Archive for October, 2008

31
Oct
08

Sound Bites Podcast

By Dave Stelzl's Blog Leave a Comment
Categories: Marketing, Opportunities and Sales Strategy
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Don’t miss my sound bites broadcast on http://dstelzl.podbean.com/ - it posted today and offers some alarming facts concerning data theft and where your clients are at risk.   Use this to capture the attention of business owners, executives, and those liable for data loss. 

Today I’ll be addressing 65 business owners and mid market executives on this subject in Richmond VA.  Your first question should be, “How did we get so many people to attend in a down economy?”  a combination of using the right marketing message, the right sound bites, and a relentless sales team that put aside the short term sale, focusing instead on stake holders for the last 4 weeks.  The return will be well worth it.  History has proven that 2/3rds of these people will want to engage to find out how much exposure they have, and if the follow up is done properly (see article on effective follow up – http://www.stelzl.us/concepts/2008/sep.asp), we’ll end up with a very strong Q4 forecast.

30
Oct
08

Your Personal Value Proposition – to your company

By Dave Stelzl's Blog Leave a Comment
Categories: The Bottom Line and Value Proposition
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Over the last 6 days at least 3 business owners that I am coaching have told me, “My managers don’t think strategically.”  “They do what I tell them, but if I don’t think of it, it doesn’t get done.”  Another client made the comment, “He uses his office to run another outside business in real-estate. I’m not sure he takes this business seriously”.  That employ was recently asked to leave.  We’re in some tough times right now, and I don’t see our economy bouncing back to the late 90′s anytime soon.  That means sales people and consultants need to get serious.  In a seminar I attended by webex this week one of my mentors made the comment that “Newer grads may not realize how hard they are going to have to work to stay employed.”  If you’re not a producer, your job is in jeopardy – especially if your boss has a coach.  I am counseling those I coach to follow Jim Collins’ advice, “Get the right people on the bus, get the wrong people off the bus, and then make sure you have the right people in the right seats, regardless of who wants to sit where.”  It’s the right thing to.  Choose today to be invaluable.  Use your time wisely, seek out wise counselors, invest in stepping up your game, and focus on profitable production.  Think strategically and be proactive – Habit One from the 7 Habits.

29
Oct
08

Sales Resiliency

By Dave Stelzl's Blog Leave a Comment
Categories: The Bottom Line
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Recessions call for resilient business practices.  Are you selling something that is needed regardless of cost containment initiatives.  As I look at my own business I know I need messaging, security, hosting, accounting, marketing, etc.  What do you sell today that is needed regardless of the economy?  In the high-tech world, security is the one thing that never goes away; ROI can also be demonstrated although difficult to prove in most cases.  Operational efficiencies and business transformation projects may sell, but again, you’ll have to work at it.

How about your business model?  Leading with a product rarely works in this type of economy.  Consulting services that provide some of the above benefits will do well to attract attention.  Price them to sell – then drive toward managed services.  Managed Services offer reoccurring revenues through a risk oriented sales focus.  Focus on business continuity and data security; both hot topics in the mid to SMB markets.

In my coming Podcast I’ll be offering new business attracting sound bites that focus on the mid and SMB markets, but have relevance in the larger organizations as well.  If you’re already signed up – make sure you schedule a few minutes to listen in,  if not, go to http://dstelzl.podbean.com/ and sign up.

28
Oct
08

Capitalize on this Economy – the Reseller Strategy

By Dave Stelzl's Blog 1 Comment
Categories: Opportunities
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Are you cutting back on marketing, or stepping it up?  In an article on Proactive Marketing during a Recession http://www.smeal.psu.edu/news/latest-news/mar05/leverage.html/, Wyatt DuBois writes about companies that move into high-gear when times get tough.  “Turning Adversity Into Advantage: Does Proactive Marketing During a Recession Pay Off?” In his study he shows that entering a recession with a “pre-established strategic emphasis on marketing; an entrepreneurial culture; and a sufficient reserve of under-utilized workers, cash, and spare production capacity are…”  the ones who will  gain the competitive advantage.

In my July 2008 Newsletter http://www.stelzl.us/concepts/2008/july.asp I wrote about making the most of JMF (Joint Marketing Funds).  In this article I reviewed ways to maximize your share of these funds.  But there’s one thing that should be added.  In a coaching session yesterday I was reviewing plans for an upcoming demand generation event scheduled for later this week.  The the sponsoring reseller has successfully raised 15K for this event, and this is the second time they’ve done it this year.  How do they do it?

1. Having a strategic plan is important.  There has to be a well established plan that says, “We are doing this and here’s what we expect”.  Talking as though you might do something never works.   This company has resolve and intends to be a leader regardless of what everyone else is doing.

