Canvas Magazine | Mind Games

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March 2012

Mind Games Why you should be thinking about sales – a lot Fun’s Twin Brother No Guts, No Glory So, who are you, really?

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The most effective, successful approach to doing your job is to “Think A Lot.”

Publisher mark potter Marketing Manager brandon clark MANAGING EDITOR

March 2012

P2

Publisher’s Thoughts Fun’s Twin Brother

michael j. pallerino ART DIRECTOR brent cashman

Editorial board chris petro GlobalSoft

P4

Marketing Insights P8

Best of Reflections No Guts, No Glory

tom moe Daily Printing

P10

dean petrulakis Rider Dickerson

Why you should be thinking about sales – a lot

Mind Games

david bennett Bennett Graphics

P16

tony narducci O’Neil Printing

Winning in today’s ever-competitive business climate means defining who you are to your customers. Can you?

So, who are you, really?

CANVAS, Volume 4, Issue 2. Published bi-monthly, copyright 2012 CANVAS, All rights reserved, 2180 Satellite Blvd., Suite 400, Duluth, GA 30097. Please note: The acceptance of advertising or products mentioned by contributing authors does not constitute endorsement by the publisher. Publisher cannot accept responsibility for the correctness of an opinion expressed by contributing authors.

CANVAS P1

Publisher’s thoughts

Fun’s Twin Brother I’m a big believer that parents should not coddle their children, and that pushing them into uncomfortable positions can only make them stronger in the long run. Take my kids’ participation in sports. I have pushed them a little. I have been fairly hard on them. I don’t say that everything they do is fantastic, and I most certainly don’t blame others when my kids don’t succeed.

My challenge is to find the balance between putting them into situations that build character and making sure they enjoy themselves. Many parents talk about having fun and encourage their kids to do so at every practice. And while I appreciate

the idea of play, playing is more fun when accomplishment is put into the mix.

If you think that it’s always supposed to be fun, then there’s a good chance you won’t improve.

And when others improve, I promise you it won’t be as fun anymore.

Being able to stick it out when things get tough won’t be easy for

Fun is being in the middle of a challenge and believing in yourself so much that it’s not a matter of “if” you will accomplish something, but “when.”

those who want to have the fun without the work.

and hard work can buy happiness. The best marriages take a lot of hard work. Many of the greatest companies were built in downturns, where they had to overcome difficult times.

Heck, if you ask a marathon runner how much fun he was having at the 22nd mile, and then ask him how much fun he had at

the finish line, you’ll get two different answers.

Fun is what you enjoy after the show. It could be

The irony is that when you’re in the middle of

that moment you realize you have accomplished

the struggle, you may not see it as fun. But when

something. It could be winning or attaining a per-

you accomplish something, you’ll remember the

sonal best. Fun is being in the middle of a chal-

struggle as the most fun part. If you think work

lenge and believing in yourself so much that it’s

doesn’t lead to anything else, then you’re wrong.

not a matter of “if” you will accomplish some-

We have fun at the things we’re good at doing.

thing, but “when.” It is celebrating a goal with

And we’re good at the things we have worked at.

your teammates. It is two associates who slap an

Why not take time to work at selling in this new

awkward high-five after closing a deal. Fun is a

landscape? As Dave Kahle talks about in his ar-

man and woman enjoying a cocktail on their vaca-

ticle, “Mind Games,” take time to work hard at

tion because they know they deserve it.

thinking more. Or, as Ron Strauss does a remark-

Fun comes from work. Think of the most fun

able job of telling us in our cover story, “So, Who

thing in your life? Why is it fun? I’d say it’s fun

Are You Really?” – take time to invest in change.

because it came from work. In other words, I believe work is fun’s twin brother. I simply don’t

Work hard at it. It’ll be fun.

think they could exist without each other.

For example, take the idea of going on vacation.

