By Tim Searcy

In the last month, I’ve visited with 75 CEOs, and there is a universal understanding of undeniable truth: things are tough out there.  Now although this is obvious, the varied responses haven’t been so obvious. 

Most reactions have come in three forms:
 
1. Self-denial – “Everyone else is having a tough time, but we prepared for this in advance. If we make a few cuts, I think we’ll ride this out just fine.”

2.  Panic – “We’ve pulled back on all spending, and we’re going to wait for the market to turnaround.”

[Note: I have not found one person that can tell me what the trigger point will be so that they or any of us will be certain that the turnaround has arrived.]

3. Change – “We see this as an opportunity to re-evaluate all the initiatives that we engaged in during the strong market to determine what was worthwhile, and what was truly an unsuccessful gamble.”

Big Sales-minded organizations are thinking like the third guy quoted… 

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Nobody really uses gift lists to shop for other people–we look for the cool stuff we would want to receive and hope that the giftee has similar tastes. Because I know that your favorite recipient of gifts this year is you, and that you are a big sale hunter like me, I’m going to help you by assembling a little list of self-gifts (all of which I would want to receive)…

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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.

Momma always wanted a banker, a doctor, and a priest in the family. Well…maybe she’ll finally get one out of three.

Before I tell ya why, here are a couple of things you may not know:
• There’s more money on the side in cash than there is in the stock market right now – first time ever
• Non-financial companies have some of the strongest balance sheets since the 1960’s
• The U.S. Government is pushing cash into the banking system at a record rate
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By Tim Searcy

I recently heard the CIO of Nortel say something very interesting: “Companies don’t compete; supply chains compete.” This concept makes a great deal of sense. It may change the way we design our strategies for business if we contemplate the partnerships that our companies maintain as an extension of what we do. What we buy, who we buy it from, who we use to service our organization, the functions we outsource and other relationships, including clients, are potential members of your supply chain…
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[Eel: Gatekeepers, deal spoilers, and nay-sayers at the whale company who work to prevent any sort of change.]

In every deal there is an eel. A person who is against the deal—maybe on principle, maybe because they’re your competitor’s champion or they fear they will be made to look bad if a new vendor is brought on. Hell, they may just be a curmudgeon who doesn’t want to see change. Regardless of the reason, you need to find the eel in the deal.

Now, old-school sales training says that you talk as much as possible to your champion and as little as possible to the eel. But here’s the problem: the eel is the one who has the power to kill you. Worse yet, eels have a tendency to hang out in the shadows. They’re hard to get to and they usually talk you down when you’re not around. The conversation may be innocuous…
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You’re in a hunt, a complex and sizable whale hunt. And one of the members of the whale’s team starts going south on you. I don’t mean disagreeing or questioning, I mean active hostility: won’t return your phone calls or emails, misses commitments, pushes back on requests, challenges your capabilities/truthfulness/lineage… You get the picture.

You know this person is critical to the deal, but that he/she is not the decision-maker, more like a piece of the machinery. You have to get the whale’s executive leadership to bring them to heal.

Let’s assume that you’ve tried all the traditional get-along strategies: collaboration, cooperation, compromise, flattery, and bribery. It’s time to fight. And sometimes you have to fight. Let’s talk about a few rules… (more…)

IT’S true. I blew it.

It gets worse: I made rookie mistakes.

Here is the setup: We were in our offices with a buyer’s table from the whale’s side of 6 people- The Polar Bear, (ultimate buyer) who is also our raven, (champion). There were 4 other people who will be deeply involved in the program if we land it. We had a small team from our side- The meeting was mid-process in our sales process for a whale-sized engagement. We were exploring their needs, credentializing ourselves and discussing how we might work together. Where did I make my mistakes?
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