EIGHTEENTH POST

When I list the top users in my area, most of them have a cabling system specification that has been the primary or exclusive product for all cabling requirements. The biggest reason I hear when I ask "why do you use brand ?" is simply "that is what we've used for years."

I am not sure about you, but I find it difficult to get people to change. Sometimes the incumbent brand will lose focus, scrap a key product, or make a significant shift that forces the user to go with another solution. Generally, incumbent specs are sticky.

Price rarely changes a specification unless there is a dramatic difference. Sometimes the departure of a decision maker or business partner that supported the previous brand will open the door for change. Occasionally a distributor rep or contractor is the influencer we need to drive the change process, however, if they are already getting the business, what's in it for them?

So how do we sell any of our products into large users with long standing competitor specifications? Here are a few ideas that your competitors are probably not thinking about because today, they have the business.

Convergence is a term we've heard a lot of in the past ten years. Security, Building Automation, Lighting Controls, HVAC systems, and life safety systems are IP based or moving in that direction. What does this mean for us....more rack space, more four pair and fiber, panels, outlets, pdu's, cabinets, labeling, and maintenance opportunities. Are you able to effectively discuss the top two or three systems in each space? Honeywell, Siemens AG, Emerson are all players in some of the different IP based systems. What kind of equipment do they need in the TR or Data Center? How can you position yourself as an expert to help your IT contact who is now besieged with more systems hanging on his network? Perhaps the incumbent cabling system brand isn't keeping tabs on their long standing account.

Is the incumbent contractor on solid ground? Financial, project management, or general workforce changes can often impact quality negatively. Sometimes the user doesn't realize this is happening. Point out areas where the incumbent isn't following industry standards or generally regarded best practices. Does the incumbent contractor have a growth plan as more building systems become IP based? If not, start talking to the user about their TR's, rack space, and power requirements to support convergence.

Lastly, there are cable and asset management software packages for users to better manage their cable plant and network devices. Some of these offerings are web based, affordable, and

offer a strong R.O.I. Pick ine that you can sell or refer and show the user a demo.

Your users and prospect all have needs that incumbent competitors are not addressing. Addressing these needs in a professional, proactive manner will lead you into more conversions and more sales!

POST SEVENTEEN

I don't spend a lot of time talking about products or technical information on this blog. I don't know how I rank against others when it comes to technical depth, but after nearly twenty years in our industry, I know one this for sure.....copper cable is here to stay.

In 1990 I attended a seminar at Anixter Philadelphia that included Bay Networks, Nevada Western and some other vendors. Predictions were that we would have all glass infrastructures by the mid 90's and that copper would be extinct. FDDI, multimode 62.5/125 was the new medium!

In 2009 copper cable continues to lead the market as the preferred path for connections in the enterprise, data center and campus environments. 10G copper systems are a small but growing part of our offering when in pursuit of a cabling project. While installing a 10G cabling system is like putting a V-12 engine in a Corolla for most user's needs today, long term there are benefits particularly when one considers the users commitment to their facility and data networking requirements.

Manufacturers of copper cable would love to see Category 5e cable wane and become extinct much like Category 3 and Category 4 cable. While there are differences in manufacturing, the decline in 5e pricing, especially for riser or CM rated cable has virtually eliminated profit unless manufacturing is offshore. I think most users benefit from installing Category 6 at minimum today given the cost of upgrading cabling and the relatively small difference between a 5e and 6 system.

How do we as sales professionals guide the client to the best system for their needs long term without making them feel they are buying a gold case for their plunger?

Some customers like technical data to support their decisions. Others like aesthetics and innovation. Then there are those who really don't care about the brand of products they have at the physical layer. Indifference is generally a dead end for a sales persons campaign. I know I use it when someone calls me on the phone to sell me something!

We may never convince the user that our solution is the greatest ever. We may only win because we were the last one in or had the best seats for the game. Incumbents are tough to beat, our products have a pretty good stickiness to them once specified.

There is one simple way to get the business from a user and it is so often overlooked. Ask for it! Mr/Mrs User, you currently use Brand X. We've reviewed several features and requirements of our systems that provide a sound, long-term solution for your needs. Is there any reason you will not recommend or specify our offering?

