In just under 200 pages Willingham lays out the principles that one needs to follow if you want a long-term successful career in sales. Key to his philosophy is his "Sales Congruence Model" illustrated on page 44. Customer centricity is important to Willingham for he believes that focusing on filling customers' needs and wants will make you far more successful than focusing on your company's product or service features.
A second key concept for Willingham is "Sales Power" which is released to the extent that your desire for the rewards of higher goals excites, energizes and motivates you to learn, grow and stretch. Willingham's book "Integrity Selling for the 21st Century" can help energize anyone's sales career and should be a must read for anyone considering themselves a sales professional.
http://ca.linkedin.com/in/jamesg2006
Monday, January 24, 2011
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Book Review: How Life Imitates Chess by Gary Kasparov
When you get an opportunity to spend a couple of hours with a genius in their field you take it!
In How Life Imitates Chess; Kasparov the highest-rated chess player in the world for over twenty years shows how one can utilize the tools and strategies he utilized on the chessboard to succeed at life.
In business as in chess most battles are decided by material, time and quality. Do you have more assets than your competition? Have you put in more focused time into developing a better plan of execution or following trends? Is the work you’ve been putting in over the years been your best effort? Preparation is key.
Kasparov also warns us to question success. Don’t let it go to your head or dull your efforts or before you know it you will be knocked off by a less complacent opponent.
James Gingerich
http://ca.linkedin.com/in/jamesg2006
In How Life Imitates Chess; Kasparov the highest-rated chess player in the world for over twenty years shows how one can utilize the tools and strategies he utilized on the chessboard to succeed at life.
In business as in chess most battles are decided by material, time and quality. Do you have more assets than your competition? Have you put in more focused time into developing a better plan of execution or following trends? Is the work you’ve been putting in over the years been your best effort? Preparation is key.
Kasparov also warns us to question success. Don’t let it go to your head or dull your efforts or before you know it you will be knocked off by a less complacent opponent.
James Gingerich
http://ca.linkedin.com/in/jamesg2006
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Time Flies When You Don't Have a Plan.
Ever notice how time seems to fly by when you don't have a plan of attack for that particular day? Catch up on a few phone calls and complete some overdue paperwork before lunch isn't much of plan. As a salesperson do you have a territory plan in place for 2010 yet? You should.
Without a plan, how do you know if you have accomplished anything towards your goals? How can you stay on track. Without a well thought out plan of attack and daily tasks focused on achieving your daily, weekly, monthly or annual goals you'll be merely spinning your wheels in useless activity. Sure it may look good for awhile but without a plan you'll never achieve the results you should.
One of the best sales planning material I've been exposed to in quite some time is from Joe and Mike of the Sales Roundup podcast. Recently they did a three part podcast entitled 90 day Sales Turnaround Plan. This material and other sessions where they covered planning can be seen here!
http://salesroundup.com/blog/category/podcast/planning/
James Gingerich
http://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesg2006
http://www.twitter.com/jamesvgingerich
Without a plan, how do you know if you have accomplished anything towards your goals? How can you stay on track. Without a well thought out plan of attack and daily tasks focused on achieving your daily, weekly, monthly or annual goals you'll be merely spinning your wheels in useless activity. Sure it may look good for awhile but without a plan you'll never achieve the results you should.
One of the best sales planning material I've been exposed to in quite some time is from Joe and Mike of the Sales Roundup podcast. Recently they did a three part podcast entitled 90 day Sales Turnaround Plan. This material and other sessions where they covered planning can be seen here!
http://salesroundup.com/blog/category/podcast/planning/
James Gingerich
http://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesg2006
http://www.twitter.com/jamesvgingerich
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Book Review: Softwar by Mathew Symonds
If you have ever worked with Oracle or competed against them; this book is a must read. It captures the competitive spirit of Larry Ellison and the resultant culture of his firm. The book highlights the "Perfect Storm" of Oracle's infamous encounter with the State of California and details Ellison's gamble in shifting the company from a vendor of client-server software to the E-Business Suite. Whether or not Symonds intended to draw analogies between Ellison's yachting "hobby" and his business pursuits it makes for a very interesting read.
