Sept/Oct 19 - ChannelVision Magazine

The Significance of SmallWins By Robert Stubbs If you followed Mad Men , you recall the story of the snake that went too long without eating until, finally, along comes a meal. The snake eats it too quickly, suffocates and dies. Make no mistake, we want the white whale. It is the embodiment of our quest. It is not, however, the goal. Our goal is to fill the boat with fish, gasp with exhilaration as it threatens to be pulled under by the weight of our bounty, and then real- ize that we have what it takes to land even bigger fish, and so we will need a bigger boat. During a recent lunch and learn with a master agent, the presenter brought up the slide displaying their product suite. There were roughly 45 items on the menu. This slide was met with an audible gasp that carried around the room – a gasp that indicated a sense of bewilderment at how on earth anyone would possibly convince any of their customers or prospects to ditch their current providers, convert all of their services and update all of their billing to absorb this smorgasbord of products and solutions. In other words, the entire audience, in a single instant, felt as if they were being asked to force their customers to choke on a meal that they might not even want to eat. Sensing dangerous territory had been breached, the presenter acted swiftly. “Bear with me,” she said, “we are able to provide all of these services. In fact, we do it better than anyone we know, and your customers will ultimately thank you for sending us their way. Furthermore, we want to provide all these services and solutions for every customer represented in this room. But we know that, in order to do so, we may have to provide just one.” The 1,000-mile journey begins with a single step. Don’t be afraid to take that first step, even if it means you don’t get rich from it. An entire crew of highly trained, world- renowned assassins were defeated by a single woman who, paralyzed by month’s long, coma-induced atro- phy, knew she could accomplish an otherwise insurmountable goal, but it would first require the strength, focus and discipline to wiggle her big toe. So, whatever analogy works for you, be you starving serpent, wary fish- erman, intrepid traveler, ninja assassin or, more likely, ambitious sales rep, be willing to take that first, significant step. Sell that lowest-priced item on your menu, because that’s when your au- thentic value with the partner begins. Sell it at cost, or barely at a profit, but then treat it with the respect and appreciation it truly deserves. Make sure the user knows how important it is to their business, not by touting your product, but by celebrating their wins resulting from using your product. Invest in the customer, and they will invest in you. o Robert Stubbs is the marketing director at NetFortris. O f course, we want all your business, but we don’t have to have it all at once. There’s a great line in Mad Men , when the protagonist Don Draper meets future-client Connie Hilton. Hilton asks, “What do you want,” and Draper’s reply is a modest, natural: “I want a shot at your business.” He is rebuked by the prospect and told, “Next time someone asks you that question, you might want to think a little bigger.” channel management 22 Channel Vision | September - October, 2019