DETERMINING THE COMPANY DNA

Here we must introduce a crucial principle of prospect research. Right from the beginning, even when you are dealing with secondary sources, you should be looking for more than hard data to complete the metrics in your prospect criteria. You should also be trying to figure out the “company DNA.” As stated in Chapter 1, what I mean here is the culture of the company—its heart and soul. Be aware that this usually takes painstaking inquiry. I have had clients say to me that they can figure out a company’s culture by sitting down and looking the CEO in the eye. I usually respond, “OK, what part of the eyeball do you look at to find culture?” I am not trying to be flippant but rather to point out that a company’s culture ...

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