Canvas Magazine | Top of Mind: Front and Center

P4 Fully Capable P6 Words of Wisdom

CANVAS DevelOping high achieveMenT in prinT sales

P12 The Relay Race P16 Print in the Mix P19 Product Spotlight P28 Multi-Media P34 960 Moments of Pride P40 Book Recommendation: Made To Stick

OcTOber 2008

Top Of Mind

Front And Center

Staying at the top of a client’s mind is critical to a salesperson’s success.

Canvas gives you tips from industry experts

october 2008

P2

Publisher’s Thoughts “Stop Calling Me”

P4

Fully Capable Are your customers maximizing their software to create more products, or waiting around for the next new release?

P6

Words of Wisdom Lessons that shaped lives, careers of print industry veterans

P12

The Relay Race Print is still a potent player in reaching customers in the information age. Here is where it works best.

P16

Print in the Mix Fast Facts P19

Product Spotlight Unisource Yupo

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Top Of Mind: Front And Center Staying at the top of a client’s mind is critical to a salesperson’s success.

With these can’t-miss tips from industry experts, you can make sure you achieve this lofty status.

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Multi-Media Making integrated marketing work for you and your customers.

P34

960 Moments of PRIDE

Publisher

Editorial board

mark potter

lisa arsenault

aaron grohs

MANAGING EDITOR

McArdle Printing Co.

Consolidated Graphics, Inc.

gary cone

ron lanio

Litho Craft, Inc.

Geographics, Inc.

CONTRIBUTORS

peter douglas

randy parkes

Steven Amiel, Daniel Dejan

Lake County Press

Lithographix, Inc.

graham garrison

ART DIRECTOR brent cashman

Steps that will make you famous in a slow economy.

P40

Made To Stick CANVAS magazine FOR MORE INFORMATION: 678.473.6131 6555 Sugarloaf Parkway Duluth, GA 30097

CANVAS, Volume 2, Issue 5. Published bi-monthly, copyright 2008 CANVAS, All rights reserved. Subscriptions: $29.00 per year for individuals; issues are sent free of charge to print representatives. If you would like to subscribe or notify us of address changes, please contact us at 6555 Sugarloaf Parkway, Suite 307, Duluth, Georgia 30097. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to CANVAS, 6555 Sugarloaf Parkway, Suite 307, Duluth, Georgia 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 magazine is dedicated to environmentally and socially responsible operations. We are proud to print this magazine on Sappi Opus® Dull Cover 80lb/216gsm and Opus Dull Text 80lb/118gsm, an industry leading environmentally responsible paper. Opus contains 10% post consumer waste and FSC chain of custody certification.

CANVAS

P1

‘Stop Calling Me’

W

What is it with customers? Why don’t they take our calls and spend the time to hear about all the fabulous stuff we have to offer? We call, we write, we dress up in ape suits and deliver flowers and they still don’t have

CANVAS

time to see us. Do they dislike us? Are they so busy doing mind blowing things that will save the world?

I believe the hard truth is that they are busy and they are trying to save “their” world. We are living

and working in a world of insecurity. People don’t want to lose their job and they are very focused on pleasing their boss, while not rocking the boat. So, it isn’t that they dislike us. But they certainly don’t have spare time for us to make small talk or shoot the breeze. In turn, they may not be interested in

Publisher’s thoughts

anything that resembles change because it screams of risk.

I know what you are thinking. Risk is good. Investment in new ideas is good. If I could get in there to

see them, I could brainstorm with the customer, save them some money, and catapult their company to new heights. Not gonna happen.

Based on the elusiveness of customers, we need to determine how to stay “top of mind” and build relationships without sales calls.

As our book recommendation, Made to Stick, points out, in order to set you and your ideas apart, you need to keep it simple and get to the core of their needs, while simultaneously surprising them. In other words, get to the point but raise an eyebrow or two.

Based on the elusiveness of customers, we need to determine how to stay “top of mind” and build relationships without sales calls. In today’s word, the cost of a sales call is skyrocketing, so we actually have to embrace new ways to position ourselves and our company. Now don’t get me wrong, I believe there is no substitute for a face to face meeting, but maybe we don’t need as many of them within the sales cycle. Maybe we can leave the gorilla suit at home and send them something that strikes at the core of their needs and doesn’t “monkey” around with their time.

