Aaron Howard’s recent posting “DRAW WITHIN THE LINES OR ELSE” got me thinking.  Why in the world would an organization stifle the very creativity that might just be the key to growing revenue or saving costs? The answer may very well be that the CEO and or the management team have lost touch with the troupes on the line.   Or it might be that the employee is not creative enough.

One of the greatest bosses I ever worked for was Fred Brown of the Seattle Super Sonics.  Great because he cared about his people and taught me a lesson I still follow today. At the time Fred was in executive management at SeaFirst Bank in Seattle.  Early in our relationship I had gone to Fred with some sort of problem, which for the life of me I can’t remember what it was, and spent a good 10 minutes complaining.  I was on a roll and at the time I was a top producer for the department. Surly Fred would take me seriously and be impressed that I was on top of the situation and ready to fight the less worthy employees that were getting in my way of closing more deals!

Fred sat there patiently until I stopped to take a breath. He then said, “So what do you want?”

Total Blank! I just sat there with absolutely no answer. Fred just sat there and looked at me.  Finally he let me off easy and suggested that I not come back until I had a solution.

My point is this:  There are many ways to resist the message that your creativity and competitive energies are not welcome.  If you decide you want or must stay with the company that is sending you these messages, then I suggest that you get creative so you can be creative. CEOs, CFOs and department managers will listen to anyone who presents sound solutions to the challenges of making or saving more money.  Solve a problem or find an opportunity like these and you will find your creativity and competitive spirit embraced.

As for me and Fred:  I never forgot his lesson and always tried to have a suggestion on how to fix the problem I was complaining about.  Not all of my suggestions were stellar, but I always got a fair hearing and was never told to stop thinking outside the box!

For the past 25 years I have been in sales.  Mostly helping small businesses (companies with annual revenue under $25 million) with financing their operations. As a sales person, on the line, and later as a sale manager, the goal has always been to contact more prospects and close more deals!  As some like to say, “Sales is a contact sport!” and they would be correct. Years of observations have taught me that the weakest link in completing a successful “new” client acquisition all comes down to identifying the next “qualified” prospect.  “Qualified” because prospects that are not qualified to do business with you are simply “Suspects”.  They may look good but do I really want to spend time with them if they are not able, and willing, to enter into a working relationship.  This is business, not personal, and we are paid to get the job done.

Enter Social Media.  Can a sales organization use Social Media to help strengthen their weakest link, of identifying real Prospects?  My answers:  YES!

Large bureaucracies, for the most part, are not built to react to communication system upgrades and implement strategic changes on a time line that reflects today’s Social Media paradigm…   “It’s not their fault, its their breed”… just as you would not expect a Pomeranian to be your hunting partner on your next duck hunt, you would not expect a bureaucracy to embrace the world of Social Media and change their sales and production process. But that’s exactly what needs to be done if companies want to retain their current customers and attack new untapped prospect spaces.

We sit on a precipice of a raw new era where many of your potential new customers will come through this new media.  That is, of course, if you are reaching out and communicating with them in a language, and in a space, that they understand.

So “What’s Next?”

As a Sales Manager my team members used to roll their eyes every time I asked, “what’s next”… This usually occurred after I had patiently listened to their elaborate story about a deal gone bad or their challenges with an interdepartmental product partner.  “What’s Next” was my way of keeping the team or individual focused & moving forward so they would solve their own problem.

So “What’s Next” for Social Media and your Sales Goals?

1. Embrace and master Social Media’s new communication protocols
2. Reach out to this new unexplored realm of Social Media
3. Capture Customer & Prospects via Social Media
4. Engage your internal product partners to develop customer Value Propositions & Solutions to be compatible with Social Media
5. Deliver on customer’s requests using Social Media
6. Exceed the customer’s communication and service expectations through Social Media

All of this is just the beginning for Social Media in Sales. Over the next few months I’ll post updates to these and other ideas on how to connect, engage & transact though Social Media in the pursuit of the Perfect Deal.