Your sales team is firing on all cylinders. Leads are flowing in, deals are closing, and everyone’s feeling motivated. But what if we told you there’s a secret weapon to achieving this dream? It’s called a sales tech stack, and it’s more than just a fancy term.

The right sales tech stack is a carefully chosen set of tools designed to streamline your sales process, boost communication, and provide valuable data to close more deals. It’s like giving your team a toolbox filled with everything they need to build sales success.

But with so many options on the market, building a tech stack can feel overwhelming. Fear not! This article will guide you through the process step by step. We’ll break down the key considerations, explore essential tools, and offer tips to ensure your chosen tech empowers, not hinders, your sales team.

Understand Your Needs

Before diving into the world of sales software, it’s crucial to understand your company’s unique needs. Here are some key questions to ask yourself:

Company Size and Industry

Are you a nimble startup or a well-established enterprise? Different scales require different tools. For instance, a small marketing agency might prioritize social media engagement tools, while a large manufacturing firm might require a robust inventory management system that integrates with its CRM.

Every industry has its own specific needs as well. Real estate agents benefit from virtual tour software, while e-commerce businesses thrive with marketing automation platforms.

By determining your business size in relation to your industry, you can easily pick the right tools that work best. This is important because, according to Network Essentials in Charlotte, having the right tools and support team with you can surely boost the efficiency of your processes, thereby skyrocketing your sales.

Target Audience

Who are you selling to? Understanding your ideal customer’s online behavior and buying habits is essential. Think about the platforms they frequent and the kind of content they engage with. This knowledge will help you choose the right outreach and prospecting tools to connect with them effectively.

Meanwhile, if you are trying to go for a local market, you should take a more localized approach and partner with a support team that knows the community very well. For example, if you are operating in Orange County, KDIT’s IT support team in Orange County can provide all the important tools for your sales processes.

Sales Goals

What are you hoping to achieve? Are you looking to generate a higher volume of leads, improve conversion rates from lead to customer, or upsell to existing customers? Focusing on your specific goals will help you prioritize the features most important to your tech stack.

Analyze Your Current Sales Process

Once you have a firm grasp of your company’s needs, it’s time to take a good look at your existing sales process. Here’s what you’re looking for:

Evaluate Current Software

Are the tools you’re already using effective? Do they integrate well with each other, or are you constantly jumping between different platforms? Don’t be afraid to consolidate or replace software that’s not delivering the desired results.

Identify Bottlenecks

Where are leads getting stuck in the pipeline? Are follow-ups slow and cumbersome? Are product demos clunky and inefficient? Pinpointing these bottlenecks will help you identify areas where technology can streamline the process.

Build Your Sales Tech Stack

Now that you’ve laid the groundwork, it’s time to explore the different types of tools that can make up your sales tech stack. Remember, this is just a general overview – the specific tools you choose will depend on your unique needs.

Customer Relationship Management (CRM)

Consider CRM to be the heart of your sales tech stack. It’s a centralized platform that stores all your customer data, tracks leads throughout the sales pipeline and manages all customer interactions. A good CRM fosters better communication and collaboration within your sales team.

Sales Prospecting and Intelligence

Imagine having a crystal ball that reveals qualified leads. Prospecting and intelligence tools help you do just that. These tools allow you to identify potential customers who fit your ideal buyer profile, gather valuable intel on their needs and pain points, and personalize your outreach for maximum impact.

Sales Enablement and Content Management

Empowering your sales team with the right resources is crucial. Sales enablement tools provide your team with effective sales materials, like presentations and battle cards, for consistent messaging. Content management platforms allow you to house and organize these resources, making them easily accessible to your team whenever they need them.

Sales Engagement and Communication

Let’s face it: repetitive tasks like email sequences and social media engagement can eat into valuable sales time. Automation tools can handle these tasks for you, freeing up your team to focus on building relationships with potential customers. Communication tools like video conferencing and chat platforms allow for seamless communication and collaboration throughout the sales process.

