No One Else Is Gonna! Advocate for Yourself
February 5, 2015

I was feeling a little bit nostalgic today for the way things used to be back in the “old days,” which for me would be the early 90s. Most print shops had sales managers, many even exclusively, meaning their ONLY job was to manage a team of salespeople, and they did not even call on their own accounts. Do you remember those times?

Print: The Elephant in the (Waiting) Room
February 4, 2015

I always go to Direct Tire in Watertown, MA, to have my snow tires mounted. At some point, I realized how chock-full of printed materials their waiting room was. Let me try to recall the incredible amount of printed things I saw.

Parting Words: Retire at 55—I Was Wrong!
February 3, 2015

As of this month, I am 100 percent retired, and this will be my last blog. I can say that I am enjoying this new phase of life, but what is right for one may not be right for another. I'd like to share the following checklist of things to consider when planning retirement at any age.

The Healthy Salesperson Succeeds
February 3, 2015

There is no question that it is extremely difficult to eat healthy and to live a healthy lifestyle. But a Healthy Salesman feels better about himself and that will radiate through his sales approach. In this week's blog, Bill Farquharson explains that there are no downsides to being The Healthy Salesman—except one.

Many 'MINI-ME's
February 2, 2015

Marketing in today environment changes rapidly and it takes an effort to keep up. What if you had many "MINI-YOUs" to help get work done? If you have access to a written system, another person can do a task or process as if YOU were doing it yourself—a veritable MINI YOU!

PR Lessons from Deflate-Gate...You Figure It Out!
January 29, 2015

As a life-long Boston sports fan, I’m loving these two weeks before Super Bowl XLIX! Bring on the controversy baby! The sales growth guy in me strongly believes there’s one massive dark cloud on the NFL’s horizon, but it’s neither deflate-gate nor idiot players.

How to Turn Your Website Into Your Top Sales Rep
January 29, 2015

An effective Website not only sends your customers a message about your business and brand, it can also boost your sales. So what do customers want from your Website and how can you make sure you provide it? Start with these five key areas.

This Branding Suite Makes a Great Impression (Includes Video)
January 28, 2015

This week, PaperSpecsGallery.com features a promotional piece created by Saad Branding+Design to highlight its solutions for creating brands that talk to people. From postcards and brochures to envelopes and stickers, the design team thought of everything and brought it all together coherently.

How to Deal With Your Problem Salespeople
January 28, 2015

Last week’s blog on the Five Problem Salespeople generated a lot of comments on www.piworld.com, as well as e-mails to me, which is always flattering. As I identified just five problem salespeople, I promised (Matt Parker) that this week I would offer up some ideas as to how to mitigate the damage and right the ship. So here it goes.