Achieving The Goal

I don't want you to think that is difficult.



This is a carefully-posed picture of my desktop.

Paper and pencil.

I have taken the Ontario Pension Board as my Hot Prospect of the day.

In assembling the dossier I came across lengthy reports with no Indexes .

I also came across a news report that described the re-writing of an employer manual by Lisa Thompson of Information Mapping Canada .

I decide to phone Lisa for a 60-second chat to establish a time for a 15-minute meeting-by-phone (during which I hope to sell her on a meeting & demo). Lisa is a good referral to me, for I have the Carswell Business Publication available to me.

Lisa's voice mail recommends I call Chris MacMillan; I do and he suggest I email Jim Purdy and Chris agrees to be cc'd on the first email.

If at this stage you are thinking I must be fearless, you are right; but I was once fearful, just like you, and a month or so of making the calls has given me the confidence to know that strangers aren't enemies, and that most business people are reasonable, rational, and will tolerate a 6-second telephone enquiry when the purpose (to obtain an email) is stated up front.

The Information Mapping Canada web site provides me with Names and Job Titles . Now I know who I am dealing with.

Back to the sheet of paper and pencil. I have all the data I need to make my move.

Here is the text-version of my hand-scribbled notes:

Goal:

Get to meet & demo with Jim Purdy and Chris MacMillan.

(1) Demo the power of Indxr

(2) List & describe my other documentation tools.

Objectives:

(1) (dossier)

(2) Phone call to sell email

(3) Email to sell a 15-minute conference call

(4) Phone call to set up an on-site meeting

(5) Meet & Demo

Now of course my ultimate goal is take $000's off either OPB or IMC, that is, to do business with them, so the Goal stated above is a subsidiary goal, but it represents a milestone worth celebrating with an ice-cream cone.

I have completed steps 1 and 2.

Now I must compose a brief email based on (a) the facts in my dossier (b) the benefits I have to offer and (c) a statement that I will make a follow-up call to establish a conference call date and time.

That is a short email, and all it need do is prepare them for my follow-up call.

The meeting and demo is easy; I'm good at that.

Set up the laptop, open a document, click once, and smile.