Hidden Sales Treasures

July 16, 2006

No Respect

“Science may have found a cure for most maladies; but it has found no remedy for the worst of them all- the apathy of human beings.”- Helen Keller

Our job is teaching, training and speaking about Internet search. We get no respect. It’s true, most people move the other way when we come near. We’re used to it. Studies show that most Americans (9 out of 10 of them) feel confident and think they are successful when it comes to searching the Internet. Those same studies, of course, also show that those confident and “successful” searchers are just plain deluded.

Being apathetic about the most revolutionary business resource ever invented (Internet search) is foolish, of course. But being apathetic about the most revolutionary sales resource of all time (Internet search) could cost you your job, your business – or together, could cost Americans our standing in the world economy. In fact, it already has.

I’m not over-exaggerating. You have only to read the bestselling book of the past two years – “The World is Flat”, by Thomas H. Friedman – to be convinced that the Internet has radically altered the world’s competitive playing field. It’s allowing developing countries like China and India to capture more and more American jobs. Tom Peters points out in “Re-Imagine” that “the Internet changes everything.” He describes how our blue collar jobs have already been captured by the developing countries – and how our white collar jobs are in the process of being captured. Do you have a white collar job?

By now, I’m sure you are saying to yourself, “These are world economic forces at work. I can’t do anything about them.” While you are probably right that you won’t change the course of the world’s economies, you can radically change the course of your own. By learning more about this most powerful business and sales resource – Internet search – you can take advantage of “the Flat World” and revolutionize your business or your career.

And, you can take even more advantage because 9 out of 10 of your competitors are complacent, apathetic or demoralized. They simply are not paying attention. In the article below – Searching for Sales Tips – we tell briefly about just a few of the many Hidden Sales Treasures of the Internet.

But, weren’t we talking about sales? Consider this – Selling Power magazine is probably the most important sales training magazine in America. Gracing its cover over the past year have been such super sales people as Clint Eastwood, Lance Armstrong, Colin Powell and Jay Leno. This magazine (and web site – www.sellingpower.com) is a wonderful sales resource, but that doesn’t mean they might not have a blind spot. Here’s an exercise you can’t do at home unless you are a subscriber, so you’ll have to trust me. A search done from the Selling Power web site will return only 17 results for the word “Internet.” No respect. Without going in to detail, do you think it’s reasonable that there might only be 17 ways that the Internet can help your company’s sales – or help you as a sales person? Like we said, there is no cure for apathy. Have the developing countries found a way to put the Internet to use for them? Just read “The World is Flat” for the answer to that question.

(Free Tip – no charge: By the way, it’s much easier, not to mention more accurate, to do this same search from Google, using the tips we told you about in the Google Tips section of this blog. You can search all of Selling Power magazine by entering these words into Google – internet site:www.sellingpower.com – and you’ll not only correctly see 122 references to the word Internet – you won’t have to have a Selling Power password to access the articles!)

As I said, our job is teaching, training and speaking about the power of Internet search to change businesses, careers and lives. George Carlin has pointed out that “Modern science did find a cure for apathy, but there was very little interest.”

Do we have yours?

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July 14, 2006

Searching for Sales Tips

Getting Contacts into Contacts
Do you have stacks of business cards and not enough time to enter them into your contact manager? If so, you might want to have the Internet come to your rescue in the form of “www.egrabber.com”. You’ve probably heard about card scanners, but this site offers a something beyond scanners. Instead of typing information from a business card, many folks have discovered that it’s faster to copy and paste web site information into Outlook or ACT!. However, Egrabber’s software is even faster than that – just one click captures any form of web contact information. But, these guys don’t stop at one contact. If you are working with any sort of database of leads – just try their ListGrabber, which will scoop up the entire database (hundreds or even thousands of contacts) and land them neatly and tidily into your Outlook, ACT! or any other top-notch contact manager. Talk about time savings!!