Sales Analytics and Reporting

Data is king in the world of sales. Analytics and reporting tools track key metrics like conversion rates, sales cycle length, and win/loss ratios. By analyzing this data, you can identify areas for improvement and make data-driven decisions to optimize your sales strategy.

In Closing

By following these steps and carefully selecting the right sales tech tools, you can empower your team to achieve peak performance. Imagine a future where qualified leads flow effortlessly through the pipeline, communication is seamless, and valuable data is readily available to guide your sales strategy. That’s the power of a well-constructed sales tech stack – a powerful weapon in your arsenal for achieving long-term sales success.

The Unlikely Journey: Transitioning from Beats to Business

John Golden had the pleasure of sitting down with Josh Alltop, who has transitioned from music production to mastering the art of sales. As the co-founder of the Sales League, Josh shared the cultural shock he faced when he swapped his soundboard for sales strategies.

Finding Harmony in Sales

Josh’s story is about adaptability and finding your true talents. Despite his initial discomfort in the music industry, where his work ethic and focus on productivity seemed out of place, he found his rhythm in the fast-paced world of high-ticket coaching and online sales. Josh discovered his sense of belonging in this new arena, aligning his passion for productivity and results.

The Core of Sales Success: Belief and Conviction

During our chat, Josh emphasized the importance of belief and conviction in your product or service. He compared it to recommending a restaurant to a friend, highlighting that genuine belief significantly amplifies the value of your recommendation. This passion, he insists, can make or break a sale.

Redefining Sales: From Stereotypes to Service

We also discussed the negative stereotypes that often plague salespeople. Josh and I agreed on the need to redefine the role of a sales professional. He advocates viewing sales not as a pushy pursuit but as a service-oriented vocation focused on problem-solving. According to Josh, sales professionals are not just revenue generators; they are wealth creators and peace producers, orchestrating exchanges that benefit all parties involved.

The Buyer’s Perspective: Empathy and Active Listening

Josh highlighted the importance of empathy, active listening, and a genuine willingness to understand the prospect’s challenges. His approach to sales interactions is all about alignment and unity. He ensures that serving the prospect’s needs is at the forefront, building a trust foundation.

Abundance Over Scarcity: Serving Before Selling

A key point in our discussion was operating from a place of abundance rather than scarcity. Josh emphasized the importance of nurturing customer relationships over simply closing deals. By focusing on serving customers, sales professionals pave the way for financial success and a more rewarding career.

The Surprising Similarities: Music Production Meets Sales

Reflecting on his career, Josh was surprised at the parallels between sales and music production. Both fields revolve around solving problems for others, whether crafting the perfect tune or providing a solution to a customer’s needs. This realization reinforced his passion for sales and belief in its positive impact.

Empowering Sales Professionals: The Sales League’s Mission

In the latter part of our conversation, Josh shared the mission he and his business partner, Jake Grant, have for the Sales League. Their goal is to empower businesses to take charge of their sales systems and processes. They are committed to ensuring that every sales professional in their system thrives and achieves a minimum income of $10,000 a month. The ultimate aim is to help these professionals secure passive income and create a lasting legacy.

As your host, I was inspired by Josh’s journey and the transformative work he’s doing with the Sales League. For anyone looking to elevate their sales game or seeking guidance in this dynamic field, I highly recommend exploring the initiatives spearheaded by Josh and Jake.

Our conversation was a symphony of insights, highlighting the importance of mindset, belief, and empathy in sales. Redefining the role of sales professionals as problem solvers and customer advocates is beneficial and essential.

Our Host

John is the Amazon bestselling author of Winning the Battle for Sales: Lessons on Closing Every Deal from the World’s Greatest Military Victories and Social Upheaval: How to Win at Social Selling. A globally acknowledged Sales & Marketing thought leader, speaker, and strategist, he has conducted over 1500 video interviews of thought leaders for Sales POP! online sales magazine & YouTube Channel and for audio podcast channels where Sales POP! is rated in the top 2% of most popular shows out of 3,320,580 podcasts globally, ranked by Listen Score. He is CSMO at Pipeliner CRM. In his spare time, John is an avid Martial Artist.

