I agree with you about not worrying about that which you cannot control. This is where the solid foundation of a relationship between you as the sales rep and your prospective customer comes into play. You MUST build, develope, and maintain the relationship with your customer first in order to be certain that you will not lose the sale. Print sales relationships are like getting a fire stated in the woods. It starts with a single spark and with a little bit of stoking, can become an incredibly beautiful ( and profitable) bonfire of freindship. Print buyers definately have a sixth sense for fear. It is a weakness the top sellers are without. Get out there and win those sales through positive and confident relationships.

Yea a just wait until the Yankees have the 6 point lead

go cubs

Bill, Catching up on your blog (’cause I love it I really do), and your ‘Sell like you don’t need it’ comment really hit home. Over the last three months I have taken that attitude that if the customer likes what they see great, if not I shout NEXT at the top of my lungs (in my head of course) and move on. For the customer who wants to leave me for a competitor…OK I’m upset about it for maybe 20 seconds….then inside my head I shout NEXT and move on. Customers are like buses (you have heard this one before when we were young and the customers were women then) there is another one coming to the stop every 5 minutes. I suspect your clients real problem is that his sales funnel is empty or nearly so. So many in this industry get the milk route set up, and then sit back and relax…sorry does not work that way for long. Prospecting (or writing and blogging so the come to you) is a never ending part of the business cycle. If your funnel is full the ones you lose hurt a lot less or not at all. That’s my two cents worth for the day!

The Yankees need to go down! They just tied my Mariners for the Wild Card lead. Way to sweep the White Sox last weekend!