Priceless. The myth of fair value (and how to take advantage of it). William Poundstone. 2010 ISBN 9780809094691.  A fascinating, useful and well written book.  This author is an expert in this area.   If you have ever bought a car, negotiated with your child or been to an auction, the author is talking directly to you.  The field is called psycophysics and Poundstone brings it to life.  After you read this you will understand how anchoring your sell with a very high price is better for getting the highest price, why he who sets his price first has the advantage, how web pages are using background images to prime readers to make decisions and where union negotiators have a winning plan regardless of the outcome.  Ever wonder how the Sierra Club negotiates and will always come out ahead of the resource companies?   He tells you why you ignore what clients say they want and watch what they do.  This is a must read for the CEO, CFO, CMO  and every consumer.

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Rocket Builders Names Top 25 Technology Companies to
the 2010 ‘Ready to Rocket 25’ List
Annual list highlights technology trends and those private BC companies
positioned for high growth potential in 2010
VANCOUVER, BC – January 26, 2010 –
Rocket Builders today released its eighth annual ‘Ready to Rocket 25’ list
naming 25 privately held BC companies that are best positioned
to capitalize on the 2010 technology sector trends that will lead them to
faster growth than their peers.
The annual ‘Ready to Rocket 25’ list provides accurate predictions of
companies that will likely experience significant revenue growth, venture
capital investment or acquisition by a major player in the coming year. The
‘Ready to Rocket 25’ list is the only predictive list of its kind in North
America.
The Ready to Rocket list is viewed by investors from around the world.
According to Kevin Cable, an Executive Vice President with Seattle-based
Cascadia Capital, “When a BC company hits my radar I check to see if they
are on the Ready to Rocket list. It helps me understand if they are a
company I should get to know.”
There are 19 companies on the 2010 list that repeat as “Ready to Rocket”
recipients. The 6 new companies to appear on the “Ready to Rocket” list
are:
• MetroLeap Media
• Axia Software Corporation
• Clevest Solutions Inc
• Advanced Ecommerce Research Systems (AERS)
• Conasys Consumer Assurance Systems Inc
• Pulse Energy, Inc
Each year, Rocket Builders does many man months of investigation into
market trends and companies to refine its selection criteria. For 2010, much
attention was spent on identifying industry sectors where the economy will
recover more quickly while also identifying solutions where customer
demand is more urgent.
“In the past we have observed how trends like Software-as-a-Service or
new wireless technologies like the BlackBerry had driven growth of B.C.
companies.” said Geoffrey Hansen, Managing Partner at Rocket Builders.
“For the coming year, we are predicting a big impact for Smart Grid
technology. We’ve already observed increased Venture Capital interest,
including a recent large financing of B.C.’s Tantalus Systems.”
MetroLeap, Axia, Clevest and AERS are past recipients of “Emerging
Rocket” recognition, a list that identifies pre-growth companies with high
likelihood of acquiring investment and customers to position themselves
for future selection as “Ready to Rocket” companies.
Today, Rocket Builders is also publishing its 2010 lists of “Emerging
Rockets” and highlights companies across 4 areas of technology:
• BioTech & HealthTech
• CleanTech
• Information Technology and Communications (ICT)
• Internet, Wireless and New Media
According to Dave Thomas, Senior Partner at Rocket Builders, “B.C. has
strong clusters of emerging technology companies that are attractive to
investors. At this year’s Canadian Financing Forum in Vancouver later this
week, attendees have indicated increased interest in early stage investing
in B.C. companies.”
Ready to Rocket 2010 List

