Prioritization for the Hyper-Connected

Recently I made the decision to become very digitally connected. This was mainly a career decision, and I have treated it as such. I have been spending much more time with my blog, People Sales. I edited my Facebook profile to be a business networking tool, and to focus attention on the blog as well. I joined Twitter and have been building relationships with my contacts on it as well. I am currently building my LinkedIn profile, too. I even finally broke down and bought an iPhone, which has tied all my other efforts together into one big powerhouse of constant networking connectivity.

So far, my efforts are doing exactly what I want them to. My blog actually comes up on the front page of Google when I search David J. Dotson now (awesome!). I have had 2 job interviews in the past week when I previously went 2 months with only 1. My name and my ideas are getting out there to people I haven’t yet met personally. In short, a lot of things seem to be falling into place now that my networking engine is picking up speed. But is it possible to fuel the fire too much?

I’m very new to the hyper-connected lifestyle, so maybe I’m just in cell shock. But I already find myself constantly hearing my phone beep at me because someone’s tweeting, I have a new email, I have a new blog or Facebook comment, or (in a few instances) an actual missed call. I try to respond to everything relevant as quickly as I can, but the time adds up, and I can already start to feel as if I’m a little removed from what’s going on around me.

The biggest 3 questions I have been using to prioritize my responses are:
· Does it require my attention? Is this a comment, message, or opportunity to which I should respond, but is not urgent?
· Does it require my IMMEDIATE attention? Am I going to miss out on a chance to build a relationship or participate in something time-sensitive by postponing this?
· Is it relevant to me whatsoever? Is it just a tweet of an article or URL that, while it may be interesting, really doesn’t affect me or mine one way or the other?

So far, using these as a guideline for allocating time and responses to my contacts has seemed to help some, however I am still it out. Do you have any opinions or tips on how to achieve a good balance in one’s connectivity? Or should the Gen Y professional just accept that they need to be able to be reached at all times? Any other thoughts on the subject?

Do You Want to Believe?

What is it that you want to do? Whatever it is, you have to want it. Do you have grandiose hopes to change the world? Or maybe you just have a small goal you hope to achieve by 2 weeks from now. No matter what your goals are, and no matter what plans you put in motion to realize them, you have to believe with every fiber of your being that they are possible.

We often confuse dreams with goals. A dream is something that you wish would happen. A goal is an achievement that you are actively working toward. There is a lot of great writing out there about goal-setting (this post by Silvana Avinami is a fantastic example), but you aren’t going to achieve anything unless you honestly know deep within your soul that you can make it happen.
Here are some ways to determine how convinced you are of the viability of your goals:

· Write about it: It is easy for all of our thoughts to get jumbled into one big ball of Yes-I-Can attitude before you have really considered the ins and outs of your plan. If you simply start free-writing your thoughts and feelings about it, you will start to see some recurring themes that will tell you if some things may need to be addressed before you charge in full steam ahead.
· Talk to a friend: A close friend will tell you if your plans are viable or not. They know you well and can tell how much you really believe in what you intend to do. If you are being unreasonable, or are unprepared, you will certainly hear about it.
· Research, research, research: Find personal accounts from people who have set the same or similar goals and achieved them. How did they do it? What sacrifices and special plans did they have to make? What obstacles did they run into? How long did it take them? After finding all this out, measure your own tolerances and time tables against their experiences. Is it something you still want to put the effort into?

This post is not to discourage anyone from going after something they want. Just make sure that you really do want it before you put the blood, sweat, and tears into it. Because if you don’t want it, you won’t get it. Do you believe?

Don't Be A Sales D-Bag

Have you ever had the misfortune of meeting that sales guy? You know the one. That sales guy. The one who is always on his cell phone. The one who never gives you his full attention. The one who is loud, boisterous, obnoxious, and even rude. The one you don’t want to do business with. To be accurate, we can call him The Sales D-Bag. If you are in sales, don’t ever be the one I am talking about. Here are some typical behaviors of the sales D-Bag, and why you should avoid them at all costs.

