Business Management - Marketing/Sales

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:

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.

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.

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.

Life is busy. Sometimes life gets CRAZY busy. When that happens, you need special guidance. That’s what this week’s Short Attention Span Webinar is all about.

"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."

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.

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.”

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

A couple years ago, I was in Vancouver sitting with my friend Andre when he asked me to define the difference between a sales manager and a sales coach. I had never before thought about that question.