After reading about Oracle's battles against Microsoft you can't help rooting for Ellison and his warrior leadership style.
As a salesperson in the software industry I found it a great read!
James Gingerich
http://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesg2006
http://softwaresalespersoneducation.blogspot.com/
After reading about Oracle's battles against Microsoft you can't help rooting for Ellison and his warrior leadership style.
As a salesperson in the software industry I found it a great read!
James Gingerich
http://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesg2006
http://softwaresalespersoneducation.blogspot.com/
Monday, June 23, 2008
What happens when you get hit by a truck?
August 30, 2007. Crossing the street with the light I was struck by a red pickup truck.
10 months later I'm not yet back to 100%. It wasn't planned. I wasn't in control. It's affected my stamina, my attitude, my stress level and now has cut into my sales results.
I didn't do anything wrong and it's not fair.
Who cares?
Business is about results. Performance is about results. Period.
One's ability to compartmentalize is one's key to persevering here. When at work think only of work. Leave the insurance forms, the pain, the frustrations at home. At work try as much as possible to think only of the task at hand. Make a list of the top ten things you need to do that day and then concentrate on getting those done.
Pysical injuries that impair travel or your ability to work from home need to be fully explained and managed with your employer. In my case immediately after the accident I took a week's holiday's to rest, recover and hope for the best. Once I knew how bad the damage, two blood clots in my left leg; I negotiated the ability to work from home until such a time I could physically come back to the office.
Pain medication is a beautiful thing however it can affect memory. If working from home make copious homes and adhere to a strict system of followup. Prolonged leg pain can make a sound sleep next to impossible. After awhile systemic sleep loss does affect your performance. Sticking to a system can keep you in the game and prevent you from inadvertantly alienating some of your best customers.
Even when you get back to the office, realize your limitations. You won't be able to work the hours you did prior to the accident. You have to gradually build your strength back up. Progress is never linear. There will be several weeks where pain and mobility don't seem to be improving. Patience and persistance are important here. Set goals for numbers of calls, emails etc per day and stick to it as best you can. Cut out unnecessary tasks like blogs until you have the time to give it the attention it deserves. Make extra allowances for new demands on your time. Physio, doctor's apointments, insurance forms, legal conversations can take tons of time. Schedule these types of interruptions for off hours as much as possible.
Keep your chin up. Others may offer their help but don't count on it. Experiences like this allow you a real opportunity of finding out who your friends really are.
Remember that Nietzsche once said whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger.
James Gingerich
http://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesg2006
http://softwareindustryrant.blogspot.com/
10 months later I'm not yet back to 100%. It wasn't planned. I wasn't in control. It's affected my stamina, my attitude, my stress level and now has cut into my sales results.
I didn't do anything wrong and it's not fair.
Who cares?
Business is about results. Performance is about results. Period.
One's ability to compartmentalize is one's key to persevering here. When at work think only of work. Leave the insurance forms, the pain, the frustrations at home. At work try as much as possible to think only of the task at hand. Make a list of the top ten things you need to do that day and then concentrate on getting those done.
Pysical injuries that impair travel or your ability to work from home need to be fully explained and managed with your employer. In my case immediately after the accident I took a week's holiday's to rest, recover and hope for the best. Once I knew how bad the damage, two blood clots in my left leg; I negotiated the ability to work from home until such a time I could physically come back to the office.
Pain medication is a beautiful thing however it can affect memory. If working from home make copious homes and adhere to a strict system of followup. Prolonged leg pain can make a sound sleep next to impossible. After awhile systemic sleep loss does affect your performance. Sticking to a system can keep you in the game and prevent you from inadvertantly alienating some of your best customers.
