If you don’t want it on the internet – DON’T DO IT – and if you do it and it ends up on the internet it’s not the crowd’s fault or the the social media communities fault — the responsibility is yours. This goes for executives, public figures and teenagers at a riot. We are humble today or we will be humbled tomorrow.

What are your thoughts?

If you want to start reading thebook on your iPad in the next 5 minutes you can always pick up a copy at the iTunes store.

Buy the Book

Today I had the great opportunity to once again have Bruce Philp author of the Consumer Republic on my social media podcast. I was so inspired by our conversation I actually reworked my Socialized! Lunch presentation today to include some very important thoughts that Bruce shared about the future of brands and the true power consumers now hold in their hands.

The idea for this podcast discussion really came from a couple of tweets I posted about Groupon’s recent off-color marketing tactics and my disappointment that their response and handling of comments and complaints seemed to be more about sanitizing and denying versus engagement and authentic apologies. (Still not happy with Groupon’s Super Bowl Ads this was the icing on the cake) Bruce’s question to me at that point was; “what if consumers become discouraged and no longer engage?” (because of this type of corporate response online.) I invited Bruce back on the show to talk about the “Consumer Republic” and answer this important question.

During the podcast the conversation quickly turned toward so-called social media experts bloggers etc. who are often the first to criticize a brand, but personally don’t walk their talk in regards to engagement or even responding to blog comments and tweets.  (I’ve been personally guilty more than once of not returning an email or a phone call due to huge volumes of in-bound tweets and inquiries.)

Have a listen to the podcast and let me know what your thoughts are on the subject. A huge thanks to Bruce Philp for logging on and having the conversation as well.

Sociable! How Social Media is Turning Sales and Marketing Upside Down

Social Media Engagement

There’s a lot of talk about being engaged. In particular in social media we talk about engagement as one of the key benchmarks of being a successful brand, marketer, blogger or personality online.  Today’s podcast is on what engagement is about. Here’s a short list of what engagement is:

1. Complete listening, not just to hear but to make others feel heard.
2. Present consistently
3. Connected emotionally
4. Aligned with values
5. Contributing to dreams
6. Seeing trust as an ends not a means
7. Creating networks and meeting points

Well I’m done. I haven’t tallied all of the pledges yet but it appears that with the help of my blog readers and twitter friends that over $1200 was raised for the Vancouver Food Bank.  That for me was worth the 24 hours of no sleep.

Here’s a partial list of the great people who made donations to the Food Bank:

• Trevor Wallace
• Doug Morneau of Rhino Marketing Inc.
• Captain Charles Trevor Greene
• Aileen Javier and Kristian Gibson
• Lynn Kitchen
• Barbara Doduk
• Fred Shadian (Who also did 3 guest blog posts)
• Chris Breikss
• Renbor Sales Solutions
• ThinkTom.com Realty
• Kye Grace
• Ronald Lee
• Yam De La Pena

Also here’s the updated list of everyone in Vancouver that blogged for the past 24 hours for the charity of their choice.

Blogger and Supported Charity:

1. Raul Pacheco The BC Cancer Foundation
2. Rebecca Bollwitt – Miss604 the Union Gospel Mission
3. Duane Storey The Union Gospel Mission
4. Tiny Bites (team effort) The Vancouver Food Bank
5. 604 Foodtography The Vancouver Food Bank
6. Shane Gibson (That’s me and I’m Blogging for The Vancouver Food Bank as well!)
7. Barbara Doduk The Richmond Animal Protection Society
8. Mehnaz Thawer the Tumaini Children’s Project
9. Fraser Valley Pulse the Langley Animal Protection Society
10. WorldwideWaterCooler The BC SPCA
11. Developmental Disability Association for their own cause (I believe)
12. Justin Yang BC Children’s Hospital Foundation
13. Liberation BC for Liberation BC
14. Bluefur Team Diabetes
15. Shane’s World Theatre Terrific
16. Think Referrals Burn’s Bog Conservation Society
17. Brady V BC Children’s Hospital Foundation
18. Langley Politics The United Way
19. Beth Snow Options For Sexual Health
20. Karen Fung Vancouver Public Space Network
21. April Smith Community Education Resource Society
22. Ganga Narayanan Canadian Hard of Hearing Association
23. Matthew Naylor Canadian Mental Health Association
24. Aidan BC Children’s Hospital
25. Iris Dias MS Society of Canada
26. Mitch Baldwin – The Salvation Army, Camp Sunrise
27. Catherine Winters – Canadian Cancer Society
28. Neil Parker – Weekend to End Breast Cancer
29. Jael – Big Sisters

I’m leaving the donations page open until the 28th so if you would still like to contribute:

To Donate the the Vancouver Food Bank Click here or the image below. Every bit helps!

