Yellow Dog Consulting

Sales & Marketing Consulting for solo-preneurs.

Ask Yellow Dog: Controlling Managers Expectations

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IMG_3101Last week at my PSBJ Workshop I got an email afterwards from someone asking me this: how do you control expectations that every contact will produce business immediately?

That’s a great question- long sales cycles in a short sales cycle-minded company are a challenge. This is why keeping the pipeline full and healthy is helpful so you’re always working on prospects. When I was at PSBJ I had a monthly sales goal, so I knew I had to get my speaking engagements booked a month in advance to have next month taken care of and work to fill the gaps, instead of reacting to the work all the time.

Communicate with your manager to discuss what is realistic. If it’s a new industry you’re in charge of, there may be no proven track record to know that one industry is longer or shorter than others. This is also a great time to reach out to your Referral Partners. Take some time with LinkedIn or even Facebook to reach out to friends and your referral partners (that’s why I think they’re so valuable!) and talk about what you need and connections you’re looking to make in the industry. As I mention often, I can’t help you if I don’t know what you need.

Send a quick note to a few people asking them to introduce you- a quick “I saw you know so and so on LinkedIn, would you mind introducing me?” most people say no problem, and if they don’t, there is usually a good reason (the person is a jerk, or they haven’t talked to them in 2 years so it wouldn’t be a good lead).

If you have a couple of clients that you are comfortable asking, you may want to reach out to them and get their feedback on the ‘sales cycle’ and when they felt comfortable saying yes to you. Bosses like concrete answers and data to back it up.

Debate the argument, not the rules.

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imagesIn last weeks newsletter I talked about 3 things I learned at the International Public Debate Association National Tournament. I was talking with a friend after the newsletter went out, she mentioned that within 48 hours she’d already quoted one of my points to someone. So I thought I’d make sure you caught it…

Debate the argument, not the rules. In one round a debater said, “the IPDA bylaws 6.1 state he can’t do that.” Buck up camper, not everyone plays by the rules. Not everyone will play by the rules, and you can choose to debate the rules and fairness, OR the resolution at hand. Have a solid argument, back it up with facts, and let the judge decide.

How often do you debate the rule instead of the argument?

What do Marketing Graduates need to know?

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I had drinks recently with a professor friend of mine and she asked me what companies are looking for from their Marketing Interns. GREAT question, I should have more answers than I did, but it got me thinking about what graduates need to know. So here’s a few things that popped out to me:

1. Writing. you have GOT to be a good writer, it’s all about content marketing in this day and age. Can you write it in 4 paragraphs? can you write it in 140 characters? We’ll need you to do both.

2. Know the company inside and out. This onus is as much on the company as the intern/new hire. But to best be the voice (or a voice) of the company, tell them everything. When I worked at PSBJ I asked everyone questions. People asked me questions and I got the answer. It made me a ridiculous resource. I knew answers to editorial questions some of the reporters weren’t sure of. Ask and get answers.

3. Ask questions. Don’t say yes if you don’t really mean it. Ask questions, make sure you’re making progress and figure it out yourself when possible, but make sure you ask questions.

4. Do NOT hit send on that email. A big conversation with my friend was about being a good writer. You need to be a good writer, however it seems like spelling isn’t as big of an “issue” these days. With spellcheck and auto correct you’ve got a built in CYA. So, first day on the job, set up your inbox to automatically spell check before it hits send. Make sure you READ the email before you hit send. your/you’re/yore are different words. its/it’s/its’ mean different things. And I would fire you if I see a lot as one word. Read the email before you hit send, use spell check. It’s OK if you aren’t a good speller, but there’s no excuse for bad spelling in this day and age.

5. Ask to try new things. If there is something you’re interested in learning, make sure to ask. And a good manager can hopefully (within reason) give you the opportunity to try out something you may not have thought you’d get to try. When I was interning at the local NBC affiliate in Spokane, I was in the promotions department. However, my manager setup a day for me to ride around with a reporter and watch them get their story on the news. Pretty cool. And a good reminder that the quick turnaround pressure was NOT the right fit for me.