Top Secrets Of Promotional Products Sales

In our last episode, we discussed the fact that you can only really build and sustain a profit-focused business if you are consistently creating exceptional value for your customers. What’s a good gauge for whether or not you’re doing that? Ask yourself this: Are you being paid enough for the time you’re putting in? The […]

Recently I was explaining to our Inner Circle and AIM SmartEQP members about how to maximize their revenue within the 3 areas of customer contact, and more specifically, within the 9 focus areas that ensure profitability. Most distributors don’t even know what the 9 focus areas are, let alone how to maximize them, which gives […]

When your best clients talk to other people about you, what do they say? Do they say you’re creative? Do they say you’re responsive? Do they say you’re excellent at coming up with recommendations that make perfect sense for the objectives they’re trying to reach? What if they’re not saying anything about you at all? […]

One of the most important lessons I’ve ever learned in business, is that just because I’m capable of doing something — either well or poorly — doesn’t mean I should do it. And like most business lessons, I learned this one the hard way. In the early days of my career in the industry, I […]

It’s interesting to me that some people in our industry spend so much time talking about selling, thinking about selling and worrying about selling, that they rarely find the time to actually do any selling! The best salespeople I know are essentially machines when it comes to performing the most important and profitable tasks associated […]

In business and sales, we frequently talk about the importance of persistence. And it can certainly be a valuable trait… but only when we’re doing the right things. When we’re doing the wrong things, persistence can be harmful, detrimental or even deadly. One afternoon a few weeks ago, my wife noticed something strange going on […]

As a professional in our industry, you probably differentiate between your online activities, and your offline activities. You may further differentiate between your personal online activities and your business online activities. Or you may just find the whole thing a gigantic distraction. In any event, today I’d like to talk with you about why you […]

Every day in our lives, there are things that need to be done. Sometimes we feel like doing those things and sometimes we don’t. But one thing’s for certain. If you rely on discipline alone — forcing yourself to do things you don’t feel like doing to get them done — you’re probably making things […]

Most experienced salespeople are at least somewhat familiar with the idea of selling to a client’s needs. So how do you do that when prospects feel like they don’t have a need for promotional products? For decades, business owners and sales managers have encouraged their sales teams to sell to the prospect’s needs. Find a […]

I’ve had quite a few buying experiences recently that have left me feeling frustrated, annoyed and kind of sad. Frustrated that people can be so blasé about business, annoyed that I’ve spent money with people who really don’t seem to appreciate the business I’ve given them, and sad that as a society, we seem to […]

Some salespeople in our industry are very good at what they do, but they don’t get to do enough of it, so they don’t get to sell as much as they could, because they’re afraid of coming across as pushy. And that fear can slow them down or even stop them dead in their tracks. […]

This week, a long time client asked me a question about penetrating large accounts. He was talking about how they’re currently working with one location, trying to penetrate a second and then realizing that there are actually many more locations. So the question is “what’s the best way to penetrate a large account?” Many of […]

“Sales is a numbers game,” they said. “Make more calls and you’ll make more money,” they said. “Keep smilin’ and dialin'” they said. They said a lot of things, but who are they, anyway? Is sales really a numbers game? Will making more calls always increase my sales? Here’s my take on it. Yes, sales […]

It’s the holiday season and this week I stopped by my local Walmart to pick up a few things, and as I was walking in I noticed a Salvation Army volunteer standing in front of the store ringing a bell, encouraging people to drop money into a red bucket. And it made me wonder… how […]

If you’re not accomplishing everything you want in your business or sales career, take a look at your to-do list. If you’re like most people, you’ll find it’s not the things that are on there that create the problems. It’s the things you haven’t been able to get rid of. Many people in business are […]

Last week we discussed the importance of procedures in our sales process and I mentioned the fact that a procedure is a series of steps or actions that are taken in a certain way, in a specific order, to ensure the best possible result. This week, we’ll take a look at some of those actions. […]

When I’m consulting clients, I frequently quote the line “failure is not an option” from the movie Apollo 13. It’s a mindset worth adopting. In this podcast we’ll discuss the importance of procedures in sales and how they lead from failure to success. One Friday night, I was watching Apollo 13 with my kids, and […]

It can be tempting to acquiesce when clients beat us up over price.  However, it’s rarely a good idea to give in. Did you ever have a prospect who really worked you over on price? If you’ve been in this industry for any length of time, you’ve probably had a lot more than one. Fun, […]

Starting out with your strategy for growing sales and profits… When it comes to growing your business, there are strategies and there are tactics. And this question is designed to deal with your strategy. What is your strategy for growing your business? Do you have a strategy for growing your sales and profits? Generally speaking, […]