Looking for a Farm-ter

The time was about 6 on a gloomy Wednesday evening. A local coffee place at the corner table. We were both busy staring each other down. Not fully trusting him due to the reputation the industry has created, I glance between my laptop and his notebook (actual notebook with paper sheets) thinking to myself how I have yet to fully see through this guy. This is our 3rd face to face and about 10th interaction throughout the past 3 months!
About an hour later, we part ways with a hand shake and with the understanding that he will send me the final version of the document and I will sleep on it just a few more days before making the decision.

The year was 2001 and I was buying insurance.

You see, not too long ago, buying insurance was a complicated process. There was a pretty intense sales cycle involved. One that included many interactions, mostly over the phone or face to face when possible. It took time, paperwork and a sophisticated sales person. A sales cycle such as this one required knowledge of some finance, some technology, some psychology and some communication skills. Selling something like insurance, a car, a loan, a mortgage etc. back then required quite an array of talents. Along these 15 years or so however, thanks to technology (some might claim because of technology) these services have turned into a commodity. In today's online world you can buy insurance, a mortgage or even a car in a few minutes without even talking to anyone.

The role of the sales person selling these, now commodities, have changed from an educator, to a processing person at best. From an insight provider to a, in some cases, nonexistent. This naturally pushed out the experienced, knowledgable sales people out of this world and welcomed a younger, less experienced salesforce into our lives. A salesforce who is attributed with a high level of turnover, lack of personal touch and low salary which explains the frustration level we often run into when we do end up talking to a person while shopping online.

But while the Millennials are taking over selling commodities and challenged with the understanding of good customer service, who then takes care of the more complicated, longer sales cycle products and services out there? Technologies, for example, that require longer periods to implement and integrate with core systems of large organizations and demand an ongoing maintenance, support and yes, relationships following the initial sales cycle. Who is selling those? The bigger issue I think is how this change in selling tainted the role of the sophisticated sales person in our minds and in the back of the minds of many C-level executives out there hiring sales people. As if everything can be sold online through short sales cycles and with sales people who have no interpersonal skills.

Some refer to it as Solution Selling, some Relationship Selling and some even call it Sales Fit Professionals. Whatever you refer to them, they are hard to find. And I believe, what is even harder to find is the companies who appreciate the need for this kind of a sales person and the impact of such talent on a long term customer. Just like selling insurance in the past, here too, a high level of the success, selling an enterprise software for instance, depends on trust. And trust takes time and personal (!!) effort to build. Hence the long sales cycles. Moreover, with that, the real added value in my mind is the understanding of the fact that the sales cycle for such a platform or service is a never ending one. And so turning it over to an Account Manager after the initial sale, someone who usually will be on a receiving mode and will take care of issues only when they arise is not good enough. It is an ongoing sales effort to keep the trust, to maintain the level of relationship, to get intimate with the customer, sustain the level of satisfaction and keep growing.

It takes a team, no doubt, and perhaps more importantly it takes an attitude. I believe that the evolution of the sophisticated sales person to lead a team with the right attitude is something that is still being evolved. The new breed of this hunter and farmer combination is yet to be defined and even more challenging will be to quantify their value, formulate it and systemize it to scale.

I always tell the people I work with that our goal is to make sure our customers are happy and buy more. I know too many sales people who can make the customer buy...the first time. And I know many account managers who make lots of customers happy. The combination is the real deal. I challenge business owners out there to spend the time and effort, not settle, find or nurture that new breed, build that team and get happy customers...who buy more!

Relationship Selling or Selling a Relationship

When Patch Adams confronted the entire medical history and conformity in regards to the treatment of terminal patients he was pondering some questions such as:

·         Why are we so afraid of death? What’s so wrong with it?

·         How come we are afraid to get involved with the patient?

Took me quite a long time to accept the fact that I am a sales person. For years I shied away from it and found creative ways to go around it. An account manager, a relationship manager, client manager whatever, anything but sales.

