When you want to use "new school", and you encounter "old school", what happens?
We are learning new ways to develop business, improve our lead generation strategy, and increase demand. The problem is that not everyone is ready for our efforts.
As part of the grind today, I was participating in my email marketing strategy. I was sending emails to Vp's of Sales in an effort to conduct a best practices discussion. An opportunity for executives of major sales operations to exchange ideas, ask questions, and if nothing else, extend networks.
Today, I happened upon one fella in particular I would like to share with you. And would love your feedback on...
Picture this:
Mid 50's, 17 year tenure at his place of employment, VP of Sales in the Mid West, 27 contacts in his LinkedIn network.
His response to my email request was:
"I would be delighted to speak and share my industry leading sales best practices for a flat fee of $20m. Fifty-percent due prior to the conversation, fifty-percent after. Otherwise, don't have time."
The same amount of time it took him to write that crafty response was the same amount of time it would have taken him to pick up the phone and speak with another VP of Sales in the United States, running a sales organization that does over $100m in annual revenue. You think that would have been a better use of his time?
My question is two fold:
1. How do we convince "old school" that "new school" is time well spent?
2. What do you do when you encounter opposition like this? Give up, isn't an option...
@aaronmandelbaum
Subscribe To Virtual Coffee
Posts
Comments
About Me
- Aaron Mandelbaum
- The objective of the Virtual Coffee Blog, is to create a discussion platform where we can explore marketing 2.0 and share our experiences
I would say that people fear change, particularly when they have encountered success using a certain methodology. It's not that old school is winning; the "old school" that doesn't want to partner with new school runs the risk of being left in the dust. Technology is advancing so rapidly, new school is in tune with that. Needless to say, there should be no convincing. You don't give up on trying to convert old school, you just move along and work with the heavy hitters who are willing to learn a little something new from you. Your time is just as valuable as theirs.
ReplyDelete