Sales is more than just a numbers game...

What’s the sales (forecast) algorithm for your business?

While reading a recent issue of Popular Science, I was intrigued by the article “The Santa Cruz Experiment: Can a City's Crime Be Predicted and Prevented?” (October, 2011). It’s fascinating and appears to hold great potential. However, what triggered a related thought to the challenge of accurate sales forecasting (i.e., your sales algorithm) was this: “One of the most common criticisms of predictive policing is that it will not tell police officers anything they don’t know already.”

When I talk to organizations about instituting a disciplined sales approach, and the need for good data gathering, resistance to software and information technology reflects a similar sentiment. Salespeople would rather operate on their own intuition than trust a computer model (or algorithm) to help them predict the close of a sale. 

As the article points out, “An algorithm is a progressive series of calculations used to process and analyze large sets of data.” Said another way, it’s not foolproof in predicting an exact outcome; it merely points to the likelihood of something to occur based on past behavior (or available data). In my mind, that’s the Catch-22 in sales forecasts; if you can’t get people to enter the data, you won’t be able to get the algorithm to reflect a reasonable prediction.

Since I believe most customers have a defined purchase process, and most organizations can likely map a common sales cycle, I struggle to understand why it seems so difficult to build a more predictable forecast model. Rather than ‘gut probability’, often reflected as a percentage of likeliness to close (get the order), it seems to me that you should be able to weight factors against common data points (e.g., time lapse, stage of the sales cycle, past performance/seniority of the salesperson, etc.) and develop a more accurate sales forecast prediction.

My recent discussions with sales professionals, managers, and business owners and executives on this topic have given rise to the notion that the unpredictability that can’t be factored in is “people”. That applies to both sides of the sales equation; on the customer side and the vendor/supplier side. However, the Santa Cruz Experiment leads me to believe that even in high-touch sales situations, where long term relationships help drive business, some predictability could be factored in.

Read the article from Popular Science and let’s get some discussion going on this topic. Also, think in terms of those companies that don’t have the luxury of large software and information technology budgets. Can the average company develop and implement a predictive sales model?

Can Harvey Mackay add anything new in his latest book, The Mackay MBA Of Selling In The Real World?

That’s what I asked myself when I was offered a copy of the book for review. Since I lean more toward the systematic selling style, and profess that a disciplined process is needed for an accelerated sales cycle, I initially steered clear of the request. But, fortunately, I reconsidered and had it sent to someone I know who is not only a fan of Harvey Mackay, but also one who would be practicing what he has read from Mackay in the past.

Don Kusterer, who has written reviews of other books we sent his way, was willing to take this latest book under his wing. I say that not only as jest, but also as fact; he would need to read it during his many coast to coast trips for business. Don is a guy who is the consummate road warrior when it comes to close customer contact. Unlike many of today’s virtual sales encounters, Don likes to understand the customer’s needs firsthand.

To expedite the book review process, I talked to Don on the phone, and asked him for any first impressions or notes he might have made along the way.

Don was quick to say, “I’ve been a fan of his since “Swim with the Sharks”. Struggling with time, to get through the beginning of the book, I found the nuggets (of wisdom) and sayings coming back from earlier books to be a redo, or so I thought.” Continuing on, Don wanted to suggest in fairness to Mackay, that he has read many books on selling, motivation, and sales psychology, so he couldn’t be sure where he may have first seen or heard them. Also, “In the same vein, when you’ve written as many books as Harvey Mackay, it is equally hard to keep the material fresh for fans.”

In Don’s mind, that’s not a problem with Mackay’s latest book. “As I moved through the chapters, sometimes only one or two at a time, my position and thought changed, too. Perhaps this was his purpose; to stir up the well-known things that we just don’t use on a regular basis, and bring them back from memory.” 

Motivated to dig into the second half of the book with a new enthusiasm, Don emphasized “Following a breather in my business, when I reached Chapter 41 (“Watch Out for These Four Letter Words”), I felt this was definitely a must read for everyone who finds themselves engaged in any type of sales assignment or customer contact. It was here that I found a new stride; I found myself in a much more creative state of mind, jotting notes on paper and in the margins as I read.  After all, isn’t that what an MBA is for, to develop the creative side of the student reader?”

