Stop a thief!

I know most of the blogs on this site are mostly driven towards helping each of us become more successful in sales. However, it is also a duty of ours to protect the content that you and your company work so hard to deliver.

Most of you are probably wondering what I am talking about. Well, here is the story...

I recently received an email from a friend of mine saying that couple articles from this blog are being used under another authors name. Knowing that I was the one and only author of these thoughts, I decided to do some investigating of my own. The conclusion...I was one of MANY victims. James Rickman ( http://www.sustainablevirtualbiz.com/ ) has been stealing articles for quite some time now. As I Googled his name I came across a number of articles that he has "authored". I then copied and pasted a sentence/paragraph out of each article and Googled it...11 out of 13 articles came back as being the material of another author (many of them posted on websites such as FastCompany and BusinessWeek). One of the articles was actually stolen from a US News reporter!! I called each of these original authors and asked if they were, in fact, the original authors and each and every one of them confirmed (which would eventually negate James' claim that he was a ghost writer and that is why his articles are posted in a number of locations).

So what is going on? A couple of things...

1. To populate his library of articles and content on his website, James Rickman is stealing articles from a number of sources. He is changing the titles by one or two words and then copy and pasting the remainder of information.

How to protect yourself?

- Copy and paste a line or two from each of your articles and put them in Google Alerts. You will be notified if anyone uses that same line in their material.

2. James Rickman is selling stolen articles to his customers by means of his "ghost-writing" services. It is easy to have a fast tournaround when you copy and paste. One lady we spoke to said she hired James to write 6 articles. It didn't take her long to realize that each one had been stolen.

How to protect yourself?

- Make sure that you hire a credible ghost-writer. If you hire someone that is cheaper than everyone else and can return a 6, 2-page articles in less than a day, we must consider the old saying, "When things seem to good to be true, they normally are!"

Now for the funny part...

In an effort to contact James Rickman, I wrote him an email with all of the links to the stolen articles and links to the original authors. He then sent me an email from his "legal team" that said, and I quote, "was forwarded to legal for review and possible damages -- it is appreciated if you cease and deceased all further communications including online etc --- SVS LLC, Legal Team -- ."

You would think an individual that was part of his legal team would know that it is called "cease and desist".

p.s. Here is an article that takes a more entertaining approach to stopping plagiarism...sounds like fun to me!!!

http://www.conversationmarketing.com/2008/10/stop-plagiarism-in-3-easy-steps.htm

Are you on YouTube?

Do you know how to make a coke bomb?

No? Click Here To See It On YouTube

Have you ever seen the amazing story of "Team Hoyt"?

No? Click Here to See It On YouTube


Ok...So we all know that YouTube is a melting pot of inspiring, hilarious, and breathtaking videos from across the globe, but does it bring any value to us as sales professionals?

Of course it does!

What exactly is YouTube?

YouTube is a FREE video sharing website that allows individuals to upload and share videos to a mass audience!

So has the bell gone off yet?

YouTube can be one of the best platforms on the planet to market who you are and what you do!!!

Here are two different approaches to marketing on YouTube...

Click Here to Watch the "Will it Blend? iPhone" Video on YouTube

Story Behind "Will It Blend?" -

BlendTec developed a very powerful new blender and one day some of the developers were testing its durability by putting various items in the blender and turning them to dust. Luckily, one of the BlendTec leaders was walking by as they were determining "Will it blend?" and decided that they needed the rest of the world to see what he had just seen. Now there is a "Will It Blend?" series on YouTube where they test marbles, canned food, money clips, hockey pucks, and so on. Oh yea...the video you just watched has been viewed over 7 million times and sales at Blendtec have gone through the roof!


Now on to a video that takes a different approach to marketing...

Click Here to Watch a "Weird Kid Start a Huge Dance Party" on YouTube

Story Behind "Weird kid Starts Huge Dance Party"-

In watching this video you may have been asking yourself...how in the world is this a marketing piece? You may have also asked yourself, as thousands have, "who is that band in the background?" The answer is "Santigold"...and they are the ones that hired the kid to start a dance party and the camera man to catch it all on film. This video has been posted under a number of titles and on a number of similar sites. After this video was posted the group's sales went through the roof. The way they were able to accomplish this is by having group members initiate conversation in the comment board by asking, "Who is this band? they are awesome!!" It didn't take long for people to start learning more about "Santigold".


