Good things come to those who wait

I usually hesitate making any comments that show my age, but how many of you remember the Heinz ketchup commercials from the early 80s with this slogan?  You would see a young guy (who is now incredibly famous because of the show Friends on NBC) place a newly opened bottle of ketchup on a rooftop, he would run down the multiple flights of stairs, purchase a hot dog from a street vendor and then you would see one glorious drop of delicious condiment float from the sky and perfectly land on the hot dog.  I don't even like hot dogs, but that made me want to try that trick at home.

The reason I bring this up is more than simple nostalgia.  I had a great reminder this morning that patience is a key virtue in our business.  A candidate of mine had been flirting with the idea of an interview with a client for nearly four months and finally had the opportunity to have an initial interview yesterday.  Not only did he nail the interview, but he had a positive attitude about the whole situation.  Instead of becoming bitter for the delay, he seized the opportunity to shine and show them why they should have been interviewing him all along.

All too often the interview/recruiting process does not align with everyone's ideal timing.  Clients drag their feet to offer stage when a candidate feels as though they are on the goal line and in the 11th hour.  Candidates take way too long to return phone calls to set up next stages of the process.  Emails are lost in cyberspace and calendars fill up before something can be confirmed.  I could go on and on and on, just like Taio Cruz.  Like Taio I want to celebrate and live my life.  (Thank you to my seven-year old son's love of Pandora for that random reference.)  Or in other words I try to inject a positive attitude and optimism in the midst of what is often a slower process than anyone would like to see.  I wish more people would share that sentiment in the transactional, what-have-you-done-for-me-lately society we live in.

Along with pure unadulterated optimism, I do also like to stress clear and realistic communication.  The candidate I referenced above remained patient primarily because he and I had a lot of conversations with him over that four-month period.  I was honest with him that the slow process frustrated me as well.  But the opportunity was worth waiting for.  He knew that he could ask me open and honest questions and that I was his advocate in the process and not just a means to an end.

The takeaway here is to envision that ketchup bottle perched high above the street when you find yourself in a situation where you wished the interview process was moving along more quickly.  Keep in mind that waiting not only produced the desired result of ketchup on the bun, but it was the perfect amount as well.  Ah, the beauty of television, even if it was the 1980s.........

Five steps to become a tenacious producer

I have a producer candidate in final stages with an agency client this week and one of the references described the individual as tenacious.  What a wonderful descriptor for someone responsible for new business development.  Which got me thinking about different definitions of the word tenacious.  Webster's Dictionary defines the word in two ways -- a) not easily pulled apart or cohesive, and b) persistent in maintaining, adhering to, or seeking something valued or desired.  Retentive was a synonym also listed, along with dogged, persevering, insistent, and patient.  So how does one exhibit these qualities?  Here are five ways in which I believe you can become tenacious on a daily basis -->

1) I will start with the final synonym listed -- patient.  That wouldn't normally be a word I would align with tenacious.  But it makes a lot of sense if you think about it.  Many times producers turn new sales calls into simple transactions.  If one doesn't hit quickly, they move onto the next one.  Instead I would consider keeping track of each of those "near misses" more closely to see if there is something that was overlooked with initial review.  Maybe another referral that could come from the prospect.  Perhaps a chance to call back in six months to see how the competition is faring.  Sometimes sales cycles are long and it takes patience to achieve the end result of winning the client.

2) Retentive is also a word I would not associate with tenacious.  But if you look again at the Webster's definition it talks about "adhering to" and that should definitely be a goal for every account a producer brings on board.  Not only is it less expensive to retain a current account than sell a new one, but I would also argue that is your best referral source.  If your current clients speak highly of you, it should naturally lead to other prospects and clients in the long run.

3) Salesforce.com is creating a new way to predict who is most influential within an organization.  Some of it appears to be in initial phases of testing and is quite subjective, but it brings up a good point.  You should know your colleagues well enough that you can influence them to help in all facets of your business.  If your account management team respects you, they will likely work harder for you.  When you need them to be your foxhole buddy on a tough account, it is too late to get to know them.  They will run for the hills if you are just asking for their help for selfish reasons.  Maybe you can partner with another producer that has more expertise in a particular niche.  Maybe you need someone in marketing or IT to hit a deadline on some glossy materials for a presentation that is the next day.  The time invested over months and years to get to know your team will pay huge dividends in those moments.  Be tenacious about details.  Know their spouse's names, their hobbies, their weekend activities, etc.

4) The devil is in the details.  I heard a story recently about a producer who works for a smaller agency, but won over a huge account with a ton of political ties in the community.  This individual was competing against three much larger agencies in a broker selection process.  The reason the client picked his agency -- he knew more about their exposures.  Sounds too easy, doesn't it?  While the other three agencies focused on their service platforms, pricing, value-added services, and all of the fancy marketing ideas, this producer simply knew the client better than anyone else.  He had asked in-depth questions about the state of the client's business, where their growth would occur, and what was most important to them. 

5) Have a little fun.  While this may also seem too easy, many salespeople tend to take themselves way too seriously on a daily basis.  Start a cold call asking about the weather.  Bring some greasy donuts from a local bakery to a renewal meeting.  Be memorable.  Talk about a movie you watched last night with your spouse, especially if it was terrible.  You can save someone else ninety minutes of their life they'll never get back.  It is human nature to gravitate toward interesting people.  So make it a point to be interesting.  Look at the Webster's definition again -- "seeking something valued or desired".  Can anything you have done this week be described as being valued or desired?  That is the core of being tenacious.