Don’s home turf of St Louis began to creep in as we talked. “I recall someone recently describing the manager of the World Series Champion St. Louis Cardinals, Tony LaRussa, as “Tony is always 2 innings ahead of everyone else.” That’s the way I felt about Mackay’s later chapters that bring forward today’s additional demands of CRM (Customer Relationship Management), and how to use the Internet and social networks to your advantage.”

Can someone like Don, with 40 years experience in sales and management in the health care industry, make use of this book? “It’s a book for both young salespeople and more seasoned pros alike. One could pick at the style, or perhaps the trite sayings, not to mention the staccato method of putting the book together, but in the words of the #1 Cardinal fan, the late Jack Buck, I would declare Mackay’s newest book as, "That's a Winner!” It’s an easy read; one that can be put down and picked up again without losing a beat.“

Backgrounder: Harvey Mackay

As the founder and chairman of the $100 million MackayMitchell Envelope Company, Mackay has become a well known author, syndicated weekly business columnist,  has written six New York Times bestselling books (three #1s), and likely known best for the blockbuster “Swim with the Sharks Without Being Eaten Alive”.

STIHL knows chain saws. Everett knows trees. – The question is who runs faster?

There are few sounds in an otherwise quiet neighborhood that seem as recognizable as a chain saw. No matter how far away, I can usually pick up on the variable pitch in RPMs as well as when the saw begins to take on the cutting load. Awareness comes from my own use, but also the fact I live in an area with many trees and can hear the professionals working close by.

When the chain is sharp, the engine running smooth, and the chips begin to fly, it’s like watching a magical dance of sorts. You can easily tell when one or more things aren’t running right – from the dulling of the chain, to the sometimes troublesome start, you know when to take a timeout and put things in order. The same can be said when the job is too large for a homeowner like me to tackle on their own.

Recently it was time for me to have some trees professionally removed from my property. Having witnessed Everett Tree Service’s work nearby, I posted a piece here titled, “Trust, a key component of teamwork”. Watching the crew that day showed me how efficient tree cutting can be, but more importantly the trust and respect each member of the team had for one another.

In this profession, I can see how critical equipment can be for operator and owner alike. In Jimmy Everett’s case, this day he was both. Like before, we were scheduled for an early morning start. What I didn’t expect was he would become the assigned tree cutter that day.

Not only can he talk fast, and change subjects quicker than a digital remote, but his instructions come from a variety of directions at once. If you work for Jimmy, you better be paying attention; he can be hollering and motioning with his hands at the same time. I quickly caught on to some of the signals – a tomahawk chop was calling for a freshly sharpened saw, or the artistic hand signals for up, down, right, left, or just a tad either way for the crane; it reminded me a little of a traffic cop at a busy intersection. I think he wants his own crane someday. I can’t tell if it’s for the business, or he just wants to learn how to operate one more thing.

Jimmy’s confidence in others shows through, too. He didn’t waste time overseeing the crane’s operation –the operator and Jimmy have a long history of working together and seemed to anticipate each other’s needs. If he’s using your products, or your services, they better operate as well as Everett does; from the reliability of his STIHL Magnum chain saw, to the safety and ergonomic design of his Buckingham Ergovation harness and climbers, Everett knows that his business depends on his gear doing its job, too.

Always on the move, I would find him riding the cable and ball to the top of the tree, cutting limbs, swinging out for the next move, or gesturing for slight corrections in placement of equipment or people. What you didn’t see was the need for him to expend energy in direct supervision of each task. I had read long ago that success in management is your ability to become “the What and When, not the How” with your staff. He has a seasoned and trained crew that seems to sense his next move or instruction.

Turn your head, and he’s gone. Not one to rest between tasks – I wonder what his calorie burn rate is – I would find him climbing in the cab of a truck, or talking to the crane operator about a better line of attack for limb removal. In between all this, I would quiz him about his business, the economy, or some other topic of interest of mine. What little downtime there was between the cutting of multiple trees, Jimmy was on the phone arranging for the next job or estimate.

There’s no mystery in my mind as to what it takes to run a growing business. Doing business with people that know how to do it well carries a certain customer satisfaction of its own. Quality work, respect for your employees, and meeting the customer’s needs are the basics. Excel at any one of them and you are likely to keep growing at a sure pace. Operate like Jimmy, and you’ll likely outrun your competition.

