Source: Learn How to Succeed: Trade Shows & Events - Sandler Systems, Inc / Sandler Training
Tuesday, February 21, 2017
Monday, February 20, 2017
Quote of the Week
Thank goodness all our mistakes were burned up. Now we can start fresh again.- Thomas Edison
Found via LinkedIn: 11 Habits of Mentally Strong People
Saturday, February 18, 2017
Amazon's Leadership Principles
No wonder Amazon is one of the world's largest companies. Check out their Leadership Principles:
Customer Obsession
Leaders start with the customer and work backwards. They work vigorously to earn and keep customer trust. Although leaders pay attention to competitors, they obsess over customers.
Ownership
Leaders are owners. They think long term and don’t sacrifice long-term value for short-term results. They act on behalf of the entire company, beyond just their own team. They never say “that’s not my job".
Invent and Simplify
Leaders expect and require innovation and invention from their teams and always find ways to simplify. They are externally aware, look for new ideas from everywhere, and are not limited by “not invented here". As we do new things, we accept that we may be misunderstood for long periods of time.
Are Right, A Lot
Leaders are right a lot. They have strong judgment and good instincts. They seek diverse perspectives and work to disconfirm their beliefs.
Learn and Be Curious
Leaders are never done learning and always seek to improve themselves. They are curious about new possibilities and act to explore them.
Hire and Develop The Best
Leaders raise the performance bar with every hire and promotion. They recognize exceptional talent, and willingly move them throughout the organization. Leaders develop leaders and take seriously their role in coaching others. We work on behalf of our people to invent mechanisms for development like Career Choice.
Insist on the Highest Standards
Leaders have relentlessly high standards - many people may think these standards are unreasonably high. Leaders are continually raising the bar and driving their teams to deliver high quality products, services and processes. Leaders ensure that defects do not get sent down the line and that problems are fixed so they stay fixed.
Think Big
Thinking small is a self-fulfilling prophecy. Leaders create and communicate a bold direction that inspires results. They think differently and look around corners for ways to serve customers.
Bias for Action
Speed matters in business. Many decisions and actions are reversible and do not need extensive study. We value calculated risk taking.
Frugality
Accomplish more with less. Constraints breed resourcefulness, self-sufficiency and invention. There are no extra points for growing headcount, budget size or fixed expense.
Earn Trust
Leaders listen attentively, speak candidly, and treat others respectfully. They are vocally self-critical, even when doing so is awkward or embarrassing. Leaders do not believe their or their team’s body odor smells of perfume. They benchmark themselves and their teams against the best.
Dive Deep
Leaders operate at all levels, stay connected to the details, audit frequently, and are skeptical when metrics and anecdote differ. No task is beneath them.
Have Backbone; Disagree and Commit
Leaders are obligated to respectfully challenge decisions when they disagree, even when doing so is uncomfortable or exhausting. Leaders have conviction and are tenacious. They do not compromise for the sake of social cohesion. Once a decision is determined, they commit wholly.
Deliver Results
Leaders focus on the key inputs for their business and deliver them with the right quality and in a timely fashion. Despite setbacks, they rise to the occasion and never settle.
Tuesday, February 14, 2017
7 of the Best Email Subject Lines We've Seen (HubSpot Article)
When was the last time you walked down the breakfast aisle? The children’s cereal is always brightly packaged, with fun imagery and fonts. Brands know how to attract young consumers with their designs.
If you think about it, email subject lines work the same way. You won’t entice your prospect to open your email if your subject line is boring, irrelevant, or overly promotional. To convince them to click, you need to speak their language -- both in terms of phrasing and content.
Easier said than done. Luckily, I’ve rounded up some of the most creative and effective subject lines I’ve seen lately to give you some inspiration.
1) “[Prospect’s favorite drink or food]?”
HubSpot growth marketer David Ly Khim says he immediately opened an email titled “Bourbon?” Khim says he occasionally drinks bourbon on the About page of his personal site:
“This subject line told me this salesperson had done their homework and found something I like,” Khim explains.
The first line read, “Let me know if you’re up for a chat (with bourbon?) sometime.”
You can use any dish or drink your prospect publicly mentions they like -- but make sure they’ve done so on a professional platform, such as LinkedIn, an online portfolio, their company bio, etc. It’s easy to take this approach too far. For example, if the buyer posted an Instagram picture of their lunch four months ago, asking, “Are you up for a quick meeting (over grilled salmon?) this week?” will definitely seem creepy.
2) “Competitive data about [prospect’s competitor] and your strategy for [related topic]”
Want to pique the buyer’s interest? Offer exclusive, relevant information that’ll help them stay ahead or even pull past the other companies in their space.
Not only does this subject line give them a clear incentive to click, it also indicates you’ve personalized your outreach. Your prospect will see you as a trusted advisor before they’ve even read your message.
3) “Hey, quick heads up”
It’s hard to ignore this subject line. You’ll immediately provoke curiosity -- the buyer will think, “Wait, what do I need to know?”
The email itself should live up to the subject line, otherwise you’ll lose your prospect’s trust. Share an update related to their industry, market, or product, pass along a tip, let them know you’re offering a major promotion, or help in some other way.
4) “[Prospect name], when X gets tough, we’ve got your back”
Reference a challenge the buyer is facing (or likely facing) to catch their attention and foreshadow the value you can provide.
To give you an idea, you might use this subject line for an HR manager at a 100-person company:
“Tom, when compliance becomes a challenge, we’ve got your back”
You’ll demonstrate that you understand your prospect’s priorities and pain points from the start. In the body of the email, link to a blog post, ebook, webinar, or other piece of relevant content so you deliver on the support you promised.
Wondering how to know which challenge to reference? If you’re reaching out to an inbound lead, look at their previous interaction(s) with your company. Maybe Tom downloaded an ebook on understanding the new compliance laws or visited three different articles on that topic.
If the buyer hasn’t engaged with you before, use an issue similar buyers struggle with based on their buyer persona.
5) “[Name], not many people know this, but … ”
As a salesperson, you should consistently deliver unexpected insights to your prospects. This subject line hints at the surprising information you’ll reveal, creating intrigue and suspense.
Like always, you won’t get a response unless you follow through. Share an insight with the buyer, then ask a related question or offer to set up a call so they can learn more.
6) “Love how [prospect’s company] does X”
A little flattery goes a long way. If you’ve noticed the buyer’s organization excels at something specific -- whether that’s great customer service, creative marketing, superior product quality, strong internal culture, etc. -- call it out.
Make sure your compliment is genuine. You don’t want your prospect to think, “What are they talking about? Our [customer service, marketing, product, culture] isn’t that special.”
But if you’ve honed in on a specific aspect they’re truly proud of, they’ll feel gratified and impressed by your research.
Tie your observation to the focus of your email. Let’s say you wanted to highlight how quickly their support reps respond.
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