Remember Our Troops & Their Families

                                           
As we spend these holidays with loved ones please remember to say a silent prayer for our troops are who spending their holidays away from their families. I know that for many it’s a career choice but it’s also a choice that we should all be grateful that they made.

I just read “The Night Before Christmas” to my two small boys, tucked them into their beds, left cookies & milk for the Big Guy & carrots for the reindeer. Tomorrow morning they’ll get to celebrate this joyous time with the people who love them very much. 

I can’t but help think about the children who won’t be because their parents are protecting us & allowing us to live in this great land that we call home.

So, if there are any troops reading this, I simply say thank you from the bottom of my heart for your sacrifice

God Bless Each of You,

Bill Kizer

We’d Like to Hire You….But……….

Here’s a sign of the times that I want to share with you. I have been interviewing with an software VAR for the past 5 weeks, driving to their offices in Orange County several times. I passed with flying colors; I became the person that they had to have. A couple more phone interviews with the VP,  & he utters the words that every job candidate wants to hear, “We’ll have a job offer letter to you” by the end of the week.

Well, as you can probably guess the offer letter never came & here’s why.

After crunching numbers they realized that unless I was willing to come on board on a commission only basis then they don’t have the budget to hire someone of my caliber right now. According to the VP it has nothing to do with my skills & knowledgebase; but everything to do with their fear of the economy.

The Value of Mentors

How many of you have been successful without the help of others? No hands? Just as I thought.

I was thinking about this topic yesterday as I received a call from a business newbie who has spent a few years getting a Masters in Something & an MBA in Something Else.

She contacted me through my LinkedIn Profile & wanted to talk to someone about which direction she wanted to go with her life. We spent about 3 hours talking about her goals, how to achieve them & the conversation rolled around to about how I got into the field that I’m in.

Is Cold Calling Effective?

   

It’s been my experience that if the “suspect” had wanted or needed my product then we probably would have already had at least one conversation.

I’ve found that those who receive cold calls say about the same thing.

What Can You Do For Me On The Price?

A standard question when you’re buying. An inevitable inquiry when you’re selling.
How would you respond at this moment?
Many people will respond to the question by immediately giving or implying the possibility of a discounted price. Again – great when you’re buying, a margin killer when you’re selling.
Here are the hard-dollar points to better negotiating…

Will “Business As Usual” Be Good Enough?

It’s time for re-invention, re-tooling & re-thinking. Just selling software isn’t enough anymore. Gone are the days when all you had to do was open your office door & wait for the buyers to start lining up with blank checks. There was no need for differentiators.

Today it’s all about what makes me unique. Why should prospects buy from me? What do I offer that other VAR’s don’t? Reputation & accounability are worth more today than the software that we sell.

Today software is looked upon as a commodity so that leaves us with our most precious asset & that is time. Pure sales people need to learn what it is that consultants do, get certified for those inclined & start making yourself an asset rather than a liability. If you’re not selling it doesn’t take long for ownership to look at you as a liability & it’s a downward spiraling vortex from there.