The Whale Hunters Story



Come with us to a place that is much darker, much colder, and much more dangerous than wherever you are right now. We are among the indigenous Inuit people in the far Northwest, along the coast of Alaska, centuries ago.



Like all the other families of our village, we live along the coast in oil lamp-lit, earthen huts. Spring’s warmth has yet to thaw the frigid air. And everyone, in every hut, is doing what we are doing: waiting for the whales’ return. Although we know the whales come back each spring, we don’t know exactly when. So we send out scouts, who spot the signs before their arrival.



One morning a boy runs into the village, electrifying us with the news: “I have whale sign.” As harpooner, you rally your shaman and six oarsmen and prepare to launch your boat. Called an “umiak” (OOM-yock), the boat is sacred, scrubbed clean and pure, to honor the tradition of our ancestors.The hunt will take weeks out on the open, icy water; and there is much work to do, so everyone plays a part. The shaman provides spiritual direction while the oarsmen row.



As harpooner, you direct the umiak to the whale and, at the precise moment, place the harpoon in exactly the right spot on the whale. And then, if you are very skillful, the whale will pull towards the coastline and run along the coast for days until it tires. But if you are not, you risk your own icy death… and starvation back in the village.Eventually the whale grows tired. But before we can bring it ashore, we must keep the whale afloat. So one crew member must jump into the frigid waters and sew the whale’s mouth shut. Only then can we work with the forces of nature to the steer the whale and beach it.



Timing is crucial: left in the open air for too long, the whale will begin to rot. So we must harvest it quickly.Everyone works to harvest the whale – oil, blubber, skin, meat, and bone – all but the head which we take back out to sea, in gratitude to the gods, where it will sink and be reborn. After the leaders distribute the harvest, we return to our village for a great celebration. But we do not celebrate the great hunters, the boat, or even the harpooner.



We celebrate the whale that gives us life and the opportunity to thrive.Indeed the Inuits’ whale hunt is fraught with much danger and difficulty. Century upon century, people have been killed hunting whales in this way. But when we hunt walrus, caribou, seals, or a string of fish, we can eat only for a day or a week or two. On the other hand… one whale feeds our village for an entire year.



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I know you are wondering what whale hunting is doing on a blog about books and authors.





The reason is this:





Whale Hunting Women is more than just a book, it is a system designed by Dr. Barbara Weaver Smith to help women be their best selves in the world of business.

This system is based on a nine-phase process that is divided into three areas:



Scouting



It all starts with knowing who you're hunting. With a focus on market and sales research and the creation of a target filter, scouting guides you to know, seek and harpoon whales whose business will be ideal for you.



Hunting



Hunting focuses on communicating with, pitching, and securely closing your ideal whale accounts. Our method of progressive discovery and disclosure relies on critical questions at each step of the hunt.



Harvesting



Harvesting brings sales and non-sales departments together in an integrated process to ensure you harvest your whale effectively, efficiently and harmoniously. It includes key account management and growing new business with your best accounts.During the first week of June, I will be sharing a review and more information with you.



In the meantime, if you visit here:



http://www.thewhalehunters.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=7&Itemid=7



you can explore some free tools that will help explain this system more.

and if you are ready to start learning the system now, you can get your copy of Whale Hunting Women at:



http://cli.gs/WHWEbook



Thank you for visiting this post about Barbara Weaver Smith and Whale Hunting Women. We are offering a free giveaway to two people who comment during the tour and to the hosts where they posted. It is simple to be entered in the giveaway – just post a comment on any post about the tour and you will be entered. But, an interesting post is more likely to get our attention.



To see the tour schedule visit:



http://virtualblogtour.blogspot.com/2009/04/whale-hunting-with-barbara-weaver-smith.html