sales

After a week of travel, which was more like 3 weeks due to the preparation and focus on nothing but the end goal, it is like returning from a long journey. Amazingly, the voicemail was empty and there were no packages piled on my chair. Why? Because nearly everyone I work with on a regular basis was in the same place as I was, many of them at the same hotel. So it was like I was at a high school reunion, assuming that I was part of a class that took 20 years to graduate.

So here I am back in the saddle (squeaky office chair) with a full plate of communication tasks, aka, new business development.

1. Followup with people I saw last week. Last week, for those keeping score at home, was a medical convention. There are occasional threads in the business and marketing forum about the benefit of attending trade shows.
http://forums.creativecow.net/thread/17/863662#863662
http://forums.creativecow.net/thread/17/862223#862223

It depends upon the trade and the show.

2. Followup with people I did not see, but hoped to.

This is an important part of acquiring new business. That is, developing relationships with people, even and especially those people with whom you have not yet done business. Remind people you are there, out here in the ether. When they need you they'll remember you if you remember yourself to them periodically.

3. Contact people I neither saw nor planned to see but with whom I'd like to meet at some future date.

4. Followup on outstanding proposals.

Writing clear proposals, SOW's or contracts is a vital part of work for hire. If you are a vendor, get good at describing what you do, what you charge, and what they get for what you charge for what you do.

5. Send out new proposals.

See above.

6. Chat with co-workers about ongoing projects, shoots that happened while I was away and future projects and goals.

MBWA - Managing by walking around.

6a. Followup regarding ongoing milestone chasing (another future blog post right there).

7. Create some plans for new products, the ideas for which we gathered from customer requests during our big event. Free market research is a beautiful thing. Well maybe not free, given travel and exhibit costs, but gravy over an already generous helping of mashed potatoes.

Always be thinking of the next sliced loaf of bread.

8. Organize notes - that is - post-its and scrap paper - in a book labeled, cleverly, "The Book." More on this in a future post on getting shtuff done.

So while I say back in the saddle" one should always be IN the saddle, riding on the range, tending the flock helping other ranchers get their cattle to market. Rather than a six-shooter on my belt, a blackberry will have to do.

Giddy-up partner.

Thanks for riding.

Mike Cohen

Do you like to Rock and Roll? In other words, do you thrive on one big event after another, or more likely, one success after another.

Anyone who creates media for a living has to make every effort to do the very best job they can every time. We take pride in our work. We enjoy doing even the most mundane tasks. Duping a tape is like selling a song. Authoring a DVD is like selling an album. Producing a live event is like doing a concert. See the parallels?

Social media is all the rage these days. Whether you are getting work this way or not, you are probably putting yourself out there. But what about social media networking within the organizations you serve?

Let's say you have done a DVD for Department A. It's a work in progress, but the video is pristine, the narration, no thanks to you, is dead on and not bad for ad libbed. The DVD interface is a demo - the final product will be done in Flash and they haven't even seen it yet. But lucky for you, the head widget salesman in Dept A has been promoting your work in other departments of his org. Thus, your DVD prototype is your calling card, being flashed around the client's building without your knowledge.

Then you get a call from a new contact in Dept J.

"Hey, this is James Jameson in Dept J of Amalgamated Widgets, Inc. We haven't met, but you're working with Dave Davidson in Dept A. He showed me that widget-o-matic DVD you're developing. I gotta get me one of those, only make mine better. Dave said this costs around a million and a half alligator toes? Sign me up."

It doesn't get much better than that.

Make your clients into true believers of your talents then let them go to work on your behalf, pimpin' your services free of charge. This is how social networking and viral marketing is supposed to work, only it need not happen via the web. Word of mouth was the original social network. Keep it alive.

So you schedule time to go on down to Amalgamated Widgets for a meet and greet, grab a coffee, then walk around the office seeing others that you know. You've got a rapport with these people. Even if you're not doing a project with Jane Janey in Dept W stop by her desk and say hi. Maybe you have a recent DVD on widget repair that she might like to see. Maybe she'll like it and want to buy 50 copies for her salesforce. Always be prepared. Saying you have a product she might like is one thing, but reaching into your computer bag and handing over a sample is better.

Word gets around. The switchboard back at home base gets a call from the VP asking when you will be back in the office. You see, word got around that you were in his building, and he wants to check in to let you know he appreciates your efforts. Maybe this happens, maybe it doesn't, but if the VP knows who you are you're on the right track AND the right train.

Keep the momentum going. Communicate often so your customers have the latest information. Post their edits online in a timely manner. Give them ideas for new uses of the videos you have already created. Word gets around. Soon other departments call wanting to use these works of art for their own purposes.

Yes, everyone wants what you've got. You're a rock star. Enjoy it, but you gotta keep working if you want your success to continue.

Once in a while you may have a song that doesn't make the charts. It happens. Move on, but try to figure out what went wrong. Did you follow the template for a hit? Was your creative idea not what the fans wanted? It's best to face the music, admit your error, and make up for it the next time around.

But when you're on a roll, you can do no wrong. You just gotta pay attention to what you are doing, and make every move deliberate. Make every communication crystal clear. Keep it real and stay out there. You're a rock star, and that's what you have to do to stay on top.

This is me trying to sound cool. You're as cool as you think you are. If your customers think so too, run with it.

Thanks for rockin'.

Mike Cohen