Why? Why is that world so scary for so many people out there? Is it that image of a slimy, greasy looking person who would say anything in order to get the sale? Is it the notion of a mercenary who will work for anyone who pays more no matter what the cause is? Perhaps Arthur Miller instilled a dreadful image in our minds as kids while reading “The death of a salesman”.

Honestly I am not really sure about the answer but you all know it’s there and it goes back a long way.

So I’ve gone through much sales training, different methodologies and approaches. Each one taught me something and I embraced quite a few lessons along the way. The one thing though that kept creeping in the back of my mind were those same kinds of questions:

·         Why am I so afraid of the sale? What’s so wrong with it?
·         How come I am so afraid of getting involved with the customer? Getting to know them and open myself up.

Now those of you who know me know that I am generally a very open guy and so it happened a few years ago…

It was after closing another deal. Been working on this deal for almost 6 months. We walk back the customer and I from a celebratory lunch and about to part ways. During lunch, just moments ago I shared some personal stories. Nothing too deep but it included sharing pictures of loved ones and such. He shared his kids’ pictures as well and it felt nice. For those few minutes we didn't think about the sale, the commission, the implementation but just enjoying getting to know the person in front of us.

So we are saying goodbye and I reach my hand out. He pauses for a second, looks me in the eye, leans forward and gives me a big warm hug. Not one of those tapping on your back hugs. Not one of these where one hand shakes and the other hugs. Two hands, heart to heart hug. Something between a deep thank you and I really appreciate you.

Needless to say there was no need to say anything. I hugged him back, we both smiled at each other and I left.

Ever since that hug, we have become much closer. I know things about him and his life and he knows about mine. We exchange gifts, greeting cards etc. And yes, each time we meet…we hug.

I ask myself….what’s wrong with that?
Some colleagues urge me to keep the distance saying “keep it professional” and “what happens if he decides to go to another vendor?” And I say…SO WHAT???
What if he does? What’s so bad about that?

You see, I believe in being who you are. In opening up. What you see is what you get and wearing your heart on your sleeve. I admit that this way it will be harder for the customer to go to another vendor and if you maintain the relationship as such, you will get a much deeper insight into the customer’s world which will help you in the overall sale. But for me it is much simpler than that – it is being a person. Getting to know another person. Hopefully you believe in what you sell which will get you to even feel that you are helping your customer. Worst case scenario you got to know another good person.

And so along the years I am collecting customers. People. And hugs. But recently, and a lot thanks to the type of greetings I received on my birthday a few weeks back, I realized I am collecting friends.

Win – win!

So I decided to go on a crusade to change that positioning of a sales person. It is time we embrace the title and go back to the root of it. Where a sales person assists his/her customers and yes, develops relationships. I urge you all to try it. Open up, get personal...be a sales person.

Patch Adams claimed that if you treat the disease you may win or you may lose but if you treat the patient, you will always win, no matter what the consequences are.

I found myself last week opening up to a customer I just met.
Got me thinking – if I treat the sale I may win or I may lose, but if I treat the relationship I will always win no matter if I do close the sale or not.

So call me the Patch Adams of sales if you want but here I am, Alon Zaibert…a Sales Person who sells…well…relationships.

Bring it!

1 week notice...

I am a morning person. I wake up early. And like most of us, after the biological necessities I go to check emails. So the other day I see an email from one of my customers with a subject: “status check on the XXX issue”. Now you may know by now that I am a freak of customer service and ”being there” for the customers (one of the 4 elements of the Fish Philosophy) so I go right to it. Going through the email, the customer seems agitated and asks about that issue we discussed during our call 3 weeks ago. Nothing crazy, no threats to cancel the service just asking. Basically saying – I haven’t heard anything about it for 3 weeks, what’s up?

Wait…..3 weeks ago…?

Those who know me know that at this point I get itchy. I get itchy because it goes back AGAIN to communication. In previous posts I talked about the magic circle of good communication with closing the loop with feedback. Not a rocket science, just common sense and some basic intelligence. Not getting back to the customer with a status update for 3 weeks is unacceptable! Period! I don’t care if you won the lottery during that time, if your wife gave birth or if you had to go save the rain forests.

