Clutch, Shift, Repeat

I found a new blog this morning. Thanks to a share on Google + I picked up this great read from Jeff Sass. Sounds like we have a few common interests so I'll be checking Jeff out again in the future.

Pause while you read Mr. Sass' great work.....................................


Did you enjoy it too? I know, it's a great analogy to getting your day/life started and we all wish we had written it first. Jeff's post really isn't anything profound, but the presentation helps to spotlight a common issue in a person's professional life. And it's one that we'd like to bring to the 2-Pros community.

I won't spend much time reiterating what he says in the post, but what things do you do to get your inertia moving at the start of a task? This can easily tie back to previous posts here about Hero and Legend Responses. Are you more driven by the emotional response to be victorious? Or are you motivated to conquer the challenge to display your dominance?

Unemployment-proof

Over the summer we've been mostly vocal about sales and sales process. We've even shown a bit of our geeky side with some posts about social media. But in light some recent events we felt it was time to bring up the topic of career process again.

Just this week we've been bombarded with more recession defense talk, criticism for Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke, and reminded of woes in Europe. Things were apparently so stressful at a Charlotte, North Carolina news station that they re-posted a March report announcing branch closures and layoffs for Bank of America, essentially doubling the damage and reminding us all of the difficult legwork many companies and the affected employees have in front of them.

While we are not interview or job hunting specialists, we do feel that the mantra at 2-Pros is relevant here. Build a career process. A career process is different from a company process. It is different from personal branding. It is different from education. Career process incorporates all of those things and more, and it uses your own personality and experience do it. People who diligently build their career process can quickly convert it to new opportunities when current ones change.

There's maybe a few of you doing a systems check right now. You may be between jobs or just conscious of the possibility. If you haven't considered your career process before, what do you do now? It's not too late. Follow this abbreviated checklist and you'll get an idea of what you can offer employers.

1) Check your motivators. What gets you going on a task? Do you use emotional energy? Or do you get energized by executing strategies?
2) Check your networking. Do people really understand what you bring to the table or does your work only get noticed for its completion. The "how" is just as important than the "what" in your career.
3) Check your mind. It doesn't matter if you're a part time barista at a coffee shop, if you're not learning, you're not ready for tomorrow. From social media, to the blogosphere, to books and magazines there is an infinite source of information for your field, soak it up.

How did you score? Is your career process defined enough to take you from job to job? Can you confidently explain how you do what you do to your current or prospective boss? Once you know who you are and what you offer its time to bring that to the battlefield. Whether your battlefield is tomorrow's interview or another day at the grind its time to deliver yourself.

Google vs Facebook

The normal, lightning-fast, overwhelmingly-heavy rash of social media hubbub has dealt with extra fuel of late. A couple weeks ago, I couldn't resist and threw my hat into the ring with a post about Google +'s intriguing new approach to geo-tagging. After all the sharing was done it was one of the most popular post of the summer here for the 2-Pros team.

Inevitably, one of the resulting conversations had readers asking us about this whole Google vs Facebook idea. Being interested in the topic enough to stray from our normal topic already, we couldn't resist putting our two cents in on this subject.

 I'll admit that I probably use enough Google products to qualify as a fanboy. Its just that they make my life so darn easy. So, when Google says that they don't have designs on becoming the next big thing in social media and going after Facebook, I believe them.  I believe both that there are many other ways to be successful on a social internet than copying Facebook and that there's room for two giants in that arena anyway.

Here's what I think is interesting though. Google truly has built a different animal with G+. Certainly if you want to pull all of your friends from Facebook or wherever you can create your own Facebook clone on G+ using large circles and private status updates. But for people who do that you're only using a small fragment of what G+ truly offers.

Consider these:

1) One-way sharing - It brings the openness of other popular social sites like Twitter to the table and allows a user to acquire and spread news from chosen sources. One user this morning called G+ his morning newspaper, others have pointed out how much more open sharing is compared to other sites.

2) Sparks - Still a bit of a fail from the development end, Google can really flex it's search muscle here and integrate Reader and News into Sparks. This will go above and beyond the offerings from one-way sharing and bring even more content into the Circles.

3) Google Integration - Yes, Facebook does do some of this, but Facebook is very slanted towards holding information within the Facebook community. With G+, there are obvious paths to connecting calendars, email, chat, contacts, documents, and much more with a wider breath of personal digital services. And of course, to Android.

So do I feel that Google is a threat to Facebook? Yes. I don't think that it will beat Facebook from the standpoint of private circle sharing. I think G+ does a better job at that, but it will need a significant amount of time to reach the user-base needed to really win in that arena. Where Google will win is in two places.

