Know the rules of engagement if you are going to approach a CEO

Don't ASS-U-ME that the founder or CEO is a man.  More women are starting home-based startups and leading corporations because awareness is better that this an under-recognized issue.

Major accounts sales tip for selling to executives, particularly CEO

Sales to executives is a whole different kettle of fish:  THINK numbers if you're meeting/have audience with a CEO=Chief Executive Officer | Chairman of the Board + keep your meeting request including any PowerPoint presentations to 20 minutes with Q&A at the end = Practice practice practice doing your presentation in front of audience of colleagues who can constructively give feedback.  Even if you don't make it to Q&A you HAVE to ask PERMISSION to extend time allotment or reschedule to continue the conversation - that allows them the chance to absorb your initial presentation and come up with questions as it would apply to their company 

Always send a thank you note:  or two

1) Email recapping what you told them, any comments or feedback -- take a colleague or manager on the call (no more than one other for total of 2) to write notes and itemize NEXT ACTIONS by BOTH parties in the meeting (who agreed to do what) - reiterate what your next appointment will cover - ask for their input and edits or additions; 2) anyone else that may be needed to attend the meeting (i.e. Marketing Executive/Ops) to allow the CEO to get their input and evaluation extra set of eyes and ears and opportunity identifier.

2) send a handwritten card thank you note - it can be generic but better if you have cards printed with logo and your contact details - like a postcard or put in an envelope with a stamp and your own handwriting with Personal&Confidential on seal side.  Here, you make a social comment like - have a great vacation, day on the golf course, board meeting, union sit in - you get my point?

Before each meeting, you send an agenda beforehand, with time length beside it - to show that you are only going to take the 20 minutes allotted.  Ask for confirmation of agenda and whether they have anything to add, or people to add.  If they say they want to invite one of their executives, offer to send an email, coordinating event with the CEO copied in.  That is called leveraged selling in my book (don't know if there is such a term in sales?)

When you end the 2nd meeting with a more gelled action plan from both sides, again you follow up the meeting with notes, next steps, action owner, timeframe and again confirm the follow up timeline - 90 days on the third Friday in January, for example -- giving both parties plenty of time to gather needs or cultivate services or proposal with estimate, costs and timelines. Or topics that were tabled for the sake of time.

www.optioneerjm.com

Customer or Client? Mega greed or conspiracy theories?

Jason Bourne 
is to blame.  Tonight, my handsome husband selected a movie for us to watch.  It is a treat he has for me and he seems to always pick the perfect time.  The perfect time?  

Classic
The most classic perfect time in Calgary would be braving the roads from our first real winter "experience" of the season, where people have forgotten how to drive more cautiously and safely.  Then, I spent all day in training at work.  Funny part when the WWW (wicked witch of the west who will remain unnamed, to avoid the social media police that may be trolling my social media sites to ensure that I don't defame, embarrass or name the company or people I work with, have worked with, customer (transactional sale) versus client (continuing relationship where there is an exchange of money for services provided or in providing knowledge to help them make a decision.)

BIG SECRET
Relationship sales is much more satisfying and gratifying for both the representative and the client.  I know that if you are new to sales or think that sales pros speak a unique foreign language, you may think what is the point?  Customer or client? 

CUSTOMER
To me, a customer is a transactional buyer.  They shop, they compare, they buy once.  They move on.  Unless you manage your own headache on the warranty business.  A customer is a like trying to a romantic guy trying to woo a lovely lady with flowers, dinner and a diamond to only turn around and ask "what's for dinner?"    I'm lucky I'm not married to one of those.  My man, is a man's man, a gamer, a cool dude and all-around super guy.  He's smart, which helps.  If he doesn't understand something, he goes out of his way to learn more about it.  A customer is only going to compare, shop, call and ask for a deal, compare, take the deal and go to the other fierce competitor to test to see if they get their dandruff up if they mention who is "trying to win their business" when in actual fact, they are wasting resources (people, technology, profits, shareholder value) trying to squeeze out another dime.  These "customers" are in forums or getting opinions from neighbors, colleagues, friends and the pleasant lad who you stand in line at the coffee bar with.  They take that information as gospel on how to "get a deal".   I'm not sure, but I'd guess that the latest craze of false expertise is to drain advertisers banks and maybe gaining soundbites professing their show-stopping breakthrough.

