Today, in less than three years we’ve been able to expand our services, maintained several long-term partnership agreements, closed multi-million dollar contracts for our clients, moving into shared office space, and have become established as trusted advisors to CEOs and executives across the globe with an exemplary track record for performance. The net: we’re growing as a company, adding great professionals to our team, and we believe it’s a perfect time to TUNE-UP and:
Initiate a WEBSITE MAKEOVER
REBRAND the company
Introduce an impressive NEW BUSINESS VIDEO DESTINATION
Present our NEW SERVICES
Leverage EXCEPTIONAL RESOURCES
SUPPORT others in our COMMUNITY
Come back and visit us soon and keep up with activities related to our business re-launch here to…
I just finished spending the weekend with The National Society of Pershing Rifles Alumni Association (NSPRAA) at our annual Royal Blue & White Weekend celebration at Morgan State. More than a few of these guys are commissioned officers in the US armed forces just back from “The Sandbox” (Iraq/Afghanistan) and some are going back for their 2nd and 3rd deployments.
A few of us were talking about a “brother” who was hit by an IED in Afghanistan, and the severity of his wounds, when someone asked me “Bell, how’s it going with you?” I decided to make my response pretty brief because when I think about what I do, and then think about the sacrifice those in uniform are making on a day-to-day basis… my business and professional transition issues seemed fairly petty. Here’s what I said:
“My business is in transition, growing, and in this climate of fiscal constraint and layoffs… I’m doubly blessed to also have a well-paying job that I love. Look for a complete business website makeover in 10 days.” Then, I shut up. They wouldn’t want to hear about my hiring a virtual assistant and operations specialist who proactively manage most day-to-day business requirements nor hear the benefit of being able to stay focused and productive in a full-time, W-2 position as a Solutions Strategist.
After this weekend, it’s no longer business-as-usual for me. I was reminded that people I know, respect, and care about are paying a heavy price in foreign lands so that I can follow my dreams at home. I owe them my best. What about you?
If you’re in sales… you’ll love this video. If you’re sensitive to rough language… this isn’t it for you. Still, It’s BRILLIANT! Kudos to YouTube’s Mrsalesguy01. Enjoy!!!
It’s a calm, new day and quiet optimism abounds here at ChrisBell3rd. As most of you already know, in May 2010 I was announced as a winner of the “Become Your Own Boss $25,000 Entrepreneur’s Challenge” which was sponsored by Melinda Emerson (aka Smallbizlady.) Melinda has established a stellar reputation as a small business expert, public speaker, and as the author of an awesome book entitled “Become Your Own Boss in 12 Months: A Month-by-Month Guide to a Business That Works.
One of the conditions of my being a contest winner was a requirement to blog about my experiences working with Smallbizlady. I knew I’d gain access to her business expertise but I didn’t know that I would also be the beneficiary of her encouragement, empathy, energy, inspiration, tactful correction, generosity, and personal authenticity. I didn’t just get a business coach… I found a friend. Here are some of the things we’ve covered:
The rules: Smallbizlady set the ground rules and preferences for interaction in our upcoming coaching sessions. My challenge: ensuring my client/customer requirements don’t encroach on my pre-scheduled business coaching sessions – we’re working on it.
Financial review: I submitted my company’s quarterly financials, but my business plan and marketing plans were obsolete in 8 months as I had surpassed all my initial Year-1 objectives. Now I needed a makeover. This became a priority for complet ion as Ms. Emerson needed more detail into my company’s core competencies to ascertain paths and opportunities for growth. Truth: I was impressed and… I’m not easily impressed.
Life Plan: every legit business owner understands the necessity to complete a business plan, but Smallbizlady introduced me to the benefit of using a “life plan” as an integrated part of my business plan. Have you ever busted your butt to achieve a goal or objective in life and then find yourself asking: “Is this it?” Never again… I’m workin’ on a life plan.
The new “normal”: I soon discovered there was nothing crazy or unusual about my life or experiences as a new entrepreneur and that I should look to model the mindset and leverage the experiences of others who’ve been successful in my moments of doubt or in times of extraordinary challenge.
Pray for me and of course… I’ll keep you up to speed as my coaching sessions with Melinda Emerson, the Smallbizlady continue to unfold. By the way, a complete chapter of Smallbizlady’s book is being featured in 4 pages of Black Enterprise magazine this month. Check it out!
Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter… are all FREE social media tools. In this article I was interviewed by Tonya Taylor the feature writer for social media at the local Baltimore Examiner.com. During this interview I briefly shared a few tips as to how I used social media tools to launch my business, and continue to leverage them to address my clients requirements. Of course, for competitive reasons I didn’t share everything.
To access the article entitled: “Show Him the Money: a $25,000 Social Media Success Story” you can click here: http://bit.ly/cIPLAe
Congratulations on making the dive into your first job in the technology sales arena!!! Whether you’re in IT, engineering, biotechnology, or telecommunications… your personal brand and reputation will be established thru your extraordinary performance because nobody remembers “average.”
Depending upon the products, services, and sales cycles, most companies will give their new sales pros at least 90-days to score a win and/or to build a viable pipeline of qualified sales opportunities. So here are a few tips to consider as you immerse yourself into the financially rewarding but pressurized world of technology sales.
1. You get a new report card. As a student, your GPA validated your performance and potential. In sales, nobody cares about potential or academic pedigree. You’re now validated by your quota achievement and W-2.
2. Know your products, but don’t aspire to be an expert – you’re in sales. Instead, study the niche marketplace you’re in and learn to present a compelling business value proposition; prepare great questions in advance of meetings, and defer to the real experts to reconcile technical viability and compatibility.
3. Don’t mistake activity for progress. Your sales activity is going to be monitored, annotated, and posted for internal viewing, but in the end it’s your sales revenue achievement that will keep you employed or viable. Learn to develop high-quality sales activity.
4. Live on the base and then save or invest your commissions. Of course, you’ll be tempted to go out and buy expensive toys and splurge on luxuries your colleagues have. Treat yourself well, but strive to enjoy a lifestyle that will accelerate your run to financial independence.
5. Work in 30-day increments. You may have a quarterly or annual quota, but it’ll be difficult to maintain consistent intensity if you focus on longer periods of time. You can do anything in 30 days. Think “one-month- at-a-time” and the year will be awesome!
6. Observe the winners but be careful and selective when adopting their methods. That which you see may only be the tip of the iceberg with the mass of real content unseen, and possibly incompatible with your personal principles.
7. Optimize your commute time - make your car a lab. Listen to podcasts, motivational CDs, books on tape, and recordings of presentations to keep your edge
8. Treat your rest as seriously as you do your work. As a new sales athlete, you will expend a significant amount of emotional and physical energy to be competitive. Rest, recover, and then compete in top form.
9. Socialize with your colleagues, but remember they’re also your competitors and may use informal ”down time” to size you up and probe for your weaknesses.
10. Get your boss involved early in every legitimate opportunity and leverage her experience to drive your sales process. Once she’s invested time and you win together, you increase your value.
In celebration of her first book, Become Your Own Boss in 12 Months: A Month-by-Month Guide to a Business That Works (Adams Media, March 2010), Melinda Emerson is annoucning contest winners featuring a prize of weekly small-business coaching sessions. “The contest brought so many worthy applicants that I found it impossible to choose one winner,” describes Emerson. “I narrowed it to two winners who agreed to share the one-on-one coaching.” Entrepreneurs Jennifer Furr, owner of PictureThatSound in Raleigh, North Carolina, and Chris Bell, owner of ChrisBell3rd & Company in Columbia, Maryland, will work with Emerson weekly and blog about their experiences.
In 2009, Jennifer Furr decided to leave her steady job in the pharmaceutical industry to pursue a dream – bringing a product to market that she couldn’t find in the retail world.
Furr founded PictureThatSound to fill an unmet need in the US memory-keeping market. The company’s first product pairs a photo matte with a recordable device for sound. Furr describes being pregnant with her second child and wanting to capture the ultrasound image with the heartbeat sound in her scrapbook album. “There are so many sounds that we take for granted, that we think we’ll always remember. Sometimes I close my eyes and picture a sound in my head, like my toddler’s giggle, my grandmother singing, or even my husband snoring. We provide a product that allows you to capture a photo and an audio snapshot of that memory, all in one.” Visit www.PictureThatSound.com. In June 2009, Chris Bell decided to use his creative business development and technology sales expertise to launch his consultancy, ChrisBell3rd & Company, LLC to exceed sales revenue objectives on behalf of executives, investors, and owners of small to mid-sized IT software and life sciences software companies. “This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to be coached by Smallbizlady, and I am thrilled to have been chosen. I know she will help me grow my business,” said Bell.