• Advanced Ecommerce Research Systems www.researchadvanced.com
• Antarctica Digital Marketing Ltd. www.antarcticadigital.com
• Aquatic Informatics Inc. www.aquaticinformatics.com
• Avigilon Corporation www.avigilon.com
• Axia Software Corporation www.axiasolutions.com
• Bycast Inc. www.bycast.com
• Carbonetworks Corporation www.carbonetworks.com
• Clevest Solutions Inc www.clevest.com
• Colligo Networks Inc. www.colligo.com
• Conasys Consumer Assurance Systems Inc www.conasysinc.com
• Contigo Systems Inc. www.contigo.com
• Digital Payment Technologies www.digitalpaytech.com
• Fit Brains (Vivity Labs Inc) www.fitbrains.com
• GenoLogics Life Science Software Inc. www.genologics.com
• Guard RFID Solutions www.guardrfid.com
• In Motion Technology Inc.www.inmotiontechnology.com
• Inetco Systems Ltd.www.inetco.com
• MetroLeap Media www.metroleap.com
• Pulse Energy, Inc www.pulseenergy.com
• RX Networks Inc. www.rxnetworks.com
• Sempa Power Systems Ltd. www.sempapower.com
• Tantalus Systems Corporation www.tantalus.com
• TenDigits Software Inc. www.tendigits.com
• Teradici Corporation www.teradici.com
• Vivonet Inc www.vivonet.com

twitter #R2R

Rocket Builders Reveals Success of the 2009 ‘Ready to Rocket 25’ List
Despite challenging economic conditions, companies on 2009 Ready to
Rocket List have breakthrough growth and drive employment
VANCOUVER, BC – January 26, 2010 –
Each year, Rocket Builders releases a report card of the previous year’s
Ready to Rocket list in conjunction with the announcement of the next
year’s Ready to Rocket list.
Companies on the 2009 list far exceeded the performance of the economy
and the technology sector as a whole (which grew at close to 3% to 4% last
year).
“The average growth rate across the 25 companies on our list was 75%
revenue growth with 9 companies more than doubling their 2008 revenue
performance.” said Geoffrey Hansen, Managing Partner at Rocket Builders.
“Equally impressive was the 900 employees employed by these companies
and the 11% average headcount growth representing new jobs created
despite the slow economy.”
This data is consistent with economic forecasts predicting “small
businesses” as they key drivers of new jobs in the current economy.
Many economists are reporting an “asymmetric recovery” for the economy,
meaning that some industry sectors will recover much sooner than others.
“With many of the Ready to Rocket companies being vertically focused, we
observe their growth to vary across industry focus” said Reg Nordman,
Managing Partner at Rocket Builders, “We noted that some companies saw
good quarters all through 2009, while others saw increasing performance
in the latter part of the year. In fact, some companies observed record lows
and highs for their recent company history within the 2009 year.”
Another positive performance indicator was the financial positions and
investment and acquisition activity observed:

• Neoteric was acquired by a US company in April of 2009
• 10 of the 25 companies received significant investment capital in 2009
• many companies reported a record quarter in the 4th quarter of the 2009 calendar year
• many companies that did not receive investment are operating as profitable companies

For details on the ‘Ready to Rocket 25” list and the “Emerging Rockets”
lists, please visit http://www.readytorocket.com

About Ready to Rocket
Ready to Rocket is a unique business recognition list that profiles
technology companies with the greatest potential for revenue growth. Each
year, based on analysis of trends that will drive growth in the technology
sector, Rocket Builders identifies twenty-five (25) private companies that
are best positioned to capitalize on the trends for growth.

This selection methodology has been an accurate predictor of growth with “Ready to
Rocket” companies exceeding the industry growth rate. Also, many of
these companies raise investment capital and each year many of the
profiled “Ready to Rocket’ companies are acquired.