I digressed A - L O T ... I won't apologize because if you come here to read my writing, it is going to be about sales or leadership or business with a twist of social media insight.  I'm long winded and detail oriented.  You don't often get one without the other:  someone who speaks out what they are formulating or have figured out, usually means telling someone else about it.  Or, in their gathering information and feeding their knowledge junkie habit, they ask a lot of questions, survey a lot of people, the web, often with Google's support, to find answers.

So, there are clients that do the same thing other sales pros would say.  I agree.  However, a really super smart sales savvy superstar can actually distinguish between what the car auto sales term (that I like to adopt as point of reference because buying a car is a universal buy that crosses all incomes, intellects and class or religion) ..... a tire kicker.  

If you were put on a platform with the "That was EASY button" notoriously campaigned and launched by Staples however many years ago ... would you be able to handle a flurry of questions like the rat-tat-tat of the sound of your voice mimicking a war toy?  Have you ever thought of holding a company olympics?  You should.  BUT don't limit it to ONLY the salespeople.  Make it mandatory for executives to participate too.  There are no classes and everyone is among the masses.  That is humility in executive leadership that you don't see, if ever.  (Unless you are of a certain type, of which it looks like I have another idea to write later).

Client
If you are any kind of company, you have created revenue streams by having "relationships" with a select group of buyers.  They may make transactional buys, but they are pretty loyal where they dispose of their money.  The money that there shareholders, owners, employees, suppliers need to see coming in on a steady stream.  They are not transactional customers, they are clients.  Some hip marketing sound bite made it popular to recoin that term into a defendable definition.  

That's the mini-lesson this evening.  After sitting in a training class all day, surviving nail biting slick driving conditions in a city that knows that it will inevitably happen lose their minds, AND it being so damn cold that the only thought you can conjure up about Christmas or "The Holidays" are penguins marching with gifts in tow.  Too cold to pump your own gas, but you have to so you won't run out of it after letting your car idle before the mad dash from the house to jump into the cocoon, that warmth enclosure, that quickly becomes a death trap as soon as you take the emergency break off and put your foot gently, cautiously on the gas pedal.  Only to almost be side swiped by some idiot driving like a maniac (and if it were safe to do so, take a video to post on YouTube for instant stardom ... which you don't because that would be considered "distracted driving" in a Province that has an offense as such, with a punishable penalty of a fine of the equivalent of all your Christmas gifts combined.)  

We need more Americans living in Canada.  Then again, there are already quite a few if the call-in rate for being sick on Black Friday because it was American Thanksgiving.    We didn't even have the tradition of super big deal sale day Black Friday without learning how to be better consumers from our cousins to the south.  Talk about biting the hand that feeds you when you think how quickly the masses on eastern shores have taken on the tradition and surpassed the consumer power from their teachers.

Buyers Supreme
One conspiracy theory I have in world dominance is going to be whoever holds the largest purse.  In a corporate world, that would mean usually the C.E.O. (Chief Executive Officer or chief elusive opportunist).  If you doubt me, look up who the richest CEOs are in your country.  The bigger the company does not necessarily mean the bigger the bonus.  They are their own public relations team and talent manager all tied up into a bow as one.    The buyers pay for that CEO even if they are delusional.  

World Domination
I don't know if anyone has noticed but the largest consumer culture of the americas is quickly being passed and left behind.  There is this place that is in the far east that has been making a lot of dough off of those americas companies by politely taking the jobs off their own soil, because their "consumers" or customers or clients don't care as long as they get the best price.  Now those poor unfortunate farmers and caretakers of the land are working in factories or building shipping operations to get those goods back to where the consumers are:  recycling of a new age kind.  

Consumers
Now where do you imagine where those big buckets of cash consumers reside?  Well, certainly not in the americas because those folks are riding the waves of job loss, pending home loss, and dignity lost a long time ago when they stopped being able to contribute to society:  as in consume.

Shifting tides
When you read a long long time ago that most of the owners of the debt in the americas are, you might be getting it:  they aren't in the americas.  Heck, stop worrying about the Mexican immigrants who are taking the jobs that nobody else wants to do.  In our consumer-entitled world.  Who, will soon be raising children who will be getting the best grades in school because they understand the value of education (where race, culture, background, financial picture can be eradicated if we ensure that all children on all continents are afforded an education.)  If you doubt me, consider who is graduating as doctors, pharmacists these days?  I can almost certainly say it isn't the third or fourth generation countrymen who are still stunned and striving to avoid destruction from the fall out of losing their jobs.  Offshore.  Huh?

Politics
Cannot be shoved aside.  I worked at the largest tech company in the world, who was conniving and pushing jobs offshore.  I was hearing from colleagues who had left mostly on their own accord.  Drained and strained to the max under the theory of their own self-destruction that tech will continue to replace human capital.

