Punxsutawney Phil, the Seer of Seers, and Prognosticator of all Prognosticators, did his thing yesterday on the barren Gobbler's Knob in Punxsutawney, PA, and according to legend, it's going to be an early spring.
Cute folklore and superb marketing for the town of Punxsutawney since otherwise how could they self-proclaim themselves as "The Weather Capital of the World"? My guess is there's not too much going on in downtown Punxsutawney, so having a group of loyal town advocates praise a groundhog in early February creating a national movement out of a non-event is what marketing is supposed to be all about.
On the other hand, the rationale of the actual forecasting leaves a bit to be desired:
But, good old Phil, an Americana legend, continues to make headlines, continues to sell T shirts, continues to have acres of print devoted to him every February, and in the non-primary years of hotly contested politics, unlike 2016, he gets to be the only comic strip character worth blogging about.
So, on one hand this week, we have the legend of Punxsutawney Phil and "the strategy of hope" for an early spring, while on the other, we have the highly accurate forecasting mechanics of $100 million marketing campaigns for each leading candidate, which can forecast probabilities not down to a state or a city or a ward, but to individual named voters and trend them over the time they enter the voting booth.
Hope was only a strategy in the world of Sales back in the old days, five plus years ago. Today, there are countless processes, tools and technologies that get you sharply up the accuracy ladder. If you haven't read the book, do so-a bit out of date, but the basics still apply.
The question of the day is "Where do you sit along that spectrum of forecasting for this quarter?"
It's pretty simple that there's way too much complexity in your products and services and way too many unknowns about your prospects for you to attempt to forecast any sale accurately based on history, your gut feel and even, what the prospect is telling you. Only by formalizing your sales process, getting everyone on board and not allowing anyone to color outside the lines will you surpass quota this year.
2. It's only February
3. Finally, don't be Like Phil. Cute stories, legends, #grownmenkissingsmallfurryanimals, and a once-a-year memory of Bill Murray's minor comedy, "Groundhog Day" Even the movie was ranked the lowest of Murray's superb skills. What is a good takeaway not from Groundhog Day, but from the highly accurate NOAH forecasting, is that it's not going to snow for a while, so it's a perfect time of year to take advantage of all that time you're saving from shoveling and being late to work.
Don't be like Phil, but do spend an hour this week studying the metrics and the details of the campaigns of Hillary, Cruz, Rubio, Bernie and Trump. Somewhere in that list are the nominees and most probably the next president save for an entry by Bloomberg in the next 60 days, which will be increasingly difficult given the lack of systems and support mechanics, all of which he's lacking.
You, on the other hand not only have many of these tools, processes and tactics, but you have the unique opportunity this month to tune everything up with your requirement for discipline and training.
Good Selling this week!
Best of success, health and happiness in this coming year !
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