One of the articles in this edition of CANVAS asked several industry stalwarts about the best advice they have ever received. When times are challenging, you need to remember the things that are truly important. Things that maybe a mentor or parent told you a long time ago. Things you can return to when a little doubt creeps in or when that customer won’t let you in the door.

I’ll be honest. I cannot think of the single best advice I’ve ever been given because there have been so many great influencers in my life. But, I have been lucky to have great teachers and read some compelling books over time. And being “different” ranks right up there with best advice that I could possibly receive.

So, be different and save your customer’s world.

Mark Potter Publisher

P2

CANVAS october 2008

X-Ray Vision

Fully Capable Are your customers maximizing their software to create more products, or waiting around for the next new release?

by Cyndie Shaffstall

T

Typically, the software trend goes something like this: designers design, printers print, and distribution businesses sell software. Typically. However, throw in the announcement of a major revision and the entire system goes to hell.

Sometimes customers stop buying software. It starts to feel as though the entire

industry is about to dry up and blow away, and then the spell passes. In the early years (’80s and early ’90s) it happened with less frequency. These days, the trend happens far too often. In fact, considering the release cycle of the major players, it’s happening about every six months.

Whenever Quark or Adobe announce an impending revision, customers become timid

about investing in extensions, adding more seats, and upgrading in general. In their Cyndie Shaffstall is editor and

mind, they should wait for the new version. There are lots of reasons for this. They may

publisher of X-Ray Magazine.

believe that the new version will have long-awaited features, and if they buy now, they

She has authored or co-authored

may have to shell out more cash for an upgrade later. They may be dependent upon

nearly a dozen books on

XTensions or Plug-ins and, if so, will have to wait for those to be revisioned as well. Worse

computer software, and self-

still, it may not be enough to wait for the release — they may wait well beyond the release

published her first, QuarkXPress:

to get community feedback. If they wait long enough, the next version will come along —

Making the Most of Your

and they can start the waiting game all over again. So, while Quark and Adobe are doing

Negative Experiences.

About ThePowerXChange

well, those on the periphery are trying to navigate the peaks and valleys.

Using what you’ve got

and X-Ray Magazine

As software features are enhanced or announced, designers are driven to try new

X-Ray Magazine

things, explore, test their creativity. When they do, they print. As someone who sells

(www.xraymag.com) touches

print, you may want to keep your ear to the ground and get a good feel for the features

on a wide variety of topics that

of the applications your customers use. You can encourage printing by understanding

are of interest to the designer,

features, recommending XTensions and Plug-ins, and providing complimentary train-

press, prepress, publishing,

ing. Encourage your customers to test alpha-channel support within their publishing

and web-content creator

application so that they can add a spot bump vanish. Familiarize yourself with products

professional. It is a publication

such as RealVue 3D that enables designers to show their customers beautiful interac-

of ThePowerXChange, LLC

tive mock-ups that will have their customer drooling over a six-color brochure with a

(www.thepowerxchange.com),

gate fold and pull out.

which distributes thousands

Ten years ago, the only designers using transparency were the Photoshop users.

of extensions-based products

Three years ago, it was the must-have feature, and now everyone’s got it. Designers in

used with applications such

every segment of the industry want to design something with beautiful layered trans-

as QuarkXPress, Photoshop,

parencies and they want to see it in print. By understanding an application’s features

Illustrator, and Acrobat, as well

and promoting them to your customers, you will sell print — even when customers are

as many stand-alone applications

in a holding pattern for additional software investments.

for the designer, publisher,

It’s widely accepted that most people only use about 10 percent of their applica-

printer, and web-content creator.

tions’ capabilities. Helping your customers to understand features they already have will inspire them and instead of waiting to create with something that may be released, designers will design, printers will print, and software companies will sell software.

Software companies will buy more print. Added bonus.

P4

CANVAS october 2008

Lessons that shaped lives, careers of print industry veterans

T

homas Edison is credited with 1,093 patented inventions. He’s got almost as many of his quotes framed or written on the desk of today’s inventors, entrepreneurs, idealists, market movers and thought leaders. These men and women almost always go back to the words

of Edison or someone like him to find inspiration and direction.

