Is a great sales person born or made? Sales guru Brian Sullivan will tell you that he can make a bottom-rung sales flunky into a top performer in 20 days. An award-winning sales person and top sales and leadership trainer, Sullivan doesn’t just give pep talks, he lays out a practical formula for improving a person’s power to persuade. And, according to Sullivan, part of that practical formula is knowing when to stop talking. (more…)
What Your Boss Wants You to Know
No matter what the size of the business, success in the printing industry is inextricably tied to the performance of individual sales representatives. They are in the trenches, on the front lines, performing every day. If you’re a sales rep making a good living – maybe you’re even the sales leader for your company – is knowing how to close a sale all you need to know? (more…)
Profile of an “A” Salesperson: Do you have what it takes to earn top dollar in print sales?
Are there certain characteristics that all top-level sales people in the print industry have in common? Is there a “sales” personality or “sales gene” that you MUST have to succeed in this uber-competitive field? Could it be that there’s a secret handshake and a guide book that only the chosen ones are given that ensures a successful sales career? Well, don’t go looking for a secret decoder ring just yet, but it would appear that there are certain common features that are found in the best sales people, no matter what field they are in: (more…)
A CSR by any name is key to developing customer relationships that translate into dollars.
It’s hard to describe the true value that a customer service representative (CSR) adds to each sale, but there’s no doubt that they are virtually indispensable. Most printers find CSRs to be a crucial element in maintaining strong customer relationships and enhancing the efficient execution of every job. (more…)
What Keeps Printing Sales Reps up at Night?
For some sales reps, it’s the demands of meeting increasing customer expectations. For others, it’s juggling a portfolio of products. And for all sales reps, the ups and downs of the industry certainly provide both potential – and angst – to keep them up at night. (more…)
Why We Are All Afraid to Take a Risk
“Stay focused! Please! No…not like that! I thought you would do so much better. You need to color in the lines. Why are you doing it that way! Don’t you want it to be perfect?” Those were the words I heard three weeks ago as I sat in a two-foot blue plastic chair next to a fellow parent at Kansas City’s Pottery Playland. This was no typical Saturday at the “Playland.” Oh no…In fact, there was a Princess Pottery Party going on, and I found myself surrounded by a pack of five year olds dressed as Cinderella, Snow White and Belle. Unfortunately, I was also surrounded by a pack of parents who, without trying, were playing the parts of the Evil Stepmother, the Wicked Witch and the Beast. (more…)
by Ryan McNally
During the last decade, the print industry has become more complex, and for printers, that means customers have become more demanding. “Ten years ago it was possible to succeed by simply fulfilling the opportunities required by clients,” says Kevin Joyce, managing director at Eastman Kodak Co. “There was a well-defined need and definition of what products they desired, and we simply fulfilled them. Today, this is simply not good enough. The top-performing individuals and/or companies must first help the client create the opportunity, and then fulfill it.” (more…)
Industry analyst Andy Paparozzi says the print industry should pay careful attention to 2008’s economic outlook.
The numbers matter. When the print industry wants to look at forecasts for the coming year, it needs look no further than the economy itself.
“The industry serves the entire economy,” says Andy Paparozzi. “You can’t name an industry that doesn’t buy printing in one form or another. Certainly, it’s hard to find a household that doesn’t subscribe to a magazine, newspaper or something that is printed, so it really is a case where the industry truly does serve the entire economy, from the largest corporation to the smallest household. As the economy rises and falls, expands and contracts, as profit margins that support advertising budgets rise and fall, the printer finds out about it pretty quickly.” (more…)
by Brian T. Dooling
It’s a jungle out there! Or at least it could be if sustainability policies continue to take hold. Sustainability has become an important topic in the industry and there is an increased global desire for a sustainable environment. Sustainability from an environmental perspective refers to the longevity of our natural resources. The term also used to describe various social, economic and environmental goals put in place to manage our forests. What is the quest for sustainability really about? It is really about quality of life and maintaining that quality for future generations. (more…)
By Linda Bishop
“I’m writing an article on why print buyers decide to fire printers. Do you have a good story?”
I emailed my request to four print-buying pros. Seconds later the first reply arrived in my in-box.
“I just fired one and I’ll be happy to tell you why,” MAF wrote.
MAF buys print for a large Northeastern university. She spends millions of dollars annually and is required by her administration to get three bids on every job. We talked by phone and she told me her story.
“Art (yes, it’s a fake name) worked with my predecessor. He was used to dropping in whenever he was in the neighborhood.” MAF said. “I stopped that because I’m too busy to deal with unannounced visits. I told Art if he wanted to see me, make an appointment. After that I hardly ever saw him.” (more…)
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