7 step sales cycle also applies to networking

I wrote this piece to my networking group.

It helped me clarify my thoughts to write it. I share it in the spirit
of helpfulness for whatever networking, job searching, or business
development effort you have or that we may share.

Enjoy,
Michael Wolf

================================================================

At the WSA [1] Technical Sales Leadership Forum event [2] this
morning, Gary Beach, Publisher of "CIO Magazine"[3], shared some of
his insights on the technology market, comments on recovery, and what
corporate America is looking for from technology solutions.

During the discussion, he diverged briefly to share (rapidly from
memory) a 7 step sales process that McGraw-Hill developed in the 50's.
Although he discussed this process in the frame of selling technology
to C-level executives, I found it so appropriate to honing my
networking (and business development) skills that I wanted to share it
with our networking group.

    1. contact
    2. awareness
    3. interest
    4. preference
    5. proposal
    6. close
    7. follow-up

Gary observed that too many sales folks are focused on step 6.

I will observe that many *networkers* are focused on step 6.

I've taped the short list up on my wall as a remembrance. As I was
contemplating on just how deeply it applied to networking, I fleshed
it out by adding more of Gary's insights, contemplations of my own
experience, and some master coaching by a shared contact, Sherri.

[Form follows function. I had fun wordsmithing this description into
one "sentence" so that its form mirrors the seamless nature of the
cycle. The original "paragraph" format is followed by word-art,
suitable for framing.]

Enjoy,
Michael Wolf

================
[1] http://www.wsa.org
[2] http://www.wsa.org/events/event.asp?EventID=296
[3] http://www.cio.com
================


   ================================================================

Performing due  diligence and perseverance (kissing lots  of toads), I
make an initial  _contact_ with a prospective employer  or client, and
as they start to gain an _awareness_ of how my skills provide business
value, their _interest_ is piqued and we build the acquaintance into a
relationship through an ongoing dialog that reveals how their business
needs, filtered through  my unique interest of and  insight into those
problems, amplifies  their _preference_ for  how how my mix  of skills
serves their business needs, defined in a _proposal_ that stimulates a
deeper discourse, which  we _close_ as a contract, to  begin a plan of
work,  then completion  of the  work,  which lays  the groundwork  for
_follow-up_  that  naturally circles  back  to  the  initial phase  of
another  sales  (i.e. problem  solving)  cycle,  where performing  due
diligence ...

   ================================================================


Performing due  diligence and perseverance (kissing lots  of toads), I
make an initial

                              _contact_

with a prospective employer or client, and as they start to gain an

                             _awareness_

of how my skills provide business value, their

                              _interest_

is piqued and we build the acquaintance into a relationship through an
ongoing dialog that reveals how their business needs, filtered through
my unique interest of and insight into those problems, amplifies their

                             _preference_

for how how my mix of skills serves their business needs, defined in a

                             _proposal_

that stimulates a deeper discourse, which we

                               _close_

as a contract,  to begin a plan of work, then  completion of the work,
which lays the groundwork for

                             _follow-up_

that  naturally circles  back to  the initial  phase of  another sales
(i.e. problem solving) cycle, where performing due diligence ...

   ================================================================

-- 
Michael R. Wolf
    All mammals learn by playing!
        [email protected]