Should one post to their blog, weekly; or, only when one has something relevant and important to say? This is the dilemma posed by Blogging Heroes, a recently published book which features bloggers who have achieved significant readership and results. Since I’m a stickler for making the most of my waking hours, I’m inclined to post when I have a specific, timely message which is relevant to the focus of this blog. Thus, I hope you will appreciate my intelligent choice!
My focus for this and succeeding nearterm blog postings will be building and maximizing referral relationships. Continuing where I left off in my November 26th posting, my focus will be leveraging and maximizing networking peer groups.
One of my foremost, developing networking peer groups is the TEC Group. I have chosen to have Ray Watson, a guest blogger and a TEC Chair in Central Florida, explain the advantages of TEC Membership. In Ray’s own words:
Peer group organizations for Presidents and CEO’s have proven to be a tremendous vehicle to develop better leaders making better decisions that create effective results. Studies have shown that companies involved in peer groups outperform their competition by a factor of 2 or 3 times. The reasons are simple. CEO’s that join peer groups realize they do not have all the answers and involving 10-15 other CEO’s from non-competing companies in the decision making process results in better decisions. I’m sure you will agree: 15 people are smarter than 1.
In good times, participation in a peer group is a positive thing. However, in the challenging times we are facing, peer groups are even more beneficial, if not critical. When times are good, bad decisions can be overcome. In challenging times, bad decisions or the failure to take advantage of an opportunity may result in the demise of the company. Many companies are operating on a thin edge and the difference between successes or failures may be just be the difference between making one right or wrong decision.
How can a peer group help?
1. Improved decision making: Many CEO’s wrestle with issues which cannot be discussed with staff, friends, or other business people and may be operating in a vacuum. A peer group provides a talented experienced and supportive team where any and all issues may be discussed in a totally confidential environment.
2. Increased accountability: As a CEO, you ensure those who work with you are held accountable. But who holds you accountable in a supportive and helpful way? Each peer group and group chairman maintains a strong emphasis on follow-through and implementation of actions committed to by the members.
3. Personal and Professional Growth: Peer groups participate in workshops and seminars by bringing talented people to the group to work on major business and personal development topics.
4. Isolation: Most CEO’s experience a sense of isolation. In these challenging times, that feeling may be amplified due to the exerted financial pressures. A peer group provides a support team where members can discuss the undiscussable, helping reduce the stress associated with that level of responsibility.
5. Change: Change, in our information age, is coming at us at light speed. Recent events have accelerated the speed of change. Most CEO’s are caught up in the tactical battles of day to day management. They hardly have the time to step away from the business and work “on the business” and think strategically. Change may overtake the business rather than the business adapting to and taking advantage of change. A peer group provides a forum for the CEO to recognize how change is affecting his or her business and stay current with the effect of change.
One of the premier and oldest peer group organizations is TEC (The Executive Committee). There are over 14,000 members internationally and TEC has been helping CEO’s outperform their competition for over 50 years.
I’m not a TEC Member. As a sales prospecting consultant, I offer my services to TEC Member Companies in Central Florida. Recently, I gained access to one TEC Member Group by conducting a free 90 minute presentation about b2b sales prospecting; or in my lingo, POWER Prospecting®, a formula which empowers b2b sales professionals to consistently and painlessly gain ethical access to decision-makers.
While TEC policy strictly prohibits presenters from pitching their services, it does encourage presenters to share their cutting edge business practices with examples of how TEC Members can implement these processes and formulas into their business environment.
TEC Chairs, like Ray Watson, are strict gatekeepers. Ray and I have known each other since the 1980s, when he was President of Inacomp Computer Centers, an $80 million/year computer dealership which was one of my major clients. We have built a trusting relationship which now enables me to share my formula and 26 years of tactical sales prospecting experience with members of his TEC Group.
Already, several TEC Members who attended my November 2007 presentation have hired me to make my magic work inside their organizations; plus, I have also received several well-qualified referrals from those attendees into non-TEC organizations.
To qualify for TEC Membership, companies must have revenues of $1-5 million/year or $6-100 million/year. Those with the former annual revenues may qualify for The President’s Forum and larger organization CEOs may qualify for TEC (The Executive Committee). I say, may qualify, because TEC Membership Chairs follow strict guidelines during individual interviews to ensure membership candidates fit well with others in their small 8-15 member peer groups.
To learn more about TEC and to locate TEC Groups near you, go to www.vistage.com. I can’t say enough good things about this wonderful organization and the services it provides its 14,000 members worldwide. Plus, it is becoming a robust source of new business and networking referrals for my company. Talk about a Win-Win Networking Opportunity!
While the 30 BNI Chapters in my Central Florida Region provide me exposure to 700+ companies who typically generate less than $5 million/year, TEC Group companies cover the higher end of the spectrum. Nurturing these two peer networking groups in this challenging 2009 economy is my “Bail Out Plan”! Whats yours?
I’m talking about that big old dog-earred book. That’s right, your old fashioned Yellow Pages Directory, not the new streamlined online version. You know, the one some of us use as a door-stop or to anchor piles of paper on windy days. Your FREE printed Yellow Pages is still a prolific source of prospects provided you read between the lines. Pick any category.
Lets say for the sake of this post, ‘Air Conditioning’. In Florida, in any metropolitan phone directory, I’d be surprised if you found fewer than 20 pages of half and full page advertisements for local, regional HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning) vendors. Since our mission as power prospectors is to quickly identify potential prospects who not only need what we sell but can also afford to pay for our products and services, it’s a safe bet that any company listing which displays multiple manufacturers’ brand logos, is representating the services and sales of AC units for that branded logo. This translates into factory-authorized stocking distributors with new units, parts and consumables for older models and new installs; a robust service department with trained service technicians and usually huge inventory bays with every conceivable part for new and older models to service residential and commercial customers. This also adds up to lots of square footage for warehousing, administrative offices; plus, multiple service vehicles.
So, vendors such as these have substantial cashflow to support their operation. Look closer and you will probably see a website listing which can provide lots more detailed info about a company as well as contact names, e-mail addresses and other relevant prospecting info. Look for local trade listings such as Chambers of Commerce, Better Business Bureau which are always included to enhance community credibility and fair trade practices. Multiple phone numbers for communities and counties serviced reveals their trading areas, too.
I usually electronically copy contact info from the websites since I’m a poor typist and the websites most often contain what I need to make a first contact either via snail mailings or e-mailings followed by an initial qualifying phone contact.
Two other points worth mentioning are: #1] At www.salesgenie.com, a paid subscription database, you will find all of this same information with the sizes of their Yellow Pages Display Advertising for the phone directories vendors such as these have purchased advertising; # 2] A terrific labor and time saving tool I can’t do without is eGrabber. This inexpensive desktop tool is compatible with ACT; most major contact software programs and MSN’s Excel spreadsheet software. It enables me to Control+Copy to quickly capture individual company contact data and entire lists with only a few keystrokes. Check out eGrabber and List Grabber at www.egrabber.com.
So, your FREE copy of your printed Yellow Pages Directory, when you have a limited prospecting budget is an excellent source of prospect contacts, provided you read between the lines.
In my next post, I’ll discuss another FREE printed list source available at the Reference Desk of most public libraries: The NTPA Directory, and how to get more FREE prospect contacts to build your database. Go for it and let’s see some of your Comments.