Think About It… the e-book version

by Todd Youngblood

Technology has changed everything. It used to take multiple face-to-face sales calls to get a prospect up to speed on the potential value of our products and services. More importantly, those calls enabled us to acquire a broad, deep understanding of their issues, requirements and problems. Now, web 2.0 makes our info available 24/7. They don’t need us to learn about us. AND, they now refuse to take the time to educate us regarding what they need.

Notice I said, appear to be an order-taker. Yes, I do want my peers and competitors to think that I’m just lucky. And yes, I do in fact want a steady stream of phone calls from decision-makers I’ve yet to meet who are on the brink of placing an order with me. But no, sadly, I still can’t afford to sit back and expect that to happen without a whole lot effort on my part first. So here’s the situation:

• They think they already know everything they need to know about me, my company and my products and services
• They won’t (and in many cases simply don’t have the time to) explain to me what they need
• They need, want and are ready to make a decision right now!

Let’s start with the fact that they’re ready to make a decision right now. (Before they consulted you! Horrors!) They’re not dopes. They didn’t just wake up this morning with a deep understanding of their organization’s strategies, issues and problems. They’re smart. They’re experienced. They’re hard-working. They’ve been thinking about it for a long time. They’ve been doing research.

They probably started with a Google search that led to an article, and then another, and then a blog or two or three, and then a few podcasts, videos and webinars. That stuff they read, heard and viewed was produced by their colleagues and peers; by your competitors, college professors, consultants and all kinds of so-called “experts.” Each of those came complete with comments, comments on the comments and links to a whole series of other resources.

That’s exactly what you do when you want to buy something isn’t it?

So here are the critical questions:

• Are you the source of the information they’re getting electronically?
• Are you doing you own “starting with Google” research to know what’s on the mind of your customer decision-makers?
• Are you plugged into and constantly working THE most common buying process in use today? Are you?

The correct answer to that last question is something like:

• Well…
  • I author a blog that I update five or six times a week, and
  • I host or participate in six or so podcast episodes per year, and
  • I have a LinkedIn? account with a detailed personal profile, belong to a dozen or so groups and regularly post comments and conscientiously work to expand my number of quality connections, and
  • I e-publish at least four articles or white papers per year, and
  • I just started a YouTube? series about how my customers creatively use my products and services

• …but of course I know that’s not enough, what would you recommend I do next?
  • Create a YouTube? video of me delivering my fundamental value proposition? (…obviously I’ll do a slightly different one for each market segment I serve.)
  • Implement and moderate a wiki for use by the VPs of X in my territory so they can ask questions, share insights, help one another get smarter and convince each other just how valuable I really am to them?
  • Write an e-book that clearly demonstrates my superior expertise and knowledge to all buyers of my products and services?

If you’re thinking any of the following: not my responsibility, not my job, not my skill set, not what I want to do, not what I have the knowledge to do, not what I’m smart enough or intend to learn to do, not needed to compete in my industry or this article is such a load of hooey; I sure hope you’re my competitor.

All, or at least a significant portion of the above, is what it’s going to take to just be in the game. You’re not going to get a meeting at the C-level without a solid, credible online reputation. Somebody that has done a significant portion of the above – some “order-taker” – is going to take that order from you.