Basic, direct questions after earning an appropriate level of credibility with the user are not only acceptable, they show confidence and gain lasting respect from your clients. Think about the last time someone truly sold you a product or service. In some cases, you can't pay them fast enough because of the excitement. This is a skill, not an art. What I mean by that is that any skill needs constant development and improvement. If I don't practice putting, I will continue to three putt. If I don't practice my approach, qualification, presentation, thoughtful recommendations, and common ground for a solution that works followed by the right closing questions, I will not improve. More importantly, I wont understand why I succeed or fail.

What is your personal investment in sales excellence. A couple of books or CD's? Are you taking advantage of company training? Are you investing your own money in sales training to make more money? Do you learn from peers who are excelling in your field?

Back to copper cable....if you sell products you know this part of the sale is where the bulk of the dollars are spent. Users want your expertise, even those that don't care about brand. Get your subject matter experts in front of your clients, educate them on the value of a high preforming cabling system. Show the user why they need a particular grade of cabling and then.....simply ask for the order. You've earned it!

POST SIXTEEN

Summer is over and its back to the grind. I know that I see less out of office replies since Labor Day and those lovely voice mails that start with "PLEASE STOP AND LISTEN TO THIS MESSAGE" are over for now. Aren't they great? You would think that a major catastrophe occurred and that you need to hide under your desk only to find out that the message is letting you know that you have no shot of reaching the intended caller unless of course you have a PO or a job offer with a higher base!

Onto the issue of selling. Planning is key for any successful salesperson. Planning, along with effective time management is a sure fire way to make more money than ever before. I sell products that are often specified. Time management over the years has changed for me. In year's past, better than 40 percent of the cabling projects in my region had a preferred or required brand of cable/connectivity/metal for the installation. Today, I see less than one in five projects that are specified for only one brand of structured cabling products. Why is that? Do users not care? Is there a fear on the part of the user that they will not have a competitive environment if only one brand is allowed?

In today's economy, there are fewer projects to pursue. Our industry is down, on average, about 30%. If there are fewer projects in the market to pursue for specification, how does one reach his/her quota? You know, the quota that your boss tells you about that only requires 40 percent growth in the worst economy in the past 80 years? Hey, lets not let facts get in the way of a high growth quota right?

Its my belief that discretionary purchases are now nearly seventy five percent of our total sales. This figure may vary from market to market but is largely accurate. How do we get our chunk of the market to reach our quota and make some dough?

If users are specifying less, than the few projects that warrant specification are critical. As salespeople we need to cover these projects thoroughly. Some of us sell more than one brand. In those instances, get creative. Find a product that hits the mark for the users needs and drive that through to a hard spec. Pull your other products through while you are solving a problem for the user.

My first call after I leave an appointment with a large use is to the incumbent contractor. This organization is often influential or in some cases, the decision making body for what brands are installed. I let this company know that I met with one of their clients and tell them exactly what we discussed. Some of you are saying "Why the hell would you do that? What if they go run and tell the incumbent brand rep?" I say, let them! I want my competition to know that I am in their accounts and when that contractor calls my competitor to tell them about my visit, I force them to go into a defensive position. That is a great place to put a competitor. Remember the law of seven, it takes six no's to get a yes!

Other people that influence large users are design firms and distributor reps. How are you getting these influencers involved to get whatever projects you can. Everyone in our industry needs something....leads, design assistance, training, entertainment, samples, etc. Do you know what the most important influencers in your market need from you?

Inventory levels were reduced by a third in the early part of 2009 at most of our major distributors. As those levels slowly rise, how are your brand(s) represented. How is your "shelf space" for A items?

If you are like me, you don't have the right answer to all of these questions. The good news is only some of your competitors will work hard to answer the questions and gain from that knowledge. Remember, its about staying RELEVANT!

POST FIFTEEN

Thanks for all of the readers that visit the site and offer comments here and on our Linked in group page. I appreciate every one's participation and look forward to more interaction. Remember, this blog and our Linked in group were created to help us all sell more products and solutions profitably and repeatedly!

Recently my three year old son wanted a screwdriver. He is very skilled for his age with tools (my toolbox has a pen and a check book in it so it definitely came from Mom) so after the tenth request I caved in and gave it to him. It occurred to me that he simply wore me down. Not the first time and it won't be the last. John, like many young children is relentless when he wants something. I started to examine my sales efforts and asked myself, how relentless am I when it comes to an order. For John, his sister and Mom's sake the answer better be pretty damn bad since I am the breadwinner and live solely on commissions!

