edward craft's blog

First, to the many readers who asked via email, I took the photo in the December 28 entry at the Bronx Zoo. Each holiday season the zoo is ablaze with lights. Most years the weather cooperates to make for a wonderful evening, especially one that begins with good friends and a good meal on Arthur Avenue.

Second, sincere thanks to the many who wrote with congratulations and kind words about Sam. He is a great kid and is doing wonderfully.

Now with three children, plus a large group of surrogate kids (read dogs), Jaclyn and I go beyond proving that it takes a village. We are a village.

my thanks

I won't diminish the grace of the holiday season by wishing you a prosperous 2008. Of course I hope you do well in the New Year. But it goes without saying.

I thank the many people who visited my blog this year and those who took the time to share their thoughts. I thank the many who read my book, The Art of War For Salespeople. Its reception exceeded all my expectations, and I am gratified. I thank the many who attended my talks and seminars this year, and wish to express my sincerest respect and affection.

By way of New Year wishes, I will simply second the motion made by the gentleman from Minnesota, Mr. Bob Dylan:

"May your heart always be joyful
may your song always be sung
and may you stay
forever young."

Peace,
Ted Craft

other stuff that matters

I have been away from the blog for a few weeks now.

My excuse is that I made contact with an alien life form, which I brought back to the mother ship.

Put more plainly, I traveled to China and adopted a child, our third, a little boy named Sam.

In China his name was Ming Xing. That means bright star. It fits.

I am bewitched, bedazzled, completely smitten and ensorcelled by this little fella. But I am back in the Premise saddle, retaking the reins, and ready to resume my blogging duties as well. In another week or so.

words to live by

A lot of popular sales training doctrine has it that the essence of a sales call must be a perpetual questioning process. You must continuously probe for background data, needs, implications and pain. Above all, you must never tell prospects anything. You can't even state the benefits of your solution. Every time you say something, all you do is cause the prospect to think of objections. You have to get prospects to tell you the benefits. This you do by – you guessed it – asking more questions.

What a bunch of hooey.

The worst part is that this is often labeled a consultative approach. In fact, it is about as far opposite of consultative as you can get. Would you hire a consultant to just come in and ask you questions? Of course not. That would be like having a doctor who performs an examination but never diagnoses and never prescribes. You want a consultant to tell you things you don't know. Sure, you want a consultant to work to understand your problems, but only so that he or she can tell you what to do about them.

A premise underlying the question-them-to-death school of selling is that organizations are smart. They're not. The gumballs story is no isolated case. In most organizations, that kind of flagrant foolishness occurs on an everyday basis. Organizations regress to the mean of the intelligence of the people within them. Most people in the typical organization have a greater chance of choking to death on a toothpick than solving complicated problems without some expert help. So, if you truly want to act as a real consultant, be that expert. Take the lead.

In my youth, I met the esteemed Admiral Elmo Zumwalt, who shared with me his simple motto:

"Take charge and get results."

Go out and do likewise, friends. Go out and do likewise.

Speaking of organizational politics, which we weren't, but we should, you could think of the power structure – a term with which you are familiar if you have attended 20/20 Selling – as a minority of people who have banded together, perhaps unwittingly, to get things done. This is essentially an act of defiance, because the sad fact is that any time you put a group of people together, the odds are they won't do anything. And if by chance they do, you can be reasonably confident they will do something stupid. I submit the following as Exhibit A.

This year, in the town of Dover, New Jersey, three aldermen have launched an all-out effort to inspect every gumball machine in town. You read that right. Every gumball machine. An inspection. The good news is that, so far, they have found 96 of the town's gumball machines to be properly licensed. You read that right too. Licenses. For gumball machines.

The bad news is that the aldermen have found 103 unlicensed gumball machines. Why do they care? Because, according to these rocket scientists, an unlicensed gumball machine is the perfect instrument for a terrorist attack. I kid you negative. Terrorist attack. A gumball machine.

To deal with the clear and present danger that terrorists might strike at the heart of America by filling gumball machines with poisoned candy, the aldermen plan to create a registration process that will identify and track the source of the town's candy. Presumably this would go into some kind of national gumball registry. I do not know if they intend to enforce a three-day waiting period before you can take possession of your gumballs.

