Even though some of my friends thing I am into technology I am really not that tech savvy and for sure I am not a web designer. That is why the decision of outsourcing the web site creation and maintenance was obvious. My believe is that a business can outsource everything except strategic functions – basis for the competitive advantage. In my business competitive advantage is created through creation if unique content, marketing of the media channel to bring visitors and sales relationships with advertisers. I strongly believe that everything else can be and should be outsourced for lean operations.

I am writing a detailed business plan these days (if you still didn’t participate in the survey I sent you – do it right now, that is a part of marketing research) and needed to understand how much the website will costs. I also wanted a break down of how much each feature I want takes time and costs associated with it. My plan is not only to outsource web site development but also to offshore it. I have connections in both Russia and Israel where the website can be created on the same level as in North America, but for the fraction of the cost.

My first step in getting quotes is to use Elance.com it is a great tool to upload some of the simple projects to someone else. I used it to find a designer Steve Sotto to build a logo for the website.

After posting a brief description of what I need “Entertainment Portal based on CMS” I received more that 40 private messages, some firms even quoted me on a project right away varying from $1000 to $20,000. The experience made me write this post dedicated to anyone who sends quotes or proposals for web development and pretty much for any business. I have to provide a disclaimer that I think in my professional life I provided a top notch service to my clients and that is why when I am a buyer I am very picky. So here are my rules:

• Don’t quote on a project till you know the scope of it - Everyone who quoted without even looking into what I need and furthermore wanted to push me into making a purchase decision were eliminated from the list. It is simple as that: if you don’t have time to make sure you have what I need – I am not willing to work with you daily for 2-3 month in creating my baby.
• Remember who you quoted – a guy wrote me an email that he would be “delighted to go over the project details” with me over the phone and that I can call at my earliest convenience. I did call after 15 minutes of receiving his email. To my surprise he didn’t know who I was or what project I am talking about. It took him five minutes to figure it. I even felt that he unhappy that I interrupted whatever he was doing with my phone call. Gone.
• Read what client wrote -after talking to a couple of firms I understood that I have to write a detailed feature by feature description of what I need. It took me almost a day of writing and making schemes in order to try to translate my vision into paper (even though I thought it is plain clear – apparently it is not). I provided pretty detailed explanation of every feature I need along with examples from different websites that use these features right now. I also included executive summary. Sure enough some fast readers read executive summary and didn’t read the explanations. I got bunch of questions I already answered in the original document I sent. Again it mean a disrespect to my work and project. I felt that people just want to get the project as fast as possible without making sure that they are actually right people for the job. All of those guys – gone.
• Send formal proposal - if you expect me to send you a detailed feature by feature request and schemes of the pages, be kind enough to elaborate on your quote as well. Some people answered with once sentence ” You project will cost $12,000 and will take around 60 days. We can iron details as move along. Looking forward to getting started on your project.” I am sorry that just won’t cut it. I need to know what features take the longest time, your maintenance suggestions and what can be done better. All one liners – gone.
• Don’t quote too low – some people quoted me way bellow average like $1500 dollars. This make me suspicious – too good to be true. If everywhere else it costs $5000 and I get it for $4000 that is a deal, if I get for $1000 – it is a scam.
  
• Don’t slam down the competition – I don’t want to hear why other guys are bad. I want to hear why you are good. Concentrate on yourself and what value you bring to me.
• Do what you tell me you will – if you tell a client that you will send an email by the end of today – do it. Don’t send it after 3 days without even apologies – gone.

I am glad to say that 3 businesses passed all my picky tests and moved up to the next level of competition. My next step in weeding out who is gone it is to look more carefully on the previous work done and their expertise. I am not just going to look on their portfolio, but also to contact their previous clients and see if they would recommend them as suppliers. I will then look on who is “getting it” my vision I meant and with whom I would like to work together for at least all of the next year.

So here it is, I am picky – but I apply  same standards to my suppliers that I apply to my own business.

p.s. I am going to also look on a local level and compare the cost savings
p.p.s. my next post will explain exactly on how long it will take to make the website and what features are the most time consuming

Alright “can’t live without” was just my sales attempt. Still these are no BS tips right from the front of the battlefields of advertising career in Toronto. This post is a work in progress my plan is to gather 100 tips. If you have a tip please leave in a comment.