1) Time. No matter how awesome each Google and Facebook are, they are still competing for the same hours in the day that each of us have already decided to dedicate to online activity. I really don't feel that very many people will drastically increase their time spent online to use both G+ and Facebook. In the end, one site will win over the other for each person with the biggest factor likely being network preference. Those trying to meet new people and network publicly will choose G+, those who prefer to only share privately will stick with Facebook. I feel that G+ wins this battle simply because they offer both, and users who pick G+ will help to migrate their friends to minimize time spent online.

2) Mobile. Its no secret that mobile units are flying off the shelves from every carrier under the sun. Those devices are only going to get faster, more efficient, and more integrated. And we'll keep carrying them with us wherever we go. Facebook seems to have released more updates in the last two months than in the two years prior, but I can't get past their sluggish attitude. Facebook's mobile apps seem to always be the most barebones version of the online experience and Google won't stop on that level. While the G+ app is still very young, it's already easier in a number of ways. If you're the type to go social on the fly I just don't see how you can choose the Facebook app over the G+ app.

For me personally right now I'm on both. I know that it will take a year or more to really draw enough of my inner circle from Facebook and get them to stay up to date with me over on G+ so I will invest the extra time. I have nothing against Facebook, but in having to pick one, I have found that G+ is much better integrated with everything I need to do. Check me out here and Circle me up.

Let's keep some of this conversation flowing. I would like to talk about advantages for businesses on G+ as those pages become available.

Recommended Read from a Sales Guru

As many of you know we don't do a lot of plugging of other blogs here on the 2-Pros space, preferring to share those nuggets through other methods. But I found an article today that I felt needed to be shared via the blog.

For anyone unfamiliar with Michael Port, he is marketing and sales guru and author of Book Yourself Solid. He is highly motivational and has even more great advice on how to kickstart yourself to enhance your personal brand. You can check out more about Michael here. While you're there make sure to check out his Thinking Big Revolution, I haven't had the opportunity to join as much as I'd like, but some really good information is shared there.

His post today hits home about how to sell yourself. Honestly, it's not groundbreaking stuff from Michael, he promotes the same attitude and focus in every message I have heard him deliver, but this one I thought was especially clear. Check it out here.

It was encouraging for us here at 2-Pros, because even though we feel like we're coming out of the woods with the direction we want this thing to go, we lack the track record to fortify ourselves with credibility. But Michael's point about just selling yourself is perfect and one that we have been taking to heart. Even more than a great product you have to sell a prospect on the fact that you can meet their needs. It doesn't matter if you've never had the opportunity to meet that need before, you just have to show how confident and prepared you are to do it now.

Google + for Local Networks

On June 28th, Google cracked the doors to its newest attempt to social networking and began the process of drawing folks into Google +. Since then it's grown like crazy, becoming the fastest such network to hit the 10 and 20 million marks. There's been a lot of talk about what it will become and how long it will take to gain enough users to be relevant, but that's not quite what I'm going to talk about today.

As a quick note on my feelings there, I don't think that Google necessarily is trying to "kill"' Facebook, Twitter or any other social network. At 750 million users Facebook is all but unkillable anyway. I really think that Google's primary goal here is to build a network that will hold enough relevance to become mainstream, hopefully gaining as much usage as Facebook - though more would be nice - and in the end get two things: social relevance in search and of course advertising revenue. We can talk about those another time if it's of interest to you.

Today, I want to talk about local networking. Location-based posting has been available for longer than most of us probably realize. The feature that Four-Square popularized and Facebook offers mainstream has always been an interesting tool to me. However, I'll say that I have never once used it on either of those services. With Google +, however, I see it as a clear-cut advantage. Why? Because with Google + I have an opportunity to post publicly and link that by location. Now every single Google + user in my same geographical location can see my post and determine if they want to connect with me on that topic or others. But isn't that the same?

Why is this better than Four-Square? Because Four-Square really only dominates destinations. It's awesome for those people who are looking for local, popular destinations for just about anything from dining, to drinks, to entertainment, or even to get your hair done. But it lacks a network of people sharing knowledge about non-destination topics.

Facebook misses the boat here because you're only sharing with those people whom you have already mutually-befriended. It's impossible to build your network by only interacting with your existing network, and as a result, many Facebook location tags end up as little more than a destination tag. 

