Blog #69 Achieving Success In B2B Sales, The Cold Hard TruthBy First ApproachFebruary 4, 20150 comments#blog Not so attractive, is it? I couldn’t help but be fascinated by just how perfect this picture is as a metaphor. Think about it. No one would argue with the seemingly effortless grace with which ballet dancers portray something that is both beautiful, and pleasant to watch. If ...Read more...
Blog #68 Sales Blitzes and Contests, Why They Don’t WorkBy First ApproachJanuary 21, 20150 comments#blog It’s only natural for sales leadership to look for ways to inspire sales people to rise to the cause. There’s never any shortage of “causes” it seems. It can be a month end, year end, too much inventory, or a new product launch, to name just some of the examples ...Read more...
Blog #67 A Desk is a Dangerous Place From Which to View the WorldBy First ApproachJanuary 7, 20150 comments#blog There is a wonderful quote in the John le Carré novel, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy; “A desk is a dangerous place from which to view the world.” While the context of Mr. le Carre’s novel surrounded espionage, it offers wonderful perspective to the world of B2B ...Read more...
Blog #66 Just Starting A Career in Sales? Why You Should Stay Away From the “C Suite”By First ApproachDecember 4, 20140 comments#blog Are you young? Are you just starting out in sales? Then you likely have been, or will be exposed to a vast variety of sales philosophies, strategies, and tactics. As you’ll discover, there will be no shortage of experts or gurus, all of whom are either successful or not, but ...Read more...
Blog #65 .. Peaches, Calendars, and Deadlines, They’re all RelatedBy First ApproachNovember 19, 20140 comments#blog You like peaches? I like peaches. Most people like peaches and most people would agree they are best when fresh. Not canned or stewed, but fresh peaches just off the tree and on to your table. Peaches are seasonal but more importantly, they are perishable. I’m not exactly ...Read more...
Blog #64 Business Speak – Cliché and Over Used, Stop!By First ApproachNovember 3, 20140 comments#blog As I write this blog, I am reaching out to you to offer value, no, make that added value, within a paradigm that is strategic, and at the end of the day, provides leading edge deliverables that will leverage core competencies while delivering an award winning product offering that ...Read more...
Blog #63 Understanding the Right Approach to Connecting on LinkedIn. It Isn’t FacebookBy First ApproachOctober 22, 20140 comments#blog As a continuation of posts intended to help you, the B2B sales professional understands the correct way to use LinkedIn, this edition will focus on LinkedIn connections, or how you need to approach populating your connection base on LinkedIn. Of all the things misunderstood of what ...Read more...
Blog #62 Are You Commitment Phobic? The Accountability PartnerBy First ApproachOctober 8, 20140 comments#blog No, I don’t mean what you think I mean but rather, are you truly committed to being successful. Let me explain. Many of us belong to a fitness or health club, and many of us strive to get there to exercise based on a schedule or commitment we’ve made to ourselves, or others. ...Read more...
Blog #61 LinkedIn, It’s Not What You ThinkBy First ApproachSeptember 24, 20140 comments#blog #linkedin Blog #61 LinkedIn, It’s Not What You Think 2001 A salesperson makes a cold call and asks for a meeting. 2012 On LinkedIn, Adam, a sales person discovers a prospect at a major international company whom he wishes to secure a meeting with. Adam and ...Read more...
Blog #60 Ear to Ear, It Was Only a Matter of TimeBy First ApproachSeptember 9, 20140 comments#blog Blog #60 Ear to Ear, It Was Only a Matter of Time I posted a blog entitled “Technology Burnout. If People Don’t Read or Listen to Your Messages, What’s the Point?”. You can still find it if you like at www.firstapproach.biz under the “blog” ...Read more...
Blog #59 ExpertizationBy First ApproachJuly 30, 20140 comments#blog Expertization. You won’t find it in the dictionary. “Expertization”, or being an expert or knowledgeable beyond the norm for a field or subject other than your own specific area is an important weapon in the world of B2B sales. Traditionally, a B2B sales professional ...Read more...
Blog #58 The Well You KnowsBy First ApproachJuly 16, 20140 comments#blog The “Well you knows…” is a concept I named about fifteen years ago, and it continues to serve me well today. But as usual – for me, that is – it differs from conventional prospecting ideology. In a traditional world, those who consider themselves prospecting ...Read more...
Blog #57 HoveringBy First ApproachJuly 2, 20140 comments#blog If you sell to the C-Suite, then you are no doubt well versed in the time it can take to journey from the first hello to the actual sale. Selling to the C-Suite in the B2B space can require a gestation period similar to that of a baby elephant, which is two years for those who are ...Read more...
Blog #56 I Hate Saying I Told You So, But I Told You So.By First ApproachJune 18, 20140 comments#blog Followers of this blog will have observed some of my most common rants, that of the futility of “digital marketing”. Of course, I don’t mean all digital marketing, but rather the fruitlessness of using the internet to reach out to new B2B prospects, with the hope ...Read more...
Blog #55 The Unfortunate TruthBy First ApproachJune 4, 20140 comments#blog Blog #55 The Unfortunate Truth Thank you to my LinkedIn connection Phil Hodgson, VP Sales – HP Canada, for posting this great cartoon on LinkedIn some time ago. While it’s a clever parody, the unfortunate truth is that the above cartoon is all too true. Let ...Read more...
Blog #54 If People Don’t Read Or Listen To Your Message, What’s The Point?By First ApproachMay 22, 20140 comments#blog Ask almost anyone in business today, and they will expound on the wonders of how technology has enhanced their inter-personal communication. In the B2B world, it has become the de facto solution for communicating, replacing antiquated methods like letters, memos or the once ubiquitous ...Read more...