How to measure sales correctly – do you use lead or lag targets?
Do you know when a sales goal has gone off course? For many people it’s too late when they discover this. They realize that they are not going to make their figures when it’s too late to do anything about it. They find out that it’s all gone wrong at the end of their sales period. It should not be difficult to work out that things are going wrong. The signs are often visible at an early point in the sales process. The trouble is that many sales people just do not have the tools to see that they are…
#UKvUSA: Stop The Presses!
Two continents: US and UK. Two different buying backgrounds: procurement and agency. Two alternative ways of looking at things. I’m delighted to have teamed up with Deborah Corn from PrintMediaCentr to bring two extremely different views to some important print questions. So welcom e to Print Buying: #UKvUSA where Deborah and I share information about our experiences from both sides of the pond. At the end of this post I have linked to Deborah’s answer to the same question. We wrote our answers (each limited to 500 words) without any idea of what the other was writing. As Deborah says:…
Is buying print difficult? Here’s the brutal truth from someone who tried…
I have some interesting feedback from someone who tried to buy print I recently spoke to David Baldaro from Cross Media Consultancy Ltd. He had been trying to buy print for a couple of projects. He’s a typical buyer that we might encounter today (albeit with a print industry background). His experiences were not what we would hope for. I have shared the thoughts that he sent to me and some lessons that printing companies can take from this.
How do you get a prospect to move their business to your company?
Have you ever made the sale and then lost it straight away? I’ve heard a number of instances recently where sales people have closed the deal with a prospect. But then nothing has happened. The promised business has not appeared. On closer investigation it has turned out that the prospect has got cold feet at the last minute. It’s not that they distrust the sales person. Rather, they are afraid to break up with their old supplier. An essential part of the sales process is to help customers commit
7 ways to benefit from LinkedIn – do you use them all?
Do you make the most of LinkedIn? Many people I know are completely underutilizing this platform. Often, people simply have a profile on the site, connect with a few others and then do no more. This is a shame, as there is so much opportunity to profit from LinkedIn. So here’s a quick checklist of what you should be doing on LinkedIn.
Why printing companies without difference will lose work – and 3 great examples of difference
What happens if you don’t have a difference? Imagine seeing three similar items in a shop. They all look pretty much the same. Which one will you choose? Nearly everyone will choose the cheapest. When it comes to choosing a print supplier, it’s a comparable situation. The majority of printing company sales messages sound pretty much the same these days. It is one of the major reasons why buyers choose so much on price. If you don’t have a difference you will end up in a price war
Why print buyers choose on price – and how to stop them
Have you recently lost a job on price? Perhaps one of your competitors has just won a job from you with their cheaper price. If this is the case, you may not feel particularly kindly towards the buyer. But let’s be fair, the buyer was only doing their job. Buyers are tasked with trying to reduce costs for their companies. The most common way to do this is look for the lowest price possible for a product. But buyers tend to choose on price for one particular type of product
Are your sales declining? Here are 3 quick ways to stop this
Do you plan for sales decline? According to some studies I have heard, printing companies should expect 15-20% of their existing business to drop off every year. But many sales people assume that their key accounts will stay the same or grow. That’s a dangerous assumption! I have worked with a few people recently who have seen a decline in their sales and need to do something about it fast! Here are 3 practical strategies to get some business in quickly.
#UKvUSA – UK v USA: What investments matter to Print Buyers?
Two continents: US and UK. Two different buying backgrounds: procurement and agency. Two alternative ways of looking at things. I’m delighted to have teamed up with Deborah Corn from PrintMediaCentr to bring two extremely different views to some important print questions. So welcom e to Print Buying: #UKvUSA where Deborah and I share information about our experiences from both sides of the pond. At the end of this post I have linked to Deborah’s answer to the same question. We wrote our answers (each limited to 500 words) without any idea of what the other was writing. As Deborah says:…
#UKvUSA – UK v USA: Do print buyers care about social media?
Two continents: US and UK. Two different buying backgrounds: procurement and agency. Two alternative ways of looking at things. I’m delighted to have teamed up with Deborah Corn from PrintMediaCentr to bring two extremely different views to some important print questions. So welcom e to Print Buying: #UKvUSA where Deborah and I share information about our experiences from both sides of the pond. At the end of this post I have linked to Deborah’s answer to the same question. We wrote our answers (each limited to 500 words) without any idea of what the other was writing. As Deborah says:…
