Garth's World

It’s Go Unlimited Time

Despite the fact that California doesn’t experience a severe temperature swing to signal the change in season (boy do I miss that-not!), I can no longer ignore the fact that the end of the year is approaching. The Red Sox are done. The marketing machine that is American politics is in full bloom. The days are getting shorter; in fact it is only ten days until what I call “National Try Not to Blow Your Head off Day” (that first Monday after we turn the clocks back when your commute home is in pitch dark). That field behind the mall or storefront that is abandoned the rest of the year is lit up like a county fair as itinerant holiday workers peddle their Halloween/Christmas wares. Don’t look now, people, but father time just lit the fuse on 2008 and we’re going to bottle rocket through to the end of the year in a flash.

For salespeople, Q4 is both a blessing and a curse. Like summer, there are fewer selling days due to the steady stream of holidays and the fact that everybody checks out around December 15th. However, most of the rubes you are selling to also have year-end goals, so it is much easier to instill that sense of urgency around your widget or service. You just need to re-jigger the big company middle management incentive equation (high perceived effort level + perfect attendance + luck + last minute management change= bonus attainment) to include “my product delivered by Dec. 31st”.

If by chance you haven’t identified who the aforementioned rube (I mean valuable customer) is yet, then don’t fret. Keeping in tune with my equation above Jigsaw has come out with the perfect product for you called Unlimited View. Essentially we have just created an account type where you can view all fields (including name, email and direct dial) of every business card (all 10 million of them) on Jigsaw without having to click through “purchase” screens and swap Jigsaw credit. The recruiters and lone warriors out there have been begging for this since www.jigsaw.com went live. The hitch is that you have to purchase additional points for download, but if you are going to contact the prospect directly from Jigsaw (which you have to because it’s late October and you’re late for the show, Jimmy Jo Jo) then you don’t need to bother with that anyway. To find out about Jigsaw Unlimited View stop at any of our manned RV’s in the town parking lot…or just go to Jigsaw

Random Vegas Musings

I just spent 3 days at the DMA show (ignoring all my tips from below) so my thoughts are somewhat muddled this week.  Here is what I can muster:

Isn’t it amazing how different your sensory reactions are to Las Vegas when you leave compared to when you arrive? Walking the ½ mile through the Casino on your way to check-in is pure, little kid anticipation.  You’re looking up at a carnival of lights and other wondrous temptations and you can’t wait to eat big, shop big, deal big, drink big, talk big, gamble big- whatever you’re into. 48 hours later you’re ready to torch your clothes from all the cigarette smoke. The blinking lights and steady electrical jingle of all those ogres pumping money they don’t have into one armed bandits has you running for your taxi. If you could nuke the whole place from your plane you would.

The DMA is a shell of the show it used to be. At least that is what all the old timers who steadily streamed through the booth told me. Apparently back when “direct” meant postal files (which it still does to half of the companies there) the DMA exhibition floor was like Carnaval. Every booth was overflowing with buyers and all the bars and restaurants for miles were crowded with fat cats making big data money deals. Booth babes for every prospect. Parties into the wee hours.

What I saw were row after row of companies peddling what my dad would call “buckets of rubber dog crap.” Every type of gadget or magnet or toy that you could slap your company logo on and send to millions of unwilling recipients whose personal information was peddled by the other half of the show. (Of course, I don’t feel that Jigsaw is included in this description because we sell BtoB information- we’re linking businesspeople with other businesspeople that they just don’t happen to know how bad they want to transact with them yet!!!)

All in all, though, it was a great show for Jigsaw. We got triple the leads (as verified on- the -spot by two Jigsaw AE’s and myself) that we expected. I was able to meet with several partners and future partners, as was our VP of Field Ops, who attempted to set the conference record for quantity of back-to-back speed meetings.  And we all got to hear those words that I never EVER tire of hearing: “Hey, I know you guys- I love Jigsaw- I use it every day…”

Trade Shows Part Two: Booth Duty

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

Ok, try as you might, you were unsuccessful in avoiding at least one shift at your company’s “presentation” in the Exhibit Hall. Being brand new to a company or working out of a remote office in one of the Trade Show capitals of the world (Vegas, San Francisco, Orlando) can happen to the best of us. If this becomes your reality, here are few tips that I can pass along to salespeople that might make the experience a tiny bit more bearable.

10. Don’t wear the uniform. No matter how spiffy your company polo is you still look like you are running the fryer. Wear a suit and people will assume you are a VP and might be hesitant to approach you to beg for a T-shirt. High ranking attendees (if there are any) will inversely wait to speak with you and you might actually get a real lead.

9. Don’t walk straight at a person with your hand out and your eyes on their badge. Look them in the eye like you (and they) are a normal person and say “hi.” When they look away, glance at their name badge.  This works great for checking out other things, too (I’ll let you fill in what you like to look at on people that you meet).

Trade Shows Part One: Work it

Image by ittichai via Flickr

Last week a dinner meeting near Open Oracle World at Moscone reminded me that an important time for sales people is upon us: Conference and Trade Show Season. All across the country vendors of every kind are banding together to co-sponsor shows around some inane topic (Web 3 dot 12, The Quickening) in hopes of luring “decision makers” from Corporate America to come take part in the latest trend in technology. I have spent a significant percentage of my sales life attending (or at least flying to and partying around) these conferences, so I plan to dedicate at least the next 2 postings to this time honored ritual.

Please don’t assume that I think big industry events are a waste of time for salespeople. In addition to being a great excuse to see a cool new city or resort, you can also scope out competitors and other companies where you might like to work in your next job. If you sell for a big company or are a remote salesperson then booth duty at a trade show it is a decent way to meet the internal people that might ultimately be critical for a sale down the road. (What better way to bond then being cramped into a 10x10 plastic box for 8 hours answering the same moronic questions from a bunch of back office troglodytes). If nothing else (be prepared for nothing else), you get a break from cold calling prospects yet don’t have to feel guilty that you aren’t ‘working.” And all the corporate logo breath mints you can handle.

But seriously, if you must attend a trade show, here are a few tips that might actually make it worth your while.

10. Take control of your time. Schedule every minute weeks in advance if you can. Fly alone and make sure the times work for your meetings, not your corporate marketing team’s agenda. Go on offense, not “with the flow.”

9. Avoid booth duty at all costs. Those slack jawed students or low level engineers wandering around Exhibit Hall A are NEVER going to become your customer. I’ll get into what to do (and not to do) if you can’t get out of your shifts (fake your own death if necessary) in my next post.