You Need a Better System
By Adam Radzik
Marketing & Sales Coach

(Scene: A conversation between Adam Radzik, the sales coach, and Brian, the mentee he has been assigned to work with. They are seated in Brian’s office, with the door closed. Adam notices that there are quite a few files on the floor.)

Brian (smiling): “Well, hello, doctor. I want you to know you will be proud of me. I went to see that client, Salvatore Zangani, we talked about during our last session. Like you predicted, Salvatore said he was glad to see me. I took him to Mama’s Cucina, his favorite Italian restaurant. He ordered the spaghetti pomodoro and said he may have a new building project coming up in three months in Brooklyn and was glad I dropped by, as he wanted to discuss it.

“I was very happy with our conversation, as business has been slow, but I was angry with myself for not remembering to go and see him. Worse yet, I saw Marcello, his son-in-law, in the hallway as we were leaving. He is in an even bigger business with his dad. I had forgotten about him altogether. Where is my head? Adam, can you get me a new head?”

Adam (laughing): “No, Brian, I’m sorry to disappoint you, but I don’t think you need a new head. What you do need, however, is a better contact management system.”

Brian: “You’re right. I’m constantly forgetting about people and kicking myself for not having seen someone important in more than a year. I’m a real dummy!”

Adam: “Don’t insult yourself. You make yourself weaker when you do that. I have a saying: ‘Treat yourself as if you were a beloved child.’”

Brian: “Ooh, I like that. Tell me about the contact management system. I think this pen will actually write.”

Adam: “Here is what you should do. First, make a list of all your clients and contacts. Prioritize them in terms of their importance to you. Once you have the top hundred, stop. Then take each name and ask yourself what is the best way to stay in contact with that person. For one it will be a phone call, for another, like Zangani, it will be a lunch, for yet another it will be taking him or her to a sports event or a concert. After you choose the venues, you’ll decide how often you are going to contact them. Let’s take Zangani. How often should you lunch with him?”

Brian: “Zangani? Once every two months.”

Adam: “Great! Put down in your calendar whom you are going to contact and how often, and what you’re going to do with each person. At the beginning of every month, check your calendar to see what you have to do. Diane, your secretary, can help you with this.”

Brian (smiling): “Yeah, she’s terrific at organization. Uh, Adam, I would tell you that you really know what you’re doing, but I wouldn’t want it going to your head.”

Adam (smiling): “Thanks, Brian. See you next month—and of course I’m going to want to see your contact list.”

Brian: “You didn’t have to tell me that. Believe me, I knew it!”

Comedy Corner

I stopped smoking a year ago and quickly gained 17 pounds. I was mortified. Believe me, I tried everything I could to lose the weight, short of changing my diet and starting an exercise program.

Anyway, I realized that I had no choice, so I took the first important step in beginning my exercise program. I purchased three neat-looking outfits to work out in.

I also took the second important step. I purchased an expensive treadmill. So far it has been very handy to hang clothes on, but it has only been seven months.

Finally, I took the third step. I spent $700 and joined a health club. It’s been quite a few months now and I am so frustrated, because I haven’t lost a single pound.

You won’t believe what I found out! Apparently paying all that money for the annual membership is not enough. You have to go there and work out too. What a rip-off!