If I can find it, I will come back here and post the frame.  The CEO (chief elusive opportunist .... called such because you won't see them unless there is an opportunity for them to plug themselves or their company which plugs their cash meter).  The person was at the final Presidential Debate, and got in a soundbite by a notably large media outlet who hasn't caught on to the bigger story, and said "Whoever wins better ensure that they can create jobs".  

No reaction, no fall out, no media storm.  It was sexier to exploit the biggest battle of the sexes of all time than to clue in to what is happening.  Right under their collective noses was a bigger story.  Duh!  That CEO had been shoveling jobs offshore by the bushel to try to ensure the executives get their bonus and the shareholder noise is quieter.  Talk about the decimation of the oil industry why don't cha?

Decimation (Roman army) - Wikipedia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decimation_(Roman_army)

Decimation (Latin: decimatio; decem = "ten") was a form of military discipline used by senior commanders in the Roman Army to punish units or large groups guilty of capital offences, such as mutiny or desertion. The word decimation is derived from Latin meaning "removal of a tenth".

‎Procedure · ‎Sources · ‎Post-classical instances · ‎Current usage of the word

Does 'decimate' mean 'destroy one tenth'? | OxfordWords blog

blog.oxforddictionaries.com/2012/09/does-decimate-mean-destroy-one-tenth/

Sep 10, 2012 - A classic example of this is the word decimate. ... But the claim that decimate should be used to mean naught but to ‘put to death (or destroy) one of every ten’ has deeper problems than that. ... Currently, decimate meaning ‘to tithe’ makes its first appearance in 1656 (more of ...

That very same person that I would watch on the global corporate-wide town hall trying to calm nerves when stories or how they tried to insinuate as "rumors" of tens of thousands of jobs going to be cut.  That very same person said they hoped that the new incoming president would "create jobs".  Ha!

Dictators
While the riches of the one hemisphere are being lost in droves, unrest befalls the populace.  As the entitled soon learn that the tables are turning.  All the "spoils" from the ignorance of others, pad the pockets of others who pounce on the opportunity to capitalize on that greed, politely take their money in pennies if that deflects attention from what they are really doing.  Giving jobs away because they are cheaper to appease the shareholders who line their pockets with gold, or what is more commonly known as a "bonus".

The climate is right, the temperature is ripe for a dictatorship.  Think about it.  When and where in our past has dictatorships risen?  Hmmmm, feeding off the entitlement of whatever hot buttons are needed to get the masses fired up?  Now, who has done that before?   Rising to power based on hysteria, indignation and fueling that by creating more outrage.  Can we think of where that has happen before?  Why, yes, some may even recognize a hint of it founded on religion.  

Scope
I'm asking you to think a little bigger picture here.  When and where have the people gotten all fired up and gotten on opposing sides of a great divide?  Why yes, very often it is blamed on religion.  If that is what people think is the answer, then the parasites can latch on to that and use that to climb onto a self-built pedestal that can be raised by loyal followers who think they too can join in and even perhaps gain favor, why not a job,  a bonus wouldn't hurt.  Is it on the tip of your finger yet?

Revolution
A revolt often evolves when two opposing sides become more impassioned and ablaze, deciding that their choice as the right way.  Wait.  Don't blame the HunksterHubster, he doesn't even know I'm writing this.  In fact, I'm pretty safe from my own family rising to any opinion because they don't read this either!  Lucky for me, Google has translation built right into a gadget on this blog that allows visitors to translate into their own tongue, to embrace it, Brazil.  !Gracias! 

I read this article and posted this comment on "MEDIUM" after stumbling upon this rich, resourceful, amazing "CREW" .......

The best designers and developers don’t want to deal with crummy work that has a poor budget — this undervalues the work they do.

From a Mailchimp email and Wufoo form to $25k in 3 months

Mikael Cho

2902

BRAVO! Well said :o) Thank YOU *^*jm “The best designers and developers don’t want to deal with crummy work that has a poor budget — this undervalues the work they do”.This is so true of true creative types as well; try talking to a publisher, graphic designer or advertising agency, writers and imagineers; it is unfortunate when some drive prices down or deteriorate the brand of the industry or innovators by low-balling price by half-assed “entrepreneurs” who bastardize genius disguised behind the mask of greed. The deal makers and the price droppers. ~Jeannette

 Jeannette Marshall https://optioneerjm.blogspot.ca/2016/12/dont-be-ninkomphpoof-practice-golden.html