I circulated a new newsletter article today focused on how small companies can greatly improve their proposals–whether in response to RFPs or simply in their normal sales process–if they invest some time into documenting processes. My all-too-real world example comes from a current RFP that I am working on with a client. $900 million of […]
Here we are at the end of Q2. Those of us in the U.S. are ready for a long Independence Day weekend. Then it’s back to work for the next big sales push. Where do you stand at midyear? Did you meet your revenue targets for last year? Did you meet your revenue targets for […]
The current Whale Hunters Wisdom newsletter features our new article, “How to Audit Your Brand Promise”. We present our method to help your team clearly differentiate your company’s message to market. Most brand promises are not differentiators at all, but rather standard assertions that every competitor makes in its sales and marketing materials and on its website. Here’s […]
Larry and I have recently moved to Scottsdale, AZ, into a leased fully furnished condo. We have great landlords, who are friends of ours, but who live in Indiana. Several weeks ago we had trouble with a stackable washer/dryer. The washer did not shut off at the end of the cycle; rather, it restarted and […]
The Whale Hunters held our monthly Expert Series call this week with featured guest Valerie Bonebrake, SVP of Global Supply Chain Solutions with Tompkins Associates in Raleigh, NC. Valerie has been a senior sales and management executive in global logistics at Ryder, Yellow Corp (now YRC), Meridian IQ (where she opened the China market) and […]
Today’s edition of Whale Hunters Wisdom, our biweekly newsletter, features an article on how to win a new contract when you are the incumbent. There are advantages to incumbency but also particular risks. The sales and business development process to re-bid for a current client needs special attention in your company. Because you are an […]
Andrew Bagley, Director of Emerging Media & Client Strategy at Sitewire Interactive Agency, was a recent guest on our Expert Series teleconference. Andrew talked about why business owners should learn to manage social media, how we should equip our employees to contribute, and what “platforms” or tools we might use to get started. He explained […]
I interviewed Jim McClure, CEO of Arizona Color, a vehicle wrap and graphics firm, about how his company landed their first national brand account, It’s a great story about the ways in which Whale Hunting is transforming Arizona Color and the way they do business. Jim’s high points include: everyone in his company now thinks […]
A blog site called All Collaboration posted an entry about 2/3 of respondents to a survey saying that email was the most effective collaboration tool. I thought that was interesting because I find email to be a horrible way to collaborate. All Collaboration co-founder Lokesh Datta posed the question on LinkedIn: Is email a collaboration […]
You have stars. Customers who have used your services and products to great success. Clients who have had transformational experiences because they did business with you. You also have prospects. Companies that may consider doing business with you under the right circumstances. One of the most important “right circumstances” is the testimonial from a previous […]
In The Whale Hunters Process, the first steps in your “Scouting” stage involve creating a target filter, locating companies that fit the criteria of your filter, and then researching those companies. Okay. You’ve got your list of companies that interest you, and you’ve learned a lot about them. But what you don’t know yet is […]
Tamar Weinberg interviewed “influencers” about “how should someone get your attention?” Thirty-six responses (plus Tamar’s, for thirty-seven total) offer many wise suggestions that are relevant for whale hunters. In the first stage of your sales process (Scouting), you have developed a targeted list of companies that you would like to do business with. You may […]