Thoughts on Great Company Management

the word "sell" is a bad word -- have you ever met a salesman that you trusted

work to become a trusted partner/counselor of your customer’s management, then all good things, including sales, will follow.

target and serve the top 2 to 3 companies in an industry

make your work transformative and high impact

compensate staff based upon performance, not for hours or sales

set a true north around customer impact -- obsess over delivering measurable impact

ask "so what value did we add this month?"

always forward think about what value you can add to a customer's business

with a history of value, you are unlikely to be displaced

cross pollinate team thinking

have something thoughtful to say in every customer meeting -- never go to a meeting without an agenda or unprepared

if you don't make the customer uncomfortable sometimes, you are not pushing the thinking enough

technology is not the vision or the answer, business/technology seamless integration is

make an investment in understanding the challenges your customer is facing and is likely to face in the future

tell your customer something that makes them think differently about her/his business

understand your company's values and share them with the customer

be honest with the customer even to the point of dissent; it’s your duty as a partner

seek out opportunities to help your customers outside of your defined duties -- what about her important upcoming meeting, how can you help her excel