Unkempt sales tracking outperforms CRM and sales force automation

They are a high-spirited and independent bunch; equally so, they all get along and the camaraderie is deafening. This group of seasoned salespeople will go about their business with a low-key approach, but a competitive spirit that is second to none.

Laughing in the face of CRM and more sophisticated sales tracking, their day may begin with 3 x 5 index cards, or a simple spiral bound notebook you might otherwise find in any school-age child’s classroom. Handwritten notes carry some reminders of the customer and contact events, and no page is without its fair share of strikeouts and markups of text.

Cell phone use is of simple nature – they use their phones to manage the customer’s needs much like an air traffic controller at a busy airport. Customer service reps are like ground controllers by helping each order navigate its way to completion. A few text messages here and there, and certainly a fair amount of voice mail, but email is best left to when they get home, or on the chance they will stop by the office for a visit.

Unlike their brethren who diligently – in many cases, unwillingly - update their call management software with notes and alerts, all the while losing more selling time just to keep their nose clean in the face of management, they don’t confuse activity with productivity.

How do they keep track of it all? Not much different than when the generation before them lacked today’s complex software and information technology. They are not unlike the restaurateur who remembers their best customers favorite choices that is often prefaced by, “I’ll have my usual.”

These are high touch individuals and they have the sustainable revenue numbers to prove it. Many are engaged in multigenerational businesses. Trust is a key component for their success - on the part of the customer, the company, and those who support their sales efforts.

Although you may not find them featured in a major business magazine or cover story, you are likely to see many of these professionals recognized in the local newspaper or an industry trade journal. If this sounds like you, your company, or someone you do business with, I would enjoy hearing your stories of success and how you manage your business in today’s highly competitive environment without all the stylish technology others would like to put upon you.

Book Review - Strengths Based Selling

Strengths Based Selling: Based on Decades of Gallup's Research into High-Performing Salespeople
by Tony Rutigliano and Brian Brim

“The book includes action items and real-life examples that illustrate how using strengths produces high-impact sales results.” “Top salespeople from Microsoft, Pfizer, and U.S. Bank, among others, also share their insights in this book. STRENGTHS BASED SELLING is full of success stories, making this the essential handbook for every kind of salesperson in every industry.”

This was part of the pre-release announcement for the book; with a description like this, I welcomed their offer of an advance copy for review. Sounded a bit like “In Search of Excellence” from the 1980s, except it would be fully-dedicated to sales. Well, not exactly. What I discovered was a very quick read of sales tips and ideas, sprinkled with a story or two of someone from a larger company, all the while promoting the Clifton StrengthsFinder (Dr. Donald O. Clifton).

I had to think about this for a moment; why did this idea of putting salespeople into profile categories gnaw at me so much? Bing! The book “Now, Discover Your Strengths (2001)” – same concept, and interestingly enough the co-author was Donald O. Clifton, along with Marcus Buckingham.

Whereas Buckingham may refer to them as 34 distinct worker profiles or personality themes, Strengths Based Selling calls them “Talent Themes” They also share the same titles of "Achiever", “Arranger", “Includer”, "Learner", etc. And, each book provisioned a means to go to a website and do a “brief assessment” (profile) of your own to see where you fit -  the purchase of the Strengths Based Selling book and code will offer you the “top five talent themes” in return.

On a positive note, I liked the book, Now, Discover Your Strengths. It brought forth the idea that instead of working on weaknesses, capitalize on your strengths. I have recommended it to a number of people. But, in the case of Strengths Based Selling, the talent themes got old fast. In fairness to the authors, and in the spirit of full disclosure, I am a proponent of the H R Chally Group’s predictive assessments for job roles and responsibilities. I find myself judging most any other system of personnel assessment against Chally’s work.

With highlighter and pencil in hand, I was ready to dig deeper looking for some valuable nuggets of sales wisdom and time-tested techniques; the book opens with “…we will give you strategies and tips to help use your strengths to increase your sales performance and to achieve success.” I found my initial excitement of reading first-hand accounts of top salespeople’s experiences - from major, well-known companies - was soon forgotten.

Laboring through the chapters, each with its introductory “This Chapter’s Key Points”, I found myself longing for the hands-on examples of putting someone’s strengths to work in selling. Also, for some reason the chapters didn’t seem to build on each other; it felt more like a compilation of notes than a guided trip of “Decades of Gallup's Research into High-Performing Salespeople”.