Warmest regards,

While the actual time at the beach or sightseeing is fun, these moments would never exist without work. Many say that money can’t buy you happiness. Well, that may be true. But I believe investment

P2

CANVAS March 2012

Mark Potter, Publisher

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marketing insights Mommy really does know best If you’re looking for supportive facts and figures about the power of QR codes, ask mom. No, really, ask your mom. According to the “2011 Shopping Rituals of the American Mom” study by online parenting social media site Baby Center and comScore, moms are more willing to use QR codes to save money on even low-ticket items, with 71 percent scanning a barcode to save under $5 (49 percent higher than the general population). Other findings show that 62 percent of surveyed moms have used a barcode scanner app on their mobile device to find deals (29 percent higher than everybody else); 40 percent have shopped via a smartphone app (60 percent higher than all); and 74 percent have or would scan a QR code at a grocery store to save money.

The tablets have it So, how does the new generation like to read its digital magazines? According to a recent report by GfK MRI, 71 percent of tablet owners like reading digital magazines on their devices. The study found that 18-to-34 yearold males skewed the highest at 85 percent, while women in the same age range clocked in at

That’s what he said … “ The more codes that are in a single publication, the higher the scan rate for the single publication. We have found this again and again. People get trained once, and they have their phones out, and it becomes part of the process.”

– Roger Matus, executive VP of Nellymoser, on the increasing number of QR codes in publications

The mobile marketers have it

78 percent. In terms of how tablet

How about some good old-fashioned marketing wars – mobile style?

owners read magazines, the most

According to the AT&T Mobile Barcode Marketing Survey, mobile

popular way is apps (65 percent).

marketing will be a strategic part of all marketing strategies in 2012.

In addition, 47 percent of tablet

Among the leading strategies being deployed are mobile apps

owners accessed magazine con-

(43 percent) and mobile barcodes (41 percent). The study’s key find-

tent through the publication’s

ings show that one out of two (52 percent) executives currently use

website, while 37 percent read a

mobile marketing as part of their overall marketing strategy; 55 per-

digital reproduction of the maga-

cent of marketers who do not have a mobile strategy this year plan

zine. The study was conducted

to implement one in 2012; nearly nine out of 10 (88 percent) expect

by GfK MRI’s iPanel, a survey

their mobile marketing program to increase in 2012; half (51 percent)

group composed exclusively of

still are trailing mobile marketing; and 46 percent say it is an integral

tablet and e-reader owners.

aspect of select marketing initiatives.

The dollar amount, in billions, that online spending will hit in 2012, according to a recent study by eMarketer. The study shows that the bulk of U.S. online ad spending will appear in a select few formats, with about 80 percent allocated to search, banners and video advertising. eMarketer estimates that search marketing ad expenditures will include 49.4 percent of total online spending this year, with banners commanding 23.4 percent of the total and video ads increasing to 9.8 percent. Projections show that relative proportions will remain stable through 2016.

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CANVAS March 2012

marketing insights The case for paper in a digital world When it comes to finding out how people like to get their information, it all depends on whom you ask. According to a recent survey commissioned by Two Sides, a non-profit organization that promotes the responsible production, use and sustainability of print and paper, more of today’s Americans prefer paper-based media to digital. The study shows that 70 percent of Americans, including 69 percent of 18- to 24-year-olds, say they “prefer to read print and paper communications than

Online ad spending vs. print – The battle rages on Quick: Where are you going to place your next ad? If you said online, give yourself, well, an ad. According to a recent study by eMarketer Inc., U.S. on-

reading off a screen,” while 67 percent find it

line

more pleasant to handle and touch.

spending is ex-

And when it comes to sustainability, while

pected to grow

96 percent of survey respondents said they believe recyclability is a sign of environmentally responsible products, most significantly underestimated the amount of U.S. paper that’s actually recycled each year. American Forest and Paper Association data show that more than 63 percent of all

advertising

an additional 23.3 percent (to $39.5 billion) in 2012. The surge would push it ahead of print newspaper and

paper used in the United States in 2010 was recycled. That figure

magazine ad spending for the

is more than any other commodity (think plastic, glass and met-

first time. The good news is

als), according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The

that, despite a chaotic economic

industry has set a goal to exceed 70 percent of all paper recov-

climate, total ad expenditures are

ered for recycling by 2020.