Here's a kicker. One of these aldermen owns a tavern in town. Inside the tavern is a machine that dispenses free M&M candy. But guess what? Because it's free, this machine does not have to be licensed. So you really have to wonder: with this kind of lax security, will the good people of Dover ever be able to feel truly safe?

One of the key duties of those in the power structure is to give some people – those who lack, shall we say, smarts – an occasional glimpse of the levers of power. But you never, never allow them to get close enough to touch. So, one theory is that this Great Gumball Initiative is a way to keep these particular gentlemen occupied. The only alternative explanation is too frightening to contemplate: that these guys are the power structure of Dover. In which case, flee.

Here is some headline news. In selling, it is important to listen. Regardless of the context, subject or setting, people really, really want to be listened to. It is really, really important to them.

Okay, you already knew that. But what may not have occurred to you is that almost everything you bring to a sales call inhibits your ability to listen. Your plan for making certain points and accomplishing certain objectives virtually forces you into pitch mode. So does the collateral you bring. The biggest culprit is that gorgeous deck of slides the marketing group spent a fortune creating. All of it is designed to help you talk.

There is nothing wrong with talking. (Believe it or not, some people would try to convince you there is. I will be blogging on that soon.) But there is a lot wrong with not listening.

Recently, I caught myself falling into this very trap. To get out of it, I devised a radical solution. I started making sales calls in the business equivalent of the nude. No briefcase. No materials. No computer. Above all, no slides. I carry a small notepad in my pocket and a pen. That's it.

If you feel adventurous, try this sometime, and let me know how it effects your results. Be forewarned: it is stressful as hell. You really do feel naked. But it changes everything, and I'm pretty sure it does so all for the better. I will keep you updated.

The key to developing political strength is to learn how to work quietly, delicately, and diplomatically. Overt and highly visible actions are bound to backfire.

My children were born in China. Earlier this year, China changed its policies about who is eligible to adopt. The new rules exclude a lot of people, who are understandably upset. On their behalf, and out of admirable principle, the heads of several chapters of an organization of families who have adopted from China jointly issued an open letter to Chinese authorities objecting to the new rules. Hence the title of this post.

What do you think the odds are that the Chinese will change their policy as a result of this public protest? And please, for the moment, put aside any preconceptions of the Chinese and their government. The desire to save face is hardly limited to Asian cultures. Neither is a disinclination to publicly cave in to pressure from outsiders.

Think about it. What do labor contract negotiations, international diplomatic initiatives, and lawsuit settlement talks have in common? They are all conducted quietly, far removed from the glare of public attention and scrutiny. If they were held in a fishbowl, nothing would ever get settled. No one would ever move beyond the posturing required to satisfy their masters and constituencies.

In a sales situation, even in an account where you have been a presence for years, where everyone knows your name and regards you as a friend, you are an outsider. You are not supposed to be a participant in the organization's internal politics. If you cannot be discreet, tactful, and humble, you will be ridiculously ineffective. That's the best case. The worst is that you will set back your cause for a considerable period of time.

The following is not exactly on-topic. But if you have ever been to one of my programs or talks, you know something about me. You know that I love dogs. I mean, I love dogs. If you do too, you will appreciate this clip:

In a welcome reply to last week's post, a reader sent one of the few Yogi Berra quotes I had never heard. When asked what a baseball hitter should think about at the plate, Berra replied: "Think? How the hell are you gonna think and hit at the same time?"

I love it. And, oddly enough, it is almost exactly the point.

When a sales cycle is peaking, things are moving rapidly. You have to make a lot of decisions, and you must make them quickly. You don't have time to ponder them. The only way to make good decisions quickly – without relying on your experience, which can easily lead you astray – is if you have already thought them through. So, take the time. Make it happen.

Right: the great number 8, Yogi Berra.
Right: the great Yogi Bear (my Newfoundland).

An important part of planning a sales campaign involves drilling down for detailed information. Most sales planning systems guide you through the process of gathering and organizing critical data. But 20/20 Selling also makes sure that you step back from time to time and gain perspective. If you don't do that, you may become so consumed by the intricacies of a sales situation that you miss something big.