On Google +, users can add hobbies and professions on the top of the list for things they can connect on publicly and locally. These types of connections could lead to training groups for runners or cyclists, business ventures and partnerships, and of course good old local events fit in there too. Other than the reasons above I can't put a finger on why Google's offering makes this so much more obvious than the other two, perhaps it is just presentation. I do feel though, that this could be a very powerful tool for anyone looking to make new relationships for many purposes. 

My word of encouragement... use Google + like crazy, especially with public, geo-tagged posts. Even though the site is set up well to connect this way. There are a lot of bad habits and learning that has to go on before it will be obvious to everyone. It will be important to keep those posts clean of white-noise and to aggressively connect with others when they show interest. Similar to my last post, you never know what kind of seeds those networking efforts will sow for your future.

Opportunity Tirade

A non-themed thought from me today. Why are so many people unwilling to listen to a sales pitch?

I know a lot of the excuses. There are people who say I'm too busy. There are people who feel they weren't looking for anything. There are people who just can't afford to purchase something that they hadn't already planned on. But really, why not listen?

Both consumers and businesses carry this same attitude. And to a degree, I can identify with the above excuses. After all, I've skirted the island stand people at the mall, avoided eye contact with a representative in a department store, and politely told telemarketers to move on to the next dial.
As a salesperson though, this is frustrating. The product I'm pitching is designed to help them and I know it provides a strong Return on Investment. So why won't they listen to the offer before making a buying decision. If they knew the ROI wouldn't it then make logical sense?

I will probably write more about this when I get my head around more if it, but today I'm thinking about the networking aspect of meeting salespeople.

Suppose you're a business owner. You wear more hats than you can count on a daily basis. Ultimately you went into business because you had a passion for the product, but to make it work you have to run a company. You're smart, ambitious, and possess a solid work ethic, so you've managed to figure out enough to get it all done. But you know that you'll never do it perfectly, you're not a financial advisor or a marketing buff, and there's a new product out like every 3 min that you have to check against your current line. Some days you just wish you had VPs of those departments to handle that stuff.

In walks a salesperson. They may be a banker, media consultant, distributor, landscaper, or just about anything else. This is the person who you need to make friends with. They are there to sell you something sure, but in the end they'll pitch you an idea the same as your VP of Product would, you'll make a call and if you buy it, it costs what you would pay if you had scoured the internet and found it yourself. AND you save the VP salary because this guy gets paid by someone else.

I'm not saying that you need to take time to deliver your entire business plan to everyone who walks through the door with a "padfolio" in their hand, but you couldn't get hurt making friends with a few from each line. Even if you aren't looking for that service today, what if 6 months or 18 months down the line you are? Now you have to do all of your own homework.

This same argument can be made for consumers. So they're not out of this. How could you be worse off by learning about a product that a company spent millions of R&D dollars on to make sure it provided good value for you?

OK, a bit of a soapbox, but I feel its a good question. Why are we afraid of opportunities?

Selling to Decision - The Counterpoint

Last week I wrote about Selling to Decision to benefit the efficiency of both the salesperson and the seller. The most common argument that I hear from salespeople against this method, especially those who delay decision, is that they are afraid that selling to decision will harass or push the prospect. They tell me that this will almost inevitably lead to the prospect saying "no" to assert themselves and stay in the power position of the conversation.

There are a two main clarifications that can be made to show how this is not the case.

1. Selling to Decision is not about backing the prospect into a corner and demanding agreement.  Instead, Selling to Decision is about leading the sales process. When we maintain control of the sales process we reveal ourselves as professional sales people rather than retail store representatives. Whichever sales process you are using, you picked it for a reason, and leading a prospect through that process will allow them to progress through the stages and ultimately make a buying decision. Relinquishing that power to the prospect, in an effort to avoid pushing them, leaves them in some sort of limbo because they don't know what is supposed to happen next. 
2. Selling to Decision is not a on-the-spot ultimatum. At a glance, this one can sound a little hypocritical. Every sales process is comprised of stages, and just like any other process, each prospect will progress through those stages at different speeds. Perhaps they have made a poor buying decision in the past and want to due their due diligence. Perhaps they just don't trust themselves and have made a habit out of reviewing decisions like these with a third-party. Whatever the reason, sometimes today is just not going to be the day. That doesn't mean that departing the meeting and scheduling a follow-up is failing to sell to decision. By "bookmarking" the stage of the sales process at that first meeting the salesperson can still continue guiding the prospect through the stages at the subsequent meeting(s). 

Today we took some of the wrappings off the elephant in any sales discussion by mentioning the importance of sales process. Those of you who have followed us for a while know how passionate 2-Pros is about process, and an in-depth review of our take on sales process is coming on the horizon.