I think that is a great idea Ken. On Fri, Oct 28, 2016 at 8:50 AM Ken Hohhof <[email protected]> wrote:
> Mike, you could try attending the Chamber of Commerce meetings, but > that’s a long term approach, won’t reach a lot of the potential customers, > and assumes the owner is a born salesperson which you say you aren’t. > > > > I’d take the approach of paying commissions to someone who is already in > your target customers on a regular basis, plus probably advises them on > communications purchase decisions. Go visit 10 businesses you would like > as customers and ask who they pay to work on their computers and network. > Watch for the nerdmobiles parked outside businesses you want to target. > One company will probably stand out. Go make a deal with them to pay them > commissions, plus explain the advantages to them of working with a local > business where they have the cell number of the owner and they can work > directly with someone with technical knowledge rather than wait on hold > with some script reader at the big phone company. > > > > For example, if I were trying to sell to small businesses in my hometown > of Glen Ellyn (not where my WISP has service), there is a local company > TMC2 that has done the legwork to get a local customer base. You say that > you are targeting DeKalb and Naperville, I’m sure there are similar > companies there. Unfortunately someone may already have deals with them. > But it can’t hurt to ask. > > > > As far as finding someone with the right skills, my opinion has always > been look at realtors, but right now the real estate market has picked up. > 5 years ago you could probably have found tons of them willing to give it > a try. > > > > > > *From:* Af [mailto:[email protected]] *On Behalf Of *Lewis Bergman > *Sent:* Friday, October 28, 2016 8:22 AM > *To:* [email protected] > > > *Subject:* Re: [AFMUG] Finding Sales People > > > > Having actually paid the guy $10k a month for doing nothing and watching > for a year as he answered phone calls we would have gotten the customer > from anyway I would think when it actually happens you might feel > differently. You can pay someone $13 to $15 per hour to do inside sales. > IMHO you pay an outside sales rep to go get business you can't get by > answering the phone. You can take a good salesperson and turn them to crap > by paying them not to sell, which is what you will end up doing. Been > there, done that. But, if you want to learn that mistake yourself go ahead. > Maybe I am to "half glass empty" but of course, it is yours and you should > definitely do what you want. > > In the end, we are all rats working the maze. If you put the cheese at the > start of the maze, the maze never gets worked. That is what you do to a > sales person with non expiring commissions. You move the cheese closer to > the front of the maze after a while and every month it gets closer and > closer until they just have to lay there and open their mouth. Limiting the > time they receive it keeps the cheese nearer the end of the maze. And of > course, they can get paid for a contract renewal so they can go back to > that expiring commission and renew it and start the clock again. To each > his own. > > On Fri, Oct 28, 2016 at 8:06 AM CBB - Jay Fuller < > [email protected]> wrote: > > > > I'd love to wire up whole strip malls to and have had this conversation > with a potential sales guy - but how do you get access? is there one > management company or one land owner you have to get through? Once you > wire the place do you own your own infrastructure? ( no ) , can you get a > term-deal? I'm not sure, can you? > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > *From:* Mike Hammett <[email protected]> > > *To:* [email protected] > > *Sent:* Friday, October 28, 2016 7:58 AM > > *Subject:* Re: [AFMUG] Finding Sales People > > > > I'm not in a position to offer a base pay that would do anything other > than offend. If they want to hook up everyone in a strip mall, paying $100 > each, I'm fine with that. Each deal is $100, but there's seven separate > deals, that's real money whereas if I discourage them from lower deals, > they wouldn't have chased that. If they want to work all day for a > $30/month account, that $3/month residual is all theirs. I'm not out much. > Tying the compensation to the value of the sale should incentivize most > toward the higher dollar accounts. > > I figured the long term residual would be self-fulfilling. If I'm getting > paid forever from the customer, paying the sales guy forever really isn't > an issue. Once the ROI is done, I'm in an even better position. If the > customer stops paying me because the sales guys wasn't taking care of them > properly, I'm no longer paying the sales guy for that account. If he stops > working because he's collecting $10k/month for doing nothing, fine. I get a > new sales guy. If someone truly wants to do nothing, they'll do everything > in their power to do it. > > > Then again, I'm not getting any bites, so maybe I have the wrong approach. > > > > I have done regular LinkedIn posts and even shared those posts to the > greater Chicago area B2B and sales groups, but not a job position ad. I > have