I recently had a meaningful conversation with Michael Altshuler. Michael is a motivational speaker and success coach. He is also an expert in enterprise sales. Michael hosts “The Results Podcast” and “Get Hired with Job Gladiator.” Our talk focused on making a difference in the world.

Living by Core Values

Michael discussed the importance of living by core values. He said we need to know our most important values and make choices that align with them. It’s not just about knowing our values but also about acting on them.

Michael shared personal stories about small acts of kindness. He gave examples like giving roses to women in a parking lot. He also paid for people’s purchases at a dollar store. These small gestures had a big impact on the recipients. They show how thoughtful actions can deeply affect others.

We discussed how modern society is often superficial. Surface-level interactions have become common. Michael said it’s crucial to be the best version of ourselves. This could be as a partner, parent, or neighbor. Our genuine kindness can create meaningful connections in our community.

An exciting part was about time and busyness. Michael challenged the idea that we are busier than ever. He said we might be more distracted than truly busy. He encouraged us to recognize the time we have. We should choose meaningful actions over meaningless distractions.

Aligning Actions and Values

Michael emphasized understanding our values and aligning our actions. This is how we can find purpose and satisfaction in life. He suggested questioning our desires and motivations. Identifying our passions, purpose, and skills leads to a fulfilling life.

The Journey of Self-Discovery

Michael shared stories from his career journey. They showed the value of being open to change and growth. We agreed on the importance of knowing what we truly want. Our intentional actions shape the meaningful legacy we leave.

Michael shared “The Dash” poem by Linda Ellis. This poem is about living with love, respect, and appreciation for others. The emotional weight highlights how we live impacts the legacy we leave.

As the episode ended, I praised Michael’s motivational work. I encouraged people to explore his content further. Michael spoke about his professional journey and continuous learning. His dedication to helping others succeed is inspiring.

A Kind Tradition

Michael humorously mentioned his tradition of giving roses in a parking lot. This simple act represents the core of our discussion. It’s about making a positive difference, one small gesture at a time.

I thanked Michael and expressed my hope this talk would inspire reflection. I hope it motivates us to prioritize kindness and consider the legacy we wish to leave. Let’s strive to impact society, even in small ways, positively. Every act of kindness creates a better, more connected world.

Our Host

John is the Amazon bestselling author of Winning the Battle for Sales: Lessons on Closing Every Deal from the World’s Greatest Military Victories and Social Upheaval: How to Win at Social Selling. A globally acknowledged Sales & Marketing thought leader, speaker, and strategist, he has conducted over 1500 video interviews of thought leaders for Sales POP! online sales magazine & YouTube Channel and for audio podcast channels where Sales POP! is rated in the top 2% of most popular shows out of 3,320,580 podcasts globally, ranked by Listen Score. He is CSMO at Pipeliner CRM. In his spare time, John is an avid Martial Artist.

I’m thrilled to share some profound insights from a recent podcast featuring Andy Gole. A luminary in the realm of sales and the brains behind “Innovate Now.” Our conversation unearthed a treasure trove of wisdom.  Particularly in the context of recurring revenue and its potential pitfalls for businesses.

Diving into the Recurring Revenue Conundrum:

Andy introduced a thought-provoking concept—the narcolepsy of recurring revenue. This phenomenon can lull organizations into complacency, rendering them resistant to change and unprepared for unforeseen events, often referred to as ‘black swan’ events. I even shared a personal anecdote about losing a substantial portion of sales due to this very complacency.

Unleashing the Power of Bold Behaviors:

In the dynamic landscape of sales, Andy underscored the paramount importance of bold behaviors. These are actions that not only showcase a buyer’s engagement but also reflect a salesperson’s commitment to a bold vision. However, he emphasized that the privilege of bold behaviors is earned through consistently demonstrating audacious actions.

