[By Dan Collins, Created: August 14, 2010]
“Pretend that every single person you meet has a sign around his or her neck that says, “Make me feel important.” Not only will you succeed in sales, you will succeed in life.” Mary Kay Ash
I’ve been fortunate to know and work with a few rainmakers over the years and I love em. What is a Rainmaker? “A person with the exceptional ability to attract clients, customers, connections and profits consistently” A long time ago a wise old man and mentor told me “In business there are two types of people – There are those that create demand and those that process demand” A salesperson who can’t create demand falls on the processing side of the equation he said, and no matter how good they are at closing deals they will never be considered rainmakers. You may be a closer, young whippersnapper, but I will never think of you as a rainmaker until you can create demand – that’s when you become invaluable. That’s when you are different. Until then you are at the mercy of leads, marketing and a myriad of other variables. Until then I see you on the cost side of the equation. Become known as a rainmaker and you seize control of your own destiny. A rainmaker writes their own ticket and paycheck. But more than anything else they have universal value in business because they “Create Demand.” Remember young man, he said, anyone can take orders and process demand but very few can create consistent, profitable, connections and differentiated demand. If you want to be really valuable to any business here is what you need to do “Create demand out of nothing – and make it rain” . The old rainmaker turned away from me and bellowed at the top of his voice “Now get out of here and go create demand – Be a Rainmaker!”

August 14, 2010 |
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[By Todd Youngblood, Created: August 13, 2010]
“If I have seen farther than others, it is because I have stood on the shoulders of giants.” — Sir Isaac Newton Be humble and find a giant to stand on! Related posts:Think About It… – Week of 8/8/10
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August 13, 2010 |
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[By Todd Youngblood, Created: August 13, 2010]
Guest Post by Ray Charland of Lead Dog Selling. The term “Consultative Selling” and it’s underlying concepts were first introduced in the book by the same name published in 1973 and authored by Mack Hanan, James Cribbin and Herman Heiser. Although amended and modified countless times since then and in countless industries and by countless [...]
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- Solution, Consultative, or Embedded Selling?
August 13, 2010 |
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[By Todd Youngblood, Created: August 13, 2010]
Ever make a sales call that went really, really well? That covered more topics than you had planned? All of which advanced your quest to deliver still more value to your client? (And increase your revenue?) But left a major new opportunity virtually un-discussed? Who hasn’t? OK, I need your advice… I followed up a [...]
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August 13, 2010 |
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[By Todd Youngblood, Created: August 13, 2010]
When developing a plan for operating a sales territory or chasing down a specific opportunity, both the Solution Selling and Consultative Selling frameworks have proven their value. I am far from alone in being a huge fan of the underlying concepts and best practices. These approaches and combinations thereof have supported the transformation of legions [...]
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August 13, 2010 |
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[By Todd Youngblood, Created: August 13, 2010]
Manufacturing executives said it didn’t apply to them. (They were dead wrong.) Software development executives said it didn’t apply to them. (They were dead wrong.) Business & technology services executives said it didn’t apply to them. (They were dead wrong.) Sales executives, managers and professionals KNOW FOR SURE it doesn’t apply to them. And of [...]
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August 13, 2010 |
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[By Todd Youngblood, Created: August 13, 2010]
We all waste time. Sometimes it’s un-avoidable, like cooling your heels in the customer’s lobby waiting to get escorted up to the decision-maker’s office. Sometimes it’s self-inflicted. Ever had “one more cup of coffee” in the break-room or check your stock portfolio during working hours? Sometimes whiling away a small chunk of the day can [...]
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August 13, 2010 |
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[By Todd Youngblood, Created: August 13, 2010]
Every now and again I get blown away by a great demonstration of sales and customer service. Had to share this one. In August, it’s hot in Georgia. The thermometer has topped 90 nearly every day for what seems like forever, and as I write this, it’s 94 degrees out there. The A/C in my [...]
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August 13, 2010 |
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[By Todd Youngblood, Created: August 13, 2010]
Principle 1: Continuous improvement of the sales process is a fundamental necessity. Not really possible to argue about this one is it? You sort of have to accept it’s validity immediately, right? It’s even a bit motherhood-and-apple-pie-ish. That said, this principle can only be ignored if the sales performance of your competitors is steadily degrading. [...]
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August 13, 2010 |
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[By Todd Youngblood, Created: August 13, 2010]
A guest post by Stone Payton Todd’s Commentary: Call me crazy, but I’ve never worried about competition. Don’t get me wrong, I love to compete. Winning is fun! Losing isn’t, but even then, the learning experience is rewarding and the new knowledge motivates me to go take another crack at the victor. Most of the [...]
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August 13, 2010 |
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