2. The president of the company must get involved (I am talking more to smaller resellers here, but in any case, executive management must be there).  I find that smaller companies are often surprised that they can even get marketing dollars; You can.  But having someone on the administrative or even marketing side of the company is not nearly as effective.  Commitment from the top to focus with an investing partner is important to the equation.  This company’s president gets on the phone and reminds his partners of their commitment and the requirement to invest when times are difficult.

3. Finally, fund raising is more than a request – it’s a requirement.  If you’re going to partner with a vendor, you should be requiring them to invest and now is the time.  Some companies choose their vendor partners for the technology.  While technology is important, investment is more important.  This company is aligning with companies that are willing to invest, and then taking a leadership role in driving sales for that vendor.

Regardless of what politicians are saying, the economy is not in good shape and companies are cutting back, even if your numbers are not yet reflecting this.  Now is the time to strengthen your strategic marketing plans, step up demand generation, and become an asset to the companies you are calling on.  And while your competitors are struggling and cutting back, it’s time to take back some of the available ground in your region.  Marketing is going to be the differentiator here and marketing dollars are needed to do it.  Don’t be fooled into thinking there is no money – it’s just harder to get.

27
Oct
08

On Time

By Dave Stelzl's Blog Leave a Comment
Categories: The Bottom Line
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Be on time…I just returned from an event in Orlando, meeting with business owners of SMB and mid market focused solution providers in the software space.  My trip went great until it was time to catch the shuttle back to the airport on Friday afternoon.  I had purchased a round-trip ticket using the Mears shuttle in an attempt to save my client money.  We scheduled for a 2:45 pickup, which would  get me to the airport in plenty of time for my 5:00 PM flight.  By 3:00 I was getting worried, so I called the company and they assured me that they’d be there.  By 3:15 I had to bail out and take the cab.  So for another $40 I made my flight. 

As we pulled away from the hotel, I saw my ride arriving…how can people stay in business when they aren’t aware of the time and don’t call when delayed?  Providing IT services is time critical and requires a responsive and proactive mindset.  Most people have about a 15 minute tolerance – after that they give up or become frustrated.  Arriving too early communicates desperation and not having enough to do.  I generally arrive early enough to know I’m going to be on time, but then I wait until the appointed time to actually show up.   Being late wastes people’s time and makes them feel unimportant.  Showing up unprepared trumps tardiness almost every time.

24
Oct
08

Leverage the Competition

By Dave Stelzl's Blog Leave a Comment
Categories: The Bottom Line
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I’m amazed every time I fly.  The flight attendant thanks us, saying “We know you have a choice.”  The fact is I don’t really have a choice because I live in Charlotte.  And I can think of numerous cities I’ve been to that don’t have a choice either.  Generally there is one airline that works well for the trip I’m taking, and if you live in a hub city, the dominant airline is the only real choice. Now, when I check into my hotel I really do have a choice.  There are always several hotels clustered together or within a few minutes of my meeting. 

This explains why hotels are constantly trying to beat out the competition…they actually have competition.   If you travel frequently you’ve probably noticed the constant upgrading of mattresses, bedding, and funny shaped shower curtain rods; and one chain I use on occasion even has two shower heads to make sure I have enough water volume.  There’s also an obvious difference in point status.  At the hotel, as a platinum member, I get the red carpet treatment every time.  They are happy to see me and will go out of their way to make sure all is right. On the airplane it’s the opposite. The more I fly, the less I get.  Something’s wrong.

The lesson here is that competition is good.  It spurs us on to achieve greater things and to improve our value proposition to the customer.  I will be speaking later today in Orlando, on creating an effective value proposition, to a group of VAR business owners.  If they are like most groups their marketing sheets and elevator pitches all sound the same; they design, install, and manage some area of technology.  If you are a technology reseller what will keep your competition from coming in and taking the business?  Is your value proposition any different than the other qualified VARs selling in your area; is it price?

Your ability to be an advisor sets you apart.  If you can’t advise, in an area that needs advisement, you may be in trouble.  As one responsible for developing and maintaining clients you can’t afford to sit still.  Technologies and strategies are changing.  Expect to see major changes in our industry in the coming year as more software moves to SaaS (Software as a Service), cloud computing or Haas (Hardware as a Service) replaces large storage purchases, and virtualization threatens to eat away at offerings you used to count on as your main revenue stream.  Learn how these apply to a client’s business, how they affect risk and operational efficiencies, and be prepared to discuss these at the executive level. 

23
Oct
08

Podcast Update

By Dave Stelzl's Blog Leave a Comment
Categories: Opportunities
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I’ve completed my Podcast set up and we’re launching this Friday at 6 AM.  I already have several signed up – you can read more at http://dstelzl.podbean.com/ .  The first 2 weeks are free with no obligation to continue, so sign up by the end of today to get in on the very first one.  This Friday I will be addressing the question of getting past IT gate-keepers with three simple strategies.  Next week I’ll be sharing with you some great new sound bites that will grab the attention of decision makers.  Remember, one key to success is continuous learning!