Blogathon 2009 for Vancouver Food Bank

Reading through the list of participants and checking out through Twitter, Linkedin and FaceBook who is following along, I can calculate 300 people who are following this program. 240 of you are keeping your thoughts to yourself.  I’m also assuming you’re keeping your sales challenges to yourself too.

I personally am referred to by other people as a Sales Guru, Social Media expert etc. I find those labels embarrassing, and sometimes I find it equally challenging to admit that in some circumstance in business that I’m like a duck out of water. Clueless basically.

Why I share this? I still succeed in spite of my limitations, but only because I network with great people and am willing to admit that I need mentoring, support and business.  Mentorship and great guidance is the key here.

There’s several hundred people who are into improving sales and marketing efforts, and our combined wisdom is astonishing but we also need to not be proud and ask for help. Today’s exercise is simple, reach out to me and other connections and tell us you need help. I’m waiting to hear what you need help with.

I

You may be a business leader that’s transforming an industry, a teacher who does things differently in the classroom, or a blogger that pours your heart out for the world to see.

Today’s podcast is about you, and how you can tackle this challenge.

- Namaste

Direct File Link to Listen

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Managers’ Toolbox

Speaker:	Shane Gibson, President (North America), Knowledge Brokers International Systems Ltd.
Topic:	SELLING AND SUCCEEDING IN TURBULENT ECONOMIC TIMES
	Many sales professionals and entrepreneurs are concerned about how they are going to weather today’s global financial storm. The rules of the game have changed with the meltdown in the banking sector, along with globalization and the introduction of disruptive technologies to almost every industry. Succeeding in turbulent economic times is about proactively taking control of our own personal economy. Shane Gibson, president of Knowledge Brokers International, will share with you strategies to succeed in any economic condition. Fortunes have been made during times of change and economic downturn; sales people and entrepreneurs must develop a tool kit to help us adapt to and succeed in this ever-changing environment. It’s not what happens that defines an event; it’s how we respond to it that matters. This fast-paced session will give attendees the tools, insight and strategies needed to respond to today’s marketplace conditions. You will also learn: How to develop and fine-tune your sales process for any environment; Why the best time to gain market share is in turbulent times; The power of community and connecting; How to use technology to reduce your marketing and sales costs; How and why to swim against economic tides and trends; Tips and steps to maintaining sanity and focus in tough times. About the speaker Shane Gibson is a Vancouver-based international speaker, author of Closing Bigger: The Field Guide to Closing Bigger Deals, and a global entrepreneur who has addressed several thousand people over the past thirteen years. As a trainer, coach and motivational speaker he combines a diverse background in sales force leadership, new entrepreneur development and extensive sales and leadership coaching. Who should attend Business owners, executives in the areas of sales, marketing, business development, sales staff, entrepreneurs and anyone responsible for or part of a team that needs to generate revenues. Presented by The Board’s Small Business Council MAKE IT COUNT The Vancouver Board of Trade’s 2008 Managers’ Toolbox Series qualifies for The Company of Young Professionals Engaged Leadership Certificate Credits. One session = 2 credits. Please refer to http://www.tcyp.ca for further details.
Event#	090722
Date:	Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Time:	Registration: 7:30 a.m. Program: 7:45 – 9:45 a.m.
Location:	The Coast Plaza Hotel & Suites, Stanley Park – Comox Ballroom 1763 Comox Street
Sponsors:	Certified Management Accountants Presented in co-operation with: Small Business BC
Tickets:	Members Individuals $64.00 + GST Register Online Table of 6 $462.00 + GST Register Online Members save at least 30% ! Future Members Individuals $96.00 + GST Register Online Table of 6 $750.00 + GST Register Online Not a member yet? Click here for Membership Benefits!