“Ready to Rocket” is a trademark of Rocket Builders, a respected management consulting firm
servicing the technology industry. To qualify for the ‘Ready to Rocket 25’
list, companies must have a fully commercialized technology and some
customer traction with their products. Potential candidates for the list are
then mapped against the key trends identified by Rocket Builders
http://www.readytorocket.com
About Rocket Builders
Rocket Builders is a management consulting firm providing sales and
marketing services. With a focus on helping technology companies to grow
and prosper, Rocket Builders has a proven track record of success with its
clients. Since 2000, we have been engaged in market research, market
planning, business development initiatives, strategic selling, and product
launches for over 200 organizations.
http://www.rocketbuilders.com

twitter #R2R

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Selling to the C-suite : what every executive wants you to know about successfully selling to the top. Nicholas A.C. Read and Stephen J. Bistritz. 2010. ISBN 9780071628914.  This is the next read in your growth as a super sales person  titled  listen to the words of the client.   The authors did exhaustive interviews with executives as to what they wanted from a vendor, what they got and what was important to them.  This should open most of your eyes folks.  It is really good material. For example, most executives are closely involved long before the sales person learns about an opportunity, and by then it is likely  the worst time to approach the C Suite.  The book has terrific ideas for doing the homework that is necessary and how this changes from culture to culture.  The sectiopn on China is worth the price of the book.  Simple down to earth advice, easy to read but do not whip through this book, it is too valuable a read.  Their blog http://www.sellingtothec-suite.com.

more articles about the book http://www.salesandmarketing.com/msg/search/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1004001881
http://www.salesandmarketing.com/msg/content_display/publications/e3id519a27d3f06495af655298805bdaeb2

Other sources on this topic http://www.closebiz.org/images/Selling_to_the_C-Suite.pdf

If the rest of the books I look at in 2010 are as good as this I am really looking forward to them

.Related articles

• Soar Despite Your Dodo Sales Manager. Lee B. Salz (regnordman.com)

I hope every salesman finds this a joke and no longer the truth.

A man dies and finds himself at the Pearly Gates with both St. Peter and the devil. St. Peter says, “You’re not supposed to die for another ten years. We’ll have to send you back.” The man is thrilled, but on his way out he sees one door to Heaven and another to Hell.
He hears a raging party behind the door to Hell and asks the evil standing guard if he can take a peek. The devil says, “Only for a minute.” So he goes through the door to Hell and finds an incredible party, with endless food, champagne, music, and every rock star from history beckoning him to join them. He says, “If this is Hell, I want in‘
When he returns to Earth, he spends the next decade coming every sin he knows, and a few he had to look up on the Internet. Ten years to the day, he dies and meets the devil in front of the door to Hell. As the door opens, he hears no music and sees no party; only brimstone, fire, and the wailing of a thousand damned souls.
He cries, “Wait Where’s the party?‘ The devil smiles and xplains, “Oh, ten years ago you were a prospect. Now you’re a customer.”

From Selling to the C-suite : what every executive wants you tc know about successfully selling to the top / by Nicholas A.C. Read and Stephen J. Bistritz.

Marketing resources for the complex sale.

eMarketing Strategies for the Complex Sale.  Differentiate yourself with attraction marketing,. Create contagious content. Drive qualified leads to sales.  Ardath Albee. 2010. ISBN 0071628649, 9780071628648. In the  B2B complex sale, marketers are increasingly being pressured to deliver results during the lengthy sales process. This  is a  marketing book designed to solve this problem.

The author  explains how to create and use online content and communication strategies to catch and hold the attention of prospects to the degree of engagement necessary for sales readiness. Readers will then learn how to sell their strategies to the sales force in order to create a unified overall sales strategy. This is not a simple story nor a short approach. It fits closely with our idea that execution is the weak link in most programs.  If you use this guide, it will help you omit many common execution errors.  In her words, measurement of engagement is purely how many people take action.

