From Harvard Business Review

For centuries, human beings lived in an Oral Culture. There was no written word or if there was, the average human was either illiterate or used writing infrequently. An interesting thing to note about the Oral Culture was that most people did not form into lines. When they were waiting for something that would form an amorphous blob. Or when listening to a speaker, they would sit in groups. The best records we have of this are early churches. Historians note that early church members simply sat in different groups around the churches either on the ground, on couches or chairs.

However, with the advent of the printing press, this all changed. People began to sit in two rows. People began to mirror the layout of the printing press. The Medium (i.e. the two columns of the printing press) became the Message (how people waited or listened to speakers) and affected not just what people learned (information), but how they learned learned (epistemology).

So what mediums we use affect not just whether or not our buyers are receiving information, but how they are receiving the information and ultimately what part of the brain they are using to make the decision.

So how can we harness this idea? Come back tomorrow…

Note given to Apple employees on their first day of work

Could you ever imagine seeing this note on your first day of work?

If not, is it due to how your corporation views its own work, or is it due to how you view your own work?

However, the sales funnel can turn on you quickly for two main reasons. First, your sales funnel constantly needs tweaking because the client’s precise needs change (even within a single sale you may have to move backward before you can move forward), our globalized markets and culture (technology especially) constantly change and finally, your company’s data can change effecting your whole funnel. Second, since even a gorilla can be successful with the sales funnel, it can turn creative, potentially record breaking representatives into robots. While robots are consistent, they are never going to break any sales records. So if you want to break records, constantly tailor your sales funnel and use the funnel as your base level of work. Always go above and beyond the funnel.

Ted Talks – TED (Technology, Entertainment and Design) is a global set of conferences formed to disseminate “ideas worth spreading.” One of the reasons each talk is so compelling is the use of story. Now that you know the secret…watch the talks and note the use of story.

This American Life – This American Life is a weekly radio show. Each week’s show has a theme, explored in several “acts.” Often each of these acts are stories told either in first person narrative or in an interview style. This is a great resource for compelling, and true, stories. It airs at noon on WBUR in Boston and my wife and I never miss it.

The Moth – Finally the Moth Radio hour is probably the least know of the three, but it is pure story. Basically The Moth hosts storytelling sessions all across America and then plays the best one’s during this weekly one hour segment. You get to hear from celebrities and common people. Always compelling and always fresh. This also airs on WBUR in Boston but I listen to it as a podcast on the way to work.

Now traditionally we are taught to sell by using metrics. “If you buy this product, it will increase your revenue by this percentage”, or, “If you come to this college, you will get this and this”. Now metrics are important and knowing facts and figures are important as well. Many times it is these percentages, facts and figures that allow the client to check off their internal boxes to allow them to be open to the sale. But having these boxes checked does not mean they will be willing to spend the money in order to close the deal. This is where the story comes. The story is a success story of the product. It is a story that follows the elements of an introduction, a conflict, a climax and a resolve of that conflict, with the product saving the day. It is a story where the client unconsciously see themselves as the subject of the story. A successful story ensures a successful sale and it connects to the client. When the client wants to purchase a product again, they won’t remember much about you, but they will remember your story.

Next, get to know the data. I probably have spent hours looking at the data and figuring out what is out there. While at first this seems like a waste of time, it actually will save me time in the long run. This way, when I have an idea, I know what data exists. My goal here is to work smarter.

Third, tinker a lot. Statistically about 30-45% of my leads will actually turn into a successful sale in my territory. How do I know that? We have records for each stage of the sales funnel, so I did some comparison over the past 3 years. Now that I know that statistically I will only close on 4 out of 10 clients, I can make the best use of my time by honing in on the low hanging fruit. I can also use the data to see who the low hanging fruit are. I do this through a number of different metrics that are unique to my industry, but that data is out there for every industry. I promise. You just need to make it is being collected and organized properly. My theory is collect data. You’ll figure out what to do with it later.

Finally, talk to others about data. I regularly share my findings with coworkers. They often respond by saying, “That is awesome…but what if it did this?” Collaboration is the best way to find out what you didn’t know you needed to know.

Another application is that data is really helpful in estimating goals. I can confidently walk into my supervisor’s office and tell them what percentage I will yield in $$$’s – with the data to back up my prediction. And like a good sales person, I always under promise and over deliver. Wouldn’t that be nice if you could accurately and consistently exceed goals?

See how good data is to you?

First, most of the representatives I work with are terrified of data. Ok. Not terrified…paralyzed. They don’t know what to do with it or how to manipulate it to work with their territories. Usually the most effective representatives are great with people, not so good with data. We’ve got to get better at training representatives to manipulate data.

Second, the data team are the ones who collect the data and make the reports, but it’s the representatives who use the data. See the problem? Now this is not the data team’s fault…they don’t know what the representatives need unless the reps they ask. However, due to problem number one, this never happens. One of the problems I often came across was that I needed to have two or three reports open to get to the data I needed.

So what is the solution? Stay tuned…