Any why not? It’s the words of wisdom accumulated early in life or

a career that usually shape your direction. CANVAS recently spoke to a handful of industry vets to see what words have inspired them, what gets them moving in the morning, what things do they aspire to? Their answers may help you find a little motivation.

P6

CANVAS october 2008

Famous Edison quotes: “My principal business consists of giving commercial value to the brilliant, but misdirected, ideas of others.... Accordingly, I never pick up an item without thinking of how I might improve it” “Just because something doesn’t do what you planned it to do in the first place doesn’t mean it’s useless....”

“The only time I really become discouraged is when I think of all the things I would like to do and the little time I have in which to do them”

CANVAS

P7

Words of Wisdom

School is in Session Paul Castain Vice President, Sales Development Consolidated Graphics

O

n Paul Castain’s first day of work, a certain sales mentor laid down the gauntlet almost immediately.

“He handed me a blank steno book and told me school was in session,”

says Castain.

His sales mentor was his father, and Lesson No. 1 was simple but power-

ful – all selling is problem solving.

“I have to admit that while I agreed with the statement, it

“When we look at what we do as helping our customers get what they ultimately want, we’ve moved far beyond another, ink on paper rep, and ascend to the status of being a true consultant.”

might have seemed a tad simplistic to me at the time,” says Castain, VP, sales development, for Consolidated Graphics.

“I think like many other salespeople – I was too busy looking for ‘the answer’ or ‘the piece of advice’. Finally (and don’t tell my dad) I may have been guilty of what many salespeople are guilty of, and that’s dismissing something that we have quickly labeled as ‘Sales 101.’“ Castain says print sales reps should take the time to decipher if the advice they receive is simply Sales 101, or something more. Oftentimes they may be missing out on some

great direction. It took a few years for Castain to embrace the lesson, but he did, and soon thereafter built a successful career around it.

“I apply the concept as follows,” he says. “All businesses have things they are driven toward: more sales, more profit, better market share, better image, happy customers, happy shareholders, happy employees, employee retention and so on. At the same time, there are things that their buyers lose sleep over, [such as] deadlines, quality, internal customers, poor communication with their vendors, the buying experience, managing multiple relationships, etc. When we look at what we do as helping our customers get what they ultimately want, we’ve moved far beyond another, ink on paper rep, and ascend to the status of being a true consultant.”

Wait for It

E

arly in Don Claiborne’s career, a senior general manger required that he and other reps take a Sales 101 type course from Mendel Segal, a noted author and expert on print sales. What Claiborne soon discovered was that Segal’s methods went against the grain.

“You don’t expect to make a sale in the initial contact with

prospects,” Claiborne says was the central theme of the course.

Rather, the initial contact was for prospecting only, usually with a formal questionnaire. It wasn’t until the second or third contact that reps would get down to closing the sale. For Claiborne, it took a bit of an adjustment period, but eventual paid off in a big way.

“Prior to that, I typically would make calls and cold calls, and if I didn’t come away with some type of commitment to continue communications, I was always disappointed,” he says. “This method taught me to not be disappointed. You weren’t there to get a reaction. You were there to qualify that prospect as being just that – a prospect.”

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CANVAS october 2008

“I typically would make calls and cold calls, and if I didn’t come away with some type of commitment Don Claiborne to continue Account Executive communications, Morrison Printing I was always disappointed.”

Your Name Says it All

G

ina Deschamps always looked up to her grandfather. An engineer for General Electric at its corporate headquarters, something he said to Deschamps early struck a chord and stayed with her through the years.

“The best piece of advice

that I have ever been given was by my grandfather,” she says. “Simply stated, he taught me that the only thing we truly own in our lifetime is our name. It’s the only thing that we enter and leave this world with, so you best be sure that you take care to do the right thing – always!

The lesson has taken somewhat of a literal context for Deschamps. What she does affects her company, and her company’s name is her

“So ‘walking the talk’ has become a way of life for me personally.”

Gina Deschamps

own. Deschamps Printing Company, Inc., is a mid-size printer based in Salem, Mass., that offers both offset and digital printing services. It employs 35 craftspeople. Deschamps is the treasurer/business development manager.