Even when you get back to the office, realize your limitations. You won't be able to work the hours you did prior to the accident. You have to gradually build your strength back up. Progress is never linear. There will be several weeks where pain and mobility don't seem to be improving. Patience and persistance are important here. Set goals for numbers of calls, emails etc per day and stick to it as best you can. Cut out unnecessary tasks like blogs until you have the time to give it the attention it deserves. Make extra allowances for new demands on your time. Physio, doctor's apointments, insurance forms, legal conversations can take tons of time. Schedule these types of interruptions for off hours as much as possible.
Keep your chin up. Others may offer their help but don't count on it. Experiences like this allow you a real opportunity of finding out who your friends really are.
Remember that Nietzsche once said whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger.
James Gingerich
http://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesg2006
http://softwareindustryrant.blogspot.com/
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Lesson Learned: Prospect Integrity
I've been involved in hi-tech sales since 1986. With that much sales experience you begin to think you've seen it all. And then a large company surprises you and not in a good way.
I'd like to state the company's name right here but I won't compromise my own sales professional code of conduct just to make a point.
Suffice it to say, I wasted a lot of time pursuing a prospect this quarter that is never going to generate any revenue. And had they been honest with me to begin with or at least ethical with me to begin with; I never would have wasted any time with them at all.
Mere sour grapes over a lost sale?
Hardly.
This company approached me at the end of last quarter after downloading our mobile device management software. After trying unsuccesfully for several weeks to get onsite and set up a pilot I was asked for pricing.
My gut told me not to quote.
I discussed my reluctance to quote with the purchaser. He brushed aside my candid concerns about being "column fodder" and explained to me that he needed our pricing for budgetary purposes only at this point. We would still be invited onsite to set up a pilot before the decision would be made.
I ignored my gut. I quoted. I didn't want to lose my shot at a six figure deal.
The day after I quoted I promptly followed up, only to be told to give them a call back in two weeks. Classic. They had their pricing and now they didn't need me for anything else. What else could I do but call back in two weeks?
When I called back my main point of contact refused to speak with me and informed me I would be hearing from his boss. My stomach knotted. This was not good news.
Later the email I received from his boss simply stated that "after careful review" they would not be selecting our product. There was nothing else I could do at this point but put a call into the "boss" and hopefully get some explanation.
He called me back about 10 minutes later. He explained to me that this fortune 1000 account had acquired a systems integration company in Q4 of last year that was a reseller for one of our competitors' products. There was no way they were ever going to purchase from us.
I wanted to ask him to define the word "ethics" for me.
I wanted to see if it was alright for our technical people to bill him for the "free consulting" we gave his firm as part of what we thought was an open sales process.
I wanted to ask him if he would be willing to prepare an indepth quotation for us?
Instead, I just thanked him for the opportunity of quoting their business, wished him good luck with the project and reminded him to keep us in mind if the technology they just purchased didn't meet their expectations.
When that phone conversation ended; at least one of us still had some integrity left.
James Gingerich
http://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesg2006
http://softwareindustryrant.blogspot.com/
I'd like to state the company's name right here but I won't compromise my own sales professional code of conduct just to make a point.
Suffice it to say, I wasted a lot of time pursuing a prospect this quarter that is never going to generate any revenue. And had they been honest with me to begin with or at least ethical with me to begin with; I never would have wasted any time with them at all.
Mere sour grapes over a lost sale?
Hardly.
This company approached me at the end of last quarter after downloading our mobile device management software. After trying unsuccesfully for several weeks to get onsite and set up a pilot I was asked for pricing.
My gut told me not to quote.
I discussed my reluctance to quote with the purchaser. He brushed aside my candid concerns about being "column fodder" and explained to me that he needed our pricing for budgetary purposes only at this point. We would still be invited onsite to set up a pilot before the decision would be made.
I ignored my gut. I quoted. I didn't want to lose my shot at a six figure deal.
The day after I quoted I promptly followed up, only to be told to give them a call back in two weeks. Classic. They had their pricing and now they didn't need me for anything else. What else could I do but call back in two weeks?
When I called back my main point of contact refused to speak with me and informed me I would be hearing from his boss. My stomach knotted. This was not good news.
