Ever had to wait a few minutes to see someone on a sales call? Ever had a flight delayed?
Why not plan to do something constructive with those extra minutes?
Read something. But not just anything. If you're in the software industry make it a part of your routine to keep up on software industry events by reading industry publications during those few minutes you would otherwise be wasting. The publications themselves are compact enough to easily fit into your briefcase or notebook bag.
And the best part; there are some high quality magazine subscriptions available for free!
http://www.informationweek.com/
http://www.eweek.com/
After just a couple of months by making just this small change you'll be amazed at what a difference a little bit of industry knowledge can make in your career. Finding new prospects, expanding your network or keeping closer tabs on the competition might even add a zero or two to a couple of your commission checks ths year.
So start turning those pages as soon as possible. Your competition probably already is!
James Gingerich
http://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesg2006
http://softwareindustryrant.blogspot.com
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Monday, January 21, 2008
Integrity in the Marketplace
Why don't people just tell the truth anymore?
Prospects who've downloaded your software, say they are interested but never, ever buy from you. Do they think they are doing one a favour by not just admitting they are never going to buy? Please. The extra time a salesperson wastes with a tire kicker could be better spent on real potential clients. As a sales rep make sure to limit your time spent on tire kickers as much as possible. Only provide them information on a "quid pro quo" basis. Make frequent use of the phrase "I'll do this for you if you do this for me."
Worse than tire-kickers are those professional purchasers who need "column fodder" for their next large purchase. They begin an entire make-believe sales cycle for the sole purpose of compelling you to spend hours of time preparing an RFP response that you never had a chance at winning in the first place. Some firms require their purchasers to get three bids before being allowed to confirm the order with the company they were going to do business with anyway. Since an RFP is something of value and takes a lot of time to prepare shouldn't software vendors charge a fee for these?
Here's a hint; if you didn't help your prospect put the RFP together chances are you are not going to win. If the prospect hasn't fully evaluated your software technically; chances are you are not going to win. And hey if your prospect needs a quote by the end of the month and today is the fifteenth and this is the first you've heard from them; chances are you are not going to win!
James Gingerich
http://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesg2006
http://softwareindustryrant.blogspot.com
Prospects who've downloaded your software, say they are interested but never, ever buy from you. Do they think they are doing one a favour by not just admitting they are never going to buy? Please. The extra time a salesperson wastes with a tire kicker could be better spent on real potential clients. As a sales rep make sure to limit your time spent on tire kickers as much as possible. Only provide them information on a "quid pro quo" basis. Make frequent use of the phrase "I'll do this for you if you do this for me."
Worse than tire-kickers are those professional purchasers who need "column fodder" for their next large purchase. They begin an entire make-believe sales cycle for the sole purpose of compelling you to spend hours of time preparing an RFP response that you never had a chance at winning in the first place. Some firms require their purchasers to get three bids before being allowed to confirm the order with the company they were going to do business with anyway. Since an RFP is something of value and takes a lot of time to prepare shouldn't software vendors charge a fee for these?
Here's a hint; if you didn't help your prospect put the RFP together chances are you are not going to win. If the prospect hasn't fully evaluated your software technically; chances are you are not going to win. And hey if your prospect needs a quote by the end of the month and today is the fifteenth and this is the first you've heard from them; chances are you are not going to win!
James Gingerich
http://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesg2006
http://softwareindustryrant.blogspot.com
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Working from home.
I was hit by a pickup truck while legally crossing a street on August 30th 2007. No broken bones but enough "soft tissue damage" around the left knee to cause it to swell approximately five times its' normal size resulting in two blood clots.
Since then I've been working from home.
It's not what I thought it would be.
I miss the human contact. The ability to go park yourself outside someone's door if you really need something from someone in another department for a customer. It's boring staring at the same four walls all day and it's tough managing your time. No, getting started, staying focused and getting things done isn't my problem. Punching out for the day is. I need to learn when to call it a day.
I have learned yet another reason why sales is such a great profession. You can do the job from almost anywhere! Until they introduce mandatory video phones my customers or my boss for that manner has no idea I haven't showered that day or that I'm in my pajamas, eating a bowl of Fruit Loops while receiving the latest "booster shot" of technical mumbo jumbo from product management. During the really dry ones; rather than struggling to stay awake in a meeting room with my colleagues I can freely multi-task and be sending out emails to my customer list! All from the privacy of my own home! Did I mention no... absolutely no commute time!
