The popularity of Black Sales Journal has increased immensely over the past three years as advice on these topics regarding our noble profession has value to those of all ethnic backgrounds. BSJ readership is a spectrum of all colors, sexes, orientations, and nationalities. BSJ covers a variety of topics that are not discussed in any other forum.

BSJ deals with a multitude of situations,  from performance, to prospecting,  to prejudice (and more). Racial prejudice is real, but not always the culprit.   Racial discrimination is, at times, practically unavoidable; in a society that is so diverse and so unwilling to move out of personal comfort zones.  This allows decisions to be governed by the simple phenomenon I call Racial Preference.

Racial Preference in sales is when a buyer elects to do business with someone because they are more comfortable with that individual primarily because of their race.

Racial Preference is simple, and not always intended to be harmful, but I think you recognize that it can rob a deserving individual of success.  Whether intended or not, racial preference  often results in racial discrimination.  Nonetheless, there are strategies and tactics to deal with this, and we help to do that.

Racial preference happens, among all races, and we all need to avoid the simple urge to choose the person we elect to do business with on the basis of their color, gender, orientation, or nationality.  You see the quality of the individual, the level of their preparation, their responsiveness, and their professionalism make for a powerful case to do business with the best!  Always be the professional and always be the best!  We can take you there!

Black Sales Journal By The Numbers

I started Black Sales Journal in November of 2010 with an inaugural issue describing the purpose and the objective.  Three years later, in an extremely competitive market, I still hope to help Black sales professionals get the information that will give them an edge in getting that professional sales position, generate real prospects, leverage strong vibrant relationships, and … land the ‘all important’ account.

This advice is available for everyone, although I direct it to those that I think sometimes find themselves at a disadvantage for reasons beyond their control.

Here are some brief excerpts of the BSJ monthly report numbers defining readership that I think are so impressive and important:

Black Sales Journal - Statistics 2013

Even more importantly, I attempt to give realistic and logical strategies and tactics to get the edge while in the sales position.  As a result the site attracted and ‘held’ the attention of sales professionals and ‘want-to-be sales’ professionals who garnered information from the site.  Note these 2013 stats:

• 900 – On average, by month, over 900 visits to the site lasted for more than 15 minutes!
• 650 – On average, by month, over 650 visits to the site last for more than 30 minutes!
• 275 – On average, by month, over 275 of those visits to the site last more than 1 hour!

BSJ is viewed on computers, cell phones, tablets, and by RSS.

All told, there were over 71,365 visits to the site.  I would be foolish to think that some visits were not only on the bias of curiosity, but many come back again.

I Need A New Job!

One of the most important activities is to help professionals get the position.  There is no more important difference maker as getting the position, or improving your employment situation.  We don’t stop there, as there is no doubt that many professionals may be skilled sales people, but still have not had a wealth of experience negotiating salary, benefits, and terms and conditions.  There are many posts regarding getting the employment situation right for you.

March and April are two of our heaviest months each year, and I suspect it represents individuals attempting to be their best for the job hunt season.  In preparation for the 2014 job hunts we will spend the second half of January and the first half of February with post designed to get candidates, from newbies to proven professionals ready for a new frontier.

Master the Relationship!

If you have had a chance to read BSJ in the past you know I stress relationship management.  No matter what your color, the mastery of the relationship is the most important task you will have for lasting prosperity.

Minimize these disadvantages by having the most powerful relationship possible, and make some money!  Read Black Sales Journal to learn how.

If you master the relationship, you will learn that issues that were disadvantages, will suddenly be unimportant.  You will see that the advantage of the relationship trumps all else.

Thank You For Reading

Thank you for reading Black Sales Journal, and I welcome your direct comments feel free to email me directly at michaelparker@BlackSalesJournal.com and I will respond as quickly as I am able.  I hear from many readers, and help privately to solve problems.  Feel free to contact me.

We all have situations that demand it, and we all know the perils of not doing it.  Regardless, many sales professionals are still not adept, or consistent with their follow-up.  This is not a long topic, but it is an important one. Many professionals, sales and otherwise, do not do proper follow-up after a sales call.  This is true of a prospecting follow-up, sales call follow-up, presentation follow-up, or any other type. After doing the hard work of prospecting, a sales professional will then risk negating that work by not doing timely and well thought out follow-up. Proper follow-up is the capstone of all of your labors.

Two Examples of Proper Usage

Follow-up, when done properly, can create the necessary evidence of professionalism.  Remember, if you don’t follow-up, the professional that consistently communicates like this will stand out.

Following an initial visit

This one requires a quick, almost instant response to the buyer.  I would say that you should do it within two days or less.  This is your chance to say how much you appreciated the buyer’s time as well as the opportunity to work with him or her.  I would keep it short and sensible. If during the visit you came away with a listing of “to do” items, or some other things to check on, don’t hold the correspondence until you get them done.  They can be fodder for another note.  The key is to let the customer know that you are looking forward to providing solutions.  Here is some simple wording: “Mr. Buyer, I appreciate the time you have taken to show me your operation and explain your (packaging, telecommunications, insurance, transportation, etc) needs to me.  I look forward to our meeting as we agreed on Monday, September 1st to share the proposal with you.  If you have any questions or concerns prior to that, please contact me. Sincerely, Sales Professional” Remember why you are composing this note.  You want to make sure that he recognizes that you appreciate his or her time.  You also want to make sure that you reinforce the proposal date, and that if there are any changes or concerns that he or she touches base with you. You could put together an epic memo, yet the idea is to make sure that you reinforce the meeting and your appreciation.

Following the Proposal

This one is very important.  If a buyer is getting four proposals, then there are four different sales professionals, attempting to make their mark with him.  They may even be getting more than four proposals and then your initial call may be less memorable. Your goal is to have the customer to remember the importance of working with a true sales professional (you), along with some of the most important features and benefits of your product and your company.  Here is your chance to list the most important points succinctly so that they can be remembered. Here is an example: “Mr. Buyer, thanks for the opportunity to show you what ABC Company can do for your organization. We are prepared to begin supplying your 14 Eastern State division with cartons if we are selected, and will begin the process of quoting your Southern division with the information you supplied to us. Please keep these important points in mind:

• We are a nation-wide organization – able to supply all 5 divisions, coast-to-coast.
• Our “Flex” Pricing Program will deliver the lowest costs overall for cartons regardless of the volume in any particular division
• Our just-in-time delivery will save you 6% in inventory costs

I look forward to working with you, and I will use my 18 years of packaging experience to keep your packaging program “state of the art.”  Do not hesitate to call if there are questions regarding our proposal. Sincerely, Sales Professional” Notice here supporting the features with some bullets just to reinforce your sales points and getting a final shot in about yourself.

Degrees of Formality

Effective letter writing is essentially a lost art out there, but there are times when you should consider it.  If you make an election to write someone an email follow-up note, follow the same rules that a letter would follow:

• Keep it short and to the point
• Know and respect your level of familiarity with the customer/buyer
• Always be professional

If you are awarded the business, which is the “grand prize” then I think you proceed to use the fine stationary or card to send a personal note of appreciation.  You might want to take a look at Black Sales Journal 2/3 Make Yourself Memorable to explore this.  It carries a significant amount of power and effectiveness. The follow-up letter is a useful tool to keep close during the sales process.  Don’t let someone forget you, and don’t be overshadowed in the sales process.

Your comments are always welcome.