Cost Goes Both Ways

I was invited to view a new software product, JAPMS, Just Another Project Management System. I was in a roomful of people who had letters after their names that meant they were experienced project managers.

The builders showed us screens that represented projects in multiple views, and multiple projects that rolled up into programs, and dashboards for most of the management belief systems.

They were showing us how incredibly easy it was to move a project to the right due to unforeseen circumstances. Man, one thing goes wrong and your whole project recalculates!

I’ve used many project management systems, from the sublime to the blue screen. I’ve even built and sold a couple. So I was surprised at the response when I asked, “What happens when you do something that cuts time from the project?”

They didn’t know what I was talking about. Obviously not owners. Not one in the room.

“What do you mean?”

“Well suppose somebody comes up with an activity that takes a couple of weeks off the delivery date?”

From the discussion, I realized I was in a room with a group who had never considered running a project in less time than expected. They were more interested in that than in how the software worked.

Back when I was running the construction company, I would tell the estimators to figure out how the competition would price a job, so we could figure out if we even wanted to bid it. The estimators would then figure a better way and bid that.

Then I would go to the site supervisors and tell them that if they couldn’t beat the estimators’ numbers, I didn’t need them on the project. They got very good and very bonused beating expectations.

In selling we see similar situations all the time. If we can’t get better with every implementation, where’s the fun?

Winning a bid just creates another opportunity to excel.

I really enjoy finding a similar requirement after enabling technology has improved. One time I built a second marketing services factory that could create better results in less than two thirds of the time and cost of our original factory. Of course, I had had a heavy hand in building the prototype operation.

Anyway, the project management software turned out to be another record keeping application, but several of the reviewers said they were going to look into building ways to shorten their projects into their project plans.

Who knew?

Sales Lab Resources – Tools for a new economy

Lessons From My Foot Doc

One of the best communicators I know is my podiatrist.

Any time I see him, he’s quick, precise, and I’m immediately better. Here’s some of the things he does.

Years ago I met him, he noticed my book. “Tocqueville? Democracy in America? I haven’t read that since high school.”

“TJ?”

“Yup.”

In ten seconds, he had used my stuff to establish his mastery. He knew my book, I knew his school.

I explained my symptoms, he named it, what caused it, and how it was fixed. Four minutes.

I don’t give professionals much trust until they earn it. This guy is driving the bus in four minutes.

Then he taped up my foot with three, one foot lengths of tape.

I’m a jock. I play hurt. I figured I’ve been taped for football, wrestling, lacrosse, hockey, and tennis probably over 10,000 times. This guy uses three pieces of tape and takes the pain away.

“Hey, that’s some taping!”

“Yup, I’m pretty good.” Grin.

Took a couple of months, but I followed his regimen and cured. Working out is breaking down and bringing back the body. This was more debilitating than usual, but the cure worked the same.

Last week – I went back to see the foot doctor. Actually, two weeks before I had sent my wife to him and he had again provided sudden service. I have been in small pain for a couple of years and suddenly figured, “I know a great doctor. Why don’t I go get fixed?”

He didn’t remember me. He didn’t remember my wife, who had been in four hours earlier for a followup. Then, “oh yes, oh yes, of course I remember!” Yeah right. He just wanted to do the diagnosis.

Listened to my description (rehearsed and read) for a minute.

“I bet this hurts.” One finger. Stars and planets!

“I bet this doesn’t hurt.” A light thumb right next to the pain point. He’s right.

“Okay. Here’s the situation” A one minute explanation. Then,

“I used to have a rack of brochures. Now I just go to Google.” Picture of a foot with drawings on it.

“And here’s the skeletal view.”

He screws up his face like he’s thinking. I ask, “What are you working on?”

“I’m trying to figure out how much you need to know.”

“What are my options?”

“Well I’m going to order an xray just to show I’m right. However, if you want, I can also order an MRI so you get a better picture.”

“Will an MRI help you?”

“No, I already know the problem.”

“Well I’ve looked at MRIs before and I never learned anything. And let’s re-establish, you’re driving this bus.”

“Good. Here’s what we’re going to do...”

Best things I learned.

1. Establish mastery in a couple of seconds. If you can’t, notice more and learn quicker.
2. Show ostentatious mastery in the little things. Creates trust for the big things.
3. Nobody cares what you know. What do you know about me?
4. The faster you move, the less extraneous crud comes into play.
5. You can be totally respectful without really caring. Respect is not care, but constructively focusing. If you care and don’t know what you’re doing, I really have other priorities.
6. Don’t offer more than the customer wants to buy. If you have to offer more, your solution is wrong.

