FM Walsh & Associates Inc.

Last week I had the pleasure of speaking to the Nanaimo Ewomen Chapter on the 5 Deadly Sins of Business Development. It was clear from the reaction in the room that it was sin number 5 that resonated with these women the most – Not asking for what you want.

The truth is that most women do not ask for what they want – for many reasons. Fear of imposing, not wanting to bother people, not wanting to appear selfish. They ask for what they think they can get, after doing a complex mental equation in their head about what they think the other person is willing to give them! Why not ask for the whole thing? Get clear on what you need, ask for it and then let the person you are asking make their own decision about what they are willing to give. If you do only ask for a part of what you want, no one is going to read your mind and throw in everything else you want – they are just going to give you what you asked for. So put aside your fear, your prejudices and your worry about appearing selfish and simply ask for what you want. You will be pleasantly surprised by the results. Just this week one of my clients who has a very new business landed herself a spot on a television show simply by asking for what she wanted. She didn’t worry about hearing no – she just asked.

I wrote this morning in the Out-Smarts blog about an interview I had just listened to regarding the Skype crash last week, the effect it had on one local individual and how his lesson can be applied to new technology adoption in business.

The guy, a consummate Skype user had been dismayed last week when Skype crashed on the very day of his Grandmother’s birthday. He talked about his frustration in trying to get through to her using the Skype VoIP technology (phone over the web in layman’s terms!) and finished by mentioning that it was days after her birthday when he finally managed to reach her. It appeared to me that he was too consumed in new technology to remember the ubiquity of older technology like the land line. Could he not have picked up an actual phone and called Granny? There’s lots of them around.

This got me thinking about how companies should approach new technology adoption. New technology brings with it a whole slew of new, more effective ways of doing things and its vital to make the most of these opportunities but NOT at the complete of sacrifice of traditional methods. A mix of old and new is often best, at least for now.

I would have loved to hear his explanation to Granny!

My hard drive crashed last week – in the blink of an eye all my files and email were gone. This could have been a disaster, but it wasn’t. Why? Because I had a Plan B. Everything was fully backed up to an external hard drive so all I suffered was some inconvenience.

I see businesses every day that have no Plan B. Now I’m not saying that you should plan for failure. But do you have only 1 target market? Do you keep chasing prospects for too long? Is a chunk of your revenue coming from 1 large customer? All of these things make your business vulnerable and cost you revenue. Keep your options open and make sure when you’re doing your strategic plan that you include a Plan B.

Ever been in the situation where you’ve called a sales prospect over and over with little or no response? We’ve all been there and we’ve impatiently written off the prospect as dead because we didn’t want to face another non responsive call. Next time you are prospecting and this happens, think of this: its a well known fact that sales people give up on sales prospecting calls far too early. A few more calls and the sale is likely to be yours. Also consider the fact that being diligent in following up will prove your commitment to the sales process and gain respect from your prospective buyer. With a little patience and perseverance that opportunity you are about to write off as dead could turn into a sale. Go dial that number, smile and think of the closing the deal. Here are some pointers that will help: 7 tips for turning cold calls into hot leads.

If you want to close more deals, pay attention to the details. I constantly get contacted by suppliers trying to sell me something and I can tell they have done no research and have no clue what my company does. A classic one lately was the email I got from a web design company looking to build strategic alliances. It was obviously a mass email sent out to a list – there was nothing personalized about it – it was a fishing expedition. The irony is that I am looking to meet some new web design firms. Obviously this firm won’t be one of them.
Here’s some basic rules to follow when doing a deal:

1. Research the company you are pitching. Know what they do, their challenges and the market they target.
2. Prepare your presentation. What solution are you offering? Get real clear on the benefits to the buyer. Have your sales materials organized, your price range decided on and practice it until you are 100% confident.
3. Make sure you provide your contact information. Nothing turns me off faster than having to track down your contact information. I’m amazed at the number of emails and phone calls I get from people with no contact information provided. Every email should include your full name, company name, phone number, email and website. And make sure you leave your phone number with every voicemail message you leave.

Pay attention to the details and make it easy for people to do business with you.

My latest column in Make It Business, Greening Your Bottom Line, focuses on how going green can translate into a healthier bottom line for your business. Read the article to find out how going green can help you tap into the buying power of the largest consumer market out there.

I came across a new favourite quote recently: “Time is a created thing. To say, ‘I don’t have time’ is to say ‘I don’t want to.’” – Lao Tzu

The reason it resonated so strongly with me is that a lot of my clients recently are procrastinating on doing stuff that is important to their business growth. We all procrastinate at times and the reasons we do so are endless. But what happens when you keep procrastinating on important stuff? You stop your own success, you waste time moving the item to a new to-do list, you drag yourself down feeling guilty about not getting around to it.

What I like about this quote is that it is says: Face it. We all have the same amount of time. If you consistently don’t have time to do something, then you probably don’t want to do it. So why keep dragging this stuff around with you? Ask yourself these 3 questions:

• Do I really need to do it? If the answer is no, scratch it off your list and forget about it!
• Am I not doing it because I don’t know how to do it? Then figure out what you need to know to get moving and find a resource – an expert in the field, a seminar, a book – to give you the skills you need to get it done.
• Am I not doing it because it is stuff I hate doing? Then source it out. Sure, you are a small business and can’t afford to hire someone…..can you better afford to keep wasting time and energy beating yourself up for not doing it? Can you afford to keep missing opportunities?

Get clear on how you want to spend your time and then take actions that benefit you.