ChrisBell3rd & Company, LLC exercises proven best practices with the latest in Sales 2.0 technology to deliver customized business development and sales approaches that uniquely fit their client’s product-type, corporate culture, and revenue goals. His mantra is simple: “Nobody cares what you know, until they know that you care – all is business is personal.” Visit http://chrisbell3rd.com
Emerson says, “These two emerging entrepreneurs are exactly the type of dedicated small-business owners that I love to coach. I was so touched by each of their stories of starting a business.”Jennifer and Chris will receive coaching twice a month for one year and an autographed copy of Melinda Emerson’s book Become Your Own Boss in 12 Months, her life planning journal, and her Audio CD: 10 Things You Must Never Forget in Business. Emerson will also coach both entrepreneurs every other week throughout the year. The winners will be required to blog twice per month about their entrepreneurial journey.
Melinda Emerson “Smallbizlady” is a seasoned entrepreneur, professional speaker, and small business coach. Her areas of expertise include small business start-up, business development and social media marketing. Melinda is a well-known expert in achieving bottom line results and has helped many entrepreneurs to start and grow their businesses. Melinda hosts #Smallbizchat, a weekly talk show on Twitter for emerging business owners. Melinda publishes a blog about running a profitable small business www.succeedasyourownboss.com. Her first book Become Your Own Boss in 12 months; A Month-by-Month Guide to Start a Business That Works” was released March 2010 from Adams Media. For more information, please visit www.becomeyourownbossbook.com
Come join members of the National Sales Network (NSN) to secure great-career changing tips from guest speakers and Mark A. Hill, and Chris Bell, III accomplished technology sales professionals as they share unique insights about the technology sales arena and how you can make a personally and professionally rewarding transition into the technology sales arena.
As usual, one day last month I was up late last night preparing my notes for the next day when I powered up my laptop and started looking at metrics associated with my Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn activities and I began to feel a little uneasy.
Why? I’m certain that some of the people within my social media sphere of influence accepted my invitation to connect quickly and without much thought because it was really the “polite” thing to do and would cause no harm (at least that’s what I did sometimes.) For that, I say “thank you for not hurting my feelings” but I want to give you an “out.” Let’s call it AMNESTY for Social Networking.
Almost exactly one year ago, I became an informal student, advocate, and passionate user of social media applications and platforms. And while I LOVE my virtual social interactions I took a bit of a break from blogging and tweeting to re-establish my bearings. What was interesting about my hiatus is that I came across a few people who weren’t able to immediately understand that I’m not really the uploaded photo image in the 2-inch x 2-inch box, and that yes… I still enjoy a good verbal conversation or an occasional exchange of written content that exceeds our 140 character twitter limit. But as I’ve grown and matured around the technology, I was finally able to secure an answer to one of my most nagging social media questions:
“How can one individual authentically manage hundreds, if not thousands of social media relationships?Answer: They don’t. There’s simply not enough time in the day to do it.
So, if you’ve got lots of social media connections and only a fraction of your interactions seem relevant, lighten up, forgive yourself, and give your connections permission to break things off by declaring an informal amnesty. Simply drop a quick note of thanks to the folks who are following you and then invite them to drop you without penalty, hard feelings, or perception of ingratitude if they don’t believe your social relationship is mutually beneficial. Let’s keep it real here shall we? I’d rather be virtually connected to 3 people who actually want to have an exchange of thoughts and share experiences than to be myopically focused on monitoring the numerical growth of hundreds or thousands of followers. I mean, what’s the point of talking if nobody’s listening?
If you’re new to technology sales, looking for a career change, or a soon-to-be graduating college student, take a little down-time and grab a cup of coffee or your favorite beverage and then listen to this radio interview facilitated by Tai Goodwin, Career Makeover Coach and expert which features me and my colleague Mark Hill, Executive Director of Minorities in Technology Sales (MiTS) as we address these questions:
What trends are you seeing in technical sales careers?
What makes technical sales careers appealing?
What kind of people do well in this field?
What skills and experience are needed to transition into a technical sales career?
What professional organizations are out there for people to connect with?
What 3 or 4 pieces of advice have helped you build your own career?
How can someone go about making a transition into a technical sales career?
Where are the most opportunities for professionals interested in growing their career?
What advice do you have for anyone just getting started building their career?