a hard time swallowing paying $400 without the guarantee of getting > someone good (or at all). > > > ----- > Mike Hammett > Intelligent Computing Solutions <http://www.ics-il.com/> > <https://www.facebook.com/ICSIL> > <https://plus.google.com/+IntelligentComputingSolutionsDeKalb> > <https://www.linkedin.com/company/intelligent-computing-solutions> > <https://twitter.com/ICSIL> > Midwest Internet Exchange <http://www.midwest-ix.com/> > <https://www.facebook.com/mdwestix> > <https://www.linkedin.com/company/midwest-internet-exchange> > <https://twitter.com/mdwestix> > The Brothers WISP <http://www.thebrotherswisp.com/> > <https://www.facebook.com/thebrotherswisp> > > > <https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXSdfxQv7SpoRQYNyLwntZg> > > *From: *"Lewis Bergman" <[email protected]> > *To: *[email protected] > *Sent: *Friday, October 28, 2016 7:45:13 AM > *Subject: *Re: [AFMUG] Finding Sales People > > First, I would focus on just business sales and raise the minimum package > value sold by this person to a few hundred dollars. You don't want them > wasting time with the consumer level stuff you already handle well. Small > businesses wanting to pay $100 or less are making their own phone calls and > expect to be treated more like regular consumers since that is what they > really are. Next, make sure you put a limit on the revenue share. Tying it > to a contract length or 18 months are good. If you give them rev share > forever eventually they don't need to work to earn a substantial paycheck > and become unmotivated. At least that is how it ended up for us when we > made the mistake. > > Most of these people want some kind of estimate of what they can earn so I > would try to come up with that and put it in the ad. In addition, if you > can pay a lower commission and add base pay some people are just not in a > position to live commission only. I prefer it and I think the absolute best > sales people do but you just might not get those people. Maybe consider > doing without the first month and replace with a base as an option. I give > my candidates the choice and the option to switch at 12 months. > > You might try LinkedIn. I have had some success recruiting there. > Otherwise, if you like a salesperson that tries to sell you on a B2B > service ask them if they know anyone interested in a sales position. They > may be or they may know someone who is. That is how I hired my last one. I > like copier sales people for their technical side. I like the phone book > salespeople as they are 100% cold call with no support for leads. It also > easy to make a case on the fact that they work for a dying company. Most of > them are actually selling web pages so they are close to your business > anyway. > > > > On Fri, Oct 28, 2016 at 6:46 AM Mike Hammett <[email protected]> wrote: > > What's the best way to get a B2B sales guy? That's the overall point, but > digging in deeper, what should I be asking for? I'm very tech oriented, > very little sales. I'm needing someone that can do it on their own without > guidance from me on what I want them to do. To me, sales sounds more like > B2C or lower end services while business development sounds more B2B or > higher end, but does the sales world reflect that? > > Where do I look? The #1 source people say is referrals, but apparently I > don't know anyone that knows anyone worth a darn as I've posted it on > various social media... a dozen times over the last couple years. > > > Here's the copy from a posting I did this past summer: > > > *Job Description* > > Local ISP seeking independent sales leader. ICS has been operated in the > DeKalb - Naperville area for 12 years by tech guys. > > Compensation will be a one time commission after the sale and a 10% > residual to ensure the customer is attended for on an ongoing basis. Our > services range from $30/month into the thousands of dollars a month. The > path you take is yours. > > *Job Requirements* > > We need someone with B2B experience to lead our sales force. You will be > responsible for the entire sales and marketing process. The tech guys will > say what they can do where and your job will be to develop the strategy and > then pursue those clients. We can teach a good B2B salesperson the tech > they need to know far easier than you'll teach us how to sell. > > We believe that boots on the ground would be necessary, so willingness to > travel to the DeKalb, Kane, Kendall, southwest DuPage and northwest Will > County areas as needed would be required. > > > > > > ----- > Mike Hammett > Intelligent Computing Solutions <http://www.ics-il.com/> > <https://www.facebook.com/ICSIL> > <https://plus.google.com/+IntelligentComputingSolutionsDeKalb> > <https://www.linkedin.com/company/intelligent-computing-solutions> > <https://twitter.com/ICSIL> > Midwest Internet Exchange <http://www.midwest-ix.com/> > <https://www.facebook.com/mdwestix> > <https://www.linkedin.com/company/midwest-internet-exchange> > <https://twitter.com/mdwestix> > The Brothers WISP <http://www.thebrotherswisp.com/> > <https://www.facebook.com/thebrotherswisp> > > > <https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXSdfxQv7SpoRQYNyLwntZg> > >