1. Impression is the reality - is doesn’t matter what you do or know, what matters is what managers and peers think you do. All the tips that follow are just to help you to manage the perception and sell yourself.
2. Being nice pays off – being nice to everybody around you creates a positive aura around you. You stop having problems with accounting and production departments.
3. People talk – rumors in the office are spread faster than you can press “publish” on your twitter account. Think 3 times before you say a word.
4. Drinking Advantage – going out with your co-workers for drinks can help your career if done in a right way. Never get drunk or say anything bad about the company though. It is scientific you will earn more money.
5. Don’t take sides – there are always bunch of wars happening in the office. Never take a side. I know it is hard, but if you are serious about progressing in your career don’t take sides.
6. Looks matter- while the decisions on your promotion should be based on your performance it is rarely the case. Get inside the head of your bosses, their employees represent the company. The feel great when you look great. It doesn’t mean you have to buy super expensive cloths, but being always neat counts
7. Face time – nobody will give you extra pay if you come early and leave late. However, your bosses lilke to see it. You will become a clock watcher and not a motivated employee in their minds if you work 9-5. It doesn’t matter if your sales are great, they still like to see the hours.
8. Make it look hard – if you are a talented person and your sales are rolling in easily please, don’t publicize it. Your bosses want you to work hard, if they think your job is too easy they will make it more challenging.
9. Don’t complaint -you can’t afford to be perceived as a negative person. Never complain, find a way how to get what you want without complaining.
10. Political Savvy – do you shoot from the hip? Say what is on your mind without a regards of consequences? Not going to work in a corporate world, you will be labeled rude. Find a positive way to express whatever you need.
11. Bad projects happen – at some point you will be given a total deadend project. Try your best to put it on someone’s else shoulders. Trust me it doesn’t pay off to challenge the impossible.
12. Is it not the size of the account base – if you just started and received 20 pages of accounts, be carefull. What matters is how much account spent and if they are active. Try to avoid adding dead weight accounts to your base.
13. Document – document everything positive you do. The best way is by email or account updates. Your documentation needs to support your positive image in the company
14. Don’t kiss bottoms – if you do eventually you will realize that you been kissing the wrong one and you will have no respect from your peers. Be nice to your management, but not in a kissing way.
15. Mind the competition-it is ok to make friends in the office however remember that when money comes into the question your “friends” might not be so friendly. Since, I was a sales rep working on a commission – this was a case bunch of times. Always remember that they might be your competition.
16. Never give away sale -never give away what is rightly your sales. Example: a new sales rep came in and by mistake sold your account. Don’t be nice – take it back. If you will be clear about it, nobody will try to mess with your accounts or prospects.
17. Know cofee tastes – caffeine drives corporation. People love people who bring them a cofee. Don’t do it all the time or you will be a bottom kisser. Do know every manager’s way to drink cofee and bring cofee to them on a rotation scheduale each Friday. Small investment – goes a very long way
18. Compliments – make at least couple of compliments per day. This will strengthen your nice image. The best compliment is when your colegue gets a new article of clothing  and you comment how nice they look in it. Be careful with compliments to the opposite sex and keep them sex free.
19. Mind the Jokes – know a great joke? Think twice before telling it in the office. Bunch of people got dinged for telling an “offensive joke.” The rule is to only tell a joke a 5 year old kid would understand.
20. Computer Use – never ever write anything personal on you work computer. Everything you do is completely monitored. Keeping computer work related will help your image in manager’s eyes of being an honest worker.
21. Love the company – you don’t have to actually love the company, but managers need to think that you are passionate from head to toes about the product you are sellig and the company your work for.
22. Find a roof - a roof is what protects you from heat, rain and cold. Find a higher level person in the company who will protect in these times. Choose the person wisely and let the person think that your achievements are due to  his or her contributions. Make sure that the person is following the rules about positive image as well. It will not help your career to be associated with a rebel.
23. Diverisify experience – being the best sales rep in the company will not get you promoted. Get involved with competition comitees or other comitees. Demand to work on variety of projects. That way nobody will through in your face later: you didn’t get position X, because you don’t have X experience
24. Take your boss to apointments - only good ones. Make sure that the customer you are taking your boss to absolutely loves you. Your boss will tell other management that you are being well liked by the clients.
25. Walk Fast – it seems like a minor tip, but if you consistently walk fast it will look like you are always busy and working for the company. You will look way better compared to a guy or a girl who walks really slow.
26. Public Goals - let everyone know that one day you want to become a manager or top sales rep, or whatever your goal is. Let managers know that you have these goals and you are working hard to achieve them.
27. Send Holiday Cards - send or give as many personal postcards as you can on as many occasions that you can. They key to do it consistenly with everyone: peers, management, clients. This will turn people towards you and if by any chance they don’t get postcard from you on Christmas they will wonder what happened to you and will write to you.
28. Don’t rely on email -email is great especially for advertising executive it allows you to pitch hundreds of people at once. However, make a point of physically seing as many people as you can. Needless to say that it is especially true with your top 20%. Seeing them regularly even if it is just to bring cup of cofee and dicuss recent game is imperative to your success. It will be way harder to say “no” to a person that know, than just to write an email message.
29. Be Consistent – whatever efforts you put into creating the image of next coming you have to do it consistently. You have to be know for these things and just as in advertising the key is repetition, repetition, repetition. It is way better to grow your sales by 10% every month, than to have one month at 30% growth and another at 0%.
30. Don’t ask for favours - as thr situation permits try not to owe anything to anyone. Don’t ask for favours, do favours for people and let them feel that they owe you one. You will ask for it when the time comes. Sounds harsh? I am just trying to be real here.