Many say that you might hear no twenty times before you hear yes. We can all relate to this after a day of cold calls with only a few new prospects and a feeling like you were kicked in the teeth repeatedly. These are the tough hard days of sales that the people who say how easy our job is don't get to witness. They see us golf, entertain, leave the office to go on appointments and say "I could do that, that guy is useless" yet they don't take the risk we do. Those ugly days of cold calling, networking, prospecting. preparing. closing are what earns us the right to follow an non-traditional schedule, work form home, attend conferences, and visit with customers rather than stay in a cube each day every day. To have the sales life, however, you have to sell, and in today's economy, there is no where to hide!

I am looking at every opportunity I get now and thinking about the word relentlessness. Define a goal with each opportunity, focus on the delivering the very best outcome for the client, make sure the client knows that you have no other interest but to overwhelm them and do it again! Don't create any room for the customer to even look for a competitor. When the competition comes along, how much better will you be. Stick to the basics, do what you say you will and then some, follow up, follow up, and follow up again but do it creatively....have something for your customer every time you call or risk being relentless and irrelevant, a bad combo!

Post Fourteen

Have you ever made assumptions about a deal and taken action based on those assumptions? Chances are you have and in some cases those assumptions may be accurate.  Recently I made some assumptions about an account and lost a big opportunity.

Its not the first time its happened and if I take an honest view of the circumstances, I got lazy.  I knew the owner of this company and quoted a great product at a very competitive price.  I followed up with the owner and found out that our price looked good and that our product not only me but exceeded the specifications.  

One of my competitors drilled further and realized that the General Manager of the company who I didn't know was much more involved with design.  My competitor flipped the specification for the entire design to his product set, brought real value to the customer, and I found out only after the products he sold shipped into the account.  I was simply outworked lost some huge commissions because I didn't dig deep enough.  If your business is like mine in June of 2009, you probably cant afford to lose business either and any loss hurts.  Losing to a competitor who outworked me really pisses me off.  

So, what am I going to do?

First, I am taking a bigger picture approach to the problem.  Assumptions, for me, are based on limited thinking or an arrogant approach that my summary of the circumstances are always right.  I am working with a new prospect at the moment and I am writing out a number of questions that are not yet answered.  I am already coming up with ideas that are forcing me to think differently.  As the years go by, I see this as real limiting factor for me and I need to change it to be the best at what I do.  I like the results I see from writing out unanswered questions and each answer offers more possibilities and creative solutions for success.  

The more I think the same way about everything, and think that I am right or smarter than everyone, the less I learn and the more deals will likely slip away.  Its hard work to analyze a sale, seek outside opinions, and be open to ideas from different people.  Its harder work to make less money and lose!  

I recently bought a new phone.  Sometimes I buy things because I need the novelty and all of the short term gratification that comes with a new purchase.  I am still enamored by this phone nearly ten days later.  This was not just any phone nor was it any store.  

We are in the worst global recession in nearly 70 years.  Consumer spending is at an all time low, and unemployment is still growing by 400K plus people per month here in the states.  Circuit City recently shuttered its local store and many others.  Starbucks is closing 700 locations and two local car dealerships are shuttered after fifty plus years.  The normal bustling suburbs now look like a special on Frontline about an old factory town gone bad.

Back to the phone.  I went to the store at an off hour so it wouldn't be too busy.  Wrong!  I counted 40 plus customers and over 15 employees.  The employees wear different color shirts that designate their role to make this place sing.  The first thing I noticed is the lighting.  It was perfect, hardly any shadows anywhere.  There is music playing but it is just at the right level, like a great server at a restaraunt that you hardly notice but tip twenty five percent.  All of the products are on display to use, explore, and test.  There is no pressure selling but there is an unbeleivable environment for spending!

 I met a concierge and told her what I wanted to.  She asked me a few questions, offered some helpful information, and told me that I would soon meet with a specialist.  I then met Lou about two minutes later and he said he would be happy to help me.  Great, Lou seemed like a good guy.

Problem....Liz the concierge told Lou (yeah, thats right, Lou and the other specialists have so many appointments that they need reminders all of the time about their schedule) that he had an appointment in 16 minutes and that he wouldn't be able to help me until 4:30.  It was 2:44 in the afternoon.  Lets review, I am ready to plunk down a couple of hundred bucks, sign a contract and leave.  The demand at this place is so high that the answer I had for a short second was, come back in one hour and forty five minutes and we can see you.  Mind you, Lou and Liz were incredibly nice and helpful, but hey, don't you people know who I am??

