In keeping with that theme, this is a friendly holiday reminder from Selling to Zebras to adopt Santa’s strategy for your sales business in the new year…  Go through your list of prospects for pursuit in 2010 with a fine-tooth, zebra-striped comb, and make sure it’s only populated with  Zebras.

Don’t have a Zebra yet you say?! Well, in my opinion creating one and putting it to good use in your sales business would make the perfect  New Year’s Resolution!

On behalf of all of us at Selling to Zebras, Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and Happy New Year!

-Zebra Chad

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Option #2: Selling using the Zebra methodolgy enables a refreshingly “bare-naked” level of honesty between sales person and prospect.

Option #3: Don’t let these mohawk-clad horses fool you… Real Zebras always have stripes, so don’t waste your time or theirs by trying to convince yourself otherwise.

No matter which option you chose, they’re all equally relevant. Feel free to comment with any clever captions you may come up with!

Finally, I want to mention that this week Zebra Jeff and I had the privilige of once again being guests on Jim Blasingame’s Small Business Advocate Radio program. This was our third appearance on Jim’s show, and we had a fantastic time talking sales shop within him once again. Check out the audio from that interview here: The impact of social media on selling in the future? You can also check out our past appearances on Jim’s show by clicking here: Selling to Zebras on The Small Business Advocate.

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Yesterday the business world was once again rocked by dramatic news from the automotive industry that Chrysler will be closing 789 dealerships (click to learn more about this story).  As you will read, GM is the next to make such a move, with as many as 2,000 dealerships in jeopardy.

Listening to talk radio on this issue yesterday, I was not terribly surprised to hear a resoundingly negative response from callers.  One caller, however, took the opposite side of the discussion, and I have long agreed with what that caller said. That particular caller’s message can be summed up in basic terms: 1) The right product, 2) at the right price, 3) at the right time.

A fairly simple message of sales and business management 101, this is a path I believe Chrysler and GM have been long overdue in taking. Zebra Jeff and I have dicussed this very topic on dozens of radio interviews across the nation at the time when the big news regarding the automotive bailout first hit the wire.

My view on the situation:
1) Chrysler and GM have long been operating with too high a cost structure as a result of having too many dealerships. Compare to foreign rival Toyota for example,  whom is covering the same nationwide area with less than 30% as many dealerships, making it difficult, if not impossible for the American auto manufacturers to compete.
2) These dealerships have long been cannibalizing each others profit margins and market share as a result of being located too close to each other in geographic proximity.
3) Bailout dollars aren’t going to last forever, and without a focused strategic plan to cut costs while increasing revenue and profit margins, critical failure would be eminent.

In conclusion, the recent closure of dealerships is not yet another indicator of trouble ahead, but rather a justified, numbers-driven, mission-critical step towards heading in a positive direction…  Sometimes we need to look at things differently to find the zebra colored stripes amidst the clouds.  For the sake of one of the biggest industries driving the health of our economy, I suggest we make a concious choice to see it.

-ZC

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Well, the only cure is to inject a healthy dose of Zebra Vaccine! This weeks entry was inspired by a recent post at a great new blog I’ve been following called Salesopedia…   “Recession Proof Your Sales — 10 Timely Tips for Unlocking a Great Sales Year,” written by Nancy Bleeke, offers some great advice and strategy for selling in a tough economy.  Much of Nancy’s advice in her article is well-aligned with much of what we’ve discussed here in the past about Zebra strategy. Combine the aspects of it all that make sense for you into your current sales methodology, and you’ve got a powerful serum for success, aka Zebra Vaccine, to inject into your sales pipeline to immunize it against the current recession. Be well, sell well!

-ZC

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Our little friend in the foreground named “Zonkey,” is the result of what happens when sales people make the decision to pursue prospects that are not Zebras…  You may by chance win the deal, but the outcome of that deal will more than likely prove undesirable for both you and your customer.  Your solution was not matched to your customer’s need(s),  making it impossible for you to Force Success, and therefore:

1. You will not be able to provide the customer with what is needed to fulfill the promised project goals.  In the end, the only thing that matters is real results achieved by your customers.

2. Lack of ability to achieve effective and timely results will waste both yours and the customers valuable, limited resources (time, money, people)

3. Your reputation for consistently meeting customer expectations will be negatively impacted.  Remember: satisfied customers may tell one or two others or may volunteer to serve as reference accounts for you, but dissatisfied customers tend to be far more vocal on a very voluntary basis.

The moral of this light-hearted blog is that in the end, the only thing that matters is real results achieved by your customers, and the only guarantee of real results is the pursuit of Zebras.  Don’t be a Zonkey…  Get the picture?

-ZC

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1. What defines the types of companies that are my best customers?

2. What do these companies look like operationally?

3. Who is the person in a position of power that makes the promises when my deals/projects get approved?

4. What funding was required to get those projects approved?

5. What level and type of return-on-investment did I prove when I won a deal?

6. What role did technology play?

7. What were the service requirements where I won in the past?

Your best prospects will match the attributes defined by analyzing your best customers to answer the previous seven questions!

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The Zebra concept itself is simple. Create the profile of your perfect prospect and measure all other prospects against perfection. Zebra score every prospect, decide your tipping point and don’t go over it. This is the hard part. Saying no for sales people is very hard. Yes is in their vernacular. No isn’t even in their DNA. So when we tell you that part of the success of this process is to say ‘no,’ you’ll understand this process will take some inspection to ensure it succeeds. Someone once said you can’t expect what you don’t inspect. Inspection is necessary for the Zebra way to succeed. You can drag a Zebra to water… you get the idea.

Follow this link to download the entire manifesto:  http://www.changethis.com/56.05.CatchingZebras

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Are you a busy executive? Do you have 15 minutes? Listen to an interview with Lisa Ferrari, SellingPower Live and Jeff Koser.  Everything you need to know about us is captured in this interview.

Jeff describes the Zebra methodology by addressing the key components that will help companies close up to 90% of the business they pursue by determining and predicting the value they drive for their customers.  Creating and executing your Zebra will put you in a position to achieve long term growth—even in these tough economic times.

Click here to listen:  Lisa Ferrari of SellingPower Live interviews Zebra Jeff

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