Sales Advice for Printing Industry Salespeople from Bill Farquharson and T.J. Tedesco.

By Bill Farquharson and T.J. Tedesco

IT'S AUGUST. You are likely chillin' in the company hammock, sipping lemonade and perusing PI's newest column while asking yourself, "Farquharson and Tedesco. Who are they?" Meanwhile, an important event is looming, one that would knock you off of your hammock if you understood its importance; one that should be a recognized holiday by salespeople everywhere; one that looks innocent but, in fact, packs a wallop.

Ladies and gentlemen, we present to you one of the most significant days of the selling year: The Day After Labor Day. (Insert dramatic sound effect here and brace for the certain shock and awe.)

Labor Day (in this case, September 6) is the unofficial end of summer. The kids are back at school and that first evening chill has come, signifying that fall is on its way. Labor Day brings closure and a page is turned. Symbolically, this change also affects business…in a good way!

Summer Is Over

You see, something magical happens the day after Labor Day. People get up, put their kids on the bus and then head into work. Settling in at their desk—either consciously or unconsciously—the impact of this date is felt and they think, "Let's see, the kids don't need all-day care. The calendar says summer is over. I guess it's time to get some work done!" Thus begins the three most important selling months of the year: September, October and November.

There are 57 selling days between Labor Day and Thanksgiving. Imagine the impact of putting your head down and prospecting hard between those two dates. Given that the selling cycle in print is at least three months, you'd have some pretty serious momentum to close out the year.

Conversely, if you did nothing in that time period, it would be difficult for you to gain any traction. And traction is precisely what is needed in this critical selling block of time. Why? Because your selling efforts beginning the day after Labor Day and running through the end of November will determine how 2010 ends and how Q1 of 2011 begins. It's that important. No pressure, though.

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Bill Farquharson Author's page

Bill Farquharson is President of Aspire For, sales trainer for the graphic arts industry, author of "The 25 Best Sales Tips Ever" series and co-author of "Who's Making Money at Digital/Inkjet…and How?" Both are available on Amazon.com. Email him at Bill@AspireFor.com or call (781) 934-7036.

In addition to Bill's Printing Impressions monthly columns and weekly blogs, he publishes a weekly Short Attention Span Sales Tips providing instantly-applicable ideas for sales growth and its challenges. For further information, visit BillFarquharson.com

T.J. Tedesco Author's page T.J. Tedesco is a sales growth, business strategy, marketing and PR consultant operating at the intersection of clear vision, compelling content and effective outreach practices. For nearly two decades, T.J. has been an independent consultant and sales growth team leader. Previously, he sold commercial printing, graphic arts machinery and supplies, and finishing and bindery services. T.J. helps North American companies with content development, Web and print design leadership, nurture marketing programs, sales coaching, sales team alignment and business strategy. Since 1996, T.J. has worked with more than 100 clients on retainer, 80 percent in the graphic arts industry. T.J. is author of "Win Top-of-Mind Positioning," "Playbook for Selling Success in the Graphic Arts Industry," "Fire! How Marketing Got Hot," "Direct Mail Pal" and four more books published by PIA. He can be reached at (301) 404-2244 or tj@tjtedesco.com.

The Countdown to Blastoff —Farquharson/Tedesco