expected to grow by 6.7 per-

4,468

cent this year (to $169.5 billion), The number of mobile action codes

the study reported. Some of the

(including 2D barcodes, QR codes,

bump can be attributed to the

Microsoft Tags and watermarks)

heavily anticipated national elec-

that were printed in the top 100 U.S.

tions and summer Olympics in

magazines in 2011, according to the 2011 Mobile Action Codes in Magazine Advertising study conducted by Nellymoser. The study, which was limited to national titles readily available on newsstands, also shows a relatively steady increase in the percentage of ad pages containing at least one code.

London. In 2011, overall ad expenditures grew 3.4 percent, to $158.9 billion.

She said it… “ People need to understand what [Facebook] can do for a brand and what it can’t do. Facebook doesn’t really differ from mass media. It’s great to get decent reach, but to change the way people interact with a brand overnight is just unrealistic.”

– Karen Nelson-Field, senior research associate for Ehrenberg-Bass Institute, on the fact that a small percentage of people engaged with the brand actually interact with via social media sites P6

CANVAS March 2012

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ry o l G o ,N s t u G No

isn’t my gut t a h t it n it ly adm w, whe , I f re e o id N a . s ’t t n y. Tha ns e it does d of gu real se times in a e k t m l” e o e g s g u t fe I c an lse. works; I’m a “ curate. body e c imes it e t a e m y o t m t s o e and b e p re s not right. S we e n m u t c an ar t w a t always g e e h b y y y m r m t ple, De hemis ew in to peo st him. ho I k n is any c u w e r r t y e co m e s ’t u h t n g t with a just did r o r no w as a f, but I usiness t say it w h et h e f s b t o u ju e o id ’s b d m t a ped go, I hip. Le years a what tip lations e ly r t s c s a A few e x e r busin le do n’t say s p eop r s ue o u I could le u a . p s y h o t t d r o d situat r u s t wo that go decide fit the ar g u e , I still o g y t n e y li h t k T li . a is in inate p er s o n f stor y. spite th discrim t their ’t – e nd o s n s ju ig e d g o a d er m u have ey just siness shor t-t that th say bu think yo d o le n ls p a a o I , e , n s p ne you they ca onalitie S o me someo of pers h anyone y it t h w ie it r s s a w ss busine hat. . with a v busine ionship s o m ew s, doing engage d e r ld e o r u w g o le relat r a h e b s is es h a t d d in o n I a a . t r ser vic can tion , sus ext. In u u t m o o n r y y o e t c e e t v g belie e. n’t valu the righ ot a lon While I e does rspec tiv w it’s n h ships in e o n t p n a k io r t h t e u la p r o ome re r thy, o its pro ng as y s. It to put s hip in trustwo hip end y – as lo s s a n ’t k n n io o io t is t is la la e el with person t the r n the re don’t g ou this ust pu in whe y a m s p ll s u e s o t y le gut . We there’s y, then If your y keep -term, t deliver e r h r o t o h r. y s e n e t pric not ship as ly mat compa beyond by the that tru relation if you’re s , s a o n e e S lv io n . t e fi s s c n e ou de e them ears. decisio e conn When y disapp lective le defin s on th e p u ip s o c h e e s o f k p n a o you t where e relatio ing to m other allows an age efore th re start e s t he b a in o s e g e u v it f im li t t o we s most atter of r ve. Bu loyee Today, you se h mean nt emp only a m s ic e t h ’s e ig it w k il r , , d s a n oice t he m ve in a perso a m o re have ch rself by o belie ter, be ed with u h t t o c e w y e b n g le b n p in ly co your jo n and t defin e; peo sincere passio t to do t ab o u you lik n e t lo a a le a w e p r u d o c e ith pe it. If yo es that I’ve talk iness w are o n n’t fake s a u e c s b e u h o o d o. Y eper. T “shor tneral, way, to t go de re the r in ge a a h ie t e p s s p e a h tionship gut. Th be the and b e ss will the rela st your e in e . in r a p le a g p b a e a a es your h hat go sustain you. Th you. ships t ss and n e m o re e r io in a t s way as d u la e n e b r a r m , e a u y s v o g a y e ne r ould h s. But feel the and sh ionship ink and t n h la a t c e r o u h ” Yo ople w hts-on -the-lig with pe p s e ip e h k s n term g relatio buildin f o lt u res is. e on t h Trust m ards, st Reg Warme