Our conversation navigated through the perilous trap of assuming engagement based solely on conversations. We stressed the need for prospects to actively take steps and showcase genuine engagement rather than merely agreeing to discussions.

Prioritizing Business Development:

Andy passionately advocated for organizations to consciously allocate time to business development. Instead of solely focusing on maintaining current customers, he suggested incorporating exercises like weekly bold behavior drills to foster and celebrate actions that propel growth.

We concurred on the pivotal role that coaching and motivation play in steering organizations through change and fortifying them against unexpected challenges or ‘black swan’ events.

Regular Evaluation as the Cornerstone of Long-Term Success:

Drawing from personal and industry experiences, we delved into the significance of regular evaluation. I shared a poignant story about a sales team grappling after the financial crash, highlighting the distinction between success in a booming market and being a truly exceptional salesperson. Andy added that competent salespeople consistently meet targets across various market conditions, even during a recession.

Ready for Deeper Insights?

If you’re hungry for more, I encourage you to tune in to the full podcast episode. It’s a deep dive into strategies and practical exercises aimed at equipping your organization with the entrepreneurial prowess needed to thrive.

Our previous article in this series ended with this line: How do you want your reality to appear?

Carrying on from this line, the number one thing in life is participating in reality. This would mean for ourselves and what is happening around us.
What is really going on? If we knew, many decisions would be different because we increasingly filter out reality from our mindset, in a similar way that people in love only see things “through rose-colored glasses.” That isn’t reality; it’s a filter they have placed on everything they’re viewing.

Every one of us has filters. This becomes evident when you interview witnesses at an accident or other occurrence—everyone reports something different. It is because of these filters.

Where Do Filters Come From?

Filters come about from how we were treated as children. Based on our treatment as children, we treat ourselves as adults. That treatment results in filtering out many factors of existence.

There is a way around this. Austrian economist Friedrich Hayek said, “The only possibility of transcending the capacity of individual minds is to rely on those superior self-organized forces which create spontaneous order.”

Lack of Progress

We should have found broad ways to deal with these filters long ago. Over the last few hundred years, we have seen tremendous progress in society, especially in technology and ways of accomplishing daily life. Beyond simply washing machines, mobile phones, and the internet, we’ve gone to the moon and are on our way to Mars. At the same time, have we learned to handle ourselves better? Not really. We have more chaos in society and an increase in mental illness.

On the one hand, we have made enormous progress, but when it comes to the human being and the mind, even with all the advances in medicine and neuroscience, there has been no broad impact as far as I can see.

Detachment from Reality

Why are we so disengaged from our own reality? It is because we have become self-centered and ignorant. A major reason for this is that over hundreds and thousands of years, people have lost sight of the fact that not everything ends in our momentary lives. We lost sight of this and replaced it with the view that everything is only in the “here and now.” Since we only focus on the present, we have become so self-centered, willfully ignorant, and self-absorbed that we have forgotten to think about others.

We have the illusion that we live in a world of progress. Sure, we have made some progress, but we have yet to make progress as a human race. We must be very critical of ourselves.

The Human “Hard Drive”

From my view, the problem that has never been solved is that of our own “computer”—our own mind. The mind could be likened to a hard disk in a computer.

One fact we have taken up in previous articles in this series is negative feelings. People believe that a feeling comes first, and then comes thinking. It is the reverse—thinking is first, and then comes the feeling. A person thinks they are unworthy and, therefore, feels unworthy.

As you go through life, your “computer” is editing all of the information collected on your hard disk, your mind, that affects you as a human. This is why a mindset is so difficult to change—it’s on the hard disk. It would be a wonderful thing, for some, if one has had a hard life full of bad experiences, that their hard disk could be erased and replaced with a new one that is totally clean. Unfortunately, the mind is interconnected with life and so cannot be “erased.” It is influenced by all of life’s interactions—upbringing, siblings, parents, school, grandparents, and everyone that surrounds one. Today, it is theorized that the first few years of a person’s life result in how they think throughout the rest of their life.

