Looking for a place to spend $117? Let me help you out: Get a subscription to the Kiplinger Letter (www.kiplingerbiz.com). My Dad, now 84, has gotten it for years. Like the good Jamaican Yankee that he is, he reads it and mails it to me. In fact, leaving my parents' apartment is like pulling away from a Yard Sale, but anywho....

The Kiplinger Letter. This "Forcast for Management Decisionmaking" provides a summary of a lot of good information on a wide variety of topics. Lately, the editors have been trying to cheer us up by listing signs of positive economic news. This week, the entire front page is dedicated to vertical markets that are thriving (and therefore have money and need a solutions-based printing sales rep to call on them!!!).

Here are their thoughts:

• Energy and Agriculture. Duh.
• Exporters

...Read More

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Word for word, the following was uttered by a printing customer.  This is less of a sales tip and more of a two-by-four upside the head:

"Bill, I am waiting for the day that a print salesman will call me the day after a conference or meeting and ask how we did.   They know when the event is; the date is on the piece of printing I bought from them.  Imagine if a sales person made that call.  It has never happened to me."

Interesting, huh? It seems so simple and yet when you read it you likely agree that this is not a call that YOU have made either. Why not make it a point to follow up with just such a client and see what happens as a result.

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I met recently with Kevin Cushing, chief mucky-muck at AlphaGraphics out in beautiful Salt Lake City. During the course of our conversation, Kevin told me that the renewal rate within the system was 100%. I was absolutely floored! Having done work with franchise owners for years, I can tell you that they have the same attitude about their mother ship organizations as boat owners: The two happiest days in their boating lives are the day they buy and they day they sell (or in this case, complete their obligation). I know owners who paper chain the day they can defranchise as if Christmas were coming. Can you imagine ponying up a percentage of your sales (not profits, mind you, but sales) each month? You can't help but see that check as increased profits once the Big Day comes!

But not AlphaGraphics owners.

They see their relationship differently. They look to...Read More

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I love Sydney. This is my third trip to Australia and it saddens me to see one of my favorite cities in the rear view mirror as my daughter and I make our way to Brisbane. So far I have spoken to roughly 100 printers in Melbourne (my presentation spot this past Monday) and Sydney. It has been interesting to hear of the differences between our respective marketplaces.

There are much less security issues here, as evidenced by the ease of which we made it through the airport security. Whereas in the States they check your DNA in a virtual strip search, in Australia we breezed through without so much as taking coins out of our pockets. This issue also held true in building security. Companies simply aren’t locking their front doors, allowing sales people to stroll in like it’s 1999. Interestingly, the Internet is expensive and guarded like a national secret. It t...Read More

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I am reading the Wall Street Journal yesterday in the lobby of a client's office. It seems that the hotel industry is pining for summer business and with gas prices being what they are, believe that guests would be much more likely to travel if they had a little incentive. So, they are considering sending out gas cards to help foot the bill.

Page two.

It seems that the real estate market is continuing its race to the bottom of the world. Mortgage rates are down, but buyers are sitting on their hands.

Page three.

The shining stars in the consumer market continue to be the Green Movement and personal care. If it is good for the Earth or the abs, people are racing towards it.

Interesting article.

Amazing opportunities for the visionary printer.

Do you see them?

How woul...Read More

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It is said that there is a sales gene. That is, the born salesman is not a myth or urban legend, it really does exist. You either have it, or your don’t. Yup, that works for me…but how does one define that “It” thing?

This afternoon I had a very cool conversation with a clinical psychologist. I came into contact with Dr. Chris Croner (www.salesdrive.com) through a friend. He had me take his 108 question sales evaluation form and then we talked afterward. Chris’ test confirmed what many of you already knew: that my best career is in the custodial arts. But more interesting than that, Chris gave me his definition for what makes a great sales rep. Are you ready?