• Making your private conversations public: I understand that we salespeople are trained to project, to be clear in our vocal communication, and to command the attention of our prospects. However, it can be easy to forget that, in a public setting, we must adjust our conversational habits. If you are in the middle of an office, or in public, you are not in the position to be making an effective sales pitch, so be considerate of those around you.
o Why you should avoid this: You are interrupting the work and conversations of those around you, and they will immediately be turned off by your lack of consideration. Disrupting your customer’s employees’ ability to work is not a way to keep their business.
• Name Dropping: When you walk into a customer’s branch office to visit and check on how your products are working out for them, the cute receptionist does not care that you were invited to her CEO’s luncheon. She likely doesn’t readily know the name of said CEO. You are not impressing anyone by knowing the names of the so-called “movers and shakers.”
o Why you should avoid this: Many of the people you are likely to meet or interact with on a client visit are not high-powered career types. Recognize that most employees of most organizations just want to do their jobs and bring home a decent paycheck. They don’t care about corporate politics in the slightest. So stop name-dropping and start providing value.
• Flirting with the staff: I had a Sales D-Bag from one of our suppliers come into my location the other day, and he shamelessly attempted to flirt with one of my directs. She was absolutely disgusted that he would try to turn on the charm in a business setting. Save it for the bar, jackass.
o Why you should avoid this: You will look like a jackass. The end.

Why is this all this so important? Sales D-Bags are one of the major reasons that the sales profession has such a negative reputation. We, as sales reps, are the constant butts of jokes on TV, in comic strips, and in many other media outlets, and we are widely distrusted by end consumers and business owners alike. My main mission here at People Sales is to improve that perception, and getting the Sales D-Bag out of sales is a great start to doing so.

Do you have any particularly inconsiderate, rude, or obnoxious sales people at your company, or companies you do business with? How about rude and obnoxious people in other departments?

Twitter For Sales Reps: Not Just For the Marketing Team Anymore!

The biggest social networking tool that people seem to be talking about these days is Twitter. Bloggers, business owners, and marketing teams everywhere seem to be jumping on the Twitter bandwagon, hoping to use the mini-blogging/text messaging service to connect with consumers, business customers, and coworkers. But what if your company is behind the times, and doesn’t have any desire to use Twitter in any official capacity? How can you, as a sales rep, utilize this unique tool to your best advantage?

While Twitter’s potential as a marketing tool is yet to be decided, there are a number of ways sales reps can use it to drum up business.
• Advertise Special Deals: Offering 10% off tomorrow on orders of a certain size? If you have any special deals or discounts coming up, you can make sure that your best customers are the first ones to know by tweeting about them. As long as your tweets provide lasting value to your followers, you will likely see increased orders almost immediately simply by being able to communicate with your customers.
• Quickly Take Repeat Orders: Your frequent repeat customers, who often have a regular order that doesn’t change much, can initiate the ordering process by tweeting you a short request message. This is an efficient way to take and fill orders that typically stay pretty static. Keep in mind that this approach is not going to be as effective if your products or services are highly customizable, as many of your customers’ orders may change each time they buy from you.
• Customer Referrals: Happy customers are some of your greatest marketing tools. Business owners who are very pleased with your service will tell other business owners who they know. Since Twitter is a potential breeding ground for viral marketing, you can use this to get organic, social network-based recommendations from your current customers.

These are just a few of the reasons I can think of for salespeople to be using Twitter to communicate with customers. How have you used Twitter to expand your business? Have you seen much success with any of these strategies, or others perhaps?

How to Avoid the Multi-Layered Hell of Multi-Level Marketing

Any young person who has ever conducted a job search in the sales and marketing fields has undoubtedly run into some (more like “thousands of”) ads for multi-level marketing schemes. For the love of all that is sacred and holy in this world, do NOT respond to these.

