If you want to become a part of your clients’ team and you want to become more than a vendor, change your approach. Quit being a salesperson and become a key employee.
Read MoreDo You Want That Job?
Category: Uncategorized
My 10-day Digital Detox
My phone normally is with me everywhere, yes even in the bathroom (75 percent of Americans do this) at times. My iPad greets me in the morning with news and some fairly competitive games of Words With Friends. My email greets me with problems to solve. At stoplights, my phone keeps my mind busy so that, God forbid, I just relax.
Read MoreAsk the Accountant
Question: I use the order system in QuickBooks Premier. Why don’t the customer sales order and supplier purchase order appear in my financial statements?
In QuickBooks, the customer sales order and supplier purchase order are “non-posting” information. That means that they are logged in the order portion of the software, but they aren’t posted in your accounting system until:
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Why Is This Important?
I see the industry from many sides, both in my role as publisher of the PPAI-award winning FreePromoTips.com and as a distributor. My perspective is different from most, and that enables me to publish content that is of interest to our industry.
Read More11 Keys to Great Success in Life and Business: Key 4: Start Now
Many people have big dreams and lofty goals. Big dreams and lofty goals are easy. But there is one key ingredient for big dreams and lofty goals to become reality: get started. No one ever accomplished anything without simply getting started. And sometimes the start of some very big things may be very simple.
Read MoreLessons from an Auto Repair Shop
Four years ago, we brought our car into a neighborhood mechanic’s business. It looked pretty typical from the outside—two bays, cinder block building and a NAPA sign and display or two inside. Cliff, the owner, had just moved back to Michigan and had the entrepreneurial spirit.
Read MoreThe Real Reason Industry E-commerce Firms are Growing Faster Than You
By now you have heard the fact that overall industry firms grew at 1 percent, while industry online firms grew at 33 percent. According to PPAI research, “The proportion of online sales compared to total sales in the industry increased by 4 percentage points from 13.6 percent in 2013 to 17.9 percent in 2014.” Wait, you have valuable relationships and great service, yet overall online firms are growing faster than traditional firms? Why is that?
Read MoreAsk the Accountant
Question: I am starting out as an ad specialty distributor. Is it better to set up my books on a cash or accrual basis for tax purposes?
That is a question to be answered by your CPA. As is the case with all tax laws, the answer is not cut and dry, or simple. It is contingent on many factors, such as how your business is structured, the amount of gross annual sales, and whether or not you inventory items.
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Colliding Worlds: Does This Scare You?
In building our PPAI-award winning FreePromoTips.com program into a valuable resource for the industry, we have always made a conscious effort to keep it out of the radar of the non-industry online community. This is a program with content that specifically is focused on the promotional marketing industry.
Read MoreAre You Selling What They Are Buying?
You must remember this: Your customer is not buying a promotional product. They are buying the benefits that promotional products deliver. They are buying the thrill of sharing their company’s brand, image and stories with their audiences. They are buying a gift that will share their values and promises with people they want to have a deeper and stronger relationship with.
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