So, I got your attention right? Before anyone gets all up in arms, please note my last name....very Italian and very proud of it!
But I laughed out loud when I read this joke sent to me by my buddy Rick Roberge.
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Vinny and Sal are out in the woods hunting when suddenly, Sal grabs his chest and falls to the ground. He doesn't seem to be breathing; his eyes are rolled back in his head. Vinny whips out his cell phone and calls 911. He gasps to the operator, "I think Sal is dead! What should I do?" The operator, in a calm soothing voice says, "Just take it easy and follow my instructions. First, let's make sure he's dead." There is a silence .. and then a shot is heard. Vinny's voice comes back on the line, "Okay... now what ?" |
So the joke is a little "The Sopranos" funny. But it made me think about the conversations I have been having with prospects lately.
There is no doubt that this is a tough selling climate and there are many sales organizations out there "grabbing their chests".
But, before we put a bullet in their heads shouldn't we try to resuscitate them?
Here are some "health checks" for your sales and marketing organizations:
- 1. Diagnose the market
Take the time to rethink who your buyer is and define, document and communicate that information to all customer facing personnel. You want them to be able to focus their sales and marketing energy on that Ideal Customer Profile (ICP). - 2. Triage your leads
Not all leads are created equal. If you do not have a lead scoring system in place, now is the time to develop one. A relevant lead scoring system is based on how well a prospect fits your ICP as a primary lever and then may also contain information about how often they visited your site etc. as a secondary lever. - 3. Take the pulse of your buyer
How do the people you want to attract make decisions? What information will educate them and move the sales process forward? How do they use Google, blogs, LinkedIn and social media to find what they are looking for?
And, most importantly, are you communicating with them in those areas with relevant content and feedback mechanisms that allow them to self identify?
The moral of the story is - don't be a Vinny. Don't shoot first & think later. Take the time to invest in the health of your sales and marketing strategies and it will pay off for you.
Thanks for listening.