The Sales Archaeologist

I just finished a weeks vacation that must have been good - I am sunburned, I am relaxed and I had the opportunity to read 4 great books! I will probably bring up something from two of them at some point, they were historical books. But the other two were both written by malcolm Gladwell - Blink and The Tipping Point, these two books are must reads for anyone in business or for any individual that is involved in selling. They are both relevant, useful and a really enjoyable read. So that said let me share just one fascinating point that I was able to apply from the tipping point.(believe me I will share a lot from Blink over the next few weeks)

The tipping point is a critical moment in time where everything comes together at once and pushes things into a much larger scale literally overnight. It is the opposite of gradualism or incremental growth and for the most part has happened accidentally when we look at business - however if we understand it is there a way to maximize it or even help initiate that type of rapid explosion.

This idea is generally opposed in the book by the bean counters and guys in white coats because they like the idea of controlled cause and effect - but in reality that isn't usually possible and if it is controllable then your growth certainly isn't at the tipping point. The goal is to have your product or service spread like an epidemic! Out of control, from one person to another through every contact. We all appreciate the idea of word of mouth but do we really understand it? It is not enough to have people talking about you, you have to have the right people saying the right things to the right audience in the right way. Doing so requires understanding three particular types of people that exist in your marketplace - Connectors, Mavens and Salespeople. You need all three and they are the only ones that matter.

Understanding this will help Sales and Marketing combine their efforts and work together. It will help you focus on what really matters to your clients and prospects. It will clarify your thinking and your approach both internally and externally. So are you aware of the impact of this on your business? I will be blogging more about it - but please read the tipping point, I know you will find it helpful.

I am know starting the third book "outliers" so stay tuned for more updates.