Fortunately Lou squeezed me in  had me out of there in 12 minutes and was early for his 3 o'clock.  I spent 200.00 and left with a new phone, but its not just any phone.

I was at the Apple store.  Thats right, the only place in North America's second largest shopping mall that has a line that regularly stretcches around the corner for premium products that you cannot buy anywhere else.  If you've had the experience of buying in these stores, you know that the employees are passionate, knowledgable and most importantly, users of the products. 

What does any of this have to do with structured cabling sales you ask....not much on the surface.  We don't work in a retail model.  We don't sell paper thin laptops or really great computers.  We sell passive copper and fiber systems and struggle to explain to our friends what we do and how our products work.  You know what I mean.  Your parents or uncles just give up and say you work "in computers"!  

Give some thought to the environment you create when you are working with a prospect.  How do you present your solution and deliver a message that separates you from your competition.  Are you creating the ideal buying enviroment for your customer?  In our business, this environment might mean eliminating risks for your prospect and using your creative strengths to do so.  

Referrals are a great start.  Ask one of your better clients to write a letter or call a prospect on your behalf.  Address performance issues by engaging a specialist form your company and a financial professional to talk about depreciation, leasing, or other creative financial solutions that make your client's risk levels diminish.  Tell your clients abut the amount of money your other clients spend every year to support a poorly planned cable plant or better yet, show them the actual costs and pictures.  This is not fear based selling, this is an asset to your prospect.

Apple gets people to line up for their products, pay more, and come back over and over.  Their stores are beautiful, their products are innovative and functionally awesome, and people use their products everyday.  Here is the scary part abut their growth potential, Apple computers make up less than 5 percent of the computer market. 

How attractive are you and your products to your market.  Are clients and prospects talking about their experience with you after the sale?  

How are you staying RELEVANT?

Post Twelve

Thanks to all of the readers and members of our LinkedIn group.  I hope that the blog and the group help everyone stay focused and sharp through the balance of this year and into 2010 where we hopefully see some improvement in our respective markets.

In prosperous times, we are sometimes able to respond to the flow of work/orders that are available without having to really dig and fight for every nickel.  Today's climate is a bar room brawl and requires a lot of patience and discipline.  Margins are seemingly neglected at times. Manufacturers are quick to discount on bulk orders.  Suppliers are forced to sell  at low margins to turn inventory and designers need to pay their people.

How will your company or client base look when prosperity returns?  We will see better days in the near term, hopefully in the next year.  Have you thought about your position with key accounts and prospects at the end of this recession.  Will your key clients survive?  Are you leveraged heavily with one or two clients?  Could an acquisition or bankruptcy of one of your key accounts take you out or force you to miss plan?

Take a look at your accounts and see how diversified they are.  Use some of your good clients for referrals and consider smaller opportunities than in the past.  There are fewer opportunities to pursue, make all of the count!

ELEVENTH POST

Today's post has little to do with Structured Cabling sales strategies.  Like most of you, I am critical of any presenters because I think I am better than most (ok I'm an egomaniac with an inferiority complex) and usually decide in my head within a minute of someone's talk that I could dust them in a debate or deliver a better presentation.  There is just one thing that is keeping me from doing that and it is drive.

Obviously the person presenting earned the right or figured out how to get in front of the group relegating me to the position of armchair quarterback.  How did that person get to present?  Maybe they were invited or asked or sent a video to the people deciding on content for the seminar or meeting.  Maybe they are so good that it made perfect sense for the host to ask them to speak.  How do we get to be that person?

Here are some presentation tips that I find are outstanding ways to separate yourself from your competition, peers and even friends.