Treasurer/Business Development Manager Deschamps Printing Company, Inc.

“So ‘walking the talk’ has become a way of life for me personally, so much so, that my grandfather would most likely think that I took his advice to heart,” she says. “Your name says it all!”

The Goal Setter

A

ngie Tiller learned from an early age that setting goals is the stuff successful careers, and meaningful living, is made of.

Growing up in the Midwest, Tiller participated in 4H, a program for kids from ages 8 to 18 years old that promoted things such as community service and public speaking. It also pro-

moted goal setting.

Angie Tiller Vice President, Sales Manager Original Smith Printing

“Clearly specify your goals – for the short term and for the long term. I’ll have weekly goals, monthly goals, yearly goals, and then I usually have a 5- to 10-year goal for myself.”

“You can’t just wing it and do your project or activity,” she says. “You have to set specific goals and what you want to achieve and how you are going to get there.”

Tiller, VP and sales manager for OSP, says she’s taken that nugget of truth and applied it throughout her career. She says that goal setting allows you to look up from your work and take stock of where you’re at, and where you want to be.

“In the midst of the day-to-day we can very easily get pulled in different directions,” she says. “Clearly specify your goals – for the short term and for the long term. I’ll have weekly goals, monthly goals, yearly goals, and then I usually have a 5- to

10-year goal for myself. Usually that is a combination of personal and business.

Goal setting helps you keep direction.”

CANVAS

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Words of Wisdom

The Diner Mentality

G

ene Toepfer started on the opposite end of the sales transaction – the buyer. “This prepared my career with the solid personal understanding and appreciation of the difference between outstanding salespeople and other ones,” he says. “Great ones really want to help a buyer reach as many of their needs as possible

and those others only cared about the commissions.”

Gene Toepfer Marketing/Sales Consultant Sales Directors

“Too often we expect our client to have our menu memorized when they don’t, heck seldom offer them our services when they need more!”

An early mentor gave him a little “nugget of wisdom” that has defined his relationship with customers.

“Never get caught selling … if you can help people (save them time, remove the worry or improve the value of the project) you will be rewarded with income,” he says. “Too often I have worked with very good salespeople who sell, and sell hard, but seldom care about the people they are there to help.”

Toepfer compares the services a printer offers to a lot like the way a restaurant is run.

“Both have menus of stuff, both have multiple touch points that greatly impact the customer,” he says. “Think about the great dinner, the personal thank you from the waiter and hostess as you left. How many times do we do that to our best clients?

Too often we expect our client to have our menu memorized when they don’t-heck, seldom do we offer them our services when they need more! Some times we don’t even thank them for the business or treat them as a guest. Would you go back to a restaurant when people ignore you even if the “quality” is good?”

Focus

J

erry Wick stayed busy. During the summers of his youth, while most neighborhood kids had more time on their hands than they knew what to do with, Wick’s father made sure he had a project to work on. One particular summer project involved scraping the paint of windows and gutter downspouts with a wire brush so it could be repainted. While Wick scraped away, his friends

would play at a nearby field, calling his name to come play baseball.

“I looked at my dad, and he said ‘No, we’re working tonight.’”

Which of course frustrated Wick. During their evening work, Wick decided to ask his dad questions, like “How much money should I earn when I go to work?” He asked the question three or four different ways, and got no response. Finally, his father stopped what he was doing, and offered Wick one of the most important lessons of his life.

“Would you stop worrying about how much you’re going to make?” Wick says his

“I tried to take care of my customers and make sure they got the best service from me and the company.”

father began. “If you do a good job, your employer will take care of it.”

Wick says the lesson has stuck with him ever since.

“During my selling career, I worked as hard as I possibly could. The boss took care of me through my commissions. I tried to take care of my customers and make sure they got the best service from me and the company. Now that I’m managing and coaching salespeople, the same thing applies.”

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CANVAS october 2008

Jerry Wick Wisconsin Sales Manager The Garvey Group

Print is still a potent player in reaching customers in the information age. Here is where it works best.

P12 CANVAS october 2008

By Daniel Dejan

A

competitor by any other name is still a competitor. It’s just that their names are getting fancy. Integrated marketing, multi-channel distribution, viral marketing, glance media are a few of the many descriptors currently used to describe the new business models being implemented by advertisers, marketers and media strategists. The consumer society is abound with new devices, many hand held, as primary sources for communications and intra-connectivity. This leads traditional media outlets such as television, radio – and yes, print – to ask the bigger question.

