Sales Prospecting Perspectives

Man, time goes by fast.  I know this phenomenon is talked about, written about and perhaps thought about ad nauseum, but I feel compelled every year around this time to mention it.  Mostly because as I get older (I turned 50 in November), I realize how limited our time is and I have always been a “live life to the fullest” kind of guy.  Now, as I am a bit older and have the great fortune of a beautiful family, my health, and a thriving company, I feel very thankful.  I am focused on enjoying my life, and doing the right thing both in business and in my personal life.

I’ve been in sales a long time.  More years than I care to count.  It’s been eleven years since my business partner and I founded AG Salesworks with the goal of helping sales and marketing teams succeed through identifying and delivering their ‘ideal’ prospect.  

You've read the quotes: 

“A goal without a plan is just a wish.”

― Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

“If you don't know where you are going,

you'll end up someplace else.”

― Yogi Berra  

“Someone's sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago.”

― Warren Buffett

Yet so few of us plan adequately.  And of those of us that do, many don’t execute effectively.  Over the years, I have witnessed the power of a well-executed plan many times.  Unfortunately, I have also seen the results of either a poorly executed plan or no plan at all.  Not pretty.  There is always a detailed explanation as to what went wrong.  The marketplace, competition, not enough marketing support.  The list goes on and on.  

Over this past year I have made an effort to devote more of my time to networking.  It’s always interesting to get out there and meet new people and reconnect with past contacts.  I have not only made a point of doing this from a business perspective, but from a personal perspective as well.  All in all it has been a great success.  I have reconnected with old friends and enjoyed watching my two boys meet and get to know my friends' kids.  It has been so much fun to see the kids developing friendships as we make sure to connect a few times a year.

At the beginning of the year I set a goal to improve communication across the entire company, from the way we communicate to our customers to the way we communicate among the management team, the way management communicates with team members, and how team members communicate with each other.  We invested in formal training, and had a summer outing with an Olympics theme which turned out to be an excellent team building opportunity. 

The additional emphasis on communication has had a positive impact on performance as well as morale.  Great ideas have been shared and implemented, team members have expressed interest in various areas, and as a result have had the opportunity to do more and in some cases get promoted.  When others see the positive impact they tend to become more engaged, which further improves the effectiveness of the team.

Back in 1995, I got to know a Professor of Anthropology from Rhode Island College.  Richard was a great guy. He always had a smile on his face, and he seemed like a very happy person.  

As I got to know him better, I learned that he was in fact a very happy person.  His happiness came from several areas in his life. He had a wonderful family with whom he was able to spend lots of time, he was healthy, and one last thing: He loved his job.  He told me that he thought he was getting away with something each day as he woke up, got dressed and went off to work.  The fact that he was being paid to do something he loved so much was something he was very grateful for.  

I have been meeting with my team recently to better understand what they like, don’t like, what they would like to see more of, less of, why they joined the AG team, why they stay, and whatever else I might learn that can help improve the AG employment experience. Each and every person I have met with told me they were attracted to AG for a number of reasons, but the most important one was our training. They wanted to be at a company where they could learn. We are very proud of our internal training program and continue to invest and improve it. The conversations I am having validate that we are on the right track.

I have long believed that one of the most important cornerstones to a great corporate culture is learning and growth.  An important part of my job is to create such an environment, and work to ensure that each and every team member understands they have the flexibility to expand their contribution beyond their job description.  When this happens, everyone wins.  The team member has the opportunity to learn, improve and expand his or her skill set.  The customer benefits from a happier, more skilled team member, and the company benefits from increased productivity, customer loyalty and ultimately, profitability.  

It’s no secret that sales and marketing teams sometimes don’t get along. One department blames the other, backstabbing business politics ensue, and then your office is full of frowning faces and sneering comments. But that doesn’t have to be the case! By aligning sales and marketing towards a certain goal with a specific philosophy, both departments will learn how to work together, creating office harmony and generating quality revenue. Here are a few tips to align both teams:  

It has long been our philosophy at AG Salesworks to create an enjoyable work environment.  We have done a great job, and continue to work toward finding ways to enjoy ourselves while striving for excellence.