Everyday life makes it far too easy to get lost in details and drown in minutia. We can work anywhere. We can be in constant communication. We can gain access to information anytime we want. We can do almost anything but have a quiet moment to reflect.

There is a grace to thinking strategically, an elegance of thought. It comes from a harmony of factors that, like yin and yang, appear opposite but are really complementary. It balances thinking in depth with thinking in breadth. You need the details, but you must consider them in the context of a larger perspective. You must capture the telescopic big picture as well as the microscopic particular one.

You cannot achieve that balance if you never have a chance to ponder. You cannot think strategically if you never take the time to think. You cannot operate strategically when you move with such speed that you move without purpose.

Develop the habit of capitalizing on opportunities to reflect. When you are on an airplane, take advantage of the fact that you cannot use the telephone. (Shame on the FCC if that ever changes.) Put away your newspaper or magazine. Leave your computer in the overhead compartment or under the seat in front of you. Make sure your tray table is stowed and in the locked position. In the unlikely event of an inspired idea, keep a notepad and pen handy.

And think.

Don't think about anything in particular. Just think. Let your mind wander. Give your imagination a chance to breathe. Imagination is more important than knowledge. (Einstein.) You may be amazed at what it comes up with. Sometimes the solutions to knotty problems simply reveal themselves, just because you leave the door open. Let it happen.

Many comments in the past week fall into two categories. So, I thought it would be useful to summarize my replies here.

A number of people wrote asking about international versions of The Art of War For Salespeople. And, by the way, thank you for that. I couldn't be happier about how the book has been received.

Plans are not yet complete for translations of the book. However, this autumn there will be a European edition, which will be printed in the UK and available from Amazon and other sellers. This will make the book and shipping more reasonable than obtaining it from a source in the States. I'll keep you posted here.

Many others wrote asking me to expand upon an earlier post about strategic thinking. I am happy to do that, as it is one of my favorite subjects of study and thought. Give me about a week, and I will have something more for you here.

In the meantime, for many of us this is the end of the second quarter. For some, it is the end of the fiscal year. Go sell something.

My mid-year resolution is to increase the frequency of my blog postings.

You can help. Tell me what you would like me to write about. Seriously. There are times when I try to think of something to post and simply come up empty. And I don't want to drone on and on about things that interest me but would probably bore you to tears. (Trust me, I could do it.)

So, your ideas are welcome. Just drop a line.

By the way, a couple of people have asked why this blog no longer has features like permalink, trackback, or comments. They will probably be back, but I need to figure out how they can be used without draining a huge amount of time.

Comment-capable blogs are spam magnets. A blogger can lose a good part of the day to weeding out comments that are adverts and Nigerian bank scams. Also, I found that people were more willing to comment by e-mail anyway, considering that confidentiality is an important factor. Either way, we will make it work in a way that has most value for you.

Lately, I get asked a lot about how strategists think. It's a fascinating topic, one that I will explore in depth in my next book. In a short forum like this, it's best to take it one piece at a time. Let me know how much more fully you would like me to discuss it in future entries.

The first key ingredient is the ability to think three-dimensionally. This involves a talent for viewing a situation from a number of perspectives, including, in a sales environment, those of the customer and the competition.

That may sound trite, and it may sound easy, but it is neither. Looking at a situation from someone else's point of view, honestly taking into account their interests, and giving those interests equal weight with your own, takes some courage, some compassion, and a good measure of maturity. Some people simply cannot do it. Some won't even try.

Now that my book, The Art of War for Salespeople is out, many people have asked me why Sun Tzu's classic remains so relevant despite having been written some 2,500 years ago.

The short answer is that Sun Tzu had it right. That isn't nearly so much the case with other famous books on strategy.

The only other work that ranks with The Art of War in historic prominence is On War, which was written by a Prussian general named Karl von Clausewitz in Napoleonic times. While still studied by military historians, Clausewitz's work hasn't held up all that well. The reasons are many, but the primary one is that he wrote based on a form of warfare that is now obsolete.

Sun Tzu's writings are more philosophical. They have less to do with means and more to do with mind. They are timeless because they are true. It's as simple as that.

That doesn't answer why Sun Tzu's book applies to selling. Perhaps that can be the subject of another blog. Let me know if you think it should be.