Business Management - Marketing/Sales

Five Ways to be Better at Handling Difficult Questions
March 9, 2012

When was the last time you had to respond to a criticism about an issue associated with your company or a perceived product defect and you were at a loss for words, realizing your response needed to be carefully phrased?

When All Else Fails, Remember These Five Things
March 7, 2012

As some of you know, I am a big reader. I just devoured “11/22/63” by Stephen King. There was a little snippet in there that got me thinking about simplicity and the fundamentals. The first of these five recommendations I got from the book, the others are my own additions:

Of Sales Objections, McDonald’s and Forrest Gump
March 6, 2012

No one goes into McDonald’s and says, “Surprise me!” There are no surprises. Likewise, you shouldn’t be surprised in a selling situation. You need to have an answer to each common objection. Moreover, it needs to be a strong answer.

Mapping the Customer Journey
March 6, 2012

Our world of print is hyper-competitive. The smallest of mistakes can weigh heavily in a client’s decision on which supplier to partner with for that next job. A couple years ago, I lead a customer journey mapping exercise at SPC to closely examine the hundreds of touchpoints that can make or break the customer experience.

Honesty Is the Best Policy – Especially When Mistakes Are Made
March 2, 2012

Take a shot and ask lost customers for another crack at their printing work. If mistakes were made in the past, acknowledge them and let lost customers know how your company’s services have improved. Your honesty and humility could be the deciding factor in these ex-clients giving you another chance.

New Boss, Same As the Old Boss –Farquharson/Tedesco
March 1, 2012

"My business is terrible. The buying environment is worse now than at any time I can ever remember. I leave messages, but no one is returning my calls. Clients are killing me on price and customer loyalty is a contradiction in terms. If things continue as they are, I will not be able to compete."

Why Equipment Lists Do Matter –Dana
March 1, 2012

Printers, it’s time to pay attention to the lowly equipment list. Admit that it’s much more than a matter-of-fact inventory of your hardware and software. Recognize it for what it is: a legitimate sales tool for key prospects.

Aspirations to Never Give Up –DeWese
March 1, 2012

It’s happened to all of us. While sitting around having a drink with a few people, I start telling a story. The group is laughing their asses off and one of ’em says to me, “You really oughta write a book.”

Lessons in Pricing: The Fallacy of Incremental Volume
February 29, 2012

There are two big problems with the theory of incremental paper volume. Incremental volume is not the lowest-cost business; it’s actually the highest-cost business. If you produce less and use less raw material, you will cut the most expensive production costs, not the least expensive