Dogs, Pipelines, Birds, and Smizing – Sales Lead Digest
This week feels like it’s going to the dogs. 53 dogs to be exact. We talk about leading with the big objection in an engagement story and we investigate the idea of a new role designed specifically for getting sales and marketing to talk. But that’s not all. We also take a look at wind power bird deaths and testing hypotheses. To end, we get to work on our “smize” behind our masks, because first impressions still count. All in all, a good bunch of sales and marketing stories. Enjoy!
You, Me and 53 Dogs
“But when Mr. Failor asked Ms. Raines for coffee in late March, he wanted to be up front about his devotion. ‘I thought, if she’s really going to understand who I am, I better bring some of my teammates with me,’ he said. He loaded three dogs into the cab of his truck and drove to Anchorage from his home in Willow, about 90 minutes away.”
Our sales people sometimes live in mortal fear of the “big objection.” You know, that thing the prospect will ask that we hate to answer. Like price. Or why they need to get package C for a key feature. Sometimes it’s just best to lead with the main objection and see where things go. Some would say it’s a risky strategy, but I think it’s best to get deal breakers out early. And I’m happy it worked out for this guy.
VP Of Pipeline: A Key Role For Aligning Sales And Marketing
“The VP of pipeline reports to both the chief marketing officer and the chief revenue officer (or the CEO) and is responsible for building the pipeline and guiding the pipeline development strategy. They oversee the sales development representatives and demand gen, field marketing and sales enablement teams, as well as account-based programs. They essentially find the unifying thread in all departments.”
Has it come to this? The sales team and the marketing team are so close but so far apart that we need to put someone in charge of refereeing? Doesn’t everyone hate the referee? It’s probably best if this new role has a dotted line to the CEO. If your sales and marketing teams are having trouble communicating, there are probably easier ways to bridge the gap but hey, if the VP of Pipeline does it for you, who am I to argue with success?
Bird deaths down 70 percent after painting wind turbine blades
“Estimates from the US Fish and Wildlife Service calculated that approximately 300,000 birds were killed by wind turbines in 2015 (which is probably two orders of magnitude fewer than die as a result of colliding with electrical power lines each year), and bird deaths from turbines are trending down as the industry moves to larger turbine blades that move more slowly.
Bird deaths caused by wind power may be overstated then, but they do still occur. Previous laboratory studies have suggested that birds may not be very good at seeing obstructions while they’re flying, and adding visual cues like different colored fan blades can increase birds’ chances of spotting a rapidly rotating fan.”
This is here because we’re always testing in marketing. We have a hunch, make a hypothesis, put the test together, and measure the results. Often, we’ll get good information, like “bird deaths go down.” Just remember it’s the start, not the end of the process. Replicating success is hard to do. As that one Barbie doll might say, “science is hard!”
How to Smize (Smile With Your Eyes) When You’re Wearing a Mask (paywalled)
“As a model, Ms. Kang was taught to keep her mouth in a neutral expression while relaying an inner sense of joy through her eyes. She spends five minutes before each shift practicing smizing with the staff, who of course can move their mouths as much as they need to achieve the desired effect above the mask.’The positive impact is felt by guests daily,’ said Mr. Back. He said he was so impressed by the power of the smize that he traveled to the U.S. the week before the June 23 opening of Lumi by Akira Back, his new Japanese-Peruvian restaurant in San Diego, to lead a smize training.”
We can all learn something from models. In this case, it’s how to smize behind our masks. We get to use our mouths, like Ms. Kang says, and that helps our eyes come alive. Try it in the mirror. It works! And if you’ve had too much Botox to move the eyes, I find a hearty wave works in a pinch too.