• Presenters often say the word "right?" over and over when explaining a concept or topic.  It is annoying and unnecessary.  An example,  "So, 10Gb is the latest copper cabling system technology right?"  Eliminate this from your talks.  I've noticed this trend in technology presentations especially in the last ten years.
• Maintain eye contact with the people you are speaking with....all of them. This is critical in a conference room setting.  Too often presenters focus on only one person.  This is a really bad thing if you are a male presenter and you only focus on the male in the room and ignore the women or vice versa.  This behavior says, I don't really regard you so I am not looking at you.
• Use humor tactfully.  You should know your audience and draw whatever limits around certain topics you fell are appropriate.  If you wouldn't say it in front of your mother, my advice is save it for another time.
• People buy on emotion.  Sure you need to deliver facts and RELEVANT information, but if people bought on facts alone, we could send an audio presentation to accompany a white paper with an ROI model and go tee it up.  What are you doing in your presentations to get the buying juices flowing?
• Are you so good at presenting that you don't need to join a public speaking group?  Oh yeah, you are that good.  And LeBron James probably doesn't need to practice jumpers with three guys in his face and Tiger Woods doesn't put too much time in on the practice tee.  Toastmasters International is an excellent place to learn how to deliver great speeches, properly introduce people, and most importantly master the English language.  Lose the ahh's and umm's!  You will be amazed at how often these filler words creep into your talks.  How do I know this, because Toastmasters assigns someone to count your filler words.  This person is called the Ah Grammarian.  Join your local chapter.  Its affordable and a great investment.
• Do you use power point and read the slide verbatim?  If you do, please hand me a pen to stab myself in the eye so I can be distracted from your presentations.  Big ideas and high level bullets, charts that are easy to read, video and flash content are much more meaningful  Spice it up!

One of the greatest compliments I had was from a good customer that I've known for over fifteen years.  It was a simple comment.  He said I was memorable.  

Stay RELEVANT!

TENTH POST

NINTH POST

Just heard about a very nice sale that a supplier made of this new Herman Miller System.  You may read it and think to yourself, is this the 2009 version of the KRONE Datathing circa 1998...OK maybe you didn't think that because you have a life and don't retain such useless facts.  

Anyway, read the link below.  This solution has some major benefits for green buildings and based on the size of the sale I heard about, could be a nice sale for suppliers and contractors.

http://www.convia.com/press/herman-miller-and-legrand/

Are you authorized to sell/install this?  Can you deliver a highly modular solution to your client that your competitors cannot and deliver real value.....stay RELEVANT!

EIGHTH POST

Value Engineer, Best and Final Offer, Last Look, Meet the Low Number, should I go on?  You finally won the project or you are on the doorstep and all you need to do is carve up your margin like a Thanksgiving Turkey and hope you have a good piece or two left.  Oh yeah, then you have to get paid, finance the project, and somehow make, I know its a crazy thought, a profit!?!  

 Contractors struggle with covering overhead, making a reasonable profit and covering cash requirements.  One contractor I spoke with told me that he spent 2.5x more  in credit line interest in 2008 and his DSO's were up 15% to 60 plus days.  He maintains good credit with distribution but suffers from having to borrow more.

Manufacturers watch their premium solutions get driven down to more base solutions or even worse substituted for less expensive product.  

Suppliers get scrutinized on every line item and if they are "high" on an item risk losing the entire bill of materials.

What can we do?  A few ideas for survival.

• Leave the business entirely and become a bankruptcy lawyer representing all of your former competitors...OK that's probably not happening.
• Talk to your competition about clients and what their experience are like.  I am not suggesting you divulge any competitive information but you can better understand negotiation techniques.  Some may say this appears like collusion.  Are the users and GC's the only ones allowed to have leverage?  Its not price fixing, its getting smarter.
• Negotiate for payment up front. Sounds crazy but I hear it happens and you don't get if you don't ask.  If the client wants a great deal, they might need to help finance that great deal so you don't choke on a lower margin than usual.
• Manufacturers should have a hedge strategy so they can default to a more competitive position if needed.  Don't give away the store at the outset.  If that is the strategy, then quote 20x more than your competition.
• Distribution can utilize rebates, value added services, assistance with bond expense in exchange for an order, and special inventory for projects.  
• All of us can improve how we qualify opportunities.  If we know price is king based on past experiences, invest an appropriate amount of time on the opportunity and increase the investment on more profitable opportunities.  
• Have you identified five accounts to take from a competitor(s)?  This is an unprecedented economic period, and vendors often get too comfortable with their long (or not so long) standing accounts, and your opportunity to pick off a great account might not be as hard as you think.  
• Acquisitions  Lots of companies, particularly contractors, are cash starved.  Many of those companies have great accounts.  Can you pick up a competitor for the right price.  Are you prepared for this as a supplier or manufacturer?  Are you putting companies together that benefit each other and you?  

Keep grinding and sharpening the saw.  Creativity and hustle are never out of style!