Sales Lab Model – a good place to start.

Baseball

Julie of the Web Managers Roundtable and I were discussing Spring Training and the Grapefruit League at her Mobile Event yesterday.

“Sales,” she said, “is like baseball...

“You pitch an offer...

“And catch a sale...

“Don’t ever try to pitch a sale...it just doesn’t work.

“That’s like throwing a bowling ball down the gutter.”

Tips 4 The Big Chair – Perspective 2.0

Captcha Infestation

How many comments do you get in a week? I never get enough.

I was taking a leisurely read Monday and saw three posts that merited comments.

In each I ran into comment prevention systems featuring undecipherable pictures or obfuscating directions.

Got one the other day that asked for my Facebook credentials. Good luck!

Let’s not even begin with WordPress or Disqus. They offer me the forced opportunity of registering with them, not the blog I read. Damn, and I was just looking for more spam. Good luck with that!

I always feel unworthy after trying to comply with comment preventions systems. As had been observed previously, paybacks are hell.

Let’s go back to first principles. Do you want the comments or not? Or are you trying to drive an automated behemoth that rolls the comment landscape flat?

Are you encouraging or discouraging comments from your readers?

New! Check out Sales Lab Video!

How Sales Came To Be

And it came to pass that the organization gathered to chew the fat.

The question was asked, “What causes sales?”

The Pharisee explained that sales came from management, that cut of jib and attitude created sales.

The Sadducee disagreed. Any fool could see that sales come from the genius of marketing, advertising, and Following The Plan.

An Essene, who was at the meeting on sufferance, to demonstrate diversity, thought hard and said, “Sales come from customers.”

The Pharisees and Sadducee were exceeding wroth, saying, “Customers are not in this meeting.” And they covered the Essene with management dung and drove him out of the safety of the walls.

...to where all the money was.

Kick off the New Year Right at Talk Your Business - How to make more and better sales right away! Wednesday Jan 30, 11:45 - 1:00 at the Arlington Chamber Small Business Roundtable.

Increasing Value

For Actions

There are three conditions an action has to satisfy to be considered valuable.

1. You have to get it right the first time,
2. The thing you are working on has to change physically (work added), and
3. The customer has to care.

One out of three or two out of three do not qualify as valuable no matter how convincingly you protest.

For Adding Value In Transactions

I remember that value is what costs me nothing, that you can’t get at any price.

Ideas for increasing your value?

What Do Zig Ziglar, Harvey Mackay, and Dale Carnegie Have In Common – And How Can It Help YOU?

Zig , Harvey, and Dale contributed significantly to my professional development. How?

By telling stories to show the benefit of doing something a certain way.

Ziglar would talk about 'the Redhead' and 'Yazoo', Mississippi while weaving his lessons about listening and giving value.

Mackay would wrap his storytelling around applying the laws of human nature and making it easier to have a deep relationship with others.

Carnegie was the geek of the group and told 'why' stories – why, based on observation and research, doing it this way gets your desired result to happen smoothly.

These three gentlemen had a common theme: communication is about 80% listening, 10% talking, and 10% just being there quietly while the prospect connects the dots.

On the surface, their topic was about sales and the message was to learn and satisfy the buyer's needs. To see the true scope and range of their teachings, simply substitute 'relationship' for sales and 'friend' (or 'redhead') for buyer – these lessons work with people you care about at every level.

They each said it best in a quote captured for the ages:

• Zig Ziglar: You can have everything in life you want, if you will just help other people get what they want.
• Harvey Mackay: A mediocre person tells. A good person explains. A superior person demonstrates. A great person inspires others to see for themselves.
• Dale Carnegie: You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in the other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you.

I'm all done with the 10% talking – now it's time for the 80% listening part – please share your thoughts.

How will this point of view help you?

And How Would You Like Me To Proceed?

One of my buds got a referral from a client. She got all excited, wanted to learn more, called and offered to take the referrer to lunch, coffee, whatever.

The response was like she passed gas in church.

The referrer just wanted her to call up the new person and sell her something. The fix was in.

Later she called me, concerned she hadn’t handled it as well as she wanted, wanted to know how to respond better.

I said, “And how would you like me to proceed?”

She said she wanted me to tell her what she should say, she was concerned about a referral fees, and didn’t want to upset her existing client.

I said, “And how would you like me to proceed?”

She said she wanted to behave better, but she didn’t have that much experience with this kind of referral, and...