In the first chapter, talking about Gallup’s research studying “performance in many professions”, the authors talk about, “We examined the data in every possible way to try to find an explanation for the startling variance in these sales results.” Immediately upon reading this, I reflected on my own career of over 30 years in sales – the research concluded “The difference was talent” (italics was in the book – do you see “talent theme” coming through?). What about territory assignments, team selling, poor product performance, etc.

I don’t recall anything being said about the trials and tribulations of territory assignments. I am confident there are a number of people who would be willing to talk about the quality of a sales territory, or product line (specialty), as performance criteria. It wasn’t until Chapter 9 that I saw something – actually quite little, as the chapter is only 7 pages long – about Team Sales. I am also an advocate of team selling and am often known to say, Selling is a Team Sport.

S.M.A.R.T. goals may be a simple litmus test for Sales Forecasts

As a volunteer with a nonprofit, I have been helping program participants define and carry-out “S.M.A.R.T. goals”; individually, the letters stand for: “Specific, Measurable, Attainable (or achievable), Realistic and Timely”. To help you understand the concept, here is a link to a simple write-up from the Office of Multicultural Affairs, University of Kansas, which outlines the process for students.

When it comes to setting these goals, I find many people struggle with defining the goal in a SMART manner; especially when there are so many variables in their life. The variables may include income, housing, job, education, etc. I can appreciate the challenge; it’s what I often refer to as, “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time!”

And so it seems with sales forecasts. Salespeople often struggle, and are regularly challenged by management, to put a strong definition around a particular sale, or quantity of business. I have written a number of blog posts, articles, and even recorded Podcasts on the topic of sales forecasting. It’s the most searched (for) string that directs traffic to our Website; some of traffic ends up at this blog, too (we have a category named “Sales Forecasts”).

That alone leads me to believe that there must be a less elaborate way to forecasting sales. You don’t need some fancy CRM system that spits out charts and sales funnels to have a disciplined approach. It’s as simple as knowing where you are going and how you are going to get there. You can do that on paper – 3 x 5 index cards will do.

But, for those running a business, nothing short of a disciplined process is in order. You have seen it before from me, “It takes a disciplined process to produce an accelerated sales cycle.” That said, why wouldn’t a SMART goal process work for sales forecasting?

Enter a round of laughter on my part. When I began to write this post, I quickly realized that the S.M. part was easy, but the A.R.T. is not. The chuckling came as I reflected on how many times people have told me there is an ‘art’ to selling; it’s not a science. Also, I am overdue on a book review for “Strengths Based Selling” (Tony Rutigliano and Brian Brim) that talks about how understanding your “…innate talents and strengths and use them to sell more effectively.” are the qualities of the most successful reps.

That may be so for some, but in my management of sales teams over the years, it wasn’t until I got everyone on the same page that I could better forecast our numbers. If I could get the team to have “clearly-defined, written-down goals” in the form of a sales forecast, then we could work together on specific pieces of business, in a timely manner (the “T” in SMART).

Once that was accomplished, it was a matter of fending off the merry-go-round discussions of what was realistic business to be had and whether it was attainable based on what we had to offer (i.e., competition, product, services, price, etc.). Therein lies the stalemate in my mind; management and sales holding to an undefined position when it comes to attainable and realistic business.

Laughter subsiding - I can already see the notes coming my way about how selling is an ‘art’ and not a ‘science’ – I believe there is a way to overcome the obstacle. By putting in place a clear definition of what constitutes good business (i.e., great product fit, good pricing, excellent service), it’s only a matter of whether you’re the right vendor and can deliver the order on time (by the client’s deadline, or your own to make the forecast date).

Opening this up to the floor, so to speak, weigh-in with a comment on what you think about SMART goals when it comes to sales forecasts.

Book Review - Conquer CyberOverload

Conquer CyberOverload: Get More Done, Boost Your Creativity, And Reduce Stress
by Joanne Cantor, PhD, founder of Your Mind on Media

What is “CyberOverload”? According to Dr. Joanne Cantor, it occurs “…when our gadgets and constant electronic linkages interfere with our ability to lead the life we want.” Dr. Cantor implies that in some way the demands of being “…constantly linked to cell phones, computers, TV, and such.” may affect our ability to think and act in a more meaningful way. Many of us claim productivity and efficiency through the examples of ‘gadgets’ Cantor cites in her book.

