Craig Klein wants you to know that the emails you send to your customers, and the emails you’re not sending, could be shooting your sales performance in the foot. Believe it or not, changing the way you email your customers can do more for your bottom line than just about any new sales technique you learn this year.   

Read more here.

This month’s Featured Company Q&A is with Steve Frey, President of Oasis Corporate Housing, who shares with us the value of the relationship between businesses, their employees, and the option of corporate housing.
Why did you start Oasis Corporate Housing?

To become the largest corporate housing provider in the country. We provide extended stay traveling employees, displaced families during a home fire or flood, and relocating families with a “home away from home”. We provide an alternative to a hotel room by providing fully furnished and all-inclusive short-term rentals throughout the US and overseas.

What do you enjoy most about what you do?

 What I enjoy most is when someone tries corporate housing for the first time and then hearing the amazement in their voice when they first experience the comforts & service level that corporate housing can provide them. I love when I hear, “I’ve never stayed in corporate housing before but this so much better than living in a hotel. I will never do anything else.” That is a win in my book.

What unique quality separates Oasis from your competitors?

Oasis is different in multiple ways. First, we service the world and do it with one headquarter office and a few key employees that work from home offices.  Our organizational structure gives us a tremendous leg up on the competition because we don’t have to set our price high to cover non-essential “bricks and mortar” locations.  In addition, we set an internal tone that each guest and accommodation must be perfect and we do this through the use of a 100-point quality control checklist that is completed with every move-in.

How do you think businesses can benefit from using Oasis?

We benefit businesses AND their employees in different ways. For businesses, we offer a streamlined method for obtaining temporary housing with one-point of contact for all requests (we make life easy for our clients).  Also, our temporary housing accommodations are typically 25-35% less than the cost a business would incur by housing their employee in a hotel.  For employees, a few of the benefits include having a full kitchen to be able to cook meals in, having a washer & dryer to be able to clean your clothes, being able to leave your belongings behind if you travel home on weekends.  And let’s not forget that the condos, apartments, townhomes, and single family homes are all significantly bigger than a small hotel room.

We are all coming off of a challenging year due to the economy, how has Oasis handled it? 

We have been lucky. Our corporate housing saves clients significant amounts of money.  The 3rd largest overhead expense for the average Fortune 500 Company is travel. In a survey we conducted, we found that 70% of those polled did not know what “corporate housing” was. As a result, this means that there is tremendous opportunity to inform people about an easy method for reducing one of their biggest costs. Therefore, it is our job to inform potential users about our industry. Once we explain the comfort that our guests enjoy and the cost savings to the business, we have a fairly high percentage of clients that begin emailing and calling us with their temporary housing needs.

What do you have planned for 4th Q 2010 and 1st Q 2011?

In the 4th Q of 2010 we expect to have a new Director of Sales (thanks to our friends at Naviga) and to finish out the year with winning at least one government contract.  During Q1 of 2011, we look forward to finalizing our new proprietary web-based property management software, that will provide a centralized location for all sales and operations information while staying directly linked to our website.  It will also allow us to provide a client log-in portal where our clients can access all important information about their accounts with us.

What would you like SalesJournal.com readers to know about Oasis?

Oasis Corporate Housing is here to serve as a perfect housing solution for 30+ day stays. If you are working on the road for a 30+ day project, if you lost your home in a flood or fire, or if you are relocating and need a temporary place to hang your hat, we would welcome the opportunity to present you or your company with our options and services. We service companies and individuals. So, don’t let the term “corporate housing” make you think we don’t work with plenty of individuals – we do. If you are able to direct us in contact with your travel department or HR  department, we may be able to get your company signed on to receive special discounts or packages that include special upgrades.

As CEO, what specific goals within the company have you established for 2010?

 During 2010, our primary goal was to develop systems and processes that create the ‘perfect move-in’. Through our focus on quality and the development of our sales team, we are looking to end 2010 with revenues in excess of 3 times that of 2009.

What current strategies are you using to encourage/influence the growth of your sales team?