I said, “What you want to say next time is, ‘And how would you like me to proceed?’ That should bring out more of the conditions for satisfaction. What you don’t want to do is make assumptions when you don’t know what is going on.”

Now, how do I get your comments defining the value of this post for you?

The When of Sales

The Sales Model still shows the best way for the salesman to spend her time.

Let’s try a model describing how prospects come to a decision for considered purchases, as opposed to impulse purchases...and what Sales should do.

I am seeing three movements to the performance.

First Movement

Due to internet and social media, prospects learn about me before I know they are looking. They know about my history, process, customers, and results before they talk to me. They have a good idea how we fit culturally. Early adopters have been finding better ways of making their story available for a couple of years. The prospects have their list of needs and features defined before we ever meet.

Do you know what your prospects are learning before you get a chance to exert yourself?

Second Movement

I am learning that when I finally get face-to-face, my story isn’t important. They already know my story. They want to make sure I know their story...and like it! I’m taking good notes, as this is the official version for our continuing relationship.

I am also alert for one way to upgrade their understanding of what they want. I figure that if I can change their understanding of what they want, all those who have gone before me are disqualified, and it would be a major job of work to track them all down for comparison.

A great example of that happened last week.

The woman I love decided she needed new golf clubs. She does that every decade or so, So two weeks ago we went to the Washington golf show where she tried all the new ladies’ clubs, and started to make up her mind. Her next available day we went to a couple of golf stores to buy some clubs. At the last one, the salesman cautioned not to buy anything that day. Her chosen brand was coming out with a new, improved model in five days. Game, Set, and Match to Kevin at Golfdom. It’s on the calendar.

The Third Movement is after our meeting, what I call, “Gotta ask the wife.” My wife does it, too, so it’s not about the wife. It’s about getting out of the room to decompress and make sure we are making the right decision. I would hate to make a foolish decision, just because I enjoyed the performance.

I’ve noticed that the good salesmen have figured out how to set up a winning presentation even when they know they will not be present.

Winning that third movement requires providing more than was available during the initial selection stage. You need something to push all the stakeholders into agreement to take the desired action.

Yesterday, I was working with a 25 year customer, still doing the same business, still running a high margin shop, in a field that collapses every eight years. It’s been five years since he upgraded his business cards, and nothing was broken, but he wanted to see what he could improve.

In 12 words, we got his tool for the Third Movement, how to bring fresh energy to the relationship. I would have thought after 25 years there wasn’t much fresh to do. Whew, I was wrong!

February 22nd Sales Lab’s Rainmaker 12 is WhatHave I Done for You Lately? at the Capital Technology Management Hub on Wednesday, February 22^nd. The featured CTMH speaker will be Sean Crowley on the topic of The Open Source Web Content Management Platform, Drupal, and its Momentum.

What Have I Done for You Lately?

With customers and relationships the question is: what had you done for me lately?

Good customers are approached often by other providers or discover interesting offerings on the internet. Good relationships are fouled by lack of attention. Thus the spoken or implied questions about what's recent.

I heard a story about an individual who hired into the lead sales position of a software organization with a 'huge book of business.' First priority on her mind was to personally contact all the major accounts to say hello. Shocked, she was, to learn that over 60% of these accounts had not heard from her new firm since the initial sale and more than half of these accounts has switched to different software.

This situation, more or less, is entirely too common in business.

Study after study shows the vast difference in resources to acquire rather than maintain customers. But a significant portion of managers (and to be fair, the sales staff too) press for acquisition over retention.

Why don't we ask the question: What have I done for You lately? and devote more time to our real customers.

Make contact – give something of value – demonstrate that a relationship does exist – show that you care!

This can be as simple as forwarding an article, document, or link to a blog which speaks to a known area of interest. It can be dynamic – checking in after x months to see how your product or service is meeting their needs – or even soliciting what features would make it meet their needs more broadly or deeply. Or it can be information about how other customers are using minor or undocumented features and other user-derived 'enhancements' for significant benefit.

Whatever you choose, make the contact with your customer worthwhile from their viewpoint. Keep in mind they are busy and not as focused on your products and services as you are. Always give value in every interaction with a customer.

Conversation and caring works for relationships as well.

It can change the conversation to that's what you've done for me lately! Music to our ears!

Your thoughts?