Multi-level marketing is by and large a get-nowhere scam that can destroy your resume for years after you remain duped by this idiocy. A stint in multilevel marketing looks absolutely horrible to future employers, mostly because it proves that you were naïve enough to believe you could actually get rich quick by recruiting other people, who recruit other people, who recruit other people, and so on, and so on.

So what is multilevel marketing? Where is the money made? Supposedly at some point an end user will buy the products the company manufactures, but the vast majority is made when one salesperson sells them to another salesperson, who then turns around and sells them to more new salespeople. The further up the chain you are, the more residual income you will supposedly get. In the past this has also been called a “pyramid scheme,” emphasis on scheme. Some of the big offenders on this list include Amway, Shaklee, and a host of other companies.
Here are a few things to look out for in order to steer clear of this scourge on the business world:
· Gratuitous use of the phrase “entry-level.” I understand a lot of you who are either students or fresh out of college might look at this phrase as a sign of a job posting for you. 9 times out of 10 what this really means is, “Dead End,” which is a proper descriptor for the multilevel marketing universe.
· Promises that are too good to be true. “Want to make $90-120K your first year?!! Be your own boss!! We give all-expense paid vacations to the Bahamas to our top reps twice a year!!” These phrases typically follow the aforementioned “entry level” phrase in the offending job descriptions. Don’t believe a word. Do you really think that someone is going to treat you this well during your first couple of years selling multilevel green health products? Don’t fall for this.
· Serious Inquiries Only!!! Most people think they are above average at their jobs, which is statistically impossible. This phrase plays on this anomaly, making everyone gullible enough to even give the ad 3 seconds of their attention the idea that they must be a “serious” candidate.

Does anyone have any personal experiences with the multi-level marketing world? I’d love to hear some horror stories? Or perhaps maybe you actually had a good experience? I’d certainly love to hear about those.

The All-Too-Often Forgotten Art of the Handshake

Manager Tools has an excellent podcast about the importance of the introduction part of an interview, which typically lasts for about the first 5 minutes of the meeting. I recommend this podcast to anyone who will ever go on a job interview (which is the vast majority of us) because it discusses real, actionable behaviors that you can address and incorporate into your interview tactics. While the entire episode is worth at least one listen, one of the most critical aspects of the interview that I think gets overlooked is the all-important handshake, and I think this is just as applicable to a sales call as it is an interview.
The handshake is the universal greeting of the American business world, and as such, you have an infinite number of reasons to want to develop a good one. Many handshakes are too flimsy, too overpowering, or just plain weird, and this is an immediate turn-off to a prospect. However, if you follow a few simple guidelines, you can start any sales call or meeting off on the right foot by delivering a fantastic handshake.
· Approach from the front: People don’t like to be surprised. While this is generally not an issue in a sales call, it is extremely important to remember at a networking event, a party, or just out on the street. If you are going to introduce yourself and go for the handshake, make certain that they see you coming. If you take care to do this correctly, they are much more likely to see your introduction as such, and not as an intrusion.
· Firm, but not bone-crushing: This is the most commonly flubbed-up part of a handshake. Grip their hand firmly; let them know you are there, but also ensure that your handshake doesn’t warrant a trip to the emergency room. The flipside of this is the flimsy handshake, which is what many people have a natural tendency to give. A handshake is a crucial part of your first impression. If your handshake is weak or timid, your prospect will assume that you are, too.
· Nothing weird or too casual: You know what this means. No coming into the handshake with a slap, no gang handshakes, no post-handshake bro-hugs, etc. I feel that if you even have to hear this one, you should seriously address your overall professional image, but I say it nonetheless. In short, don’t shake your prospect’s hand like you would shake your college buddies’ hands.
What other tips do you have for a great handshake? Do you have any experiences with particularly bad ones? What other advice would you give for someone to make the best first impression in an interview or sales call?