Our current strategy involves a two-pronged approach. We have inside sales professionals that a wide reach and are assisting individual clients (ie, non-corporate clients that come in via the internet) with needs as well as some of our smaller corporate clients.  They are responsible for presenting these clients with amazing temporary housing options while keeping a keen eye out for potential larger opportunities that may exist with these prospects. Concurrently, we have our outside national sales executives that focus on specific industry verticals and prominent companies within those verticals. By combining the inside sales function and our outside national sales executives, we are able to maintain a focus on all potential opportunities and prioritize our efforts and focus. We are excited to be working with Naviga to reach the next level in sales production with the addition of a seasoned industry veteran to serve as our Director of Sales within the next couple of months.

What is your favorite methodology in business enhancement?

I believe that if you combine having a product that provides a client with value (value being defined as a good product and service and the best possible price) & an insatiable appetite for success, the sales will come. However, each sale has the potential to be short lived without placing the proper focus on quality and efficient business processes. I feel this is best achieved through the use of technology.

Are there any leadership related books that you use as a guide and/or would recommend?

Of course! I am a big fan of Walt Disney and Robert Mondavi. After reading about each of these men, the link between the relentless pursuit of perfection and their business successes is undeniable.  I also like to read Bob Parsons blog at www.bobparsons.me (the founder of GoDaddy). He has some great words of wisdom.

Do you have a mentor that you contribute your leadership success to? Do you feel it is important to have a mentor?

I have numerous mentors. I am part of an organization called “Bay Area Advisors”. As part of this organization, we have quarterly guest speakers that are all very successful local business leaders. These leaders come to speak with us about their own personal story and thoughts on leadership and success. Of all the local business leaders that I’ve met with, I connect most with one; Ron Laker, the former CEO of Trademark Metals Recycling, is unlike most business leaders. His priorities all revolve around leading a balanced life.  The premise of his “balanced life” is that when four areas of life are balanced, all prove to progress more successfully. The four areas are business, family, community, and personal health. It is so easy to get all consumed with work and business but it is important to take time to put the rest of life’s pillars in balance. When we do, they all seem to do better too. I’m pretty sure I am a novice at implementing this theory but its good reminder from time to time to try and pull life back into balance.  However, for now….back to work!
�

Original Post: Phil Rosenberg, reCareered.com
Yes to each and every one of those possibilities of where cool jobs are. Sure, some jobs are hidden, but most are out there. Cool jobs are everywhere but take different strategies to find them, depending on where they are found.

The first question to consider is what’s a cool job? Is it cutting edge, flexible, telecommuting, career enhancing, educational opportunities, feel good, close to home, great benefits, great pay, great boss, socially conscious, environmentally conscious, stable, executive?

Everyone has a different definition on what a cool job is, because different employees have different needs. So before you can find a cool job, you have to define what your personal cool job looks like.

After you define it, recognize that your cool job could be found most anywhere. A balanced approach to find your cool job works best.