This is the topic for the next Rainmaker – a 300 second presentation before the featured speaker at the CTMH meeting. Join us February 22nd  for Sales Lab’s Rainmaker 12 - What Have I Done for You Lately? at the Capital Technology Management Hub on Wednesday, February 22^nd. The featured CTMH speaker will beSean Crowley on the topic of The Open Source Web ContentManagement Platform, Drupal, and its Momentum. Get details here.

Observations and Opinions

I notice people who don’t know much have opinions. 

People who have been there have observations. 

Observations mean everything, opinions mean nothing.

A Salesman’s Integrity

A salesman’s integrity gets battered and worn...from use.

A salesman’s integrity becomes bright and shiny...from use.

Integrity is making and keeping promises. There are three stages to that.

The first stage is realizing that perfect integrity means making no promises. Most rest here.

The second stage of integrity is experiencing the joy of making a promise and making it come true.

Finally, the third stage is realizing that since life is a rodeo, integrity is making improbable promises and delivering. That realization takes you to a whole new level of play.

I find it easier to keep my promises when I can deliver by myself.

I make more important promises by working with others.

In the Direct Economy, the salesman is the customer sensor, which often makes me the change agent for the organization.

I try to exercise my integrity every day. I don’t want it getting tarnished and stiff in some trophy case. Or worse, used to measure against others.

How do you define your integrity?

Jim Hodges on Networking

I first met Jim Hodges at the event described. I’m big, but my wife says Jim makes me look puny. I have never seen a man have so much fun charging through life. He has shown me the humor in a couple of triumphs and even a few semi-triumphs. Any opportunity with Jim is an adventure. Here is his first blog:

Ethan and Jim Hodges

Let me tell you my story. When I was transitioning out of the Marine Corps in 1992--after about 10 worthless interviews--through NETWORKING I found a sales trainer with an incredibly large, professional network. I attended his month-long course. He suggested I attend a sales association's meeting which comprised saleswomen. He told me there were plenty of networking opportunities. So late on a hot afternoon, I drove to a Washington hotel; signed in [paid $10]; and mingled. I was approached by one of the members. She said that they needed more men in their group and asked if I would join. Like Ethan--my 3-year-old grandson--I answered: "Sure my can!" It was only $90. A guest speaker provided some interesting ideas about sales; then the evening concluded.

Afterwards as we were making small talk, a well-dressed businessman approached me. I recognized him by his nametag. He said, "Well, Marine, you have passed all the tests. You showed up; socialized; joined; stayed for the program. So I will give you one contact." He wrote a name and number on the back of one of his cards. He said, "Call Ron tomorrow and ask: 'How hard would I have to work in order for you to buy me a cup of coffee'?"

The next morning from my new office at my old section in the crossroads of the corps [Quantico] which means in the ancient, Native American dialect: “where fat colonels go to die,” I had moved out of my executive office into the "bullpen," I called Ron. “This is Ron," came the voice. I was startled. No secretary or admin chief or AA, just the CEO answering his own phone. I stumbled through the line Dick [my contact] had given me. 

Ron answered, "That sounds like Dick. What can I do for you?"

“I am completing my military career and am in the job hunt mode,” I answered. “Last night I was at a women’s sales association meeting. Dick suggested I call you. About 300 women were there and a handful of males.”

Ron: “How kinky! Why don't you come in tomorrow about this time and we can talk."

I had no idea what Ron's company did! I arrived the next day, in a hot, wool, expensive BLUE suit [in reality I was way overdressed]. The meeting was not going well until he asked where I was from. Being a smart-ass, I was going to respond: "Po' Hang or Da Nang or “Mulesbreath, Kansas," but common sense won out and I told him "Bloomington, Illinois." His eyes glazed over as he reminisced about chasing college girls in Bloomington when he attended Eureka College. I commented that's where President Reagan went. Ron seemed offended, and countered with, “I went there LONG AFTER the Gipper!”

A few days later I met Mrs. Ron [I called her June, Cleaver, in my mind] and their son Beaver. Beaver was fresh out as an Army captain helo pilot. When we met for lunch, Ron told me to wear golf attire since he knew I had at least one suit.

The restaurant had “Godfather” written all over it. The husky-voiced owner told me Jack Nicholson hangs out there when he’s in town.

Anyway, son Michael [Beaver] kept referring to me as "colonel" or "sir." Each time I would correct him. He later told me his military bearing was a test to see if I could handle being called "Jim” by underlings.

Then magic happened. In an effort to make small talk at the Cleaver's table, I asked about a basketball player I had seen play from their hometown--Waukegan, Illinois.

