ATCP, LLC

I just fired off a little stress relief to my primary 401k company, Fidelity:

“[At Fidelity] I currently own/invest in:

Fidelity Dividend Growth FDGFX
Fidelity Magellan FMAGX
Fidelity Select Software & Comp FSCSX

I owned 10 funds at one time, but when I saw them all falling through the roof I converted most to cash, so I could ride this out.

The problem is, YOU DIDN’T!
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Over the years I’ve heard a lot of sales professionals use these three terms incorrectly, so lets fix that now.

Demo
This is our software, with our data, and our use case(s).

Demos are used only after the opportunity is properly qualified. Showing a demo before the prospect is qualified leads to confusion. No demo will sell software. Seriously.
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I’ve written so many emails about this that I think I should put the info down in a blog article and simply refer models to it! The following is first person:

Clothing
I will tell you not to plan on anything ‘busy’ to wear. You need solids, and preferably nothing the same color as any desired background. Black and white are winners, as is a variety of jewelry. This holds true for both kinds of shoots.
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Qualification is simply the transition from [unqualified] prospect to [qualified] opportunity. In the pipeline/funnel, this means that all the things that are needed for this prospect to want/need/desire our product and services are there.

More specifically, qualification involves an opportunity possessing all of the following:

1. Access to the buyer
2. The prospect knows, and agrees to, what they are buying from us
3. The prospect knows, and agrees to, the approximate cost of the solution or DSO (Discreet Sales Opportunity)
4. There is DRM (Date Related Motivation), or what some people call a “pending event”
5. [optionally] An identified project or budget line item set aside for the proposed solution

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I answered a query for article content regarding how to get through your day when you don’t feel like it. Below was my submission.

This content applies to Sales Engineering as well as all my other interests in this blog.

It is harder and harder to impress people-especially those concerned with, or responsible for, your advancement and promotion. A fantastic way to do this is to like, or even love, the unlovable. You can do this in two stages:

1. You don’t believe it, but you’re selling it, and
2. You believe it, and live it.
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