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MIND GAMES Why you should be thinking about sales – a lot

I

By Dave Kahle

t will be another difficult year for a lot of sales people. The world continues to change.

Every headline today includes information that seems to impact your business in a significant way. The competition is more active; customers are more discriminating, and nobody has enough time.

There was a time, just a few years ago, when

it was easier. You could work hard for a while, and then relax and enjoy the fruits of your labor. Your customers were buying from you consistently. You had your job figured out, and you were approaching a point where life was becoming easy.

CANVAS P11

Mind Games

The most effective, successful approach to doing your job is to “Think A Lot.” But that’s no longer the case. Your

job. Anybody can go through the motions. You visit

company is being pressured to re-

the customers you’re most comfortable with. You

duce costs and become more pro-

provide quotes for the products they ask about. You

ductive. Today, the bottom line is

grumble about paperwork. And you complain about

that you must be more productive

price competition.

than ever before. Your performance,

That’s easy. Unfortunately, it’s also a prescription for

no matter how good it is, will not be

failure. Today’s world is changing too rapidly for you to

sufficient enough tomorrow.

mindlessly go about your job. Your customers are chang-

So, how do you dramatically in-

ing, products and vendors are evolving and adapting,

crease your results? My advice:

and new competitors and technologies are springing up

THINK A LOT.

everywhere. If you are doing things mindlessly, it won’t

I’m not suggesting you spend your time

be long before you’re outdated and ineffective.

daydreaming or pon-

On one hand, you must im-

dering the meaning of

prove your productivity to keep

life. I’m not proposing

up with the pressures heaped

you do a crossword

upon your company. On the

puzzle or memorize all

other hand, you must avoid suc-

of your relatives’ birth-

cumbing to the temptation to

days. While all of those

fall into a rut (see doing your

exercises will help you

job mindlessly.)

think more, they’re not

The most effective, successful

the kind of thinking

approach to doing your job is to

I’m advocating.

“Think A Lot.” Here are the three

I want you to use your mind – your greatest

most important things you should think about.

single resource – to focus on specific portions

1. Think about your customers –

of your job. That means

Ask yourself a series of questions

thinking about certain

about your customers. As you

things in certain ways –

develop the answers, write them

and doing a lot of it.

down in your account folders, and

It’s easy to mindlessly roll through your

P12 CANVAS March 2012

then repeat the process a few months later. Ask yourself:

Have you moved or changed jobs?

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Mind Games

»»

What’s changing for

»»

this customer?

»»

What does he want to

What can I do to help

»» What progress have I made

him meet his goal?

»»

accomplish this year?

What is the competition

the past few months?

»»

doing for this account?

What can I do now to increase my sales with this account?

Thinking about these questions

If you examine it, you might find that everything else you

keeps you abreast of what’s chang-

do can be done by somebody else. Anybody can accept

ing with your accounts, insulated

orders, train end users, check on back-orders, etc. The only

from the tendency to get “mind-

thing you do that no one else does is call on your customers

less,” and provides you with a meth-

face-to-face. That eyeball-to-eyeball interaction probably is

od to uncover lucrative opportuni-

the most important part of your job.

ties within each account.

Believe it or not, most studies estimate that the average salesperson only spends about 25 percent of his time face-

2. Think about each sales call –

to-face with his customers. The sobering reality is that you

Face-to-face contact with your cus-

most likely spend very little time visiting with key customers.

tomers is what sets your job apart

So, shouldn’t you invest more time and energy planning

from everyone else’s in your com-

for those face-to-face meetings with your customers?

pany. This is the value you bring to

Before you make that next sales call, ask yourself the

your company.

following questions:

»»

What do I want to

»»

accomplish?