Ron dropped his fork; June and Beaver disappeared. I thought I had made the mother of all social fox paws. Ron blurted, "How did you know he is my best friend? We share box seat tickets at Bears' home games!"

"Touchdown, thank you Jesus!" I thought. I went from Pfc. Yum-Yum to Ron's heir apparent. A few days later I received a formal letter of offer and started selling for Ron a few weeks after that. I was on my way.

We provided communication services for associations' annual meetings: AV, automated reservation services, cell telephone rentals [1992], IMAG [image magnification], SI [simultaneous interpretation], etc. During my 18 months in the conventions' services industry, I sold and managed 16 major "shows."

From further networking a colonel-Tom Parker type[a retired Marine colonel] adopted me and we started a technical, staffing agency. After I found exiting mil types to be undertrained, inflexible, and mostly naïve, I expanded our candidate pool to include all comers. Then, we took off and rode the “IT” boom. I bought out Colonel Tom in 2000 and have been recruiting ever since.

Jim O'Fallon interviewed a retired colonel in 2005. The colonel told Jim that he knew the best headhunter in the DC area. So Jim called me and I was hooked up with Portal Dynamics [an anchor client for five years].

And that’s how I figured out Networking is the only way to get ahead.

Comments?

Listens With His Mouth

After the last BlogLab, I was invited to meet with a group of policy consultants to discuss where they might find this new economy.

One of the senior consultants got very exercised, detailing the failings of bloggers and blogging. He put a lot of effort into hijacking the meeting.

I’ve had association people tell me blogging is evil, lawyers tell me blogging is illegal, and financial people tell me it is against their rules...all before they began to blog.

I’m waiting for an eye doctor to tell my I’ll go blind if I don’t stop doing that stuff. 

After a loud unruly meeting, the owner said not to worry. He was letting that senior consultant go.

I asked why and he said, “It’s a pattern of things, but it comes down to I can’t have someone who listens with his mouth representing my firm.”

Are you taking full advantage of your blog? Come to BlogLab - Improve Your Blogs! Thursday December 8, 8:30 am - 1 pm. Learn more at http://bit.ly/WMRBlogLab

Customer Service – Is It An Attitude?

I recently took a road trip to the tip of Florida and stopped at several restaurants and stores along the way. It struck me how differently these retail organizations approached customer service.

At Cracker Barrel, there was always one of the staff in proximity to the front door who welcomed the visitors warmly; the hostess inquired about our trip and introduced the server; the server offered suggestions about the menu, was prompt and attentive to our needs, including delivering the check immediately when we were finished the meal; in parting the cashier addressed us by name wishing us a good trip.

At Publix Food Store there is a staffer just in front of the checkout stations who asks if we found everything during our visit, and walked us to the location of the item we could not find, thanked us for shopping with them, and guided us back to the fasted line for checkout; the clerk was equally as friendly and efficient while scanning the order.

At a roadside stripmall, when we entered a variety store, the cashier hollered “HI - HOW ARE YA!” from her fortress in the center of the store and then promptly ignored us for the remainder of the visit, including talking on her cell phone while ringing up the order - slowly.

In each instance, the staff was following an established customer service procedure of how to welcome and assist customers. In the first two examples, it yielded a positive reaction, in the last one a negative feeling.

The key ingredient in each is the attitude of the staff member – warm and welcoming, helpful and engaged, or loud and detached.

Good customer service is a sales tool, but is effectively delivered when sincere, with the intention of addressing the customer's immediate needs – like realizing wasted time is stressful for travelers. Good customer service in integrated into the business process, not hung on at the end for complaints – like offering a warm and sincere welcome. Good customer service is asking if the customer wants help - like the 'personal guide' into the labyrinth of grocery isles. From my experience, it is successful when the staff actively participates, embraces its goals, and has the right attitude.

Would I go back to Cracker Barrel and Publix? Absolutely! Did their customer service accomplish the goal – it won my future patronage.

Sales is a conversation which ends in a Yes. Customer service is sales. Good customer service is embodied in staff attitude. Attitude is non-verbal communication. This makes a complete circle – each element supporting the others!

What's your experience with customer service making a positive difference?

The Capital Technology Management Hub StartupChallenge is Tuesday, November 8, 6pm at GMU. At this event, audience rules! We need audience, startups, interested parties. Come investigate Sales Lab’s new business! See the future up close and personal.

Multiples

One of our clients swears the best thing I ever told him was to make a meeting before a scheduled meeting and make one after.

As long as you’re in the building/neighborhood/country plan another stop.