UNACCEPTABLE!

1 week notice! This is the maximum period of time before the customer, and any one of us for any other matter starts wondering what’s going on and this is where the problem lays.

You see, It is a fact that when us, humans, when we do not know the status of a specific situation, we fill in the gaps. We assume. We make up stories in our minds to make sure there is something there. We are by nature an impatient specie and add to that the gossip factor and the fact that most people’s instinct is to go first for the negative option only problems you get.

So what happened? And we've all been there. We had a nice update call with the customer and at the end of the call we had some follow up items. The account manager and the technical support person were to take it off line, discuss and get back to the customer. I went on to my world and forgot about the issue. By definition it is the Account Manager’s responsibility as the “owner” of the relationship with this customer.

After the call 3 weeks ago the customer put that item aside in his mind trusting his Account Manager on our side to take care of the issue and update him if necessary. A week goes by, 2 weeks and then…a management meeting for the customer where his boss goes with him through some ongoing projects and…oooops….what’s the status OF THAT PROJECT?? This is where the customer is getting mad at us, starts blaming us and sends an irritated email.

3 weeks later and here is the email from the customer. The first thing to irritate me is the fact that it is the customer who inquires about it and not us who are updating him. Once you get to a point, with any communication, where the customer is inquiring about the issue you are already in a psychological deficit. Why get there? Make sure you communicate with the customer (especially when there are open items) once a week (and feel free to go back to my previous post “E T Freaking A”).

So I pick up the phone to the Account Manager to find out what happened (and no, I don’t care it is 7am. If the customer is up and asking at this time so will we). “Well, I didn't have anything new to update the customer on as the technical guy didn’t get back to me yet”.

Just a reminder, I am on my way to take my morning shower, not fully awake just yet…

Everything went blurry for a minute. Last thing I remember is my wife hovering over me saying “deep breaths honey, deep breaths…”

Let me ask you something Mr. Account Manager. If your 4 year old kid didn't get anything to eat at the day care for 3 weeks(!!!) because they ran out of whole wheat bread, your kid’s favorite, and when you call the teacher she says that as you know they ran out and the folks at the catering service haven’t updated her….wouldn't you go ballistic???

Why didn't you tell me??? I would have gone to the grocery store myself and bought the damn bread but 3 weeks?? And you haven’t notified me? And my kid didn't have lunch? 3 weeks??

That’s what you need to keep in your mind Mr. Account Manager! This is how the customer, your customer, the one who pays your freaking salary feels. Like his/her kid has not eaten lunch for 3 weeks!

1 week notice! If you have nothing to tell the customer after a week…tell them that! And a week later again if needed. And if after 3 weeks you do not get the solution you need than there is an issue with your technical support department but that’s a completely different issue.

1 week notice! Believe me, it will save you so much trouble.

Hey, you got nothing to lose so go ahead, just try it….and remember that poor little hungry kid who hasn’t eaten for 3 weeks….

2 of 56

               On the plane again back home after a week on the road in London. Besides the constant weather of 150 shades of grey in London all went pretty well.

2 days conference. 9 to 5 booth camp. Don't they realize even I cannot be overly nice to everyone for that long...?

Day 2, a bit slow, I tell my colleagues I am going to attend this one pitch. Perhaps besides just giving my back a break I may even learn a thing or two. I chose a specific presentation which seemed to potentially possess the right combination of titles - the title of the presenter as well as the presentation. Session starts at 2pm and I am thinking to myself it is a perfect timing as it is right after lunch so no one will be hungry and right after lunch so no one will be tired just yet.

5 minutes to ShowTime and there is no one empty seat. Some impatient buzzing among the audience and then he shows up. Vibrant, smiling, dressed well. All of the elements for an amazing performance.