SEVENTH POST

The little things add up over time.  Here are a few examples of products you might not be asking for when you are selling a solution to a user as an installer or fulfilling an order as a supplier or manufacturer salesperson.

• PDU's are often overlooked.  Every cabinet needs two and they are an important part of the infrastructure.  Environmental monitoring, IP addressable, and meters that show load are just some of the features that can push the costs up to a nice sale.  
• Patch cords are generally forgotten until the 11th hour.  The user will decide to leave them out of the bid and buy them at CDW only to realize that they need them in 24 hours in 6 different colors and oddball lengths.  The contractor now turns to the best source viatheir supplier.  Stay ahead of this need and cash in on a nice sale.
• Wireless access points and POE switches are easy to configure and sold by just about every connectivity manufacturer in our business.
• Sound Masking Systems are a great way to create great acoustics in the workplace.  Some of the more advanced systems are IP addressable.  They are relatively easy to configure and install.
• Paging systems are installed in most commercial construction projects.  Are you asking for this business.
• Don't forget J-Hooks, Building Entrance Terminals, Firestop, and equipment rentals.  Have an equipment rental place to send your top customers when they need to rent lift trucks or bucket trucks.  
• I am probably missing some items.  Feel free to comment and we can all keep our eyes out for more ways to stay RELEVANT!

SIXTH POST

Copper and Fiber cabling systems are today's primary means of delivering voice and data in the enterprise, campus and data center. Manufacturers continue to develop systems that will move beyond today's requirements up to 100GB for fiber and 40GB for copper in the not so distant future.

Wireless networks are an overlay in most new installations. We certainly see fewer installs where each user gets 4 four pair cables. It is likely that we have two cables to each station. Wireless access points need cable so we pick up some there but it is still a net loss for total footage in twisted pair and fiber.

Fortunately companies aren't totally depending on wireless for their infrastructure and it does not look like this will replace fixed wiring anytime soon. The idea of a station and a network connection are changing. I read earlier today that web users in the next seven years will shift to a majority of handheld users. That means less people will be in front of a PC. Will workers still have as many cubes and desks? How will a network connection look in five or ten years as it relates to each employee?

Broadband over Power Line or BPL is a technology that is mainly a play for residential and limited commercial use. This technology involves the use of the electrical grid cabling to distribute voice, data and video. Click here to learn more about BPL http://computer.howstuffworks.com/bpl.htm.

In the premise, companies like www.telkonet.com and www.asokausa.com are leading the charge for triple play delivery in residential, MDU and in some cases, enterprise environments over the electrical cabling system. These companies are leveraging green benefits (no copper cable in the building, lower carbon footprint, etc) and incorporating energy management, security, and access into IP based systems that move over the existing electrical copper wire. You will find that the costs are much lower and there are some limitations, however, hotels, MDU's, dormitories, public housing, and hospitality are all markets where traditional cabling systems are losing share to new technologies. See the following link for more info on the Home Plug Alliance http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HomePlug_Powerline_Alliance.

Wi-Fi and WI MAX (http://www.wimax.com/education) are considerable threats to service providers and further challenge the need for structured cabling systems as we've seen them installed thus far. What does all of this mean? Opportunity!

Are you in distribution sales or manufacturing sales? If so, does your company have an offering here. Think of it as a hedge. If you don't have the offering someone else will and can creatively win business. Start driving your product managers to have a solution in this space now!

Are you a cabling contractor? Undoubtedly, you've surveyed jobs in museums or historic buildings where you can't just crank up your hammer drill and go to town. Have you considered becoming authorized to install a PLC solution for a client where cabling a facility is simply not an option? The installation requirements are not that complicated and you can deliver real value to clients who are otherwise challenged to distribute connectivity throughout their facility.

How will you get your share back? How will you stay RELEVANT?

FIFTH POST

Ever have a sale that gets away and you knew that the prospect went to high school with your competitor?  At least that is the story everyone talks about at the local trade show from hell to make it easier to stomach the 40K dollar commission or 1.5M installation or 800K materials order that the high school pal wrote.

Maybe that is why the business went that way.  Sometimes we hear this information and might be less motivated to press forward on the sale.  You might say something like "I'm not going to invest all kinds of time in this sale when I know its going to his buddy."

In some cases, it might be a wise decision from a time management perspective to move on but before you do, remember, you should be  doing the math on the total dollar value opportunity, weighing that math (MONEY!) against other opportunities of that scale and then deciding if you can afford to pass up the opportunity.