»»

What forces may

What value am I

»»

bringing him?

»»

Exactly what am I

influence my customer’s

going to ask, say or

behavior today?

communicate?

What can I do to understand him better?

»»

What can I do to deepen the relationship?

Going through this disciplined approach to “thinking about your sales calls” will be the single most effective thing you can do to improve your productivity.

3. Think about continuously improving yourself – First, commit to the challenge of continuous improvement.

Don’t be satisfied with the way things are. Don’t rest on your results. Think about everything you do, and examine ways to improve and deliver more value.

P14 CANVAS March 2012

Challenge and question ever ything you do. Is this the best way to write up a quote? Which account is most wor thy of a visit? Should I really spend my time promoting said product, or is there another one I should be promoting? Which customer should I take to lunch? Is this the best way to file my old quotes, keep track of customer contacts, and file product literature?

Are you getting the picture? Never rest. Continually strive to improve every aspect of your job. Question everything. Think a lot.

In the end, thinking a lot will be the key ingredient to your continuous, life-long improvement.

And there’s more …

You can find insight into this topic – and more – in Dave Kahle’s Sales Resource Center, which houses 435 training programs designed to help you live more successfully and sell better. All material is delivered online 24/7, for one low monthly fee.

About the Author Dave Kahle has trained tens of thousands of distributor and B2B sales people and sales managers to be more effective in the 21st Century economy. He has authored nine books, and presented in 47 states and eight countries. Sign up for his weekly Ezine. For a limited time, you can purchase his latest book, “How to Sell Anything to Anyone Anytime,” and receive $534 in FREE bonuses.

By Ron Strauss

Winning in today’s ever-competitive business climate means defining who you are to your customers. Can you?

P16 CANVAS March 2012

T

he Great Recession. The shift to digital technology.

The rise of online advertising and social media.

There are many developments in the macro economy that have disrupted the printing services industry’s “business as usual” mentality. Well, guess what? That “new normal,” as some call it, is here to stay.

“So what?!?,” you say.

So, who are you, really?

No single printing company can

differentiate their print product offering by wrapping cus-

change the overall environment in

tomized services around it. They examine the changing

which it operates. Instead of focus-

marketplace and adapt by creating more “value added”

ing on the macro-economic environ-

service offerings.

ment, why not focus on the things

They do this by listening to – and working more closely

you can and do control? Among

with – their key customers. They identify their core competencies and who

the things you can control is how you view your business

can most benefit from them, and

and its future.

align their strengths with their

When you’re asked, “What

customers’ needs. They also

business are you in?” how

examine the various activities

do you answer?

they engage in with custom-

If you respond, “I’m in the

ers and eliminate the ones

printing business,” you have

that don’t add value, thereby

a problem. You are, in effect,

cutting costs and emphasiz-

saying, “I’m in the business of

ing activities that add value – and charge for them.

The leaders of the company or business must have a sense of urgency and act upon it. They must understand the value of having a “competitive edge” and support the journey to acquire one.

In essence, they become more of a marketing company than a product company. They stop trying to be all things to all people and understand that not every customer is of equal value.

They become more selective in aligning their company’s product and service offerings to selected customers’ needs. They make sure that

providing an undifferentiated, com-

sales and marketing talk to each other, and that they

modity product.” You might as well

offer an integrated solution.

sell printing by the ton.

The sad truth is that there only is so much room for “low-cost” providers

This is called a marketing approach. In today’s world, while necessary, it’s not sufficient enough to meet the challenges of the “new normal.”

in any industry or industry segment –

For example, Kodak answered the “What business are

with few winners and many losers in

you in?” question by saying, “We’re in the film business.”

the race to achieve maximum econo-

When technological and other changes made film less

mies of scope and scale.

relevant, Kodak and the film industry had a problem. Kodak and others made the mistake of focusing on produc-

Survival of the Fittest: The marketing company

ing and marketing film products, rather than looking at

Fortunately, many companies in the

about film per se; they cared about capturing memories

industry realize they must clearly

and sharing the stories of their lives.

