It happened again last week.

A pink slip is not what we want to see these days

Another long-time technical sales person who I had scheduled a call with for networking, was downsized after the company lost a big client.  This person (with 20 years with the company) and her boss were the ones they decided to let go.

Lucky for her that she has been an avid LinkedIn user for business development and has a strong network going for her. If you lost your job today would your online and offline network be ready?  Do you have a robust list of diverse contacts ready to email, mail and contact?

Technical expertise does not ensure anything!

I think we are all just a private meeting away from losing our jobs.  In the past, I have always felt that my engineering degree, sales skills and drive ensured my place at any organization.  Today, I am not sure judging by some of the high quality people I meet with who have been recently downsized.  Although I have my own consulting practice, even I am a few clients away from being “under employed” should project budgets be cut.

10 Reasons to adjust your thinking

Recently I came across a blog post by Babette Burdick talking about engineers and job security. She covered “10 reasons why your technical expertise may not ensure job security.” The research was done using LinkedIn Groups (my favorite).  It definitely hit some key points:

1.  Regardless of positions – we are all responsible for revenue generation.
2.  We must all be prepared to work harder, longer and as a team to engage with customers.
3.  The situation is bigger than all of us – no guarantees anymore about our jobs, the company surviving, or clients staying solvent.
4.  Connectivity and engagement internally and externally with authenticity, transparency and knowledge share is the approach we need to integrate.
5.  Be willing to cross lines of responsibility and roles in an effort to provide value and become an advocate for customers.
6.  Collaborate amongst teams, between departments, with your partners, in all cases include customers. This builds trust across many fronts.
7.  Time to get rid of attitudes. Bottom up and top down
8.  Listen to your clients and their problems and issues.  Listen to engineering to understand the challenges they face.
9. Business Development is a team sport
10.  The future will look different with technical and sales integrated by new ways of communicating with clients, the market, and each other.  If you can make this shift you can be in the lead.

Where do you fit it?

I have experienced the shift in the sales process as customers are educating themselves differently using the Internet to find resources, compare products and suppliers based on what they can find online. We all participate to one extent or another in the recommendation chain, where people are asking their connections – offline and online- the question “Whom do you recommend?”

The most important attribute we can develop is the ability to be an early adopter of technology such as Internet, Web 2.0 and Web 3.0.

Social media plays a role

Understanding social media and recognizing that the customer is in control can help you to shift to a new strategies and a different way of business development.  We have all shut down from the onslaught of TV, Radio, Print, and email messages – over 2000 outbound messages per day or more. We only want companies, who we have given permission, allowed into our inner circle. Inbound marketing is the new battle cry! It is defined by techniques that help you get found by people who search for your product.

Communication on multiple levels is key.

I think social media as a tactical consideration can help address many of the points Burdick made in her post. It must be applied across the organization however. Any social media strategy should include input from customers and all departments. Working with a business focused methodology for assessing the social ecosystem is the right approach. This doesn’t have to be a long drawn out process.

• Incorporate known information
• Listen first before you jump right in
• Take small steps with tools and activities
• Plan to reevaluate in a shorter time frame
• Measure and track the results.

To paraphrase one of my favorite people Seth Godin – If you do nothing, more time will pass, and the technology will move further ahead.  Have the will to start today.

What type of action do you plan to make for your organization? And before the end of the year?

Related articles by Zemanta

• Internal Social Media: Building A Plan (altitudebranding.com)