When asked to review this book, after reading the advance material, I knew I would show a bias toward one’s own self-control to conquer overload. Like time management, it’s up to the individual to set the boundaries and take control of the situation. One of my favorite books – which I have recommended and sent to many friends and associates – is the time-tested “How to Get Control of Your Time and Your Life” (by Alan Lakein). Many years later, I still use Lakein’s A-B-C, 1-2-3 priority system for tasks and activities.

When Cantor’s book arrived, I was surprised by its relatively small size – it’s 74 pages in length. From front to back, I easily finished the book on an airline travel segment from Dallas/Ft. Worth, TX to Sacramento, CA. At the end of each chapter is a summary page or two, so the actual subject matter is tight within the chapter, which makes for easy reading. This should not be seen as a deterrent from picking it up to gain some helpful tips that can easily be put into action when you set it back down.

Dr. Cantor claims the book is a result of her “…desire to know more (and to communicate more) about how the brain works and about how people can use that knowledge to make their lives saner and more productive in the Internet age.” In some ways, I wish she had spent more time on this part of the book. Rather than engage in some tips that seem obvious, e.g., take a break with physical exercise, master your interruptions, etc., I would have enjoyed learning more from her research in how the brain works, and why we think we are more productive than we actually are, especially around the notion of multitasking – think texting while driving.

According to Dr. Cantor, we don’t multitask; what we actually do is “Task-Switching”. Cantor says, “…we are rapidly switching our attention back and forth between tasks.” Introduced in Chapter 2, it would be interesting to learn more about how our brain balances the constant distractions and interruptions presented by the challenge of a quality work-life balance. Follow this link for some tips from the Mayo Clinic on: “Work-life balance: Tips to reclaim control”

When I think in terms of task switching, I envision how most of us jump between gadgetry and their applications in the course of a day. Cantor’s book offers some insight, exercises, and tips on how to manage these multiple demands and interruptions of our time, and how to work more efficiently. Also, by taking control of our interruptions, we will manage to get more done. She cites research that shows how our brain can be efficient at moving between two tasks, but can’t manage both of them skillfully when performed at the same time – I would think this holds especially true when things around us are not going well. This reemphasizes the need for us to concentrate on the task at hand vs. handling demands like the guy running back and forth trying to keep all the plates spinning at once.

Other parts of the book talk about creativity and stress reduction. Much of this is well known and fairly straightforward – not much new, here. However, when she launches into the “mirror neurons” research in Chapter 4, you may want to slow down and pay attention. She’s talking about emulating what we watch, and with television and movies, she throws a caution flag of warning, “…your hostility mirror neurons will be well exercised.” Curious, I did some digging around on the Web, only to find there is a great deal of research that points to both the positive and negative effects of mirror neurons – it pays to keep a smile on your face, and your company’s, too.

It seems this book is an outgrowth of Cantor’s workshops and seminars as well as her keen desire to know more about how the brain works. For those of you that serve in a Human Relations capacity for your company, or if you are a manager of a larger department, this book may prove useful as a handout to new employees, or you could offer this as a guide for team members who need to collaborate better on a project or with each other.

Cantor is a recognized expert on the psychology of media and communications, and offers a range of presentations and keynotes for a variety of audiences or events. You can learn more about Cantor’s presentations, as well as purchase the book, from her Web site.

Café or Catering business – it’s hard to be both

As I watched someone building a series of lists within a spreadsheet, I kept thinking, “That should be in a database, not a spreadsheet.” They continued the process by using a multiple tab strategy to individualize the related lists. Now you have a series of lists in one spreadsheet, keeping them separated by tabs of multiple worksheets, all in the same file. But, you also have a cornucopia of data stored in less than optimal places from which to retrieve it.

I believe this to be a common activity as a result of perceived simplicity of data entry, user familiarity with the software application, and the ability to sort on columns of rows. I’m confident little regard is given to reporting (printouts), as I often witness the scaling of printing in an (often failed) attempt to fit things on a single page, or scale across larger paper.

It was a recent conversation with someone in the restaurant and hospitality industry that offered me some insight in this case. I found myself drawing a comparison here to the running of a café vs. that of a catering business. In one instance, you are dealing with a menu of individual items prepared as smaller quantity, made to order selections. As a caterer, you want to limit the choices and produce tasty selections efficiently, for high volume output. Although the techniques of preparation are similar, they are rarely carried out in the same way.

