Business Management - Marketing/Sales

When do you give out most of your business cards? Yep, when you see people. And as a lot of business is done face to face, there's nothing like a really nice business card to break the ice when you first sit down to meet a client or network with a peer at a tradeshow.

If you have ever visited an ad agency, somewhere there is a wall or cabinet with special lighting that was put in to shine brightly on the trophies and plaques they have received. Even if the award is from 1989 it’s not going into storage anytime soon, and bringing award opportunities to agencies is a great way to get in “good” with them.

Today more than ever, everyone is a critic and everyone has an opinion. And thanks to social media and the blogosphere, everyone can find an audience. Just make sure the opinions you seek are valid, well thought out, and relevant to you.

Sales managers love to tell salespeople, sales is a numbers game! It makes them feel all warm and managerial. But oatmeal can have that same effect. Instead, subscribe to the theory that less sales calls can be the better way to go as explained by Bill Farquharson's blog this week.

Creative branding usually does not make a brand successful. Creative brands do. So if you happen to be looking for the next big idea from your creative digital agency to re-launch your company after years of stalled brand growth, you might want to begin your search with some intelligent strategic planning. That should be done in-house, or guided by an outside firm but focused on your in-house management team.

Building a social media presence is easy for printers if you mine your Website for great content. Think “value” and “informational,” not “sales” and “promotional.”

Last week, Fire Enterprises, Inc. (FEI) marketing maven Marka told savvy salesperson Zoot and FEI tribe leader Org how plain, text-only e-mails can achieve better results for FEI than traditional promotional e-mails. This week, Marka and Zoot discuss why FEI’s marketing communications should prioritize compelling offers over flashy designs.

The words in the song “The Only Way I Know,” by Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan and Eric Church, embody the characteristics that winners have. Winners don’t always “win” but always show strong character in how hard they try along the way.

Is it harder to sell now or way back when? Let's look at a few sales challenges and make a comparison. Before we begin, let's define "way back when" as the pre-Internet era. If you need a more specific date, let's go with the early '80s. Mullets were hot and disco was dead. Okay. Let's have a look...

Printers need to accept that your Website is the first place an interested person will visit when hearing or seeing your company's name. When I get to your URL, I expect to find out exactly what you do, what products and services you can offer me, and why I should consider you and not your competitors. All in under 90 seconds.