According to Chris, it is all about drive. That’s it. Drive. He believes (after studying the last 80 years’ worth of data, that it comes down to three things:...Read More

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Call me Jeff Bezos, but I constantly have a bevy of books on my nightstand, moving from one to another. Maybe it is my short attention span but I am in the habit of getting revved up on one title and then moving on to the next. And then the next. Once, when I was in Hawaii I read Lance Armstrong’s second book, Every Second Counts, while also reading How Ronald Reagan Changed My Life. Somehow, some way, in the midst of switching from one to another, Reagan won the Tour de France. Man, that guy was amazing. Recently, I pulled out a few classics and made a list. Thought it might be of interest. As you will see, they are not your average Spin Selling kind of Sales 101 books. These take a different approach.

The Four Agreements—other than How to Win Friends and Influence People, I have read this book more than any other. don Miguel Ruiz wrote this classic spiritual...Read More

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Just got off of the phone with a sales coaching client. Here was her story:

Her boss sat her down and challenged her to achieve an extraordinary level of sales activity: 2-3 new appointments a DAY! Yikes! She called me to ask how that could be done. The first thing I did was to verify the request. Was that REALLY what her boss said? After receiving the big 10-4 on that one, I gave her three pieces of advice. After reading mine, why not pipe in with some of your own. Here's the Reader's Digest:

1. Do more—There is no way around it, the rep has got to work harder in order to achieve that level of greatness. Arriving earlier, staying later, and cancelling plans to watch the Masters this weekend will work for starters. The single most important factor in sales success is diligence. So, my friend, do more!

2. Do better—Whatever he is ...Read More

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Wow. I read some pretty hurtful and unprintable responses to that last Blog posting. It seems that you were unamused by my trip to Houston and wondered, "What does this have to do with printing sales?" Let me be clear: A Blog is a place to take some liberties with ideas and thoughts and have some fun while writing about a topic. I write a monthly column for GAM that is all about printing sales. It's free. I have a weekly audio sales tip that is all about printing sales. That's free, too. Last week, when I asked for feedback from the 4200 people who get my tip, I received two comments (both kind words, btw) but no helpful hints on where people wanted me to go or what people wanted me to cover.

Years ago, I heard Chuck Jones and Fritz Freiling (sp?), the creators of Looney Tunes, interviewed. They were asked, "Did you write the cartoons for kids or adults?&q...Read More

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I’m not making this stuff up…

“You live near Cape Cod? You must have seen the space shuttle take off a bunch of times, huh?”
Bartender at JFK airport

“Let me tell you about my colonoscopy”
A customer at the cocktail who then did. For an hour. In great detail.

“Honestly, officer, don’t you have better things to do than to stop me for speeding on an exit ramp?”
Cabbie to local cop, who as it turned out did not have anything better to do and took his time just to make sure we didn’t either.

“How do I double my sales quickly?”
Participant in my seminar

“Buy a store of equal size immediately”
My response

“Are you John Stewart?”
A franchisee walking in to my session, m...Read More

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The best thing I did all last summer was to take a day off and chaperone my 82 year old mother on a day trip through Boston Harbor. I was crazy busy and the trip couldn’t have come at a worse time, but with an 82 year old mother, you make certain choices in life that circumvent the normal decision-making process. I knew it would be a rewarding day and it was. Anywho…

The organization that put this trip together is called Elderhostel. I’m not sure if they are national, but I do know that they at least have a division in Boston. I need someone to hunt these tree-killers down and sell some sense into them. Since last summer, not a week has gone by that I haven’t received a mailing piece from these people. I get letters and postcards and fliers and catalogs. Oh my! I am convinced that the Congo is being deforested for the exclusive purpose of generati...Read More

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Set one, done.

Life is full. I am full of, well, today I am full of helpful energy. So, as a service to my friends and readers who are as busy as I, this Blog entry is dedicated towards fitness.

It is hard to squeeze in a work out. Hold on, I will be right back. Okay, set two was a breeze. Like I was saying, staying in some kind of shape while holding down a full time sales job is a pain. Wouldn’t it be easier if they could be combined? This way, a ripped rep could flex pecks while sales rise. Oops, here I go again. That’s three.

So, here’s the deal: Let’s say you want to make some sales calls. First, start on the floor. That’s right, hit it! Face down, let’s see 15 pushups. Next, flip over, tuck your toes under your desk and crank out 25 sit ups. Done? Great. Make a phone call. Regardless of the outcome ...Read More

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