Experience as Reality

I believe this is a core problem of our society. Because so many people are detached as adults because of their lives and upbringing, it becomes very complicated for them to show compassion, affection, or positive feelings toward another. Because of their experiences, they don’t want to remember, so they detach themselves. A person may be able to show some degree of empathy, but a deeper form is compassion. Compassion is one step further; a real connection is much more significant than empathy. One can empathize with someone who has experienced something terrible but feel no real connection to it. Compassion, though, allows you to truly feel what happens to others.

The “computer,” the mind, adds every moment and every item of life to the last, and all of these items add up to experience. In the end, a person’s reality is their accumulated experience.

I may have had little to no responsibility for events when I was growing up. But once I have grown up, I have the responsibility to rethink my hard drive, thinking, and mindset. Why am I acting the way I do? Why do I feel I always have to be the best, always have to win, and always be right? Or that I must always be perfect?

Others are always crying out for help and asking others to assist them with their problems. Yet others experience something beautiful in life and immediately repress it, thinking they are not allowed to be happy. Why is that?

Experience can create an automatic behavior pattern. It can run like a computer program, resulting in behavior opposite to how you would actually like to behave. It has been programmed in the past.

Only if you somehow become aware of this program can you change it. As long as you are not changing it, the program will remain part of your thinking.

Beneath the Pattern

As an example of such behavior, people have experienced the feeling that they must be perfect. The motivation for that feeling, though, is that underneath, they feel that they are unworthy. This motivates them to always try and be perfect. Such a mindset can only be changed if the person can reflect on why this behavior occurs.

We have not learned to do this. We see behavior daily in the news—“I punch you, you punch me, I punch you back harder.” As the human race, we have not learned to survive, be better, or learn. The knowledge we have inherited results in humankind becoming perhaps stupider than before, in my opinion.

People have an egocentric worldview. They want to have everything in this life—more vacations, more of everything, instant gratification—without doing anything for it. It is ruining our lives. We must stop behaving this way. If we don’t do it ourselves, we will be stopped. It isn’t a pattern that endlessly goes upward. What goes up must come down. And when it comes down, it will not be easy. It will not be fun.

Responsibility of Sales

I think sales has tremendous responsibility because we are customer-centric. If a salesperson has no empathy, lacks altruism, and is cold, people will turn away from them and never give them a recommendation.

A person taking that altruistic approach may find that the person they are helping will one day come back around to help them.

Becoming Human

Humans, of course, have different approaches. That’s what makes us humans.

Even though we have empathy, we seem to have lost compassion. It would be good for us to gain compassion once again.

Behavior has also been affected by the situation with the COVID pandemic of the past few years. In the beginning, people enjoyed that everything was slowing down. But then we realized it was unsustainable in the long term.

And now we find ourselves in a terrible situation of people violating boundaries, stepping on people, and living out their nightmares in some form. People will only be successful if they once again become real humans.

What does It mean to become an actual human? A real human grows holistically—in body, mind, and spirit. Too many feel that these are separate; for example, what is done with the body doesn’t influence the spirit. Today, we know that everything is interconnected.

Becoming human is more important than ever today, as we’re engaged in a battle of human versus machine. This is especially true with the advent of AI. We are fighting against the machine, and the machine has no empathy. A machine is only calculating basic information.

If we, as humans, want to survive as a race and be truly intelligent, we have to go to the core. The core of humans is taking care of each other. When a baby is born, it isn’t like the young of some animals born in the wild who can almost immediately stand and walk. A human baby is totally lost if it doesn’t have love and care for the first few years of its life. That is why, in my opinion, Jesus told us that we must become “like the little child.”

This is the mindset we should embrace, and this is where we should go.

