You can have fun in the sun and learn a little something as well. Some people go to the beach, excited about their summer reading. They cannot wait to get into their latest Tom Clancy, Jodi Picoult, or Stephen King. That’s all good stuff, but when I go to the beach (yeah right!) let’s just […]
That Customer Again!?
Sorry, but I always have customer service on my mind. I read everything about customer service I can get my hands on. To me customer service is what business is all about. Customer service is what the customer wants from us. It is what keeps those customers coming back time after time even after we […]
Some Free Advice
Can I admit to a little frustration? I have a list of what I think are great ideas. Ideas, that could make my clients great, but no matter how much I try I cannot get any of them to try these out. So, the heck with it. I’m going to just give them away to […]
What A Truly Effective Leader Has To Do
In my column last week I talked about what I think it takes to be a great sales manager, and a couple of weeks ago I wrote about what it takes to be a great independent rep. Today, let’s talk about leadership. What kind of leader are you? Are you truly leading the way? Are […]
Your Company’s Message Is More Important Than Ever
In this new world order of being buried by not only traditional advertising on television and print but also by email and social media, it has become more important that you find a way to make your company distinctive. Now more than ever is the time to find a way to make your company stand […]
On Being A Great Sales Manager
The position of sales manager is the most important and yet most underrated position in the company. Just to be straight here by the term” sales manager”, I mean the top sales person in the company, the one who is responsible for managing, measuring and motivating the sales team; the person who is responsible for […]
The Consultative Sale
The best way to sell is the consultative sale. The best way to get people’s attention is to help them solve their problems, give them solutions, and most of all be valuable to them. The mistake that most people make is to blast off about how good their product is without taking into consideration what […]
On Being A Great Independent Rep
This week we are going to talk about what it takes to be a great rep; and what you can do to not only delight your principals but more importantly develop a win/win partnership with them where you both win more business and make more money. First of all: get over it. Yes you’ve been […]
Great Advertising Is Terrifying
Everybody loves daring and creative advertising, but no one seems to have the courage to do it themselves. We all talk about the cool ads we see on television, and billboards that grab our attention, but when it comes to our own advertising we settle for the same old blah, safe, advertising that makes us […]
Don’t lower your prices, raise your value
Don’t lower your price…Raise your value: The Intangibles Anyone can lower their prices, that’s a loser’s game that we in the printed circuit board industry have been playing for years…and look where it has gotten us? There are only 200 shops left in North American because we have all played the lowering the price game […]