This is where I drift a bit in my writing and remind you dear reader about the ultimate combination of the What and the How. The content as well as the delivery.

You see, even if you are incredibly knowledgeable of history it does not make you good at teaching history. Even if you know your business extremely well it does not mean you can articulate it properly. The one who possesses both the What and the How is the one! The ultimate communicator.

So Mr. Title clears his throat while checking to make sure the mic is on, every one of the roughly 85 people quiets down, the title slide is on with the title of the presentation and Mr. Title starts introducing himself. I observe every move, every nuance, body language, eye contact. He is pretty good. I peak at my watch and realize Mr. Title has been at it for about 6 minutes now and the title on the slide, right underneath Mr. Title's title himself is still on the screen. Is it possible that he is the one? The ultimate communicator who will barely use the slides? The one who can combine the content with the delivery? But then I'm thinking....hang on, he's been at it for six...now seven minutes and didn't say one word related to the title. Of the presentation that is. I look around and people start checking out their phones, 3 people yawning and one even got up and left (very rude by the way). Time goes by and Mr. Title is still swirling around his background and...you guessed it...his title.

All in all....14 minutes before he started talking about the topic at hand. Let me spell it out - FOUR FREAKING TEEN!! Out of 1 hour session.

At this point I am still positive. Perhaps there is still a chance. 4 members of the audience I guess are not as optimistic, they pretend to be taking an important call and leave the room.

FOURTEEN minutes!!

The title slide is flipped. Looking at the slide I see on the top - his title (but of course) and a couple of bullets. Well-designed slide. 

And then, oh then it happened. Then Mr. Title surprised even me. I feel shivering down my spine. Perhaps I am imagining. Perhaps it is a typo. Maybe I simply cannot see well but it was there. Small. On the bottom left. The hara-kiri of the presenter, the ultimate showdown, the mother of all spoilers is there....

2 of 56

KILL ME NOW!! Are you kidding me?

A quick math - he will never make it. 5 more are drifting out the door.

Please, when you are preparing for a presentation, use fewer words and more pictures. And show how many slides you have on your deck ONLY if you have about 3 or 4 slides left. Just trust me on that.

2 of 56!!!!!!!!!

But hey...he had a great title. 

"It's on my list"

First, before I lash out on this, a small clarification if you will.  When I refer to “list”, I don’t mean an actual list of items lots of people put together on a daily basis that helps them be more productive. I also, most definitely do not mean the grocery “list” I get from my wife.  You know which ones I mean. Those lists that I’d better get every single item on there!

I am referring to and mean that virtual, almost imaginary “list” one uses when they are really telling you – “I am quite possibly just a lazy ass and didn’t do it . . . yet.”

Now maybe it’s because of my “never really official” diagnosis of ADD, OR maybe due to the fact that I personally would rather “DO” than contemplate about it OR perhaps it is the entrepreneurial nature in me and/or a bit more laid back environment I grew up in but I have to ask…

What the hell, man?

So I am interviewing this sales person for a sales executive position. We get into a discussion around some of his challenges in his current role and he goes on and on about how the company he works for does not provide him with the support he needs or getting him all of the materials he is used to receiving, and how they don’t serve him as he expects etc. etc. etc. The guy comes from a large corporate background where he’s had a good run for quite some time and now works for a small, privately owned company.

I go on to ask him about a specific case study he was working on.  He went on to share with me how he could not close the deal yet because the entire world and their sister of course did not make his coffee hot enough for him and the color of the logo on the document was not the right color…..

So I ask him specifically about the prospect organization involved in aiding in the close of the deal he is trying to get, and since we both know the people there to some extent, I asked if he spoke to the individual who is directly involved.  He responds by saying that he hasn’t really talked to him yet, he was waiting for the account manager to get back to him and that stupid organization he works for does not even have the updated database of the positions in these prospects he is chasing and how he knows the girl that runs the office there but she is busy getting married and how there is no peace in the middle east just yet . . . to me . . . it sounded more like waaahhh….waaaahhh….sniff…sniff.