5 Lessons from Emmy Saki on Building a Successful Career

Are you looking to build a successful career? Look no further than Emmy Saki’s book “100 Million Careers” and her conversation with John Golden on Sales POP Online Sales Magazine. Here are five lessons to take away:

1. Self-awareness is key. Understanding your personality and gifts can help you find a career that aligns with your strengths and brings you fulfillment.
2. Focus on quality over quantity in building your network. Don’t feel the need to have a large network just for the sake of it. Be discerning and value quality connections.
3. Be open to unexpected opportunities. Don’t be too hung up on titles or what you think your career should look like. Be willing to explore new opportunities and take calculated risks.
4. Surround yourself with positive influences. Reduce interactions with negative influences and seek out supportive friends and mentors.
5. Be authentic in both personal and professional relationships. Admit when you don’t know something or have made a mistake. Build trust by being true to yourself.

Emmy’s advice is not just for those looking to break into finance – it applies to anyone looking to build a successful career. Start by being self-aware, building a quality network, being open to unexpected opportunities, surrounding yourself with positive influences, and being authentic. Check out Emmy’s work and start building your own hundred-million-dollar career today.

Our Host

John is the Amazon bestselling author of Winning the Battle for Sales: Lessons on Closing Every Deal from the World’s Greatest Military Victories and Social Upheaval: How to Win at Social Selling. A globally acknowledged Sales & Marketing thought leader, speaker, and strategist, he has conducted over 1500 video interviews of thought leaders for Sales POP! online sales magazine & YouTube Channel and for audio podcast channels where Sales POP! is rated in the top 2% of most popular shows out of 3,320,580 podcasts globally, ranked by Listen Score. He is CSMO at Pipeliner CRM. In his spare time, John is an avid Martial Artist.

David Carter is a seasoned entrepreneur and renowned CEO mentor with over 40 years of experience in creating innovative businesses and mentoring leaders and influencers worldwide. He is recognized as the world’s leading CEO mentor and has a proven track record of success. David is passionate about character-based business training and its ability to transform organizations and individuals.

Why Character-Based Business Training is More Important Than Ever

In a world where technology and AI are rapidly changing the workforce, it’s becoming increasingly important to differentiate oneself from machines. That’s where character-based business training comes in.

According to Aristotle, character determines destiny. This means that our character plays a direct role in where we end up in life. The Character of Work, a company founded by David Carter, maps 54 character qualities that underpin the development of all skills against the 77 in-demand soft skills that employers feel are lacking in their applicants or workforce. By developing these character qualities, individuals can improve their soft skills and set themselves apart from others.

One of the key character qualities emphasized in the conversation between David and John is kindness. David shares a personal story from his childhood about learning to be a gentleman and how it taught him the value of being kind to others. He also emphasizes that being kind doesn’t take any more time than being rude or transactional, but it can lead to better results and stronger relationships with customers.

Ultimately, the conversation highlights the importance of character-based business training in creating successful and fulfilling careers. By focusing on developing character qualities, individuals can improve their soft skills and stand out in a world where machines are becoming increasingly prevalent.

Our Host

John is the Amazon bestselling author of Winning the Battle for Sales: Lessons on Closing Every Deal from the World’s Greatest Military Victories and Social Upheaval: How to Win at Social Selling. A globally acknowledged Sales & Marketing thought leader, speaker, and strategist, he has conducted over 1500 video interviews of thought leaders for Sales POP! online sales magazine & YouTube Channel and for audio podcast channels where Sales POP! is rated in the top 2% of most popular shows out of 3,320,580 podcasts globally, ranked by Listen Score. He is CSMO at Pipeliner CRM. In his spare time, John is an avid Martial Artist.

Today, we face a rather nasty armed conflict in Eastern Europe, upsetting life, commerce, and supply chains worldwide. My hope is that this will not be the beginning of World War III.

It’s not the first time, by any stretch, that such a disaster has plagued us in such a way. Therefore we need to take a look back in history—in particular at a very similar conflict that took place in 1860.

I am focusing through the lens of my native country, Austria because it played a significant role in both world wars. Earlier on, though, Austria greatly alleviated these kinds of conflicts, through trade, including the conflict we’re discussing in this article.