Search Engine News Tabs Can Make You Look Smart – In Just Minutes
Whenever you make one of those really important sales calls, get ready for it by using the News Tab on Google (or Yahoo or Ask.com). A lot of people stay away from the News Tab because they think it’s just the latest headlines. But, instead it’s a way for you to get the latest low-down on any company in just minutes. That’s because the news is searchable – and it provides stories from thousands of newspapers around the country and the world. Try this on Accenture, “Delta Air Lines”, “Celestial Seasonings” or the “Mayo Clinic” – and then try it on some of your own accounts (remember to use quotation marks around the company name if it’s longer than one word). The few minutes you invest in this can make you sound like the most informed person in the world. Be sure to notice that you can “Sort by Relevance” and “Sort by Date.” Do a date sort for your results and note that many of the stories about the company you are calling are only minutes or hours old!

Let Someone Else Answer Your Tough Questions
Thomas Friedman has coined the term “Flat World” to describe how the Internet has leveled the playing field of competition – allowing small companies to compete with the big ones. When it comes to research, the biggest companies in the world have always had their own business research libraries, staffed by professional librarians. Employees of such companies simply have to pick up the phone or send an e-mail whenever they have a complicated question, need a company background check or want a list of targeted sales leads. Sounds great, doesn’t it? The “flat world” of the Internet does make almost anything possible, but even so this is astounding. Now small companies and entrepreneurs can get that same Fortune 500 research power. The James J. Hill Reference Library at www.jjhill.org is the oldest and most prestigious business research library in America. This non-profit organization offers a $50-a-month subscription to databases and research tools that would cost thousands of dollars if you purchased them separately. Even better, you can call or e-mail their expert researchers with your own search, background or sales lead questions. Perhaps the biggest companies in the world just lost their edge in research!

Those Kids are “Not” Listening to Music – They’re Reading!
Do you think those rollerblading college students are really listening to music on their Ipods? Nope, they’re getting ready to take your job by listening to the latest business and motivation books from a web site called Audible.com. If you just can’t seem to find the time to read the books you need to read in order to stay competitive – listen to them, instead. Whether it’s a bestseller like “The World is Flat”, sales advice from Brian Tracy or Tom Hopkins, or even the latest issue of Forbes or Fast Company, Audible.com offers them for a fraction of what they cost in the bookstores. At www.audible.com you can download the digital files of bestselling audio books on any topic and then burn them to a CD or download them to a listening device. Then, grab your headphones and get motivated or stay informed while you work out, fight traffic or settle in for a long plane ride. If you subscribe to one or two books a month you can save even more. This web site can change your life. Soon you’ll look forward to being stuck in traffic!

Mine the Other Guys’ Web Sites
When we speak to business audiences we often use SpeakerNet News (www.speakernetnews.com) as an example of an Internet resource that is far too valuable to be left just to speakers. By that we mean that virtually any entrepreneur or business can benefit from it. Why would SpeakerNet News be of use to an insurance agent or a small business owner or even a corporate employee? Well think about it, these days most business professionals will be giving a speech or presentation for one reason or another. In addition, SpeakerNet news also has incredible section called “Compilations,” such as the list of “Free or Cheap Meeting Rooms,” something that not just speakers are looking for.

But, what sites from other professions should the speaker mine for information? One site we love is the Poynter Institute (www.poynter.org), a school for journalists in St. Petersburg, Florida. This site is too valuable to be left just to journalists. Think about it, journalists must be able to find accurate information quickly, so there is a section of the web site devoted to “Web Tips.” Journalists, like speakers, also impart information to their audience (readers) and they face the same challenges that speakers face – such as ethical dilemmas and content creation. Look under “Columns” for regular features like “Talk about Ethics,” “Writing Tools” and “Journalism with a Difference.” The later column is described as “New, fresh and alternative ways to encourage and enhance journalistic storytelling from different perspectives.” Sound like something a speaker could use? And, both SpeakerNet and Poynter offer stellar weekly newsletters. If you want to excel in your business, whatever it is, it helps to learn from the best of other professions, not just your own.