1. Job Boards: Consider using up to 5 job boards. SimplyHired is a terrific aggregator of job boards, scraping information from 7K boards, company websites, and submissions. SimplyHired will include jobs found on CareerBuilder, Monster, Dice, and Craig’s list among many others. Regional job boards are a good place to focus in on only local jobs. Job boards from your industry association are more likely to have needs that your specific subject matter expertise can solve. Job boards covering your job function are other places that seek your expertise, and a good way to change industries. See ‘The Top 30 Job Boards For 2010‘ at http://recareered.blogspot.com/2010/02/top-30-job-boards-for-2010.html for more details.
2. Social Networks: Network, Network, Network. Update your network that you’re in active networking mode and offer to help connect others. Don’t blast spam just to ask everyone for a job. Instead, pay it forward and offer to help. You’ll be amazed how many offer to help in return when you make your network ‘Strong like bull’ http://recareered.blogspot.com/2010/07/make-your-network-links-strong-like.html.
3. In person networking: Work these, and not just the industry events. Most large cities have general networking events. Again, use a pay it forward approach to find ways to help others and build Emotional Equity. Read more about how to get many times the results over the way most people selfishly just ask ‘You know anyone who’s hiring?’ at http://recareered.blogspot.com/2010/07/achieve-enlightenment-through.html.
4. Alumni networks: Call or email your alumni office. Get lists, get listed on job boards. Call and invite everyone for coffee. You’ll have a caffeine buzz for weeks. Don’t ask for a job, ask to learn more about what made someone a success at their company – people love to brag about themselves. Dig deeper to learn about goals, issues, roadblocks and problems at their company - problems that you can solve. Talk about how you are in networking mode, and ask how you can help…paying it forward works with alumni also. Read more about successful informational interview strategies at http://recareered.blogspot.com/2010/08/bringing-your-resume-to-informational.html.
5. Recruiters: Work with the right recruiters. Work with a recruiter that is honest, who’s company has lots of listings in your field. Work with senior recruiters who know their stuff. Offer help to the recruiter, with the best recruiter currency you have. Knowledge, leads, jobs, networking, other candidates….these are all recruiter currency. To learn more about how to maximize a recruiters effectiveness for you, see http://recareered.blogspot.com/2010/03/inside-track-on-recruiters-top-10-tips.html.
Cool jobs lie everywhere….

Readers, please share - Where are you looking for yours?

According to sales blogger, S. Anthony Iannarino, You have goals. Your company has goals. Whatever your sales goals are, they are these two enabling metrics can help you understand what you need to do to reach your goals. Moreover, the ability to control these metrics has a tremendous impact on your overall sales results and your ability to reach your goals.

This week’s post is from Matthew Schwartz, editor of Follow the Lead and a contributing writer at Crain’s BtoB and BtoB’s Media Business magazines. He can be reached at matthew.schwartz38@yahoo.com.

Amid the growing chorus for sales and marketing alignment I’m reminded of George Roy Hill’s classic film “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.” In one scene, after the two bandits evade U.S. law enforcement officials, Butch (Paul Newman) regales Sundance (Robert Redford) with his plan for the duo to scamper down to South America, where the prospects, according to Butch, are plentiful. “You just keep thinking, Butch,” says Sundance, with a chuckle, as if he’s heard Butch’s brilliant schemes a thousand times before (with little to no success).

Sundance’s response to Butch’s proposal is similar to what many b-to-b sales reps must think when their marketing counterparts hand them another batch of leads, with assurances that, with the right blend of content, distributed through the right channels, the leads are ripe for conversion. Sales execs take the latest lists, along with smile and a nod, and subsequently toss (or delete) most of them. At the same time, marketing executives can be forgiven for being constantly frustrated by the lack of feedback from sales execs about the nuances of a particular customer/close that marketers simply can’t glean from an algorithm.
Akin to Butch and Sundance, sales and marketing execs work toward the same goals, yet often disagree on how to achieve them. With increasingly sophisticated ways to segment customers, less may, in fact, be more for today’s sales execs. But that doesn’t necessarily pay the rent on the marketing side, where the idea is to generate as many leads as possible (even though, on closer inspection, a good percentage of the leads may turn out to be thin gruel). Indeed, a major part of the problem remains that management judges sales and marketing execs by different metrics, which, let’s face it, lends itself to a low-key hostility that is suffered by both sides.

Like the constant struggle for ROI, sales and marketing alignment has been bandied about for decades. But as the rate of change in b-to-b sales and marketing accelerates at breakneck speed, keeping sales and marketing execs in separate silos may be starting to become prohibitively expensive, if not passé.
“The single biggest reason companies fail is that they overinvest in what is, as opposed to what might be,” said strategy consultant Gary Hamel, in a recent article in The Wall Street Journal titled, “The End of Management.” Hamel added: “The thing that limits us is that we are extraordinarily familiar with the old model, but the new model, we haven’t even seen yet.”