So what is the lesson here?

That YouTube can be a great resource to market what we do! We can make it a big production (Will it Blend?) or we can create something all natural and raw (Weird Kid Starts Huge Dance Party)!

How to Create Your Own YouTube "Commercial"

1. Identify your company's/product's/service's value proposition. What is it that you do better than any other company out there?

2. Get creative! How can we communicate our value to the audience? (demo, interview, answering popular questions, positive customer reviews, etc)

3. Be real and raw!!! Obviously BlendTec poured a few dollars into their "Will it Blend?" series, but that was more out of want than necessity. What if that same guy was just sitting in the middle of a mall as he turned these everyday items into "smoke"? It would still have a huge impact! People become hesitant when they know they are being marketed to so the more real and raw we can be, the better.

4. Push the video! You can send a mass email pushing the video or just add the link to your email signature. Just think how fast you could drive people to your video if you were on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn...wink, wink!


Marketing your product or service through YouTube is not for everyone but if you can clearly communicate your product's value visually and you are not utilizing YouTube...you are cheating yourself!

Are we losing control...or gaining it?

As I have mentioned on a number of occasions, I am huge fan of reading. While you won't catch me buried in a Harry "Potter" book or swooning over the "Twilight" series, you are almost certain to find me plowing through a business book late at night. Now, I have been an avid reader for many years but I have to say that I have NEVER seen so many great books come out as I have in the past year! I mean...it is unbelievable!

I recently plowed through Barnes and Noble in search of the latest in Social Media trends and theories. Needless to say, I found plenty of good resources. One of the books a picked up was the Bestselling book by Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff "Groundswell"!

I am only a few chapters in but I believe this will be one my "Top 10 of 2009". In reading the first few chapters I came across the story of Kevin Rose (Founder of Digg.com). Digg.com gives you the opportunity to search the internet and "digg" a variety of articles...both on websites and blogs. On Digg's homepage you can view a list of top-stories that people are "digging" throughout the day. Kevin Rose believed he had a fortress for a website until "Rudd-O" decided to write a blog releasing some valuable information. Rud-O wrote a blog releasing a code that allowed the technically advanced readers to make copies of the "uncopyable" DVDs on the market. Within a day over 15,000 Digg members voted for Rudd-O's post. As a results of all the "digging" the story made it on the homepage of Digg.com for the world to see. Needless to say, the movie industry was lesss than thrilled. They put in an order to have the link removed. Even though Digg.com did not break any laws, Kevin rose decided to remove the link in order to escape any unnecessary legal action. Rose removed the link and reponded with a post of his own, informing the "Diggers" of the situation. The only problem is...Rose can't control the information posted on other websites/blogs. Within a day the "Digger Mob" located the encryption and posted it on nearly 100 blogs. By the end of the day that number had climbed to over 3,100.

Lesson: "Lawyers and entrepreneurs aren't the most powerful force on the internet. People are. And people, empowered by technology, won't always go along." - Groundswell

So, how do we gain control when it is obvious that control is the "mystical unicorn" of the internet?

We learn how to use the "crowd" to our benefit! Here are a few ways to do so...

1. Stay involved!

- Google your name. Google your company's name. Do your best to identify your reputation within the social media circle. If you recognize that your reputation is "sub-par"...engage the commentator and seek answers. Every time an individual posts a negative article about us, it tarnishes our brand. If we seek out these individuals and inquire as to how we can be of better service, we have the ability to turn an angry mob into our personal marketing department.

2. Be proactive!

- Start blogging! Don't just wait to respond, begin sharing info and creating a following of your own. This is not only for blogs...we must create a presence on sites such as YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

3. Be active and current!

- Having a blog that is not current or irrelevant is worse than not having one at all. Individuals read blogs because it is a regular flow of pertinant information. If we haven't updated our blog in 6 months and the last story is not relevant to today...our following will deteriorate.

How good do you want to be?

In writing these articles, I want to provoke thought...I want to deliver ideas in a way that drives each of us to become more introspective! The neat thing is that it also gives me an opportunity to share some personal stories along the way.

In each of our lives, we approach events that have the ability to impact us forever! In about a month I will be face-to-face with one of these moments, as I will be saying "I do" to the love of my life in Playa del Carmen, Mexico! To say the least, I am an incredibly lucky man! One of my friends said it best when he said, "The three of you should be very happy together! You, Her, and her seeing-eye-dog!"


