I recently posted this over at The Customer Collective, but wanted to share it here as well.  Over the next few weeks, I’ll be writing more about how small businesses can take advantage of the influx of government contracts I know we’ll see. Enjoy!

By now, every American has heard that President Obama is driving a massive economic stimulus package. This flow of cash in a suffering economy will be tantamount to flooding a dry river bed:  Manufacturers are holding their breath for automotive and military contracts. Construction companies are looking for the promised infrastructure renewal contracts. Energy companies have already launched a compelling campaign to get in on the action. And everyone knows what Wall Street and the automobile companies are up to. But what about the little guys?

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I was on a radio show last week, (“Business of Life” out in Ventura, California with Coach Ron Tinnick, 1400AM*), and I got a question that I hate:

“Give me three quick ways to immediately land bigger sales…”

Anyone who knows me knows that short-form answers are not my strength; I’m usually a bit expansive. Although my answer was OK, and I was able to deliver it at machine-gun pace, I realized I need a better set of short-form answers for these types of questions. Here are the ones I’ve created for the next time I’m asked this question…
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An edge… that’s what we’re looking for. The odds are in our favor, now more than ever. Let me help with three resolutions for 2009—different resolutions than I would have written in 2008 and hopefully different than what I will write for 2010.

1. Up Your Digital Touch – Your Rolodex life-expectancy is going to drop from its traditional 21 months to about 7 months in 2009. That means your contact-database is deteriorating at an accelerating rate. Get on and start inviting at an aggressive rate—people change jobs, cities and spouses. Make sure to follow them; it gives you a way to stay in touch through all of the changes.

2. Keep Your Clients Closer – Your best accounts are being stalked, hunted, poached—you get the idea—like never before. Even if you have long-relationships and strong contracts, clients are looking for every opportunity to free themselves of commitments. Nothing is to be taken for granted. Spend more time with your current clients, or they will change in unpleasant ways.

3. 3 Taps and Out – Change your prospecting approach to a “3 Taps and Out” strategy. The economy is changing at such a fast rate that your prospecting model needs to be just as fast. Reach out to your top prospects 3 times. If you don’t get any traction, leave them alone for 60-90 days and then go back. It’s very possible that their worlds will have changed and the opportunity door will be open.

What are some resolutions you think hunters should make for 2009?

Yesterday we introduced our first free eBook, Landing Big Sales with an RFP, and I can’t say that we could have picked a better time to do so.

I was just talking to a friend yesterday about how RFPs fit into the current business landscape. Our conclusion? And this isn’t rocket science, here: As budgets become tighter, and companies–big and small alike–become more anxious to show increased ROI, RFPs will simply become a necessary evil. Companies are going to want to make sure that they’ve explored all possible avenues before they make any decisions. And what’s the best way to do that? You guessed it…

So while RFPs may have been a mere yes or no decision for you in the past, you’re going to start seeing more and more of them in days to come. There’s no escaping, so my suggestion is this: if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em. In other words, take some time to learn how to master RFPs. We’ve spent years dissecting these things and are now so familiar with them, that we’ve even figured out how to make the topic interesting and funny. Really…

And hey, I don’t blame anyone for not wanting to fill out an RFP: they’re time-consuming, vague, and often don’t result in new business. Sometimes you even feel like you’re offering free consulting–and, well, sometimes you are. This eBook will help you determine whether or not you’ve got a shot; whether the RFP makes sense for your company; and if so, how to make sure you stand way above the competition. Don’t say I didn’t warn you! (And yes, I’m definitely using fear tactis here).  Click here to Download: Landing Big Sales with an RFP.

The telltale schinck of a window opening and a muffled whooshing sound told me undeniably that my broker was on the ledge again. At the highest floor of a downtown building, the limited bars of cell coverage or the wind was making it hard to hear him- it sounded like…” …volatile conditions…ssmshbrssss…short-range perspective…sppppssssksst…REBALANCE YOUR PORTFOLIO!…” and then the phone went dead, possibly from it dropping alone or not alone from a very long distance.

REBALANCE YOUR PORTFOLIO! Now that’s good advice, even from a broker…
Here is what I’m recommending in terms of investing your time in your portfolio of prospects…
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By Tim Searcy

I’m sick and tired of fruit analogies. In particular when I hear, “We want to make an apples to apples comparison.” GRRRRRR!!!!!!! Sometimes we spend so much time distinguishing ourselves from our competition’s efforts in order to commoditize ourselves that we forget that there are commonalities in our competitive product set. If a commodity is defined as, “when two things are being viewed as good enough,” there are times this characterization can work in our favor. In legal parlance, it is called “conceding the point.”

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If you listen to popular media discuss the economy, you’re probably calling for the warm bath and razor blades right about now….

But, in the world of whale hunting, things are good. No, I mean it. We talked to a bunch of clients this week and they have been landing BIG SALES in the past two months. Here are some of the wins we’ve heard about…
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The race is run, the contest’s done, there’s work to do. Let’s get to it.

My blog is not usually political; it’s about landing big deals. Anyone who knows me knows I voted for McCain–so what? I have a new president, who I will be referring to as…Mr. President.

How does a junior senator from a midwestern state, a man of color with no military service and few economic credentials win the most powerful political position in the world? How does he defeat not one, but TWO enormous political machines? (Remember, the tougher fight was probably Hillary and her machine.) The answer? He whale hunts. (more…)

Splashing the Vessel: v. An underused euphemism for the first stage of preparation in any situation.

The Inuit washed their boat, or umiak*, with fresh water from a stream far away from their village before they launched it into the ocean to hunt the whale.

How do you get ready for the big pitches? I spent a good amount of time last week helping teams get ready for big pitches. I noticed a couple of gotta-changes worth highlighting…
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I‘ve been getting a lot of questions on the road lately about how The Whale Hunters’ clients are doing under these economic conditions. So, I asked a few of them and their responses were very positive.

Whale hunters like nasty weather because of what it does to their competitors. The big competitors’ reactions to tough economic times seems to create lots of opportunities. Here’s what they do… (more…)