterday.”  One of the big fear many managers have is that if they lose Johnny to the competition “he may take his book and our best clients.”  Nonsense.  Clients for the most part deal with companies, yes they may like the sales person, but they know that , it is the company that delivers the service/solution, that does the research and innovation, and supports their day to day.  In fact studies have shown that purchasers like to deal with reps they feel can marshal the resources of their companies when the client needs it.  When Johnny Rockstar leaves, clients don’t follow, their conviction is much more tied to the provider than to the representative.

What’s in Your Pipeline?
Tibor Shanto