The first draft of this post started with the recommendation that all sales reps should start a blog. After pondering a bit on the reasons behind the recommendation though, it became clear that a prediction was more appropriate.
All sales reps will blog.
I’m not sure when the prediction will come to pass, but, with the exception of the poorest-performing 25% or so, it will indeed happen. Here’s my logic:
- By definition, sales reps have specialized knowledge and expertise (Without it, they couldn’t sell a thing.)
- Application of that knowledge and expertise results in their customers’ saving and/or making money
- Few customers and even fewer prospects have enough time to meet with a rep long enough to learn enough to adequately derive the potential value
Therefore, sales reps need to communicate big chunks of their knowledge and expertise in some other way; i.e., via their blogs. (By the way, it’s and via their blogs. Communicate all the ways they do now and via their blogs, not or via their blogs.)
Don’t tell me you don’t have time. That’s equivalent to telling me you don’t have time to communicate your knowledge and expertise to your decision makers and influencers.
Don’t tell me you have to maintain confidentiality. That’s equivalent to telling me you’d rather have your competitors supplying your customers with knowledge and expertise. Besides, do you actually think you’re the only human on the planet who knows what you know. Please… There are a few legitimate secrets, but very few. (Read this too.)
Don’t tell me you have nothing to blog about. That’s equivalent to telling me you don’t have anything to talk about. So you make a call on a customer CEO and have nothing to say? Oh… Can’t get a meeting with a CEO? Maybe suggesting a quick read of a few of your better posts will convince that CEO that given the breadth and depth of your knowledge and expertise, he or she can’t afford to not meet with you.
Don’t tell me you can’t afford it. That’s equivalent to telling me you free is too expensive. WordPress is one of many places that will provide everything you need for nothing.
Frankly, I don’t think there’s a valid reason for not blogging. As reps we spend our lives working to get opportunities to communicate the value of our products and services to potential customers. A blog, an E-Rep, is an excellent means to do so and it stays hard at work 24 X 7 X 365. Get busy blogging.
