So many people surround themselves with "me-too" people and "yes" men and women. Do you?
Do you have a friend or business colleague who actually challenges you? I don't mean that they try to undermine you or yell at you - but they express an opinion that they know is not the same as yours. They are not afraid to do so. Instead, do they just not say anything if they disagree or wonder why you did or said something?
Edgy conversations are not new to Daniel Waldschmidt - it is who he is. Dan blogs about topics that many people do not talk about - and creates friction with some of his topics. His post today is, Stop Being a Team Player. Check it out.
What I like about Dan is the same thing I like about other business thinkers, bloggers, and speakers who speak truths.
I met Jeff Hayzlett at the Sales 2.0 Conference earlier this week. Jeff was our end-of-day speaker, but arrived early. He sat down at the table I was sitting at and proceeded to go through some of the vendor marketing materials (of the vendors at this conference exhibiting). I noticed him saying, "What do these guys DO?" - as he reads a brochure and tosses it.
When he got up to speak - engaging as ever, he mentioned that he also walked through the vendor marketing table area - and still ran into some confusion about what the value of the services promoted would be to HIM, not from the vendor's point of view. Ultimately he purchased services from a couple of those exhibiting.
During his high intensity, entertaining presentation, Hayzlett also said that when he was CMO (Chief Marketing Officer) of Eastman Kodak, he would hear from thousands of vendors - all wanting him to buy their stuff. He often did not "get" their value - do you see a pattern here? (and check him out too - if you can hear him live, do so, or pick up his new book, The Mirror Test - Is Your Business Really Breathing?
If larger vendors calling on large companies have trouble with this - it is no wonder that small and medium-sized businesses do, too. This is an area to work on!
Business owners need real feedback - honesty and candor. It is the only way they can build their revenues. So get edgy - get real. Spread the word about what is great, and offer constructive suggestions to those whose products and services are not clear to you - if you do that, you'll very well be helping them shorten their sales cycle and grow business.
Lori Richardson speaks, trains, and writes about improving sales for small-to-medium-sized businesses (and a few Fortune 500's) around North America. Visit Score More Sales for more ideas, tips, and resources to help grow revenues now.