"Cargo Cult" Sales, Marketing, & Finance: 175 Million Spent and a loss

"Cargo Cult' Sales & Marketing

During WW II cargo dropped from the sky in the South Pacific and Indonesia. The shipment included clothing and food from the U.S. government and also humanitarian missions. This phenomenon drew the attention of the local tribes who became known as "Cargo Cult" because they always stood waiting for the next package.

These tribes believed the cargo came from their ancestors and if they erected a landing strip, air towers, and planes made of bamboo then the cargo would appear because this is what it was like the last time they received a package. The cargo appears as a way of mysticism and magic instead of hard work and ingenuity.

In business we can wait for ideas to magically appear or we can produce the "cargo" ourselves. "Cargo Cult" Sales and Marketing blog was created to talk about the essentials for successful sales and marketing professionals. It covers some tips and observations to be more effective in your endeavors.

Thursday, November 4, 2010

175 Million Spent and a loss

So this last week was election week as most people should know. The election that got most of my attention was the Governor election for California. It was a fascinating match up between a former Governor and a Billionaire. The political tide was totally shifted towards the Billionaire with the populous favoring her policies and many national elections going towards her party. She had the political momentum, the message and spent nearly 200 million dollars of her own money.....but still lost.

So why did she lose.......here is an excellent article analyzing her loss, but the quick summary is she was not able to follow the sales process to complete the sale.

She did not build rapport, trust, or credibility with the people of California, she did not provide value in form of a message, most people were distracted by the amount of money she spent, and she didn't close the sale. Personally, I wanted her to win, but she didn't.

Here is a link to a story about Meg Whitman's losing political campaign...

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-steinberg-whitman-20101104,0,2090320.story

"Cargo Cult" Sales, Marketing, & Finance