Now some of you may be asking yourselves, "Is he going to sit here and tell us all about HIS life or is actually going to give us something to take home?"


The fact is, while this wedding is a once in a lifetime event, it is the result of a process I have used a number of times throughout my life.

I have shared this process with friends that are in relationships, college students who are looking to make better grades, and sales professionals that are looking to have a record-breaking year!


1. We must ask ourselves, "How good do I want to be?"

This is not a question our boss, spouse, or kids can answer for us! This is a question we must answer for ourselves! Do I want to be average? Do I want to be good? Or...Do I want to be the BEST?! There are plenty of people out there that are perfectly fine with being average and there is nothing wrong with that. However, being average is a matter of choice...not a matter of ability! We were all given the tools to be extraordinary!

What if I do want to be the best?


2. Become clear on what it will take to become the best!

There is no better way to do this than to identify an individual that has a experienced a great deal of success in the industry and ask them, "What did it take for you to get to where you are today?" It is impossible for us to really know what it will take but the best road map we can follow is that of someone who has been there!


3. Make the decision, "Am I willing to do what it takes?"

This is typically where separation begins! "Well, I want to be the best sales person in our company! But, you mean I have to get to work an hour earlier than everyone else?" Some call it making excuses...I call it the "Meatloaf Mentality" after Meatloaf's 1993 hit song "I'd Do Anything for Love" (but I won't do that). It is really a simple progression...

I want to be the BEST!

I know what it takes to be the BEST!

Am I willing to do what it takes to be BEST?

"The difference between winners and losers is that winners are willing to pay a price that losers won't pay!" - Jim Jacobus, CSP


4. Identify mentor that is flying at 30,000 ft and one
that is flying at 10 ft!

"What are you talking about Jason?"

We must have one mentor that is just around the corner from us and one that is miles down the road!

ex. For my relationship with Caitlyn, I meet with one young man that has been married 3 years and I meet with another guy that has been married for 30. The "newlywed" can still remember how he felt when they were trying to hash out there finances and the "veteran" helps me keep things in perspective. It is about addressing the "now" yet thinking about what "will be"! From a professional perspective, we must identify the individual that is where we want to be in a year and the one that is where we want to be in 10 years!


If each of us can be honest with ourselves as we move through this process, there is no limit to what we can accomplish both personally and professionally!


p.s. Thank you to all of you that have played a role in my relationship with Caitlyn. If it is true that we are only as good as our friends, then I have a great deal to look forward to in life!

To Text or Not to Text...That is the Question!

LinkedIn, text messaging, Twitter, Smartphones, Facebook...

Where do these fit in my business?

Earlier this week, I had the privilege of speaking with a group about integrating "new technology" with what they are currently doing. As I walked into the room it was easy to see why I was there. Half of the group had been in business for 20+ years and the other half had only been out of college for a few years. As I introduced myself to the group, I asked them "At the end of the day, what would you like to get out of our time together?" The answer was predictable...

"Jason...over the past few months we have discussed a number of ways to reach out to our client base and we keep hearing words such as "social networking" and "text messaging". Now, I grew up following the basic framework for networking and it has worked very well for me throughout the years. At the same time, our younger team members are saying that we should be on Twitter and LinkedIn. Which way do you think is the most effective way to connect with clients?"

My answer to them was, we must utilize BOTH!

This is not an "either/or" scenario. The basic structure for networking and building relationships is not sacrificed for the implementation of the "new stuff"!

When it comes to reaching out to clients and staying connected with them, we must search for what they respond best to...not what we feel is the most effective. Yesterday, I was following up with a number of individuals and I used nearly every system possible. I sent a text message to one gentleman, I "Facebooked" a lady that I spoke with the day before, I responded to another customer via email, and called a friend of mine regarding an interview we had that afternoon. The reason I didn't just send an email to each of them is because I had identified the most effective way to communicate with them, as individuals. The fact is, that as individuals, we all have our preferences and to be relevant we must identify what our customer's preferences are. To identify these preferences we simply ask, "What is the best way to get in touch with you?" This question not only allows us to become more effective in our communication but it also makes us more credible. After asking that question I will also follow up by searching for them on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. The reason we do this is to make as many connections as possible. If we are friends with a prospective client on Facebook, connected with them on LinkedIn, and following them on Twitter we will beat out the competitor that is simply emailing them.