Who am I kidding?
Today marks the first of a two day sales kickoff our company is having in Florida this week. Did I mention that I'm stuck here in snowbound Waterloo Ontario? Guess where I'd rather be? While I'm tossing back blood thinners and painkillers they're probably tossing back fancy drinks with those tiny umbrellas poolside!
In an attempt to try and compensate for all the fun and human interactivity I'll be missing out on at the kickoff I've turned things up a notch this week on Linked in. I've sent out invites to loads of contacts, high school friends and University alumni I've lost contact with over the years. In just one week my number of connections has gone up over 30%. If my sales follow suit it will be a good year.
But remember this is coming from a guy who got hit by a pickup driver executing a blind right turn at red-lighted intersection. With my luck my increased activity on Linkedin will be interpreted by our HR department as a fullscale job search in which case I could stand to lose my employment in addition to my already forfeited mobility!
Enough introspection. I've got some cold calls to make!
James Gingerich
http://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesg2006
http://softwareindustryrant.blogspot.com/
Since then I've been working from home.
It's not what I thought it would be.
I miss the human contact. The ability to go park yourself outside someone's door if you really need something from someone in another department for a customer. It's boring staring at the same four walls all day and it's tough managing your time. No, getting started, staying focused and getting things done isn't my problem. Punching out for the day is. I need to learn when to call it a day.
I have learned yet another reason why sales is such a great profession. You can do the job from almost anywhere! Until they introduce mandatory video phones my customers or my boss for that manner has no idea I haven't showered that day or that I'm in my pajamas, eating a bowl of Fruit Loops while receiving the latest "booster shot" of technical mumbo jumbo from product management. During the really dry ones; rather than struggling to stay awake in a meeting room with my colleagues I can freely multi-task and be sending out emails to my customer list! All from the privacy of my own home! Did I mention no... absolutely no commute time!
Who am I kidding?
Today marks the first of a two day sales kickoff our company is having in Florida this week. Did I mention that I'm stuck here in snowbound Waterloo Ontario? Guess where I'd rather be? While I'm tossing back blood thinners and painkillers they're probably tossing back fancy drinks with those tiny umbrellas poolside!
In an attempt to try and compensate for all the fun and human interactivity I'll be missing out on at the kickoff I've turned things up a notch this week on Linked in. I've sent out invites to loads of contacts, high school friends and University alumni I've lost contact with over the years. In just one week my number of connections has gone up over 30%. If my sales follow suit it will be a good year.
But remember this is coming from a guy who got hit by a pickup driver executing a blind right turn at red-lighted intersection. With my luck my increased activity on Linkedin will be interpreted by our HR department as a fullscale job search in which case I could stand to lose my employment in addition to my already forfeited mobility!
Enough introspection. I've got some cold calls to make!
James Gingerich
http://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesg2006
http://softwareindustryrant.blogspot.com/
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
Staying "Linked in"
Are you on "Linked in" yet? If you are in software sales you should be. It's a great way of staying in touch with former co-workers, clients and friends in the industry. It's also a great tool for virtual networking and contacting new prospects through your current contacts. You get to ask for direct referals.
Looking for that new job or in competition for a promotion? "Linked in" is the modern day standard for online resumes. It's a great way of keeping your name out there even though you're not necessarily looking for something new right now. There's even a section that shows you how many times your page has been viewed and by whom and how many times your name has come up in a search.
There's a Q & A section where you can post questions on any topic and have them answered by the Linked in Community. Providing answers gets you expertise points.
Like most tools the value get out of "Linked in" is merely a derivative of the amount of time and energy you put into it. So check it out: www.linkedin.com
James Gingerich
http://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesg2006
Looking for that new job or in competition for a promotion? "Linked in" is the modern day standard for online resumes. It's a great way of keeping your name out there even though you're not necessarily looking for something new right now. There's even a section that shows you how many times your page has been viewed and by whom and how many times your name has come up in a search.
There's a Q & A section where you can post questions on any topic and have them answered by the Linked in Community. Providing answers gets you expertise points.