Are you freaking kidding me?

I just had to ask – “did you call the guy there to set up a meeting and start the process?”

And he says...
drum roll please….
It’s on my list!

AHHHHHHHH!!!!!!  

You just went on telling me that 3 months ago you have been setting up these goals, and you know people in this organization and yadda, yadda and to call the guy is ON YOUR LIST???  How long is your list? What is there on this sacred list that is much more important than starting the damn process with this guy?

Go back to your list and continue whining about the world. I do not want you on my list!

I think our system is broken ladies and gentlemen. The system where goals are constantly shifting without relevancy. The system where accountability is a mere long word on a poster on a wall somewhere. And the system where consequences exist for not meeting your goals are a rare commodity. The system where if you are not good enough you still get the infamous “good job” and lastly, the system where if you just do your job as required you constantly get kudos and praises.

Well, dear readers, if you know anyone, a sales person, from the kind of people I am looking for please send them my way!

I am looking for the type of people who are NOT satisfied with just the job description, the people who got told during their lifetime they were not good enough and worked harder to become better. The people who will fight and demand to meet their goals and finally…the people who simply have no list! Only because they are busy doing what they could put on a list...but already did it! 

E T freaking A

I was flying home after a week out on the road, and the weather conditions had us circling over the Atlanta Airport for an hour. Tensions were rising all around as if the plane will soon run out of fuel and tailspin out of the sky, until the pilot came on the intercom and announced the Estimated Time of Arrival. Whereupon, everyone sat back, took a deep breath, and I resigned myself to reading over the next hour.

You will hear me talk a lot about the basics of communication. I truly and deeply believe everything starts and ends there. These fundamentals of communication are based on 4 simple elements: the encoder, the method/means, the decoder, and probably the most important of them all…the feedback.

After all, you can encode as many messages as you want, send them through 5 different means of communication, but if you don’t get any feedback, it is meaningless.
Even if the decoder received the message!

When I was a kid, my older brother used to beat the crap out of me. For years I tried communicating my suffering to my parents, by crying, by telling them straight up, by letters, and even one time in a radical way that I can laugh at now, but wasn't pretty then. They probably heard me. Years later, I found out they even did something about it, BUT they didn't give me any feedback, so how was I to know they were trying to resolve the matter?

Communication is like a magic circle that if broken at any point, is useless. The feedback is that last piece of that circle that makes the magic appear.

I’m going to share one of the biggest secrets in Sales. When you’re selling, make sure you always give feedback; and always remember that one of the most crucial elements of feedback when you’re selling, especially in relationship selling, is ETA.

Take a minute and imagine a scenario where the customer calls with a specific need (the encoder). You set up an online call to understand their need (the method/means) and you now comprehend the need (the decoder). At the end of the call, you communicate to the customer that you will do some research and get back to them with your findings.

And here dear readers is the most critical part (and please imagine me now pounding on the keyboard, screaming and with tears, as I cannot stress this enough!) – WHEN?!?!?!

When will you get back to the customer (the F.E.E.D.B.A.C.K.) ???

And is the killer tip here – when you set a time frame as to when you will get back to them, you set expectations to live up to. As a result, it puts a higher level of commitment on you.

Now, set aside the actual issue on which you need to update the customer, but the mere act of telling the customer you will get back to them in 3 days, then actually getting back to them in 3 days, is a bucket of extra points for you and is fundamental in building a trust-based relationship.

I know what you’re thinking – “But what if I didn't get the answers from my technical guys yet?

SO THAT’S WHAT YOU’LL TELL THE CUSTOMER!! And next time, give yourself a week.

Now let’s switch our point of view, here for a second. Suppose you finished the call with the customer, you (encoder) go to your technical liaison internally and explain to them, via email (method/means), the issue at hand. Your technical person (decoder) replies with: “I understand the problem and…I’m on it.”

Famous last words. 

