Can you match the 'stache?
What started as a dream, turned into reality, and then into legend, as a group of bold Lenatians decided to buck the system and societal norms by growing a moustache. They endured over a month of itching, scratching, food residue, creepy looks, frightened children, and alienation from significant others. The reason for this adventure? Movember (moustaches in November).
A global phenomenon by which men, with the support of women, grow out their moustaches in support of men’s health, particularly prostate and testicular cancer. Sadly, the crew was a little late in starting a Movember team, but kept the momentum going over the holidays (yes, explaining the look to the in-laws was a real treat), not to mention clients (yes, explaining the look to clients was a real treat). The event culminated with beer and pizza at a local tavern, where the debonair gents showed off their staches and contemplated the virtues of facial hair.
Thanks to the participants, and everyone who donated. Please look for the Lenati Lip Curtains to make a big return next Movember, as we continue to support this great cause.
February 8th, 2010
Whether you are the dialer or recipient of the dreaded cold call, both parties would agree: few things in life are as unwanted and painful to endure as “the cold call.” In a study of B2B marketers that use cold calls to build their business, researcher Barbara Johnston of Texas A&M comments that “the cold call [is] one of the most egregious of interactional impositions.” Citing the woeful inefficiencies inherent in cold calling metrics, Jeremy Miller, in his excellent article “Sales People Don’t Cold Call”, unequivocally states, “Cold calling is an act of frivolity.”
Yet in spite of the pain and inefficiencies, how many companies/colleagues do you know that are still relying on cold calls to generate sales? While businesses try to slug their way out of a tough economy, it may be easy to justify the rationale for this brute force tactic. However, we might suggest that sales managers re-think their approach to cold calling and adopt some 21st century techniques that transform the dreaded cold call into the art of the smart call.
What is a smart call: In the age of social media, online databases and Web x.0, there is never a reason to make a cold call again. Monte Levinson, President of Aerie Canal Consulting, sums up both the problem—and the opportunity—with the common cold call: “In my experience, most cold callers don’t take the time to learn anything about my business, they’re only focused on what they can get out of the exchange.”
To conduct smart calls you and your sales teams will need to invest a little bit of time to first get smart about your prospects both personally and professionally. Some suggestions:
Leverage Social Media: Given the transparency with which business professionals post their credentials to social media sites like LinkedIn (and increasingly Facebook), smart callers can glean relevant personal information about many prospects they wish to engage.
Tip: Selling IT solutions? Use LinkedIn to investigate where your prospect has previously worked. Perhaps you or company sold products to him/her at their last company where hopefully your products were easily deployed and added value to your prospects former employer. E.g.: “I noticed from your Linkedin profile that you were previously employed at ACME. Did you know that AlphaTech implemented the CRM analytics engine for ACME? Based on our successful implementation we were invited to do two additional engagements.”
Online Databases: Nearly every industry has two or three respected reference and research databases sales leaders can tap to help sales teams gain even deeper insight to their prospects. EBSCO, Hoovers, Factiva, and Lexis Nexis all provide good general business reference information for sales teams to glean insights about prospects.
Tip: Selling media? Your lifeline for prospecting gold is Redbook Advertisers where you can quickly match brands to their agency of record. This way when you call your prospects you come armed with insights about the business relationships they are already using to market their brands. Selling to manufacturers? IBIS World identifies industries using their North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) codes and provides data on market size, key players, and economic outlook. Let your prospects know that you’ve taken the time to gain insight on the competitive landscape and current trends. Use these key findings to help position your offer in a highly relevant manner to your prospect.
Web x.0: Whatever era of the internet you find yourself in, smart callers use the web to their advantage. Always check your prospects website before calling and get smart about the latest products and services being promoted by your prospect. Position your product to help them achieve success and let them know you’ve taken time to get smart about their business. Use search engines to be sure you are up to date on the latest news and information about the prospect company.
Tip: Be sure to read the company blog: usually crafted by a senior executive within the organization, corporate blogs are probably the surest way to get insight on the “hot button” topic for your prospect.
Cold calling is dead. Take the time to get engaged with your prospect BEFORE you pick up the phone. Start smart calling today.
PS: If you are already smart calling and getting good results, please share your success stories in the comments section of our blog. Thanks!
— Blog post submitted by Mark Ippolito, sales effectiveness and digital media marketing consultant. Email: mippolito@lenati.com
February 2nd, 2010
We’re very excited here at Leanti that we’ve been recognized in Consulting Magazine’s 2009 Best Firms To Work For report as one of the “Best Small Firms to Work For” in two categories: Best Culture and Best Strategy Service Line. Here’s a link to the details http://bit.ly/5×8Q4
This is directly attributable to the quality and hard work of our consulting team. Not only do they make our clients successful, but they make Lenati a great place to work!
September 24th, 2009
As we launch our new blog I wanted to introduce the different authors you’ll encounter from time to time and their area of focus. While we all reserve the right to wander off on a tangent now and again, we’ll try to stay focused the following areas:
- Kris Klein – will help us all increase our bottom lines by focusing on Channel Strategy and Sales related topics
- Jen Winter – will bedazzle us with her Marketing and Customer Experience insights
- Martin Mehalchin – will take the pulse of the Health Care industry covering providers, insurers and medical device manufacturers
- Kirk Johnson – hopes to capture your small screen attention by focusing on all things Mobile as well as dabble in Social Media topics
In addition to the “regulars” above, you’ll see the occasional post from someone else in the Lenatian community that’s sure to be insightful and interesting .
Happy reading and thanks for checking us out!
September 22nd, 2009
We’ve finally entered the 21st century and are launching our blog. Be on the lookout for our Points of View, valuable articles we’ve stumbled across, best practices, fun photos and our observations on how to build connections with your customers and improve their experience. We’ll start in earnest next week so please come back to participate. In the meantime don’t forget to sign up for our newsletter or follow us on Twitter. Thanks!
August 28th, 2009
