Making Contributions That Improve Lives

As a technical instructor, I taught PBX technical installation and maintenance courses for 12 years. What I enjoyed the most about that activity was the satisfaction of transfrerring my troubleshooting skills to others. But why was that satisfying? Because I enjoy giving something of value (this is a skill that technicians can make a living from)...and I enjoyed making a contribution to the betterment of the world (the faster a downed PBX can be brought back to life...the more prosperous it will make the company using it). Now that I think about it...all of my activities are designed toward those two goals. And sales engineering is no exception. I view what I do as making the world a better place...because if I do my job right...more people will be able to communicate better...imagine the possibilities for global improvement! Another way to think about it is...if the job is not done right...then warehouse's full of telecom equipment...designed with good intention...do not find good homes...they just sit there and waste away...and prospects continue to struggle without enjoying the benefits that these telecom products offer...for example; improvements in revenue, image, productivity, efficiency, safety, security and stability. Good Selling!

Holiday Season is a time for reflection...

I am honored and proud to have achieved the position of telecom "trusted advisor" to thousands of individuals and companies. I am thankful for the opportunities to use my knowledge, skill and expertise to help so many people apply technology-based telecom solutions to solve real business problems. I could not have done this alone. It takes a team. I was given the opportunity to interact with prospects and customers by my past managers. I partnered with many excellent sales people who accepted me as a member of the sales team. I had help and support of many other individuals...from engineers and technical documentation professionals to marketing and sales support people. I had the privilege of presenting the company's products and solutions that made a difference in people's lives. I look forward to my next position and to gaining the respect of many more people and companies as their trusted advisor. Thank you all and I hope that you and everyone around you has a Very Happy Holiday Season!!
Bob

Looking forward to the next challenge!

I have had two of the best years of my life working at Polycom. I was able to meet amazing customers, co-workers and partners. I was able to get training on the latest VoIP/UC products. I was able to obtain demonstration equipment and resources necessary to do what I do best...help people engage with new telecom technology to better there lives and businesses. I am living my passion!! And I wish everyone was as lucky. Since my position was eliminated I have been searching for the next challenge...I plan to work for many more years...because sales engineering is what I love to do...what I feel I was born to do.

Where did the Parking Orbit feature come from?

I was "baby sitting" a newly designed phone system at a bank in Connecticut. I came in on a Monday and the bank vice president told me that he was alone in the bank on Saturday morning when a lady called in and asked for her bank balance. He had used the Night Answer feature to answer the incoming call on the analog phone at his desk. He put the receiver down and walked to the back of the bank to the filing cabinet where the statement details were (on index cards). Then he walked back to his desk at the front of the bank and gave the number to the lady. Then she said..."thank you...what is my husband's balance"? The VP had to put his receiver down and again walk to the back of the bank. The VP said to me..."it would be great if there was a way to move the call from the phone in my office to the phone by the filing cabinet. Perhaps by dialing a code of some kind". I immediately saw the benefit that a feature like this would have for this and many future users. I brought the idea back to the owner of the PBX manufacturing company and he agreed with the need. He said..."so it is like the call is parked somewhere...where there is no phone associated with it...like it is orbiting within the system". immediately suggested the name for the feature and instructed the designer to write the necessary software code. And that is where the Parking Orbit came from.

"Oh what fun...it is to ride...in a Unified Communications - Open Architecture"

Years ago all you had was an an office telephone...but productivity was relatively low. In recent years, many new communication devices based on VoIP, video and wireless technologies have become part of everyday business...resulting in huge productivity improvements. As beneficial as these new devices have been...their existence has created yet another opportunity for great productivity improvement. The opportunity is to help people figure out the best device and method to use to communicate with others at any moment in time. This area of telecommunications is called Unified Communications (UC). If you are involved in business telecommunications as a user or supplier...fasten your seat belts...because UC is going to be a fun ride. Happy Holidays!

Humility is Important

Because I have a passion for helping people understand how telecom technology can help them...so I spend a lot of time learning technology, products and applications. After a point, I felt that there isn't anything that the products I represented could not do. This leads to a tendency to become over confident. And that is a turnoff. I needed to develop humble approach when working with new prospects. For example: "I am not sure if I can help you but if you have the time to discuss your needs I may be able to help". How did I gain this change in attitude? I took up golf...this sport teaches humility. Give it a try. Excellent Selling!

Focus on your PROSPECT'S CUSTOMERS

The telecommunications business has been very good to me. It is very rewarding to know that I have helped thousands of businesses run better. How do I know that they are running better? Because I focus on improving how people communicate. And while improving how one employee communicates with another may be important...or improving how an employee calls customers may be important...there is something even more important. And that is...the communication experience of THEIR CUSTOMERS. My suggestion, when helping a prospect to assess their needs...is to understand the communication flows that currently exists...and focus on finding features in your product that improve the the calling experience of THEIR CUSTOMERS. Undoubtedly they care about their customers...and because your solutions are focused on their customers...you have something in common...you share the same goals. Excellent Selling!!

Real Enthusiasm is the Key

I am fortunate to have a passion for the telecommunications business. I just love to show people the benefits that new technology can deliver. Prospects sense this enthusiasm and they get excited too. This enthusiasm can show through only if all your worries are put aside. How can you let your enthusiasm come through? By minimizing the worries that might get in the way. Are you worried that this might not be the best solution for a prospect? Spend more time learning what the product can do so that it has more value to you. Spend more time learning about the prospect's business needs so that you have a better understanding of the value the product has to the prospect. Are you worried about operating the demo? Spend more time learning and practicing how to demonstrate the product effectively. If you are not worried about knowing what the product can do...and you are not worried about what the prospect's needs are...and you are not worried about demonstrating how the product fits the needs...then guess what...your enthusiasm will shine through! Excellent Selling!

What is a demo worth?

A picture is worth 1000 words...a demo is worth 1,000,000. A prospect is likely to buy from the person that does the best job of showing them what the future will "look like" after the product is installed. A good salesman/team has excellent knowledge of the product and excellent knowledge of the prospect's business...and can see how the two would look when they are brought together. The salesperson who does the best job of sharing that "vision" with the prospect is in the driver's seat and has a huge lead on all the competitors.

Find out what they need before you try to sell it to them

Never try to sell something to somebody that they have not already told you they want to buy. So ask qualifying questions prior to doing sales demonstrations. Don't show them everything a product can do. Find out what kind of product they are going to buy and show (sell) it to them.