Looking back on history, the world was very different when this incident took place, so let us first describe that.

Two Empires

This conflict occurred in Syria and Lebanon, where the Ottoman Empire ruled at the time. This empire controlled considerable portions of southeast Europe, western Asia and northern Africa, between the 14th and the early 20th centuries.

Austria, at this time, was part of the Austrian Empire, which ruled over Austria, Hungary and other Eastern European states. It consisted of multiple different cultures, including the Czechs, the Slovaks, the Romanians, the Serbs and the Hungarians. In 1867, shortly after the Lebanon conflict we’re detailing in this article, the Austrian Empire became the Austro-Hungarian Empire, which remained until the end of World War I in 1918.

The Emperor of the Austrian Empire was Franz Joseph I. I had firsthand knowledge of this emperor because both my grandfathers, on my mother’s and father’s sides, sat at his table, and my grandfather on my mother’s side told me many stories of this time. This particular emperor sought in many ways to maintain peace—for example, he supported Hungary in becoming an independent nation rather than fighting a war with them. Even though Austria was partially responsible for beginning World War I, for hundreds of years the Austrian Empire was expanded not through conquest and plunder, as was the Ottoman Empire and others, but through peaceful trade agreements.

Mount Lebanon and Damascus Civil Conflict

Trade can cause conflict as well as end it, and to start with, it was a cause. Occurring in the climate already created by mounting tensions, in July of 1860, a relatively minor conflict between merchants in Damascus spread into the whole of Syria, becoming a sheer genocide. Within a week of this outbreak, thousands of Muslims entered the Christian quarter in Damascus and killed thousands of Arab Christians. 300 villages, 500 churches, 40 monasteries, and 30 schools were destroyed, and over 100,000 people fled and became refugees.

These kinds of things don’t “just happen,” of course. The setting for this conflict had been slowly simmering since 1845 through more minor skirmishes between various ethnic groups in the region. It all began with an edict many years earlier from the Ottoman Empire (which ruled the region at the time), allowing Christians to create their own schools. The Arabian language could not keep up with the advancing science and technology at the time, so the schools began teaching in English and French. Even though they were the minority, the Christians were better educated, occupied superior positions in business and government, and were more affluent. Envious of the Christian advancement, the Arabs became enraged, and conflicts began which continue to the present day.

Austria’s Intervention

Within a month of this conflict, Austria became part of an international effort—in partnership with four other nations—to quell the uprising, and peace was eventually restored.

Reports of the suffering in Lebanon were spread throughout the world by the media. This resulted in the very first act of international charity, in which Austria was a participant. Donations were collected throughout Europe and the U.S., and handed over to Lebanon by consuls of the countries from which the donations had come. In drawing a parallel to today’s unrest, the charity provided was not of weapons and ammunition, as with the contributions to Ukraine.

But the efforts of Emperor Franz Joseph I certainly did not end there. He became the first European sovereign in six centuries since the Crusades to visit Jerusalem, which he did in 1869 while in the area to attend the opening of the Suez Canal. To keep peace in the region—and also to solve a major problem caused by the American Civil War which closed off all cotton importation from the Southern U.S.—Franz Josef created an enormous trade agreement for the importation of cotton from Egypt. This move eventually resulted in importing 6,000 tons of cotton, placing Vienna at the forefront of European fashion creation. In addition, Vienna was blooming at this time, one of the largest cities in Europe and the epicenter of culture.

Unfortunately, France and England became jealous of Vienna’s position and began interfering with Austria’s efforts. They began to look at the Balkan countries with an eye to exploiting them, and the “Triple Entente’‘ was formed between France, Great Britain and Russia. At the beginning of World War I, the Triple Entente allied itself against what was known as the Central Powers: Turkey, Germany and Austro-Hungary. We can see, again, that disagreement over trade was at the root of what became a horrendous global conflict.

