Today I am offering you one of the easiest professional resolutions you should commit to this year. While it may seem silly at first, I implore you to … take the call.

Huh?

It is simple. When your phone rings, take the call.

 

I’ve been where you are.

Prior to working in CRM, and now HRA client service, I managed marketing budgets for a small health system in South Central Wisconsin. My job was to promote all hospital-based services – everything from pulmonology, to wound care, to birthing services, even cardiac rehab. Trust me when I say, I understand how many vendors are calling on you.

But here is something I learned in those years. Speaking to a vendor is like free consulting.

Obviously, if they are giving you a hard sell you should absolutely hang up.

Assuming that is not the case, take the opportunity to bounce ideas off of them. They are talking to hundreds of other marketers just like you. They hear ideas all day long, they have a pulse on where the industry is headed, they attend conferences and trade shows to further their knowledge, they keep abreast of trends, they tend to know earlier on about mergers and acquisitions. BEST OF ALL – they probably know what your competitors are doing.

And while they may not tell you what those competitors are up to, a good consultative partner can offer you advice and guidance to help you be proactive. Most vendors don’t want to just sell you something, they want to be a partner; working together toward a common goal – your success. We want to develop a relationship that lasts years. It isn’t about a transactional sale.

 

It doesn’t take much.

So, open the email. Answer the phone. Listen to the demo. Read the case study. Call the references.

At the end of the day it costs you nothing and you glean a little more industry knowledge. Who knows when you’ll be sitting in a meeting and you’ll have the opportunity to shine with your shiny, new tidbit!

Cheers to a successful and prosperous 2018!