That means you need a stop-by rationale, tools, and research. However the meetings that create a favorable result are easy to remember.

When job hunting, a fruitful tactic once you have found an opportunity you like, is to locate a half dozen similar organizations and present a similar concept. They usually aren’t as far along in developing the opportunity, but your competition is sparse, too.

Software development and consulting, the biggest cost is creating the first copy. Margins are real high on copies.

Can you add to this meme?

SalesLab’s Rainmaker series returns to the Capital Technology Management Hub, Tuesday, September 13^th with 300 seconds of Mark Your Territory. The featured CTMH speaker will be Professor Steve Gladis, author of The Agile Leader. Come join us!

Impact

The opposite of love is indifference. At least with hate I’ve been noticed.

I was working at a large tech meeting, observing the different sales folk. The most successful ones, the ones creating interest, were scrambling to support the meeting, ostentatiously taking action to move the meeting forward. They had people inquiring about what else they could offer.

There was another group, “legends in their own minds,” either by virtue of their organization or their perception of themselves. They were standing back, smirking, judging, uncomfortable.

I asked one of the lurkers what he did to support his golf habit? “I’m with BIGCO,” he replied.

Last time I checked, BIGCO had over twenty offerings. I didn’t care enough to ask a second question. I had work to do.

I have occasionally ridden with the welcome pressure of great marketing, but it is fleeting at best. More often I have to do my heavy lifting without it.

Best to plan on supplying my own impact.

Sales and Courts

I watched a litigator is trying to sell by banging and haranguing on the prospect. After the prospect left (at a high rate of speed), the litigator asked for some tips on his sales technique.

In the law world, when a case finally gets to court, the two sides are essentially chained together and execute considerable mayhem on each other until a decision is reached. No one gets away early.

In the sales world, the prospect can leave at any time, and frequently does, so a key additional skill for making the sale is keeping the prospect voluntarily engaged until the deal is done.

Puts a new light on that car dealer losing your keys, don’t it?

Comments?

Burn The Boats – We aren’t going back!

Business is driven by customers. Customers are changing what they want as new options become available.

With all the talk of value buying, I’ve never seen anything beat low price.

My ophthalmologist was telling me that his son was enrolled in a very prestigious and expensive acting school. For a successful ophthalmologist, that is a bit confusing

I allowed that was probably a good career strategy as demand for the professions of the last 50 years is shrinking as more of the work is being done by computers. That is certainly true of ophthalmology, although it is still not the length of the wand, but the magic of the magician that creates extraordinary healing. Better wands make exceptional results possible.

Kevin Kelly wrote an insightful post, Better than Free,that starts “the internet is a vast copying machine...” and proceeds to say that in the internet age, we need to provide value that is better than the copy. How to do that is the current transformation of the economy.

I saw a graph the other day that manufacturing is a decreasing part of the global economy. And the global economy is growing. Go figure.

The skills of the last 30 years need to be matched with the needs of the next decade. We can’t do what we were doing. Fewer and fewer customers will care.

Your thoughts?

Come to the Capital Technology Management Hub, June 14th, for Sales Lab Rainmaker #6: ‘Networking - Are You Being Served?

Rainmaker #5 - Start With An Offer

Definition - A Rainmaker creates a significant amount of new business for a company.The Sales Lab Rainmaker Series is one rainmaker technique for technologists during the first 300 seconds (five minutes) of the monthly Capital Technology Management Hub Meeting. This is the handout for our May meeting.
 
Listening to a line of people introduce themselves with a name, a precious title, a company, a catchy slogan, like “We put an 'X' through Excellence!” I realized I just wanted the offer. 


What can you do for me? That is more important than anything else. 
 
When you decide to attend an event, your next thought should be, what can I bring? What can I offer? 
 
If you can't think of something, don't cancel. Resolve to attend twenty meetings every month, so the only option is to develop something to offer. Then you can go more easily, more often.


If the offer is more important than the name, title, company, and catchy slogan “Fred the Electrician, Let Us Remove Your Shorts,” why not go with the offer first? 


Or by itself? 
 
What is your offer? Commenting below will help us all get ready! It payz to advertize (here)!


Reserve your place for the next Capital Technology Management Hub Event, How To Implement Security In An Open World, May 10, http://opensourcesecurity.eventbrite.com

The previous Rainmakers:

Rainmaker # 4 Time, Talent, and Treasure

Rainmaker #3 Process to Purchase

Rainmaker # 2 The Nametag

Rainmaker #1 Gifts