WHEN GOD DAMN IT?? WHEN!?!?!? I am glad you are on it, but when will you get back to me? (They haven’t assigned a level of commitment to the task.) Demand the ETA.

Too many times these things simply duel for way too long, due to a low level of commitment. As a rule, I typically insist on a timeline and set a reminder for myself unless I've worked with this person and learned to trust they will indeed follow up and reliably deliver.

You see, if you don’t set reminders in place to follow up, and your tech guys take their sweet time, or G-d forbid get immersed in another project and forget, and then you may forget too.  Then one day, 3 months later, your customer, who is now your ex-customer, bumps into you at a conference where you get all wound up about how they left you and how you simply didn't get an answer from your tech guy yet, and how you tried really hard and how it was a holiday and the tech guy’s dog died and your daughter’s first little league game and you had to sub for their coach and your wife got on the president’s club at her work and you just had to travel for a week to Hawaii with her and oh the global warming….

And really, even if you had said it would take 6 months, all that customer needed was an E T freaking A.

They Don’t Call it a 3rd Party for Nothing…

While meditating during one of my recent flights over the Florida/Georgia border I was challenged by the guy sitting next to me to think about relationships with third party providers.

What is it that makes the relationship good, beneficial, rewarding, and, of course, lucrative for both sides?

Keeping in mind all of the aspects of personalities, attitudes, and corporate cultures as discussed in some of my previous posts, I tried to focus on the business and operational aspects of this kind of a relationship. So let’s explore some of the challenges and possible solutions of working with third parties:

1.       Is it a one-time gig?

When you need something done quickly that is not too technologically involved with your product, many times it is best to go to a third-party vendor. In this case, the amount of coding and their pricing are likely to be the most important items on the list. Get references, see their past work, and go for it. In this scenario you get what you pay for, and you are not concerned with a long-term relationship. If something goes wrong, no biggie. There is no long-term strategy here, and the vendor doesn't really care about your customers or market share.

2.       Is it a short-term (3-9 months) adventure?

Whenever you spend a longer amount of time with a third party, employees are involved and it gets a bit tricky. When it is a short-term project, the third-party provider is usually focused on the task in hand and making a good impression for future “jobs.” The key is to make sure the people doing your work indeed have the professional expertise to perform the task.
A couple of our customers asked us recently about moving from one back-office system to another—Trams to Sabre Central Command.  Our recommendation to them was to make sure the person (remember? It’s all about the people!) who will be transferring them to the new back-office system is someone who knows the travel industry. Otherwise, his/her knowledge of the product but lack of knowledge of the market and the customer’s needs has the potential to screw the whole thing up.

3.       Is it a long term/ongoing relationship?

The most important item in this scenario is to determine the guidelines of the relationship. Is this third party working behind the scenes? Will they engage with your customers? And if so, will they represent you the way you want?
Another important aspect when getting into a long-term relationship is to be careful. Having been there myself, I highly recommend you do some background research on this company. Are they financially viable? Can they commit for the long term? How long have their employees been with them? The list of potential questions goes on. Unfortunately, and especially within the technology space, too many “cool” technologies and great people appear and often disappear before making real impact.

Recently, at Cornerstone, we figured out a creative way to screen out potential third-party providers by getting our customers involved in the vetting process. We took advantage of our monthly online “Boarding Call”—where our customers join us for updates, case studies, and more—and we polled the audience. Our customers were very receptive to the idea that together (remember—it’s a partnership) we can let a potential third-party provider present to us, and then we get some real feedback by polling the crowd and analyzing the results. Questions like “do you think your customers will use this service?” or “would you pay for this service?” help us tremendously with initial filtering and at the same time bring our customers closer because they are now an important part of the product roadmap. If the response is overwhelming by the participants, we do the necessary due diligence in order to make sure this will be a successful relationship.

So in short, if it’s a short-term, one-time deal make some phone calls and go at it. Long-term relationship? Put out the effort up front—it’s worth it.

                   When putting your customers first and yourself second, it’s no wonder they are called
                   a third- party provider!