If you decide to pursue the sale and in this economy I can't imagine letting anything go,  how do you beat a high school buddy?  No, its not with a picture of the guy doing a bong hit.  If you went to high school after 1965, chances are you have some kind of career threatening Polaroid out there that will undoubtedly be scanned into Facebook anyway!

Who do you know in the company that you desire to do business with or better yet, who can connect you with someone of influence in the company.  You might know the Senior VP of Manufacturing that has nothing to do with the cabling system specification or installation, however, that is a senior level contact and a downhill, downwind tee shot to your prospect's office.  Tools like Linked In are perfect for figuring out who can connect you or maybe you are already connected to someone that can help you.  Remember, most people want to help if you ask nicely.

Who are you networking with?  In our space, the obvious communities are Commercial Real Estate Brokers, Architects, General Contractors, other technology salespeople, or any company that benefits when an organization moves.  Lead groups are everywhere.  Are you in one?  If not, why haven't you started one?  Fresh, RELEVANT information is the lifeblood of any salesperson in any business.  The translation of that information into a tangible benefit for your customer is how you will win and win big!

OK, you got to the prospect.  Now you need to uncover the likelihood of your getting a fair opportunity.  Remember, if you had a senior level referral, most people will report the final decision back to the person that referred you.  Do you mention to your champion that your competitor went to high school with your prospect....hell yes.  Now a senior level manager knows that there is a relationship in place that might effect that best interest of the company. One suggestion would be to make a comment like this.  " I hear that your IT director is an old friend and high school buddy of one of my competitors so I will need all of the help I can get and greatly appreciate your referral. "  

Whether its an old friend, a former colleague, family, golf buddy, we've all been on the outside looking in.  Its our responsibility to figure out how to get into the Jack Burns Circle of Trust and take what is rightfully yours!

Now its time for you to use all of your best salesmanship to position your solution and distance yourself from your competitor.  You will never have the relationship that your competitor does in this instance, however, that doesn't mean you can't win!  Keep fighting and stay RELEVANT!

FOURTH POST

Well isn't that special?  My cabling is perfectly combed and tie wrapped.  Beautifully labeled, definitely yellow (good luck getting that color in a pinch form your manufacturer/distributor...yeah can you ship me 2K feet of 6A CMP shielded yellow for a few adds...ah sure, the min order is 36K feet and its two to six weeks.  But I just bought 2.1M feet.  Yeah that's great but we can't help you.  One word of advice on colors, blue and white, its a Colts world in the twisted pair manufacturing business!)  

Seriously, a great install and undoubtedly a reference site that will bring more work and referrals.  

How are you leveraging your best accounts?  How are you maximizing referrals from current or past employees that have moved on  (note, those people are often in a position of influence at their next job).  Do your customers here from you?  Are you in touch via email or inviting your past and current customers to trade shows or seminars that help their careers and strengthen your relationship with them?  Lest we not forget low hanging fruit is the easiest to pick.  Often the way to new business is all around us.  Your outlook contacts may hold your best opportunities!

Here is an idea, call every good client you have that you have not talked to for over six months. Lets face it, we all have people that fit in this column.  Are you still getting their business?  If not, how do you get it back?  Be honest and accept fault for not being in touch.  Have something of value when you call...a new labeling system that you think this client might benefit from, a better supplier that you can recommend or a design firm that you feel the user should know. Bring value and bring it often...stay RELEVANT!

THIRD POST

Have you ever sat in a sales training and said to yourself "how much money has this clown ever made actually selling?" Or better yet, " if he/she was so good at selling why are they training?" Some sales trainers look like they dress in the dark and would struggle to sell batteries in a blackout. One guy, I will never forget, slipped and fell cutting his lip minutes before the training started. The cut bled all day and the guy was a tough SOB, he finished the training and was pretty good. Sales trainers aren't all bad, there is often too much focus on process rather than thinking differently.

I think salespeople are naturally skeptical when it comes to change and generally resist. There are two things that I've noticed over the years that make us change. One is more money and opportunities for earnings in new areas. Another is peer pressure. None of us want to lose to the jackass on the other side of our fancy 8X8 cube. You know, the person you poach from on every opportunity and continually tell yourself how much better you are at sales than they are.

