It’s Crowded Out There and I/You Need to be Different

At the end of every year, I have a long talk with myself. What am I going to do in the coming year? I break it down into three areas …

Work
Health
Fun

While all three can be challenging, work is perhaps the most. I’m 72 and I don’t need to work. I do it because I enjoy it tremendously. It’s a hobby that also pays for my other hobby (guitars). Winner winner. I don’t want to work full-time, not even close. I do want the work to be rewarding and I want to stretch myself to reach my goals.

It’s crowded out there and I don’t like crowds! Take a look at LinkedIn. Not only is it crowded by topics, AI for example, there are literally tons of people who are way smarter than me who are chasing that same golden ring. The question becomes … where am I different and how best can I leverage that?

I excel in two areas …

Nimble CRM training and implementations.
All things sales related for the signage industry.

Let’s look at both.

Nimble CRM Training & Implementation

I’m not sure if there is another consultant out there who understands Nimble better than I do. Rumor has it that I was the very first Nimble Solution Partner and the majority of my clients have come to me directly from Nimble itself. You don’t refer if there is any fear of blowback. Even Google’s AI summaries mention my name and I don’t know squat about SEO.

The Signage Industry

Most of my latter formal career was spent in the custom electric signage industry. I served as a partner in one company and the N.W. Division Sales Manager in another. I chose to finish my career as an independent sales contractor. Even as a partner, I also sold and I was damn good at it.

In fact, while I left that partnership in the early 2000’s, the company still asks me to hire and train new salespeople. My last two hires, despite having no experience in the industry, secured over $1,000,000 of new business in their first year.

Where these two areas meet …

While I would love to continue to train new signage salespeople, that market is limited. Most firms would prefer to do that internally. However, my background in signage lends itself extremely well to implementing Nimble in a signage environment. Better yet, there is a huge need!

When I was in the industry, there was no such thing as a CRM specifically designed for sign companies. What you had was maybe a CRM module, and this was an overstatement, as a small part of an estimating, job costing, and accounting system. My recent research tells me that this has not changed.

I took a stab at this a few years back and it did not go so well. Marketing is not my strong suit. I’m a little smarter now. Not an expert, but with the help of AI and recent enhancements to Nimble itself … I have a plan and the tools needed to implement it. I can, and I will be, different and in a market that is currently underserved.

The Plan

While the finer details are still very much in the planning stage, my background in signage, including selling signs and managing sales teams, will be combined with my customized CRM implementation for that industry and … Nimble is perfect for sign companies!

With the help of my chatbot, Hal, we have researched sources for targeted email lists. Hal will also help me to develop compelling messages for outreach and Nimble now offers the tools to do this at whatever scale I choose to pursue. I’ll likely start out with a small subset, gauge the results, and then adjust as needed.

I don’t need massive results. In fact … I don’t even want massive results! I’m solo and have zero intention of changing that. I also don’t want to be running around like a chicken with my proverbial head cut off. I am comfortable handling maybe up to three total implementations at any given time. This allows me the time needed to provide continuing support to my existing client base.

Ultimately, I am going to do this mostly just to see if I can. The results, at least for me, are of secondary importance. I like challenges and I like to learn new things. This is what keeps me young. Well sorta’ and it’s not like I have a lot of time. I’ve already given up on becoming a rock and roll star and having women throw their unmentionables at me:)

Please be sure to check out these top 100 sales blogs on Feedspot. I am honored to be one of them!

Are you thinking about a CRM? If you would like to explore whether or not Nimble CRM might be right for you, please book a free 30-minute Zoom consultation with me by going to my calendar. To learn more about our Nimble training and implementation services, please visit our Nimble CRM training services page.

In addition to Nimble CRM, I also offer sales training and training on LinkedIn as well as getting started with AI (Artificial Intelligence). I can even assist with hiring new salespeople with initial interviews and training.

I would also be happy to connect you to a marketing professional who I know and trust or to an automated yet personalized and human-to-human LinkedIn prospecting system. Please reach out to me at craig@adaptive-business.com for an introduction!

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Craig M. Jamieson

Managing Member at Adaptive Business Services

Craig M. Jamieson is a lifelong B2B salesperson, manager, owner, and a networking enthusiast. Adaptive Business Services provides solutions related to the sales professional. We are a Nimble CRM Solution Partner. Craig also conducts training and workshops primarily in social selling and communication skills. Craig is also the author of "The Small Business' Guide to Social CRM", now available on Amazon!