I’m not particularly eager to call myself a prophet, but the Triple Entente is very similar to the current alliance between China, Russia and India. I very much hope we’re not headed for another devastating global conflict.

Ignorance Leads to Disaster

Besides the particulars of the Lebanon-Damascus conflict itself, another parallel can be drawn to today’s unrest. One can trace cultural and religious unrest back several decades before the Mt. Lebanon and Damascus conflict erupted into genocide—but nobody was paying attention as tensions slowly grew. It wasn’t until they exploded that responsible government parties noticed and intervened.

We have a similar situation today with the Russo-Ukraine conflict. There were tensions and friction in Donbas for nine years before they escalated into all-out war. Despite the fact there were similar factors in the previous conflict we’re discussing here, once again, leaders and those responsible ignored the situation until it erupted. And once more, we have tens of thousands dying.

Protectionism Versus Free Trade

The war ended in 1918, but unfortunately, we did not learn our lessons from it as regards trade. With us today is what is called protectionism, which is the practice of shielding the domestic interests of a country from foreign competition by taxing imports. This practice continues to create conflict, which can eventually escalate into further war, as we’ve seen.

Free trade would solve such issues—and as the Austrian School of Economics tells us, parties or nations engaged in trade will not be in conflict.

We Are Interconnected

Many schools of thought tell us that we’re all interconnected. If this is true (and I believe it is), how can we demonize another nation? We are connected with them—they are part of us—and so, in fact, we are demonizing ourselves.

Recently I was in New York attending a business dinner. I began conversing with several people around the table, and two young women seemed to get perturbed when I spoke about my CRM and its relationship with trade and peace. When I asked why they were upset, one said, “We are from Ukraine.” I replied that this was fantastic, and she said, “You must be a Putin-lover.” I asked why, restating that I was just for peace—I’m not a “Putin lover.” She said, “The only good Russian is a dead Russian.”

I got very serious. I said, “You are not even 35 years old, and you are demonizing a whole nation.”

Weaponizing Trade

As we can see, trade has causation in either the prevention or the escalation of armed conflict. It can be weaponized either way. But it is only when trade is in the wrong hands that it leads to war.

Can we not now begin to see the errors of our ways and once again use trade to return our world to a peaceful one? We all live together on this tiny planet, Earth. There is a current best-selling book called MegaThreats: Ten Dangerous Trends That Emperil Our Future by Nouriel Ruobini. Each and every one of the threats laid out in this book—such as climate change, aging, migration, AI, and others—can only be solved by all of us in cooperation.

My product, Pipeliner CRM, is totally dedicated to survival in a peaceful world. We learn from the founders of the Austrian School of Economics that war, in the end, does not produce wealth. Nations do not prosper when they are burned to the ground. As an example Switzerland, which has always remained neutral, has quietly and steadily prospered throughout the years while its neighbors lost many entire fortunes through conflict.

As businesspeople we are, in a way, fighting “wars,” too. But our weapons are not artillery—they are ideas. We wear no uniforms, we carry no flags. We simply exist to conduct peaceful trade with others. As intense as that might become at times, it never involves loss of life or wanton destruction of homes, property and cities.

Trade and war do not coexist well; one country cannot conduct trade with another country with which they are embattled. If we focus on trade— especially with the advent of today’s global internet commerce—we could very well see an ultimate end to armed conflict. For in the long run trade is far more profitable and sustainable than combat.

Until we reach that goal, a military is still a necessity, for as we are conducting business and commerce we need to protect the infrastructure in which it occurs. As we know all too well, there are still threats from various quarters that will have to be neutralized and the protection of the free trade we so value—as for example the U.S. Navy is providing today—is still quite vital.

This brings a whole other level to your role as sales manager, doesn’t it? To the degree that you are successful, so goes your sales force. As goes your sales force, there goes your company. The more companies that are successful in trade and commerce, the better our chances for survival in a peaceful world.

It is to this goal that Pipeliner is dedicated, It is being provided to you as a “weapon” of trade, of commerce, of peace.