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Name of author Rick Baker, P.Eng.

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Getting over the perplexities of business development

by Rick Baker
On Apr 1, 2016

Today, I am thinking about business development… How to find clients who would obtain value from our service… What, specifically, do they think they need and why do they need it?...And how should I go about connecting with them in a meaningful way so they understand what we can do to help them?

There's lots of advice - out there - to guide me: 

  •  People are too busy to meet 
  •  People do not return phone calls 
  •  People do not read email 
  •  This magazine advertising space is on sale
  •  Better build an amazing website 
  •  Better put lots of SEO stuff in that website 
  •  Make some cool videos, cool stuff works
  •  Add lots of content, keep it fresh and fun 
  •  Social media - that's essential

…and every day I get a couple of emails from folks who tell me they have a surefire way to provide some choice new clients. 

So, with all of this to help me, I'm pretty much set to go sign up some new clients. 

Wait a second. We do excellent work. Our clients are pleased with our work. Why not rely on word-of-mouth? 

OK - we're good - time to get back to work. 

Tags:

Marketing | Sales

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Know People

by Rick Baker
On Dec 23, 2015
Father-to-Son Business Lesson #19
 
Below is a note sent by me to my son, over 5 years ago.
 
This note was #19 in a long series of father-to-son Business Lessons.
 
In this note, I was trying to present my thoughts about ‘knowing people’, as it relates to business and particularly to sales.
***
“We must work continuously to understand ourselves and to understand others. This is important for business success in any role. This is important for business success in a Sales role.

Responding in the same order you have written...

Centaurs: just like "perfect salesmen", they do not exist

Motivational Momentum: my philosophy is: "Only you can motivate you. Only me can motivate me. So, seek the motivation from within. If you wait for others to motivate you then you will be either disappointed or their slave."

Sales: for sales this is the most-important lesson I can offer…
Sales is not about products and product knowledge.
Sales is not about services.

The essence of sales is: the customer.

The essence of the customer is: people.

The essence of people: maybe it is 'emotions'? I think there is a good argument to support: the essence of people is emotions. Even if it is not the essence it is wrapped up in the same package as the essence....emotions, conscience, thought, wonder, etc.

Sales is about understanding people. What they fear and what they desire....

What makes them happy? They want that.
What do they fear? They want to avoid that.
What do they need? They want that.

The training for Sales is about knowing what makes people tick.

The training for Business is about knowing what makes people tick.

To learn sales - learn people.
To learn people - start with yourself.

What inspires you?

What do you fear?

What do you desire?

What do you need?

Those sorts of questions....

As you start to learn about yourself, and it will be a lifetime task, try to expand your knowledge of people by adding others....those you feel you can trust.

Study famous people who clearly understood people: Gandhi, for example.

Listen to motivational tapes: Covey's 7 Habits, etc

Business = Sales = People.

Get my point?”


First posted July 5th, 2011

Tags:

Business Contains Only 3 Things | Emotions & Feelings @ Work | Family Business and CFFB | Father-to-Son Lessons | Hero Worship | Sales | STRENGTHS: People-Focused for Success

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If we build it better, they will come.

by Rick Baker
On Dec 10, 2015

The question is, Can we build it better? 

And, the answer must be, Yes, of course we can make improvements and build it better.

First, we must put on their shoes and walk a mile in them. Seeing things clearly, from their perspective, will ensure the changes we make will be improvements.

When we build improvements & better value, they will come.

Branding, marketing, hype, buzz, relationship calls, and sales arm-twists…sure these things have some push, pull, and magnetism. If we do these things they may come.

On the other hand…

If we build it better, they will come.

Tags:

Abundance | Marketing | Sales

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Keep your goals in mind...and seek simpler paths.

by Rick Baker
On Dec 7, 2015

In Sales roles, it is essential to keep your eye on the finish line; understanding the hurdles between you and your goal is far more important than understanding the hurdles in your wake.

And, following Ockham's razor or ancient wisdom - or, if you prefer, following the natural law of gravity - the simplest routes to success are generally the best routes.

Complication and complexity confound and confuse.

Simplicity brings skill development, speed & ease. 

Keep your goals in mind...and seek simpler paths.

Tags:

Goals - SMARTACRE Goals | Sales | Seeking Simple!

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Fresh-squeezed Sales Juice

by Rick Baker
On Nov 25, 2015
What do you need to do to get your sales people juiced up about the amazing opportunities you see everywhere you look?
 
First, does that question resonate with you?
 
Specifically - Do you see amazing opportunities everywhere you look?
 
I hear entrepreneurs say that all the time. Entrepreneurs see lots of opportunities. And, entrepreneurs are often puzzled because people who follow them do not see the opportunities or have trouble ‘capturing’ them. I hear that often…not necessarily as complaints…just statements of the facts as entrepreneurs see them.
 
Entrepreneurs and other business leaders want to capture opportunities. These people are builders and opportunities enable growth. So, it is important to find ways to juice up sales activities to capture the amazing opportunities. Yet, many entrepreneurs struggle with this. Entrepreneurs know they need to juice up sales activities but they have trouble figuring out how to get it done.
 
Here are some suggestions on how to juice up sales activities:
  1. Complete a down-deep-and-personal assessment of your sales staff. Spend a little time on assessments. Spend more time on assessments. Understand personal strengths and personal weaknesses. This is the key. Really Understand Your Sales People Personality.
  2. Skip the formalities. Use few words. Use simple words. Remember the …address the 20% that impacts 80%, forget the rest. Just cover the most-important things…with clarity. Create a Bare-Bones Marketing Plan 80/20 Rule.
  3. Engage People Strengths: Each of your sales people has specific strengths. Make sure each person understands his/her individual, specific strengths and how those strengths mesh with role activities and sales success. Adjust work activities to fit the people strengths. Each sales person must be allowed to engage his/her individual strengths. Do not force sales people to conform to a fixed set of sales activities…allow your unique people to succeed uniquely.
  4. Plan Around or Over the Gaps…Not Through Them: Accept the fact there will be gaps. Your people will not be able to do things the way you do things so do not use yourself as the performance benchmark. There will be individual gaps [each sales person will have personal weaknesses] and there will be group gaps [overall weak areas, ie, activities where no one on your sales team is strong]. Do not fight those gaps. Do not attempt to change sales people so they fill the gaps. Just engage people strengths to fill gaps. Apply the 80/20 Rule…work on no more than 20% of the gaps. If your people do not have the necessary strengths then hire people with the strengths required to fill the gaps. Often, you will find yourself wanting to hire hunters. Again, that 80/20 Rule applies…at best 20% of sales people are hunters.
  5. Set Some Rules…Carefully: Be careful. You should have just enough rules to make sure sales people understand the game. Don’t spoil the game. Do not micro-manage.
  6. Lead By Example…Discuss Carefully: Do deals. Provide ideas. Be careful. Make sure you convey the fact your sales activity works for you but it will not necessarily work for others. In fact, it is unlikely it will work for others. Every sales person needs to understand how to put his/her strengths to best use. That is a key message. Repeat it often. Work to help people make it happen.

 
Footnote:
 
80/20 Rule: The Pareto principle (also known as the 80/20 Rule, the law of the vital few, and the principle of factor sparsity) states that, for many events, roughly 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes. 

Tags:

80/20 Rule | Entrepreneur Thinking | Sales

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Clients' Clients Philosophy

by Rick Baker
On Mar 19, 2015

Tags:

Clients' Clients Philosophy | Marketing | Sales | Spirited Leaders

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