Like most tools the value get out of "Linked in" is merely a derivative of the amount of time and energy you put into it. So check it out: www.linkedin.com
James Gingerich
http://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesg2006
Monday, December 31, 2007
The SalesRoundup Podcast
I am a strong believer in continuous learning. It is your biggest weapon you have to fight against professional obsolescence which in the software industry can occur quite quickly.
Gone are the days when one could sit back and trust your career development and training to the company you work for. You need to take personal responsibility and ensure that you spend a certain amount of time each week to improving yourself as a sales professional. You can attend training classes, read books, read blogs or even listen to podcasts on your iPod while working out in the morning! True multi-tasking!
One of my favorite podcasts is the SalesRoundup Podcast.
http://www.salesroundup.com/
With each episode they cover a different topic and are sure to be featured in plenty of future posts of this blog. Their current episode is numbered 115 and is entitled "Don't Be a Scrooge! Holiday Gift Giving for Salespeople." Let me emphasize the number 115. By going to their site you can download 115 different episodes of sales educational content for free! This isn't dry material either. Both Joe and Mike have a great sense of humour that makes learning fun!
How valuable is that?
Joe and Mike (the producers and owners of The SalesRoundup) have their own espisode newsletter that's very informative and sent out on a weekly basis. When you sign up for their newsletter you have the opportunity of putting down the email address of who referred you. Since they have a great prize pack each quarter for the individual who refers the most new subscribers to their free newsletter would you mind using my email address?
jgingeri@ianywhere.com
Just once I'd like to win their prize pack!
James Gingerich
http://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesg2006
http://softwareindustryrant.blogspot.com/
Gone are the days when one could sit back and trust your career development and training to the company you work for. You need to take personal responsibility and ensure that you spend a certain amount of time each week to improving yourself as a sales professional. You can attend training classes, read books, read blogs or even listen to podcasts on your iPod while working out in the morning! True multi-tasking!
One of my favorite podcasts is the SalesRoundup Podcast.
http://www.salesroundup.com/
With each episode they cover a different topic and are sure to be featured in plenty of future posts of this blog. Their current episode is numbered 115 and is entitled "Don't Be a Scrooge! Holiday Gift Giving for Salespeople." Let me emphasize the number 115. By going to their site you can download 115 different episodes of sales educational content for free! This isn't dry material either. Both Joe and Mike have a great sense of humour that makes learning fun!
How valuable is that?
Joe and Mike (the producers and owners of The SalesRoundup) have their own espisode newsletter that's very informative and sent out on a weekly basis. When you sign up for their newsletter you have the opportunity of putting down the email address of who referred you. Since they have a great prize pack each quarter for the individual who refers the most new subscribers to their free newsletter would you mind using my email address?
jgingeri@ianywhere.com
Just once I'd like to win their prize pack!
James Gingerich
http://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesg2006
http://softwareindustryrant.blogspot.com/
Blazing A Trail
When most people think of a "salesperson" the image that comes to mind is often that of WKRP's Herb Tarlek (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herb_Tarlek) or worse. Some people turn to internet shopping just to avoid the hassle of dealing with salespeople.
This blog is dedicated to sales professionals in the software industry. Those of us who battle our quotas every quarter while struggling to keep up with our industry, our company, our products, our competition, our customers' satisfaction and our prospects' expectations.
This blog will contain tidbits of valuable information gained through first hand experience, research and reflection. The intent is to provide a path that others may follow towards professional improvement and larger commission checks!
May you learn as much from this blog as I have learned from the mentors I have had the fortune to have met along the path my career has taken to date. This is my personal way of giving back to a community that has been very good to me.
James Gingerich
http://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesg2006
http://softwareindustryrant.blogspot.com/
This blog is dedicated to sales professionals in the software industry. Those of us who battle our quotas every quarter while struggling to keep up with our industry, our company, our products, our competition, our customers' satisfaction and our prospects' expectations.
This blog will contain tidbits of valuable information gained through first hand experience, research and reflection. The intent is to provide a path that others may follow towards professional improvement and larger commission checks!
May you learn as much from this blog as I have learned from the mentors I have had the fortune to have met along the path my career has taken to date. This is my personal way of giving back to a community that has been very good to me.
James Gingerich
http://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesg2006
http://softwareindustryrant.blogspot.com/
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