Yesterday I went to see prospect for a third time that has an office 30 miles away from me. The reason I went to see him is because he wanted to buy a lot of services at once, and of course I was giving him a discount for that.

When I got to the office the situation changed, he wanted to buy only small distribution of his flyers. I said “It’s fine with me, but I will have to charge you the regular price” his response was “We got to talk to my boss”. So here I am in the room surrounded by two managers and the guy with whom I talked before, wasting my time and haggling for the price. Guys wanted a discount saying that don’t know our company and don’t trust us. He proposed to do a larger quantity, but with more discounted price.

My response was no, no, no. I said that it is first time for me doing business with them too and I see no reason why we should start our relationship with the discount. So I walked away from a bigger sale, but whatever I got from them I sold for a regular price. Yet I was proud of myself.
Even though you are selling something, don’t think you on a lower level than a prospect – you are on the same. You both are in business and they got to treat you with the same respect you treat them.

On a little free time I have I study Aikido it is a martial art, sort of peaceful jujutsu. The main idea is to use the power of your opponent. The motto is relax, get out of the way and blend with the power of your opponent. I actually try to transform this into my sales style. When you make a pitch don’t make one, let your prospect come to you and then blend with it. Ask a lot of questions, let the client tell you what they need and then satisfy those needs. Sounds easy, but it is amazing how many people forget about it. Remember nobody likes to be sold, but everybody likes to buy – let them buy from you, don’t sell. Relax (no sales pressure), get of the way( don’t hit the objections head to head) and blend (identify, confirm and satisfy their needs).

I work in B2B marketing and sales and the problem I see with a lot of Sales Reps or marketing consultants is that they put another persona when they go out to make sales. I think this is pretty amateurish. If we are talking about developing long-term relationships and helping our clients – we should be ourselves. It shouldn’t be a sales pitch it should be a conversation of how we and our clients help each other. I am not talking about drinking beer with clients, but rather just be who you are in your regular life – that way you can actually built the creditability and long term relationship. So next time you talk with the client don’t tell them about your feature and benefits, talk to them and be youself!

This post is inspired by Chris Bogan, he was asking in his blog what are the tips to overcome “no.” Now I’ve wrote him what is my idea of a good sales person, he found it interesting even though for me it is like second nature. So I thought I’ll share my philosophy, even though I think it is pretty common things. Ok here are the things I believe in:

• The most important skill of sales person is to identify client’s needs. You got to know what is going to help them, and you got to believe that what you are selling is actually helping them.
• You have to qualify your prospects. I know this is basics, but so many people forget about it. I saw so many Realtors that target everybody they see with no results. Remember the 80/20 rule – 80% of your profits come from 20% of your clients. This means that you should concentrate on two things: 1) spend more time on your 20% 2) get new clients that are like people from 20% or move your clients to this group
• Don’t seek cut and paste solution. Every sale is different you have to adopt the client. They way to do it is to have dialogue not a monologue.
• No matter how passionate you are about your idea, you have to ask yourself a question “what’s in it for them?” It is especially important in B2B sale.
• Don’t push your sale. If your client doesn’t need your product and you still sold it, it will result in zero returning income and zero refferals.
• Tell stories and sell experience, the expert on this is Seth Godin.

Do you have you own philosophy about sales? Think that I am wrong? Leave a comment or shoot me an email.