Growing up on the West Side of Vancouver and attending Prince of Wales High School I often compared myself to the son’s and daughters of some very wealthy people.  These kids drove to school in brand new BMW’s and Lexus’ (not all of them, but a lot).  I had a 53 Chevy Pickup that looked great but was truly held together with bailing wire and a prayer, I went through fuses like they were tic-tacs.  Funny I actually thought we were broke?  Then in 1993 in my first year of work in the family business we had some really tough times pretty soon we went from a new Lincoln, Turbo Volvo, and Whistler ski weekends to a new version of reality I wasn’t accustomed to.  All the things I thought I needed no longer seemed to matter.  We struggled to pull together enough money from our ailing business to buy groceries, pay rent, and utilities (in fact we survived by the grace of friends like Bill and Donna Pearson, Del Hughes, Dave and Lynn Ferris and Jim and Sharon Janz). Somehow I thought we were suffering, but by global standards we were still very fortunate.  We had access to a network of great people, mentorship and help in solving our financial problems, free medical care, and we lived right in the middle of one of the most livable cities in the world.  With my limited life experience correct or not I thought that this was suffering.  I really never understood what dire poverty looks like until I left Canada and moved to Africa for 2 years in 1997-1999.

Flying into Johannesburg (3.3 million people) was a big eye opener.  This wasn’t the Africa that Hollywood portrays (until recently).  In driving to the hotel in Sandton from the Airport my driver directed me to look out the window to my left.  There it was a somewhat unofficial settlement at that time. Alexandria or “Alex” as the locals called it.  A squatter camp that sprawled literally as far as the eye can see. Some paved some dirt roads, tin roofs and walls, much of it without electricity or running water.  I’m not sure of the figures now but at that time there was 60% unemployment, and many these unemployed people in the Joburg in Alex.  Some people claim there are over 1,000,000 people living there but there is no official census numbers for “squatters.”

I did not have the opportunity to go right into Alex when I lived there (worlds worst homicide and carjacking rates per capita at that time), but I did flirt with the outskirts from time to time, and spent a considerable amount of time in smaller townships that were equally as destitute in other regions in South Africa.  I found most Africans to be proud and kind regardless of their economic plight.  Resourceful, eager to learn, and they seemed to be hardwired for entrepreneurism.  In most cases it wasn’t just personal finances that were lacking, but access to a way out of their plight.  Education, mentorship, and the basics like clean water and electricity.  I don’t want to be seen as painting a picture of helplessness, there are many people who have succeeded in that environment.  For me though, it was an eye opener as to how much we have as North Americans, and how little gratitude I had personally had for all of those things I thought were my God given right to possess.  It was then that I started to realize that many people are possessed by their possessions.  We can do so much more with our talents than collect and hoard things.

There in Africa I was first exposed to micro lending and what it can do as a force against poverty.  I would often walk past a kind man who sold oranges out of the back of a large wagon.  One day my brother stopped to talk to him.  We were mesmerized by his enthusiasm for his business.  He was unemployed for years before he started his orange stand.  A local South African Bank helped him get started, and when he started he didn’t even have a fixed address.  They loaned him money daily, to buy inventory.  He would buy his oranges, mark them up, and turn a small profit daily.  The daily loan was less than $25 Canadian, which he would repay and then get another short term loan.  I know there are several popular micro lending formats but this one to me was interesting because it was not a hand-out, and it also helped him learn about cash-flow management and build his credit.  A $25 loan helped him eventually move into a real address, eat healthy food, and begin educating himself on running a business.

http://www.kiva.org/ is one tool that anyone in the world can use to begin to participate in micro lending.  A donation of $25 can make a real difference, and a $1000 can help an entire village.  Muhammad Yunus founder of Grameen Bank was awarded a Nobel Peace Prize for his ground breaking work in taking this concept and making it work on a large scale.

One final thought or story in regards to how to make a difference is that money is great, but sometimes it’s not all that people need.  Mentorship, volunteering, and contributing by actually getting involved (in person or the way 11,000 bloggers are doing it today) is also needed.  Alfina worked for our family in South Africa, her son was unemployed and living Alex.  She asked me if I could help him get a job.  What he needed was help writing a resume.  He had no access to a computer, or printer and Alfina and her son had never written a resume.  He showed up 4 hours late, with no shoes on.  Someone had stolen them, and he had no money for public transportation, so he walked.  He walked from Alex to my place in Sandton, in bare feet, so someone could help him get a job.  I thought I was going to give him a lecture on being on time during the job hunt.  Instead he taught me a lesson on commitment and succeeding regardless of our resources.  NO EXCUSES.  We wrote his resume (his only job was “towel boy” for a soccer team) and it was pushing the barrier between non-fiction and fiction but we got it done.  He left with a pair of my shoes, some clothes, and big ambitions.  He canvassed every business in Johannesburg with no luck, so he hopped on a bus and with his very last resume in Port Elizabeth landed a job as a stock boy and eventually rose to cashier. Gainfully employed.