P18 CANVAS March 2012

the real value they provided. Their customers didn’t care

The companies that will flourish despite macro-economic conditions will be those who answer the question “What business are you in?” by saying, “We’re in the business of providing our customers a competitive edge.”

The lesson is that smart marketing is about providing value as your customers define it. Even better, smart

more than a snappy saying. It’s a way of thinking, being and doing.

marketing is about providing value as you and your

It’s similar to the marketing ap-

customers define it together. It’s all about keeping your

proach, only instead of focusing on

company relevant to your customers’ needs. And in an

your customers, you also examine

age where information is readily available, where there

your customers’ customers and the

are few trade secrets, where the customer is in charge,

value creation network they belong

new thinking is necessary.

to. While this sounds simple, you must understand your customers’

Getting to the Next Level: The Competitive Edge

value creation network, the key stake-

The companies that will flourish despite macro-economic

destroyed within that network, and

conditions will be those who answer the question “What

the potential ways in which your com-

business are you in?” by saying, “We’re in the business

pany’s business model and offering

of providing our customers a competitive edge.” This is

positively can impact value creation.

holders, how value is created and

So, who are you, really?

Creating a “competitive edge” requires an understanding of: 1. Incremental versus disruptive thinking – You may discover ways to improve your current competitive posture with existing customers. Or, you may discover there are new opportunities that require a new offering based on a new business model.

2. Becoming a “learning” organization – If you keep seeing the same information and feedback, you’ll keep doing the same things. You must step outside of your comfort zone and ask new questions of new audiences, and see the world with new eyes. How else will you learn, share and adapt?

3. Changing things up – Go from cost-based accounting and pricing that’s focused on profit maximization for your firm, to how costs are incurred to create offerings that can be priced profitably given their value to customers. This is opposite of how most firms develop pricing, and is an adaptive, dynamic process.

4. Risk versus reward – In established companies, new lines of business are viewed as inherently risky, because established lines of business have “known” risks and returns. This is a flawed way of thinking that inhibits change, innovation and growth. “Suspend” hurdle rates/IRRs (Internal Rate of Returns) for new initiatives until they can get traction or they’ll be dead before they arrive.

5. Brand value creation – How will your firm position enhance new service offerings? How will you organize and communicate these new offerings internally? How will you measure progress? How will the new service offerings create free cash flows and economic value, and how will that, in turn, impact enterprise value? How will you measure and track value creation?

What’s the best way to start?

Each initiative requires different skills People invested in the current operations are the best

This is a leadership issue. The lead-

to staff the incremental improvement efforts. The new

ers of the company or business must

initiative would be best staffed by people inside the

have a sense of urgency and act upon

company who are most vocal about the need for change

it. They must understand the value

and the challenges of trends to the business. You also

of having a “competitive edge” and

will find success from stakeholders outside the company

support the journey to acquire one.

– ones who can bring an “outside-in” point of view. All

Create two separate initiatives.

of these participants must have “vision,” or the ability to

One focused on current product and

see things the way they could be, not just the way they

service offerings, and how to im-

are. This is a rare skill.

prove their competitive posture. An-

Ultimately, the leaders of the business must make the case

other initiative focused on creating

for developing “a competitive edge.” Even if the platform

new offerings based on new infor-

is not burning, but only smoking. Remember, change takes

mation and insight. Most companies

time, energy and resources. It doesn’t happen overnight.

have the former initiative in place.

Few have the latter in place.

The cost of not engaging in change and innovation is the greatest cost of all.

Ron Strauss is Founder and Senior Executive Officer of Brandzone LLC, an Atlanta-based brandguidance firm. He also is co-author of “Value Creation: The Power of Brand Equity.” Strauss works with CEOs and their staffs in deploying the unique power of brands to motivate employees, suppliers, customers and other network partners to create meaning and purpose for all, sustainable competitive advantage, and economic value-added outcomes.

P20 CANVAS March 2012

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