Interview with the vampire
I was interviewed recently by a good friend of mine, who is out of work and who I will not name, who wanted to know a bit about my views on the kind of business I would work for, if I wasn’t consulting. Mainly, he was interested in learning a bit about how I sort things out. I suggested that we record it as I thought it might be fun to return to.
Continue Reading Add comment November 5, 2009
Guest lecture opportunity
Cool news for me and a way for me to give back to others!
I’ll be guest lecturing at the University of Washington in the Michael G. Foster School of Business in the Winter Quarter. On January 14th, 2010 I’ll be a guest of John Castle in his year-long entrepreneurship course, Creating A Company. I’ve done this before with John’s classes and it’s always fun and invigorating. The students are great and eager to learn. I’ve discovered that practical sales training with tips and techniques is something the students do not get in business school and past feedback has been that it is highly valued. I’ll let you know in January how the experience goes.
© 2009 Peter E. McDowell
PERFORMA Business Development
Different View/ Better Results
email me to request getting my e-newsletter!
Web @ http://www.performabusdev.com
Blog @ http://petemcd.wordpress.com/
Connect with Pete on biznik, Contribution Networking Party, Eastside Entrepreneurs, Facebook, Linked In, Plaxo and Twitter.
Add comment November 3, 2009
Is Sales Training really important?
Businesses typically spend 80% of their time & $ for sales training on product and industry training and 20%, or less, on developing sales competency or mastery. Basic industry and product knowledge can be picked up in relatively short time. Obviously, deeply knowing the ins and outs of an industry and your company’s products takes time. But, basic knowledge is often very sufficient to get out into the market place and sell. That’s why new and inexperienced sales people can achieve at least some level of success.
Sales mastery- being extremely good at having multiple sales conversations with an account and controlling the sales process- is much harder but produces far more beneficial results for the customer and provider/supplier. The ability to effectively build relationships and work toward a win-win solution by understanding the totality of a business and personal environment in order to solve problems takes continual learning and discipline. Without this total or global or holistic approach to the sales process it is very easy to sell a product or service for the wrong application at the wrong price (or value). Poor ‘salespersonship’ usually produces poor and costly solutions for both parties.
© 2009 Peter E. McDowell
PERFORMA Business Development
Different View/ Better Results
email me to request getting my e-newsletter!
Web @ http://www.performabusdev.com
Blog @ http://petemcd.wordpress.com/
Connect with Pete on biznik, Contribution Networking Party, Eastside Entrepreneurs, Facebook, Linked In, Plaxo and Twitter.
Add comment October 30, 2009
Look Outside
Get out there and make your mark, make it happen. Business is nothing if you’re not bringing in the sales, whether it’s the direct sales force model that so many other businesses use or if you use resellers or independent agents or reps. Sales must be brought in and every owner and sales manager is responsible for making that happen. Companies should be sales focused first and foremost.
Continue Reading Add comment October 28, 2009
A change of scenery
I met a few friends or business connections today in two locations here in the Seattle-Bellevue area. I met one person at the Bellevue Hyatt Hotel and another at the University Village Starbucks (near UW).
The Hyatt had a huge addition put on over the past two years and has been open for a few months. The connecting area between the original hotel lobby and the new one is a gorgeous atrium- a very attractive and comfortable place to sit and converse. The new tower has new ballrooms and meeting rooms and the entire facility says ‘1st Class’. If I was visiting Bellevue or the eastside on business this is where I would stay.
The Starbucks in U-Village has been remodeled also. It’s well done- very warm and comfortable and it strikes me as a step away from the almost too sterile, too perfect, too predictable Starbucks that we see everywhere. In my opinion, Starbucks has been in need of an upgraded and different look at their stores for quite a while. I don’t know if this is a test store for them or not. To me, the colors and mood of the place seem more coffeehouse like, and I liked it.
Whatever business you’re in, it probably makes sense to hit the reset button periodically to refresh your image. Every major company does this and small businesses would be wise to do so also. McDonalds comes up with a new slogan every year or so. Microsoft uses their Windows logo and colors in new ways. Nordstrom has been gradually changing the interiors of their main stores. IBM does variations on its famous logo and its tag lines. The auto companies change their messaging to fit the buying public’s latest hot button.
The world around you is constantly changing. Your customers are always looking for something new and/or different. What are you doing to reinvent yourself and be seen as fresh, exciting and relevant?
© 2009 Peter E. McDowell
PERFORMA Business Development
Different View/ Better Results
email me to request getting my e-newsletter!
Web @ http://www.performabusdev.com
Blog @ http://petemcd.wordpress.com/
Connect with Pete on biznik, Contribution Networking Party, Eastside Entrepreneurs, Facebook, Linked In, Plaxo and Twitter.
Add comment October 26, 2009