A while back we were doing a program and we had an experienced sales manager ask, "Texting is so unprofessional! I would never text a customer! What could you possible gain by doing something so impersonal?" As my dad was in the front of the room, he called on me to offer my feedback "Jason, everything else being equal, if you were trying to decide between working with a sales rep that text messages you and one that only wants to talk on the phone...which one would you choose?" I quickly responded with "the one that text messages me, without a doubt!" On the same note, I did a program for a group of college seniors and I was talking about the impact awareness can have in the interviewing process. As I was encouraging them to become aware of what is in the interviewer's office, I used the example of looking for stationary. If an interviewer has stationary in their office then that means they probably place great emphasis on hand-written notes. So, when you get home write them a hand-written thank you note to show your appreciation for their time. Before I could finish my sentence, a young man chimed in and asked "Jason, why can't we just shoot them an email saying thanks?!" While respecting the young man's curiosity I said, "While an email may be appropriate, it may not be the most effective way to say thank you! If we want to be successful we must be outwardly focused....we must identify their hot-buttons" The biggest inter-generational struggle we face, as a population, is being able to adapt to those different than us! As a young sales professional, when I am selling to a more experienced veteran I must adapt to them. Every thing we do that illustrates our differences will be reasons for the sale to come to an end.

In sales, we may be neck and neck with a competitor. We sell the same product, at the same price, and we both offer similar perks. The only difference is that our competitor will only talk business on the phone, yet we are willing to use text messaging and LinkedIn if that is what the customer responds to. In this scenario...Who do you think wins the deal?

The exciting thing about sales is that no two situations are the same. One day we may be selling to a VP of Sales that has been in the industry for 35 years and the next day we may be selling to a 24 year-old purchasing agent. The key to being successful in such a diverse industry is to carry as many tools in the bag as we can...and own each and every one of them!

Who's going to win, a professional golfer with 14 clubs in their bag or an amatuer carrying one club that they hit really well?



I encourage all of us to have the following tools in our arsenal...

- Text Messaging
- Smartphone or PDA (emailing purposes)
- LinkedIn Account
- Facebook Account
- Twitter Account

Hiring "Young Gun" Sales Pros!

What should I look for if I want to hire the "Young Guns" of the selling world?

This is a question I saw posted on LinkedIn this morning and, given the numerous responses, I figured I would chime in with my own thoughts. After reading some of the thoughts I realized that some of us are trying to start on the roof before laying the foundation!

When I graduated from college I looked back at my education and was blessed to have been exposed to so many lessons but the one thing that I was most proud of is my ability to recognize potential in young people. In 3 years as a campus leader I had the privilege to interview over 1,000 college students for a number of positions. I made horrible hiring decisions and I made great ones...but as many of us know, we learn just as much from hitting a ball in the water as we do hitting one down the middle (thanks Dave)!

Some of you may be asking yourselves...

"This guy is talking about college! Do these principles carry any weight in the "real world"?"

Absolutely!!

These 5 Principles have only become more important as I immerse myself in the world of professional selling!

So...

Here are the "BIG 5"...


5. "Business Owner" Mentality

Being an employee is a state of mind! When we work with large sales forces this is one of the first topics we discuss. We encourage each sales professional to approach their customers, their territory, and their business as if they were the owner of the company. Too many times we run into sales professionals that get to work at 8 and leave at 5, while only doing what they are asked to do. The truth is, that may be enough to keep your job but it should not be enough to keep your pride! As a sales professional, we are suppose to make decisions like a "business owner"! We confront dilemmas like a "business owner"! And most importantly, we put in the time and commitment that a "business owner" would!

This week, ask yourself "What would a business owner do?"


4. Continuous Learner

We are always moving! We are either moving forward or falling behind. When looking to hire ANYONE we must identify an individuals desire to learn! To grow! To improve! Too many times we encounter sales professionals that are doing the same thing today that they were doing 15 years ago. We are not going to reach success today by doing what worked yesterday! To compete today we must stay ahead of the curve and we do that by learning new skills. If you want to have some fun...ask your stagnant sales professional, "What books are you currently reading?" You will have your answer right there! A true pro is ALWAYS polishing their craft!


