They share a common trait of not being pro-active b2b sales prospectors. It’s as though their DNA has been altered to avoid any effort to find either in-person or on-line – sales prospects: people with a qualified need plus the ability to pay for what they sell.

Where do they congregate? At ‘free networking’ luncheons, seminars or social networking mixers where they rub elbows with others, who also share their bone-shaking fear or inability to begin some form of systematic or organized sales prospecting. 

Great talkers! Big fans of indiscriminately handing out business cards or leaving them on tables strategically placed in high traffic zones with the distant hope a serious prospect will conveniently pick up their card and call them to place an order. Voila, rejectionless sales!

In these hard times of high foreclosure rates, failing businesses, Obama’s stimulus programs and tight money, this group is growing very rapidly. Because they refuse to go out and look for new business, they have an abundance of free time in their 8-5 days so they continually rehearse the process of ‘getting ready to sell’, but never really do it.

I liken this delusional group to ‘lifeboat occupants’ who because there are so many of them in such a confined space, their lifeboat has sprung a leak and it is gradually sinking into a Sea of Despair and Quiet Desperation.

Is there any hope for them? Only, if they are forced to confront reality. Not a willing choice, since it may be forced upon them by employees, loved ones or the power company who just turned off their electricity on a 30 degree night. This new reality leads to 3 choices:

1.     Another career because getting new prospects is a fact of life in sales.

2.     Discovery of a less threatening new process of getting new prospects.

3.     Repeated application and fine-tuning this new process until it works.

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?