In business I look for a discipline or process that is repeatable and efficient, i.e., it scales well; most actions during the day can fit that condition. From answering the phones to taking orders from customers, you would likely adopt the catering model. However, if you were in a lower volume, built to order business, you may look more like the café model. Just as you might not use a café model for serving hundreds of the same meals in minutes, you likely should not use a spreadsheet to do the work of a more vigorous database requirement.

Since I go back to the early days of Lotus 1-2-3 (1A), and VisiCalc before that, I may be a little oversensitive when it comes to using a spreadsheet as a database. That’s due in part to the amount of time I have spent over the years working with database software and applications. I also did a stint with database middleware tools that helped synchronize disparate database software; we were like a Swiss Army knife for data exchanges and transfers – we were also way ahead of our time and ultimately lost the market to this functionality being built-in to the database software.

Going back to the spreadsheet vs. a database, if I use the café vs. catering analogy, it comes down to repetitive volume of similar information. Let’s same I am in the Public Relations and Promotion business. Since our sister company N2tech does limited PR work for clients, it’s fresh in my mind. If we were going to plan a single conference, an individual speaking tour, or one major event for the client, a spreadsheet might work. But, if we did the same activity for multiple clients, or multiple events for the same client, then a database makes more sense.

Although the time to set it up will likely be longer with a database, the analytics, tracking, and reporting are much better. Also, if you find that you are going to use the data on more than one occasion, retrieval and use will be better. Keeping with the PR company theme, let’s consider a list of industry journalists and reporters. In a database, you would not only have a list of the reporters and contact information, but you could build links and additional tables for tracking press coverage. You would be able to analyze which reporters responded to individual clients, as well as how many clients were getting coverage with the same reporter. The same holds true with coverage of your client’s competitors.

In my mind, it’s this simple. Using spreadsheets for list management doesn’t scale well; it’s not unlike the restaurant or café that tries to do catering. Although you could try to be both, you are normally better at one than the other.

What’s the missing link in all this? Training! I can’t count the number of pleas I have made with clients, business associates, friends, students, interns, etc. to please take online courses for common software like Microsoft Office – I have taken a number of courses from HP’s Learning Center and experienced a high degree of satisfaction.

Although training may seem time-consuming at first, it will pay handsome dividends down the road. Knowing which application serves the requirement best may be one way that you can become more productive in the markets you serve.

Book Review - Competitive Selling: Out-Plan, Out-Think, and Out-Sell to Win Every Time

Competitive Selling: Out-Plan, Out-Think, and Out-Sell to Win Every Time
by Landy Chase, founder of Landy Chase Incorporated

A book review by Danny Rosin

Out-plan. Out-think. Out-sell. Powerful words are emblazoned on Landy Chase’s book, “Competitive Selling.” With a title like that, how could a salesperson not feel compelled to at least read a few pages? I did, and having put what he preaches into action, we are winning more deals, albeit learning some hard lessons along the way.

Want to learn the tricks of how to beat your competition and retain crucial margin integrity? In what truly is a new business climate, selling styles must adapt to the market’s condition. In fact, selling right now is downright hard! It takes a lot more thought and strategy. It takes networking skills, vision, and patience.

In our office, we have a saying, “Prepare and Prevent rather than Repair and Repent.” This is easy when said aloud but to make this mantra actionable, it takes a plan. Chase’s book will help you with a time-tested plan; his easy to understand AND executable step-by-step process truly should help you close more business. Beyond that, you get to look like a pro and act like a predator along the way.  

So, what is it that is in his secret sauce? Without giving too much away, here are a few bright-line takeaways that are helping my company:

a. Identify key players/inner circle, conduct needs analysis and access the person who controls decisions,
b. Be able to persuasively demonstrate what you have in terms of value,
c. Drive the meeting with effective/enjoyable presentations and agendas,
d. Research the hell out of your prospect and ask really good questions and let them elaborate,
e. Recognize and address the “games people play” in bid situations,
f. Do not proceed with a proposal until you are able to meet with everyone, 1:1, who has a vested interest in the outcome, and
g. Do not build a proposal around the given budget. Build a solution around the needs of the customer. Give two proposals – one with budget and one based on needs of the client.