Later the email I received from his boss simply stated that "after careful review" they would not be selecting our product. There was nothing else I could do at this point but put a call into the "boss" and hopefully get some explanation.
He called me back about 10 minutes later. He explained to me that this fortune 1000 account had acquired a systems integration company in Q4 of last year that was a reseller for one of our competitors' products. There was no way they were ever going to purchase from us.
I wanted to ask him to define the word "ethics" for me.
I wanted to see if it was alright for our technical people to bill him for the "free consulting" we gave his firm as part of what we thought was an open sales process.
I wanted to ask him if he would be willing to prepare an indepth quotation for us?
Instead, I just thanked him for the opportunity of quoting their business, wished him good luck with the project and reminded him to keep us in mind if the technology they just purchased didn't meet their expectations.
When that phone conversation ended; at least one of us still had some integrity left.
James Gingerich
http://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesg2006
http://softwareindustryrant.blogspot.com/
Book Review: 20 Days to The Top by Brian Sullivan
There are some authors you connect with and some you don't. Sorry Brian I'm not quite getting it. The acronym PRECISE does give one a basic sales methodology but I've seen better. The free DVD sales seminar that came with the book provided me with a little extra insight as to why the book didn't quite meet my personal expectations.
http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/1402205139/ref=olp_product_details?ie=UTF8&me=&seller=
Highlighting the DVD sales seminar was a short video clip of Brian Sullivan and Julia Roberts from a movie scene that he snuck onto while it was being shot. The topic covered at the time was pride or being proud.
Brian I paid good money for a book and DVD that I expected was going to lay out a 20 day step by step plan and that if I followed that plan my sales would improve. What I got was a collection of tidbits, movie cameos and a sales methodology that at best seemed crammed into the letters of PRECISE more to fit the acronym than to help me advance my sales career.
As a questioning system the acronym CLEAR in chapter 13 does make this book worth reading. Had the whole book been based around this topic in a more "precise" fashion it would have been worth a lot more.
As for the DVD, a little more content and a lot less motivation would make the DVD more appealing. As it stands right now, all I took away from the DVD was the movie cameo you snuck your way into and how much you remind me of that annoying character on the old sitcom "Spin City." Had there been more content I don't think my mind would have been wandering and drawing mental comparisons to old TV shows.
The quotes throughout the book were an added bonus. But unfortunately I do not feel that this book will take me to the top in 20 days.
James Gingerich
http://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesg2006
PS If you would like to buy this book please go to:
http://www.salesroundup.com/
And follow the link to Amazon on their site. The affiliate revenue generate by taking the time to make these extra few clicks allows them to provide a great podcasts to thousands of sales professionals for free!
http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/1402205139/ref=olp_product_details?ie=UTF8&me=&seller=
Highlighting the DVD sales seminar was a short video clip of Brian Sullivan and Julia Roberts from a movie scene that he snuck onto while it was being shot. The topic covered at the time was pride or being proud.
Brian I paid good money for a book and DVD that I expected was going to lay out a 20 day step by step plan and that if I followed that plan my sales would improve. What I got was a collection of tidbits, movie cameos and a sales methodology that at best seemed crammed into the letters of PRECISE more to fit the acronym than to help me advance my sales career.
As a questioning system the acronym CLEAR in chapter 13 does make this book worth reading. Had the whole book been based around this topic in a more "precise" fashion it would have been worth a lot more.
As for the DVD, a little more content and a lot less motivation would make the DVD more appealing. As it stands right now, all I took away from the DVD was the movie cameo you snuck your way into and how much you remind me of that annoying character on the old sitcom "Spin City." Had there been more content I don't think my mind would have been wandering and drawing mental comparisons to old TV shows.
The quotes throughout the book were an added bonus. But unfortunately I do not feel that this book will take me to the top in 20 days.
James Gingerich
http://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesg2006
PS If you would like to buy this book please go to:
http://www.salesroundup.com/
And follow the link to Amazon on their site. The affiliate revenue generate by taking the time to make these extra few clicks allows them to provide a great podcasts to thousands of sales professionals for free!
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