#GrowthHacks

Folks, big news: it's Pumpkinfest time here in the Twin Villages. Literally big news -- last year the Maine State champion pumpkin grown by Elroy Morgan tipped the scales at 1,756 pounds. But even that's well shy of the world record of 2,323.7 lbs. set by Switzerland's Beni Meir.

How do you grow a one-ton pumpkin? Well, you have to start with the right seed. Be prepared to spend upwards of $1,000 for a high-pedigree descendent of Dill's Atlantic Giant. Next you have to dig a massive hole to support a massive pumpkin hill and fill it with the richest mulch you can find. Then water, prune, weed and water some more until 150 or so days later you can winch the mammoth into your pickup and vie for this year's grand prize.

But here's the deal: if you don't start your sprouts six or seven weeks before the last frost, you aren't going to make it to the weigh-in, no matter how much fertilizer you use.

In other words, there are no #GrowthHacks when it comes to raising gigantic pumpkins, just as there are none when it comes to landing the big transformational deals you need to retire your enterprise sales quota. Repeat: NONE WHATSOEVER.

You wouldn't think this to look at my LinkedIn feed, which is bursting at the seams with #GrowthHack tips and suggestions, most of which seem have something to do with either methodology or technology pertaining to #socialselling, #accountbasedmarketing, #marketingautomation, or #contentmarketing.

Yes, the technology and know-how are awesome and get better everyday. But in the end, if what you mean by #GrowthHacks is accelerating the deal cycle, I'm afraid you may be sorely disappointed. Because #digitalmarketing and #socialselling are the long game. They require that you FIRST establish a brand that is based on expertise and insight WHILE identifying the appropriate accounts and contacts therein who might benefit from your expertise THEN using your brand and expertise to establish your relevance with those targeted accounts and contacts.

That's a lot more work than cold calling or buying an email list and running it through an automated campaign.

So why bother? It's like any PumpkinFest prizewinner will tell you: you have to start earlier and work harder if you really want the prize.

Look, they've enabled me to make a good living lo these many years, but cold calls and emails are crap shoots. Your timing may be good and you will manage to reach that buyer who happens to be ready to pull the trigger but has yet to make a selection. But you are just as likely to reach the buyer who tells you that you should have called six months earlier when there still was an opportunity,

Per Digital Leadership Associates's Tim_Hughes, it all comes down to forecast accuracy. You do the extra work ahead of time so that before any specific opportunity arises, you have already built up the foundation of relationships and credibility needed to bring the deal to close. At very least, you may get a chance to influence the buying criteria in the RFP.

In short, leverage social selling and account-based marketing and you will sleep better at night, not because you have magically hacked more deals with less effort, but because you will have a much better idea of who is going to buy when and how to close them.

But be prepared to sleep less at night anyway because you will have more work to do than ever.