Perspectives on Marketing. Get both sides of the story. Jason I Miletsky & Michael Hand.   2009. ISBN 9781598638714.  This is a companion to Perspectives on Sales . I like theses books as they give the client side and the sell side ( in this case an agency side) to the common. I think you will read this book and immediately understand ways to get more from your agency.  Plus the views of the two sides are unbiased as they have not collaborated.   Easy interesting read, especially if you are new to the agency/client relationship

The Four Pillars of Profit-Driven Marketing: How to Maximize Creativity, Accountability, and ROI.   2009. Moeller, Edward Landry 0071615059, 9780071615051

As budgets tighten, marketing managers are feeling the pressure to come up with quantifiable results for every dollar spent. The ability to determine marketing ROI has long been desirable; now, it is critical. ..This book  offers a framework that helps marketers capture the metrics essential to determine accurate ROI and use them to develop an overall marketing strategy. The authors, (Booz & Co execs)  reveal 4 pillars of marketing,” : ..

1. Understand, classify, and choose Analytics.
2. Put the analytics to work with the right decision-support Systems And Tools.
3. Establish Processes that integrate the analytics and tools into operations .
4. Use Organizational Alignment to assure company-wide acceptance and execution of the system ..

The authors provide a simple six-step process usng a case study of the Kellogg Company.   If you are struggling with getting real ROI numbers from your marketing, this book should be a good place to start.  This is not a book for triflers however,  if you read it you really should want to implement.

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Repositioning. Markeitng in an era of competition, change and crisis. Jack Trout and Steve Rivkin.  2009. ISBN 9780071635592. This is an update after 30 years.   With “Repositioning,” you can conquer the “3 Cs” of business: Competition, Change, and Crisis . . .

• BEAT THE COMPETITION: Challenge your rivals, differentiate your product, increase your value, and stand out in the crowd.
• CHANGE WITH THE TIMES: Use the latest technologies, communications, and multimedia resources to connect with your consumers.
• MANAGE A CRISIS: Cope with everything from profi t losses and rising costs to bad press and PR nightmares.

I really like Trouts writing style.  He always tries to simplify marketing for all of us. This is the mark (to me)  of someone who really understands what he is talking about.

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working on reviewing nominations for 2010 Ready to Rocket list … if you know a “hot” company, visit www.readytorocket.com to nominate.

http://salesarchitects.net/articles.php

The Business Executive’s Dilemma: Should I Promote My Top Sales Person to Sales Manager? – December 05, 2009
Before promoting your top sales person into sales management, make sure you’re making the right move for your company and the sales person.

White Paper: Are There Criminals On Your Sales Team? – November 30, 2009
Every employer fears unknowingly hiring a criminal. There are things that can be done to mitigate that risk if an effective criminal background screening program is put together. The operative word is “effective.” This white paper will help you identify the important components to structure a criminal background check program for your salesforce.

LinkedIn Is a Waste Of a Sales Person’s Time! – November 01, 2009

Soar Despite Your Dodo Sales Manager. Lee B. Salz. 2007. ISBN 9780832950094.   I previously posted Salz’s ideas for sales people looking for work (Time to look for a new sales job? New and seasoned sales guys???? )   The rest of the book is as brilliant.  This is a book which truly architects a salesman’ s success, despite their manager or lack of a manager and little help from marketing.   Much useful and familiar content such as :

• How do you really differentiate your product/service?
• Look at the buyers process, not a selling process.
• What are you doing for personal growth?

What is your ideal client?

• Size?
• Circumstances (new vs takeaway?)
• Process?
• Budget?
• Buying habits?

Who are the personalities in a client?

• Beneficiaries?
• Saboteurs?
• Mentors?
• Wizards (he who pays)?

His chapters on territory management and responding to RFPs are better than anything I have seen in a long time.

If there is something missing it would be the extensive work of Sharon Drew  Morgen on the the early identification of stuff that will get in the way of the sale. Her material is unbeaten at the qualifying stage, to make you more efficient as well as more effective.  Plus you really do need to get marketing to help you with some of this stuff, if you can.

See lots of Lees content belowhttp://changingminds.org/articles/lee_salz_articles.htm

Well written, clear and a great guide, this is a book for every salesperson to have in his library, I would keep in your bag, as the tips and examples are of great immediate use.

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