Along these lines, RFPs (Request for Proposals) are a sales activity that can offer exciting business potential because it may reward you with significant new business generation. However, they often act as the biggest ‘resource suck’ in your company. Spending time and energy on an RFP often ends up as a letdown, because you did not do your homework in advance of the RFP and failed to offer a solid proposal to the customer. Often risky, most organizations abhor them despite the fact that RFPs are the gatekeepers to winning the bigger deals for your company.

The book comes with some suggestions that are a bit too cheesy for my taste, like the personal bio sheet with mug shot and list of credentials – I see that as a possible turn-off for some decision makers. But overall, Chase identifies and understands the host of personalities involved in a decision-making process, and he shows you best the approach for each. 

My recommendation to you, after reading Chase’s book, is to make the necessary changes in your plan to garner new business, so your company can be high-fiving rather than passing around the Kleenex(R).

Danny Rosin is the President of Brand Fuel, a full-service promotional products agency that helps its clients elevate their brand. Brand Fuel is consecutively listed in the Top 100 Promotional Agencies (out of 26,000), and is also recognized in the top 2% of the industry in revenues. Rosin's responsibilities include managing sales and marketing, employee recruitment, and providing tactical counsel to clients.

Outside of Brand Fuel, Rosin is President and co-founder of Band Together, a 100% volunteer organization that raises funds and awareness for local charities through live concert events.

Outlook email Rules give rise to digital trash bin

It’s one of those out of sight, out of mind kind of outcomes. It began with great anticipation of efficiency and productivity. As a long-time user of business Rules in Outlook to handle incoming email, I have individual folders for the incoming email to quietly drop into it based on the Rule. The folder will highlight the new email by changing the folder symbol to a bold look, similar to an unread email in your Inbox.

Therein lies the problem. I know I have new email in the folder, but other than fitting the business Rule, I don’t know much about it. It could be urgent, or nothing special. I don’t know who it’s from or when it got there. What I do know is that at some point, I need to look at it. Or, do I?

I have found that most of the people I know using Outlook do not use business Rules to sort incoming email. They may develop a folder structure for storing email in Outlook in a more intelligent way, but rarely are they doing it in an automated fashion. Sometimes I feel like I am teaching Outlook classes, as I show people the functionality and use that can be achieved with the automation built into Outlook, with Rules being just a small part of what can be achieved for productivity.

However, recently I find myself less apt to bring the Rules feature to the forefront. I don’t talk as much about setting up business Rules, as I do emphasize using the Follow-up feature for marking emails, or Journal entries with Contacts; I use Contacts more than I use Business Contact Manager, too. It’s faster, simpler, easier, and I can’t find the added benefit to Business Contact Manager for what we do – there are many added features to Contacts in Outlook beyond storing names, phone numbers, and email addresses.

I now have a curiosity for why this may be the case. What I think is happening here, is the sheer volume of incoming email is no longer conducive to using Rules to handle it. What I like to do with incoming email is decide its priority, act on it or not, then quickly file it, or delete it. In some cases, I quickly delete something based on the subject line – that’s a bummer for people like us that publish an eNewsletter. We carefully craft our subject line in hopes that it will pass any Spam filters, and then entice the recipient to open it.

Using the same “Act on it once, and act on it, now.” paperwork discipline I put to use elsewhere, this helps me keep up with the volume and also set the pace of response. For those emails that I don’t want to open right away, I leave them Unread, letting the bold appearance grab my attention, later. I am a heavy user of the Follow-up feature (flag) and would bet that many people don’t know that you can tag an email with a Follow-up that travels with the email to the Recipient. That may seem a little creepy or invasive, but it may be just what you need to keep your team on-track with a topic, or project.

Where I continue to use Rules is with email that isn’t person-specific, i.e., it’s used more for ‘news’ than email topics, or people. As I sign-up for a new eNewsletter or bulletin, I create a folder and business Rule to store it. I will go back at some point during the day, week, or when on-hold on the telephone, and read some of the new email. But, once again, the volume is beginning to catch-up to my other demands, and soon the timely news and information is falling into a digital trash bin; I find myself assuming it’s old enough that it isn’t worth reading, so I just delete the Unread email.

p.s. If you have any tips on using the Rules and Alerts in Outlook that you think are especially helpful for managing teams, projects, or customer contact and relationship management, please share them here.