Bridging the schisms between sales and marketing has to be a key element in the new model, however that formulates. With the Web wreaking both opportunity and havoc on the sales process, b-to-b companies now have a legitimate excuse to make the structural changes – in terms of budget and resource allocation, content creation, compensation and clearer delineations between sales and marketing execs on objectives, goals and ROI – that will start to make sales and marketing alignment a reality rather than just pleasant conversation.

To be sure, there are many sales and marketing executives who think alignment is folly, and that the two disciplines are too inherently different to be truly aligned. And while you won’t get 100% (or even 90%) of anything, stressing that sales and marketing alignment is doomed from the start is a defense of the status quo, which recent history has not been kind to.

B-to-b sales and marketing execs are increasingly focusing on areas such as Sales Enablement, Process Efficiencies and Lead Funnel Management. But software should be subordinate to the human component, which is often missing when b-to-b reps talk about sales and marketing alignment.

Real-time communication – and not laborious meetings bogged down by charts, graphs and cheerleading – has to be the linchpin to effective sales and marketing alignment. Sales and marketing execs should huddle regularly to provide the give-and-take that is needed to (perpetually) refine the sales process, from the top of the funnel down to the bottom. Studies continually show a direct correlation between lead generation ROI and the frequency that sales and marketing meet to collaborate.

While having closer ties within the office is crucial to aligning sales and marketing teams, sales and marketing execs also need to find the time to blend the professional and the personal. How about the VPs of sales and marketing meet up for a few rounds at a local golf course or grab a beer together before the long weekend kicks in? Socializing in an unhurried, mutually enjoyable (and physical) environment allows sales and marketing execs to create trust and build the sort of camaraderie that is often elusive in the office.

What do you think? Is b-to-b sales and marketing alignment attainable?

Author: Paul Mosenson, NuSpark Marketing

The utmost importance of optimizing the entire “visitor-to-lead-to-sale” cycle as an eMarketing strategy cannot be questioned.

If you don’t pay attention to a specific micro element of an eMarketing plan, the entire strategy won’t work as well; you’ll lose leads and sales.  We speak to a number of companies who have fancy-designed websites; but they can’t be found on search engines; they don’t convert visitors into leads, and once those leads are generated, they aren’t properly nurtured into sales.

To demonstrate the point, here’s an imaginary interview with John Doe, a COO of a large IT company.

Tibor Shanto, Renbor Sales Solutions was working with a group of sales people earlier this week.  The big complaint was the number of prospects who were on vacation.  Everyone is entitled to a vacation.  In fact they should be required to take one.  A break might have your prospect come back with a fresh outlook that could open the door for you! 

That does not mean you can sit back and take time off.  It means you need to focus on something productive… something that can long term results.  Here, Tibor shares two ideas to assist you with August sales frustrations.

With so many sales articles, sales books, and sales coaching philosophies, it sometimes can be overwhelming and hard to know where to start in terms of how to run your sales meeting effectively.

Many aspects of sales are over complicated. Keep it simple for you and for the prospective client to start seeing better results.

Jeremy J. Ulmer shares some ways to keep your next sales meeting simple.

Being such a fan of twitter (http://twitter.com/bridgegroupinc)Trish Bertuzzi thought it would be interesting to ask some fellow “twiteratti” to contribute sales productivity tips.  But, of course they had to do so in 140 characters - or just about 10 seconds - or less!  It was a fun and interesting exercise.
Here is what she received.

This week’s post is from Naviga’s partner Astron Solutions, courtesy of, Michael Maciekowich, National Director. Astron Solutions is a New York-based consulting firm dedicated to the delivery of human resource consulting services and supportive technology. They work nationwide to develop and implement human resource programs that support the strategic direction of organizations through the creation of a positive employee relations environment.

An age-old battle exists between organization needs and the desire of salespeople to enhance their earnings. Many salespeople, understandably, will take the road of least resistance in an effort to enhance their personal wealth. Unless there is a close Return on Investment (ROI) to the organization between sales goals and individual compensation, however, the process becomes a one-sided event. Case in point? When an organization is interested in margin and profitability, and the salesperson is focused on commissions based purely on sales volume.