In some of those trainings you hear expressions like "find the customers pain points" or "what is the compelling event that is driving the client to buy?" I love all of these phrases. They sound so cute. Not too many people ever talk about creativity. Its not a hard concept, just takes a little bit of processing on the old hard drive between your ears.

How can creativity lead to more business? Yesterday I talked with a customer who is losing an account because his competition has a minority owned status and procurement is driving the IT group to increase spend in this area. I suggested to my customer that he ask his client if the minority dollars had to come from cabling services. Turns out they don't. Last week I read an article about a minority owned company that is in the business of disposal and recycling of PC's, switches, etc and the company is looking for agents who can earn commissions when securing new contracts. I suggested to my customer that he become an agent and see his client to help them fulfill their diversity spending requirements in a manner that allows him to keep the account and potentially make a few bucks. How did I know this information? It was suggested to me by a smart guy (my dad) that I read trade magazines and periodicals about new businesses and this article was in a magazine focused on people developing new companies. My competition did not have this idea. I think that I will be perceived as compelling and relevant and further secured that lasting profitable relationship we all seek. Visit www.gitomer.com for great ideas on creativity!

SECOND POST

OPPORTUNITY....THERE ARE A LOT OF BAD CABLE INSTALLATIONS!

Was this your best certified installer's work??? Hope not.  This picture was taken in the fall when I was waiting in line at the local IRS office.  No faceplate, just a twisted pair cable with an RJ45 jack sticking out of the wall.  How many offices have you seen where patch cords are simply strung over walls between offices?  How many closets or data centers look like a blind man is doing the MAC work?  

One thing that gets a user interested in a properly installed structured cabling system is having to live with an unmanageable mess.  Here is the opportunity, when the user is moving or getting ready to re-cable, ask how their their cable plant adds value to their overall network efficiencies.   Their frame of reference is going to determine how much money they will fight for to get the job done right. The user may have nightmares in past jobs where the cable plant was a real drain on operations.   How do we become RELEVANT, understand their pain, both past and present,  and help them get the right solution!  

THE FIRST POST

Do you have a sales manager who asks you how you spend your time.....you know, what percentage of your time do you spend with end users, consultants, distributors and, god-forbid, contractors?  Do you want to scream, tell them to take their best guess at the hundredth report they are rolling up to someone who won't read it and a few other choice words (suggestion, the economy sucks, hold off on the choice words for now) and slam down the phone?  

Ah, the economy.  It is really bad right?  Some of the major distributors and manufacturers are forecasting down this year.  Unfortunately, salespeople in many cases work largely or exclusively on commissions.  I don't know about you but my household isn't forecasting down.  The kids need clothes, the 529 looks like a change dish at 7-11 and retirement is looking great at about 80 when Category 71 cabling hits the street or maybe by then it will all be fiber like I heard nearly twenty years ago.

Our space is weird isn't it?  IT and Telecom people have to deal with cabling but when you ask, would rather have needles stuck in their eyelids.  Ultimately, most end users want a good cabling contractor or two who understands what they want and can get the product installed successfully.  The brand that is installed is a whole different story.  

If you are like me, you sell for a manufacturer, supplier, design firm, or contractor.  We all have an objective and I will guess that we want to build lasting profitable relationships, ideally as the exclusive provider or brand.  We prefer to have no competition but that is unlikely as users become more and more savvy.  So how do we become RELEVANT!  Beer, ballgames, cultural dancing establishments (I hear that some of our industry goes to these places) golf, fishing, hunting, shirts, pens, hats, notepads, memory sticks, koozies (who invented that word) and lastly, bribes (when the going gets tough, the cash starts flowin!).  

Some users are willing to pay for the very best.  The local structured cabling sales community will do our best to convince them that our copper and fiber cabling systems are better than the next one.  Suppliers and manufacturer sales teams will disagree on who brought who to the dance (where is the damn dance).  Price protection is handed out like candy and all bets are properly hedged by both groups.  

Ever have a prospect do a bake-off?  You find out that you lost a deal because your ELFEXTnumber didn't quite make the grade?  Translated, the user saw seven different brands of cabling system products and in the end picked the one that was in last or the incumbant because there is little thought involved.

I think users, designers and contractors are all looking for the same things when they select brands or suppliers.  My hope is that salespeople and sales managers form our industry community will share their experiences, anonymously or by name (stripper name is OK also), and we can all become more RELEVANT!  Humor is key and this should all be done with the intent of making our sales efforts more profitable!