red truck

Consumer Reports estimates that drivers can save $20K by driving the same car for 15 years and 225,000 miles. Obviously just any vehicle will not do. Starting with a well-built product and maintaining it with diligence are essential.

“And by taking care of that vehicle and keeping it alive for another few years–perhaps allowing room in the budget for a vacation or other toys–you might earn superhero status in your own household.”

The last few months have been all about thinking… thinking about ways to keep getting better!  Normally I write things down from the beginning, but this year for some reason, I delayed putting things on paper.  As the new year approaches, I won’t delay any longer.

I’ve put together a rough draft and thought it would be a good idea to share my strategic plan with you!  I think we can help each other in two ways.

First – Your opinion matters, and I know you have some ideas for ways I can make your SalesBlogcast experience even better!  Tell me what you like most and suggest ideas for improvement.

Second – The other reason for sharing my plan is to spark a few ideas that will help you build new strategies going into the new year!

There are six key areas where I will focus my attention in 2010…

1. SalesBlogcast.com
2. Posterous
3. Job Board
4. LinkedIn
5. Twitter
6. Facebook

SalesBlogcast.com
Focus: Sales and Leadership strategies for top producers

Goal: Exceed 25,000 email subscribers by year end

Actions:

1. High Quality Content
   a.  Post a minimum of 2 to 3 articles per week
   b.  Find a minimum of 2 to 3 guest articles per month to promote other people’s great ideas
2. Instead of sending 2 emails per week through the blog, transition to sending email subscribers only one email per week.  (Include new articles, posts, and job listings from SalesBlogcast, Posterous, and Job Board)
3. RSS Subscribers will continue receiving updates every time there is a new post
4. Get invited to speak at 1 to 2 conferences, events, podcasts, etc. per month

Posterous
Focus: Share all topics of interest, including business, sales, leadership, technology, social media, news, sports, etc.

Goal: Generate a minimum of 2,000 daily page views by year end

Actions:

1. Write a minimum of 3-5 Posts per day
2. Integrate with SalesBlogcast blog
3. Help other people by promoting their stuff, telling their stories, and sharing their ideas

Job Board
Focus: Sales, Marketing, Advertising, and related jobs

Goal: Help people find jobs!

Actions:

1. Upgrade to a product that will allow for a more professional look. The service must also provide tools to improve my ability to interact with visitors.
2. Provide job seekers with the ability to post their resume.
3. Give recruiters and hiring managers resume search capabilities.

LinkedIn
Focus: Build the LinkedIn Sales and Leadership Community

Goal: Exceed 50,000 group members by year end

Actions:

1. Begin sending SalesBlogcast.com Group members one broadcast message per week. This will replace the second email I was sending through the blog. (Include new articles, posts, and job listings from SalesBlogcast, Posterous, and Job Board)
2. Revisit the value of moderating the group discussions forum. Is it worth the time and effort? (LinkedIn has yet to provide group managers with any moderation tools)
3. Visit other sales groups to reconsider the use of sub groups. My initial impression was that sub groups were of little value.

Other LinkedIn Must Do’s -

• Get back to participating in the LinkedIn Q&A forums
• Post at least one question per week
• Answer questions where I can add value

Twitter
Focus: Share as much value added content as possible

Goal: Exceed 100,000 followers by year end

Actions:

1. Daily participation and interaction
2. Promote other people’s stuff more than I promote my stuff

Facebook
Focus: I need to figure out ways to make better use of Facebook.  I just launched a fan page, but I’m not sure if that’s more valuable than simply having a regular profile page.  I also have a group page, but have not focused nearly as much on building the community that we’ve built on LinkedIn.  Although I’ve not yet discovered ways to produce results from on this platform, I just have a feeling that it has great potential.

Goals and Actions: TBD

So that’s the plan so far!

What suggestions do you have that will make my plan better?

What’s in your strategic plan for 2010?

Check Out These Related Articles!

• 6 Ways to Improve LinkedIn Groups
• Is Your Tweetfolio Credible?
• Networking for Results
• 7 Tips for Getting the Job You Want!
• Achieving Greatness in 2009

I’ve been thinking about things, and you know how I get when I’ve been “thinking about things.”  Of course, I have to share it with all of you and get your opinion!

I’m wondering about mindset, and how sales people think.  To share what I mean, I’ve got a couple of examples…

Recent Conversation:

I was talking to one of our business partners who I brought into a potential deal.  I asked him…

“Have you been able to reach the prospect to discuss your services?”

“No,” he responded, and informed me that he had left one message.

To which I replied, “I’ll make another call as soon as I get back to the office.”

And he said, “As long as we’re not being intrusive… right?”

Recent Email Exchange:

I recently had an email conversation with someone who shared these thoughts…

“My feeling is that most people would prefer email communication over phone for several reasons:

• They can deal with it on their own time.
• They don’t have to feel pressured
• They don’t have to feel guilty for deleting an email where they might feel uncomfortable saying no on the phone.
• A prospect deleting my email means I can email them again later with a slightly different message… where I wouldn’t feel comfortable calling again after an outright no.”

Articles I’ve Read:

I’ve run across articles about “lead nurturing,” and most recently stumbled upon a blog post encouraging us to, “Stop Hunting Customers and Penetrating Markets – Start Speaking the Language of Caring.”

Ok, so I think I’ve shared enough examples to start asking questions.  Is it possible for a sales person to do both… on one hand…

• Worry about being intrusive
• Be willing to have prospects deal with it on their own time
• Have a stop hunting mentality

…and on the other hand… also have the ability to…

• Be mentally tough enough to overcome the brutal challenges and the rejection to consistently exceed quota every month
• Be persistent enough to stay in front of the prospect
• Be hungry about attacking the market to find new opportunities

Can a sales person effectively manage this double mindset?

Do the most successful sales people exude one mind set more than the other?

What about non-performers… do they relate to one line of thinking over the other?

Check Out These Related Articles!

• Prospects Going Into Holiday Mode
• Hot Leads Getting Colder by the Minute
• Rebuilding Your Team With “The Core Four”
• Mental Toughness

1.  Taken the time to “reflect” more

2.  Taken more risk in their lives

3.  Did something to have left a greater “legacy”

Being stuck in traffic for an hour or more on a regular basis is not my idea of productive and efficient time.  As I take time to reflect however, I realize that I’ve learned so much from the audio cds I’ve listened to over the years, the connections I’ve made on phone calls, and even time in prayer with God!  So I have developed a personal affirmation every time I’m stuck in traffic!

“I enjoy spending time in my car learning, connecting, and reflecting.” I’ve even found myself slightly disappointed that the traffic went faster than expected on certain days!  So the next time you find yourself looking for that faster lane to switch over to, take a minute to consider your own traffic affirmation.

If you’re reading this post, you’re most likely a business owner already and you can relate with these stories.  Otherwise, there’s nothing wrong with working in a cubicle!

The little things we pick up on often go a long way.  What new thing have you learned recently?

He proposes a challenge:  “Come on, folks.  Surely we can come up with a few worthy metaphor replacements for this tired old saw.  Allow me to share a few humble submissions.

• Domestic:  When the Pop Tart’s out of the toaster.
• Legal:  When all appeals are exhausted and all clients are broke.
• Lyrical: When that last, lone swallow is perched upon the cliffs of Capistrano.
• Speculative:  When the closing bell sounds and every fund’s been hedged.
• Legislative:  When the filibuster’s broken, the bill is up for vote, and senators are running for cover like roaches in a brightly lit kitchen.

After all, when you stop and think about it, at the end of the day there’s really only one thing left to say: Good night.”

-trivialities by d. Quayle

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