In giving we also receive, he taught me a big lesson on commitment. “Give to live for to withhold is to perish”  – Kahlil Gibran

Dear Shane,

What advice could you give to employers that are seeking to hire top sales performers in what is still an employees’ job market (especially when we refer to top sales producers)?

Dear Minto: There are several factors that we need to look at when recruiting top performing sales people.  The first step in my opinion is to:

Write up a complete description of the type of sales job it is, including the following:

1. Amount of phone selling, cold calling, proposal writing, group presentations.
2. Geographical area
3. Amount of travel
4. Amount of time away from home
5. Level of independence
6. Hours expected to work
7. Work culture of the company
8. Reporting and paper work expected
9. Client entertainment factor
10. Type of customers or potential customers
11. Level of acceptance by the customer in reference to
    • the company
    • the products and service
    • the industry
12. Level of selling
    • Product/service focused
    • Relationship marketing focused
    • Customer and solution focused.
13. Size of average sale
14. Length of the selling cycle and any other important factors you can think of.
15. Trade show selling and seminar selling etc.

With the above job description in mind, carefully describe the characteristics, behaviors, values, skills, experience and abilities you require in this person.

Secondly realize that top producers are rarely ever unemployed.  Being in the recruiting business you know that top producers are constantly being courted for other job positions.  My suggestion is hire in advance, network where these producers work and play, and even offer finders fees to your own internal sales team if they find you a winner.

My last thought is winners like to win, and they like to win quick.  If you’re recruiting top performers you better have a sales opportunity and a process that enables them to hit home runs early.  Showing up to a disorganized sales environment with no sales process or culture is something that will quickly repel most top producers.

Thanks again Minto for your contribution to the MSMF Blogathon!

This is blogathon entry number 28 for the MSMF Blogathon. Visit this page to learn how you can support this cause.

Over the past couple of years I have found that there is another way one could look at our definition.  “Sales is about creating an environment where an act of faith can take place .”  The first enviroment we need to create so an act of faith can take place is within us.

Faith is a belief, and intense belief.  We first must be able to truly visualize ourself succeeding and wholly believe in that picture.  World class athletes from skiers, to ice skaters to rowers at the Olympic level use visualization as a tool for mentally preparing themselves to win.  The difference between Gold and Bronze in giant slalom is usually less than .5 seconds.  With all of these skiers basically around the same weight, level of fitness and level of training it eventually boils down to a mental game.

There are many factors that effect our ability to intensely believe that we can win (some of them we will discuss in future blog entries and podcasts) but here’s the shortlist

Self-Esteem and Self-Worth: A sense of our own value and ability based upon mutliple belief structures

Training: Repeated feedback and on-going progress offers proof of success and mental conditioning

Self-talk: The constant dialogue we have with ourselves, the questions we ask, and we respond mentally to what happens to us impacts this as well.

External Models of Possibility: Mentors, Leaders, and other performers that we can model our strategy after assists us in seeing what is possible.

Association: Once again, who we associate with on a regular basis will impact our standards and our concept of what is possible (Olympians tend to train with Olympians).

So before we put our “out-side world” plan together for success we need to make sure that we have put together a solid internal plan for mental and emotional fortitude.  The bottom-line is that our business development plans must have a personal development plan connected to them if we’re going to perform at our best.

This is blogathon entry number 16 for the MSMF Blogathon. Visit this page to learn how you can support this cause.

The genuinely ethical person has a well-calibrated moral compass—a compass only points in the right direction. Genuinely ethical people not only see the right direction, they consistently choose to follow that direction. Their motivation is based not upon avoiding punishment or being “found out.” They realize that true stable wealth and success is built upon timeless principles and a solid foundation built by the application of these principles.