23
Oct
08

Thrashing

By Dave Stelzl's Blog 1 Comment
Categories: The Bottom Line
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Thrashing is the term used to describe a degenerate situation on a computer where increasing resources are used to do a decreasing amount of work. In this situation the system is said to be thrashing. Usually it refers to two or more processes accessing a shared resource repeatedly such that serious system performance degradation occurs – the system is spending a disproportionate amount of time just accessing shared resources. When this happens, your processing power is working overtime, yet accomplishing very little.   

I also use this term to describe what happens when one comes into the office with too many tasks to juggle, too many papers on the desk, time constraints, and sales are not where  they should be.  Without a plan, we dive into email and begin responding or multi-tasking we call it.  The problem is, much like Microsoft Windows, we don’t really multi-task, we time-slice.  We spend some time on this, then some time on that, and lots of time switching tasks.  The results – well, the results are generally poor.  Lots of effort, little accomplished.  We begin thrashing and getting stressed out.

Have you already wasted the early morning hours of your day?  These are generally the most productive for those who practice time management.  This morning, rather than going right to email, go right to your calendar.  Figure out when the important revenue producing meetings are set, then look at the task list and figure out where the revenue producing tasks are.  Then prioritize and set some short term goals for the day.  Figure out one or two things that must be done above all else to make this week a meaningful part of the month.  Finally, get rid of tasks that don’t really matter.  DayTimer used to recommend creating a “grass catcher” list to hold those tasks that don’t really need to be done today or tomorrow – just sometime.  I find that tasks eventually fall off of this list when I realize they aren’t worth doing.

22
Oct
08

Podcasting

By Dave Stelzl's Blog Leave a Comment
Categories: Opportunities
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Not only have I given into the urge to blog, but my new podcast series is getting ready to launch. Stay tuned on my website for details – www.stelzl.us.  This is for those who want to learn.  It’s weekly, it builds on the material I use in my “Asset Focused Selling” classes, and is meant to help those who are not able to commit to regular coaching but want it.  The goal is to provide a short 8 – 15 minute audio with solid content you can use the very next day.  Invest in your career by turning your car into a learning center; listening to audio programs is the best way.  I don’t recommend video or reading while driving.

20
Oct
08

Tenacious

By Dave Stelzl's Blog Leave a Comment
Categories: The Bottom Line
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For months now I have fought the urge to start my blog – but when I received a call from the Amazing Window sales person yesterday, I knew this couldn’t wait any longer.  He started out by acknowledging that if I needed windows, I would have already called him, but since I had not, I must not really have a need.  However, if I would just let him come over and get an estimate, he would keep my information on file until such a time as I needed to replace these windows I am currently using.

If you’ve ever attended one of my workshops you know that I love these inbound sales calls.  Many of my stories and examples of how not to sell come from dinner time interruptions read from poorly written scripts.  But somehow this one was different.  I politely explained that this was not a good time; I was in the middle of some preparation for an event I will be speaking at this Friday in Orlando.  It was only at this point in the call that I heard him reading from a script.  His reply, “I understand you are not looking for windows, do you have a brick house or wooden structure?”   Again I tried to politely end the discussion only to be asked again, “Are your windows hard to maintain, or is the lack of energy efficiency the problem (of course I never said I had a problem)?”  At this point I was struck by this man’s tenacity.  He was not going to let me go.  I said, “Your really not letting me end this call are you?”  “I hate to be rude and just hang up on you….”  But he kept on going, “How many windows do you have in this house.”  Finally I did hang up, but somehow I wish I had stayed with him a little longer. 

In my workshops I frequently meet sales reps who are trying to get back to profitability.  They look back and recall years of success, living off of the memories of the late 90′s; a time when they commanded large commissions from global accounts in all areas of high-tech selling.  They’re gone now, something has changed.  Two things I learned from this call, first, if he had memorized his script and perfected the ability to sound less scripted, he would have held my attention longer.  The stiffness of his presentation was a turn-off.  On the other hand, he was tenacious.  He knew that as long as we stayed on the phone there was a chance that I’d give him enough information to create something for  the future.  Sales takes work and it takes tenacity.  It takes being willing to have people reject you without taking it personally.  I am sure this guy made many calls yesterday; that’s his job.  And I am also sure most of them were rejections.  But he held to his script (even if it was too rigid for me), without letting on that he had been rejected all day, and I was just one more.  Success in this market is going to take that kind of drive.  Looking on past success should be brief and motivating to move on to today - make today a success simply by learning from yesterday, setting your course, driving forward, and making course corrections along the way.  Daydreaming never produces anything.