I just attended a conference (outside the promotional products industry) where I had the chance to speak to business leaders from information technology, sales and marketing. In several roundtables, and of course over cocktails, people would ask what my company does. With some I said, “We sell promotional products, items with logos, such as the…
Read More
Question: Is there some way in QuickBooks to run a report showing the amount of sales from a particular group of customers? Answer: Yes. QuickBooks allows you to define “Types of Customers.” When you open a customer in the Customer Center, click on “Additional Info” on the left side of the screen. There you can…
Read More
Thanksgiving is a time to reflect of on all the things we are thankful for. I’m thankful for my family, my health, my business and the opportunity to have a positive impact on the community around me. Recently, I was blessed to be able to attend the ASI Power Summit, which is a gathering of…
Read More
Paul Bellantone and I walked to dinner after the first day of PPAI’s 2015 Product Responsibility Summit and talked about the same thing we always do: the best concerts we’ve seen recently. (Foo Fighters and the Smashing Pumpkins, for the record.) We also talked about the summit and the state of promotional product safety. Standing…
Read More
Your job is to solve your customers’ problems. Period. That’s all. You need to become a part of their organizations. This is vital if you want to earn the right to charge a little more and be compensated for your expertise. Think of your job as earning a job at your target prospects’ companies. This…
Read More
My team laughs often during a typical day, and I love being around my team. I love working from home as well, but I miss the “fun” at the office. I wasn’t in the office the day before Halloween when my colleagues all dressed like Dan, a colleague who has a bit of a Steve…
Read More
The key difference between big businesses and small businesses is that big businesses are driven by timely accountability. Big businesses have boards of directors/advisers to whom management needs to report. If you want to maximize your results, you need to be accountable. Most small-business owners started their businesses because they wanted independence. I get it.…
Read More
Answer: The safe and easy answer is “nothing.” Some states prohibit surcharges for credit card use, period. Some states permit it but with some complicated qualifiers, like no surcharge on debit cards, surcharge limited to what you actually paid and other such language buried in your merchant service agreement. The regulations are too many, making…
Read More
I am writing this piece on a business trip like I’ve never taken before. In the past, I’ve traveled a bit, presenting education sessions at trade shows and regional associations. I’ve attended amazing conferences, like the PPAI North American Leadership Conference. This year, I’m attending the ASI Power Summit. The relationships that are nurtured and…
Read More
How do you make yourself matter to your customers? How did selling today become such a “soft” touch? How did things like liking, loving, trusting and focusing on the mission become more important than prospecting, qualifying, looking at features and benefits, and closing, closing, closing?
Read More