Often a strong ethical foundation starts with putting non-economic social values ahead of economic drivers or personal gain. This can also be seen as a short-term definition. People in a sales environment who consistently take ethical action maintain their personal integrity and reap other somewhat intangible rewards for taking this path over time.

Principle 1: Trust is the number one sales currency

Cost: A client can have every logical reason to do business with us, but if they do not feel you are trust-worthy and you lack a professional or community reputation, very few will work with you. Without trust, it takes many small trial runs, small purchase orders, and often ironclad legal agreements before we can move forward on a deal. This lack or reputation or brand goodwill slows deals down and often makes them smaller and less lucrative. If we make statements that are untrue, only partially true or withhold important information, the client will eventually discover it and either sever the relationship or micro-manage us in every aspect.

Benefit: People, who make promises, keep commitments, disclose the whole truth and effectively represent the interests of their clients and the company, will over time build strong personal goodwill in the marketplace. When clients trust us, they share more information with us. With that information we can then provide them better results with our products and solutions. Also, with increased knowledge of the client, we understand how to better help them and serve their needs. With better results, we get an increased level of trust in relationships and then even more information—it is a cycle that continues.

With trust in us, our clients do not have to doubt and worry—they can focus on other business or personal activities. This adds a lot of emotional value to the client. In addition to this, orders are often more frequent and larger as trust enables the client to make more accurate projections on what we are capable of delivering.

Principle 2: There are no secrets
Cost: Secrets, lies and half-truths; if you know about any or have figured it out, somebody else will too. If you and someone else know about a “secret”, you have to assume that more people will be told and/or know. Very few people are able to keep a secret from their spouse, friends, and coworkers. Whether you live in Kipling, Saskatchewan or New York, New
York, you are living in a place too small to not be found out! News travels fast through business and social networks, professional associations, religious affiliations, and Internet communities such as chat rooms.

Benefit: Do good, keep your commitments; consistently make your decisions with a social and environmental conscious. When people trust you, they talk favorably about you, and the end result is they build your good reputation for you. A famous quote by William Shakespeare encapsulates what most people believe: “Give every man thy ear but few thy voice.” In other words, be empathetic, be friendly, but be careful who you represent and support. Before people endorse us, they must implicitly trust us or risk tarnishing their own reputation.

Principle 3: The end goal is to be happy

Cost: We can cut corners, lie to people, cheat and get the financial prize but the prize will never be enough. They sacrifice their dignity to get there. Most people think “I’ll be happy when _____________________!” (Fill in the financial or career goal). When they get there, they are still not happy. Inside they feel like a fake, they carry with them remorse, bad press, and
damaged relationships, some even have to leave town with their prize after they burn their socio-economic bridges. Their end goal was happiness—they thought happiness was a new address, a financial figure, or the kind of car they drive. Happiness is a state of mind and this is something alone money cannot buy. This is where the statement “it is lonely at the top” comes from!

Benefit: When we authentically achieve success and contribute to the well-being of others, it creates a sense of peace and confidence. We develop a real sense of self (or self-esteem) and can confidently determine what we are capable of. Our success feels real, and we are free of remorse, regret, and have further strengthened our socio-economic ties in our community. We get our end goal and peace of mind too. The big bonus is our social networks stay intact—we can share our success and bring people with us!

Example:

One question that a Board of Trade often asks their new members is: “Are you in business for a year or a decade?” The reason they ask this question is to get people to realize the long-term impact of their sales and marketing activities. Often people measure success so short-term that it is a detriment to their career or business success in the long-term.

This is Blog Entry #6 for the Vancouver Blogathon. A 24 hour blogging marathon for charity. Please check out my charity the MSMF foundation and help us bring hope and prosperity to children in rural India.

Those who hire unethical people often revere them for a short period of time as they tend to be results-oriented people. Without the confines of ethical, environmental, or legal restrictions, profits may appear in the short term. However, the company eventually suffers for collecting funds without a conscience, and inevitably lawsuits, government intervention, criminal charges, and consumer backlash all follow. There are a series of high-profile ethics cases in the United States where people are now spending a lifetime in jail, while the corporation sits in receivership (bankruptcy). One such case is the Enron Scandal.

Next Blog Entry “The Situationally Ethical” person.

This is Blog Entry #4 for the Vancouver Blogathon. A 24 hour blogging marathon for charity.  Please check out my charity the MSMF foundation and help us bring hope and prosperity to children in rural India.

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