3. Interpersonal Skills

While cliche, this one is even more important in an economy like this. We must hire sales professionals that ADD value to our product/service...not detract from it! I had been going to a men's clothing store for the past 4 years but recently made a switch to a new one because while one store focuses on interpersonal skills, the other could not even spell "relationship". While I am only one customer...I am getting married (buying suits for the wedding) and I have sent a number of my friends over there to get their wedding attire! That one "detail" cost one company thousands of dollars while the other store has more business than they know what to do with.

If we struggle to generate relationships, we will struggle to pay the bills!


2. Resiliency

I once heard my dad tell a sales manager, he was working with, "If you hire a sales professional with low levels of resiliency you are committing management malpractice!" Sales is a tough profession and if we do not hire "tough" sales people, we will either face low sales or a high turnover (maybe both)!

We must find sales people that have the mentality...

"Some will...some won't...so what...Who's Next?!"


1. Personal Accountability

We define personal accountability as "I do what I say I am going to do...because I said I would!" You know...I have noticed that individuals with low levels of personal accountability are always the ones who are "stuck in traffic" and are late "because someone else..."! Sales professionals do what they say they are going to do because they do not know any other way. They are committed to doing what it takes to keep their word and even if they are not responsible for the mistake...they take responsibility for making it right!



In this blog I communicated 5 principles that impact the success of young sales professionals but I think if you take a close look at the "Big 5" you will see its impact in other areas of business...and life!

The Optimistic Realist!

I blame it on Michael J. Fox! I am sitting here at 2 a.m. writing this blog because I cannot seem to get my mind to shut off. A few hours ago I was flipping through the channels and saw a special coming on about Michael J. Fox and his adventures to locate triumphant stories of hope!

While I do enjoy writing about sales strategies and tactics I feel that this blog must be focused on something bigger. We are in a tough economic time right now but we have a CHOICE of how we view our current situation! We will touch on this in a little bit but, for now, we will dip back into the show...

Michael J. Fox's hour-long show had me captivated the entire time. Throughout his many adventures you could see the symptoms of Parkinson's fighting within, yet Michael J. Fox views this world as a blessing. As an OPPORTUNITY!

Now, I am going to go out on a limb and say that this economy, while tough, is not the worst thing that could happen! It is not losing a child, it is not cancer, it is not PARKINSON'S!

So, while so many are blinded by the economic struggles upon us, how does Michael J. Fox see the world in such a promising light?

Is he blind to reality?

Is he in denial about his condition?

The answer is NO!

Michael J. Fox knows exactly what he is up against! He knows the reality of his disease and the hold that it will eventually place on him!

So what is so special about people like Michael J. Fox? How do some fight through the pain and focus on their purpose?

The reason they remain so positive is they do not see optimism and realism as being an "either, or" scenario!

We do not have to sacrifice living in reality for choosing to be optimistic. Optimism is not believing that the world is perfect and everything is all smiles and happiness.

Optimism is being able to see all situations in their entirety and while acknowledging the good and the bad, we choose to focus on the positive!

Michael J. Fox battles the pain and anguish that consumes him at times but he also realizes that this disease has given him the platform to impact millions of people! His pain and courage gives him the strength to comfort others. He has become an advocate of LIVING!

So what does this have to do with our professional lives?

To answer that I would like to share a short story with you and ask you a couple of questions...

In Michael J. Fox's adventures he made a trip to Bhutan. During his visit to Bhutan he was informed that Bhutan had something called the GNH...the Gross National Happiness! Bhutan believes that happiness is important in the success of a culture. While interviewing the Prime Minister of Bhutan, Michael J. Fox asked him "How do you drive happiness and hope throughout a culture?" The Prime Minister said, "We focus on the individual first. If an individual is happy then that happiness flows into their family, which is spread throughout the community, which impacts a city, which changes a culture!"

Wow! What a piece of wisdom?!

So let me ask you...

What would it mean to those around us if we made it a point to become more optimistic?

What would it mean to our organization if we focused on the opportunities in the market place and not this economic "crisis"?

Do you think that we have a better chance of selling more if we have a promising mentallity or if we appear defeated?

Could our approach to adversity change the dynamic of our family? Our company? Our industry? Our COUNTRY?



If you would like to buy Michael J. Fox's book "Always Looking Up: The Adventures of an Incurable Optimist" Click Here