“Where do we fit in?”

Quite nicely, actually.

CANVAS P13

The Relay Race

Cornerstone Many years of market research and focus studies, in affiliation with The Print Council, The Digital Printing Council, The Direct Marketing Association and the United States Post Office, reveal that print is not only very much alive, albeit in transition and evolving, but is still the foundational cornerstone to successful sales and marketing strategies. Print, in combination with other media, ensures that advertising and media messages reach their intended audience through a comprehensive, 360-degree approach: that is, using several, diverse media, all with a specific call-to-action, based on the advertiser’s goals, each reinforcing the compounded message but all together ensuring the recipient is aware and engaged in a media campaign. This addresses one of the principle challenges advertisers and marketers are posed with in today’s media rich environment: securing the permission of the recipient to be invited into the homes, hand held instruments and computers to deliver their message.

Print drives viewers to the Internet most successfully due to the fact that print has the highest trust quotient of all media surveyed.

Trust me Yes, the Internet delivers the most efficient communication channel. Unfortunately, not getting the message deleted before it is even opened continues to plague multi-media marketers. The solution discovered is that print drives viewers to the Internet most successfully due to the fact that print has the highest trust quotient of all media surveyed. Once the online invitation is taken advantage of, the prospect is asked to fill out a brief profile in order to better service their needs, and often rewarded for doing so. Having filled out the profile, the push-pull relationship commences, and in the future the prospect will open the e-mail having recognized the sender from previous correspondence. Thus, the sales and marketing pas-de-deux proceeds with the permission of the recipient.

This then can lead to receiving text messages, direct mail, and a larger sense of “social computing” to targeted audiences.

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CANVAS october 2008

Print vs. other media has the highest retention value, the highest return on investment, highest return on customer.

The scorecard While it has been said that “content has become media independent,” it has certainly been proven time and again that print, as an integral part of the whole, ensures higher levels of responses and sales. Print vs. other media has the highest retention value, the highest return on investment, highest return on customer and, most recently shown, the highest return on time – most valued by customers – and is recognized as the best way to build a brand and brand loyalty. While print may not hold the same market share as it once did, after 500 years of being the primary mode of communications, it continues to prove its value and efficacy in an ever changing, ever evolving market.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Daniel Dejan is the North American ETC Print & Creative Manager for Sappi Fine Paper. Dejan provides value-added marketing, sales and technical consultation as well as conducting internal and external educational programs to the print, paper and creative communities. He comes to this position after 30 years as an award-winning graphic designer, art director, creative director, print production manager and buyer. A dedicated graphics arts educator, author and consultant with many years of national and international experience, Dejan has been invited to judge numerous graphic design and print competitions, written extensively for graphic arts trade publications and has sat on the Board of several graphic arts associations and companies.

CANVAS

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Fast Facts Direct mail is top influencer for purchasing decision for Internet users More than three-quarters of ExactTarget’s “2008 Channel Preference Survey” respondents said they had made a purchase in response to direct mail. Nearly two-thirds of those surveyed said they had made a purchase because of a marketing message received through e-mail. The top four of seven channels are broken down by age groups below, but the complete chart (including messaging via social networks, instant messaging, and RSS messaging) can be found on Print in the Mix.

U.S. Internet Users Who Have Made a Purchase due to Receiving Marketing Message (by Age and Top Channels) 15-17 18-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65+

Total

Direct mail

58%

59%

72%

77%

82%

88%

92% 76%

Email

42%

56%

65%

66%

69%

79%

73% 65%

Phone

23%

14%

26%

24%

35%

32%

32% 26%

Text Messaging

13%

9%

10%

4%

2%

3%

0%

6%

Note: n=1,555 who own a mobile phone Source: ExactTarget, “2008 Channel Preference Survey”, May 2008

Online coupon clipping up, but Sunday newspapers remain top source According to a recent analysis by consumer and media measurement firm Scarborough Research, the Sunday newspaper remains the number one place for acquiring household coupons. Fifty-three percent of households get their coupons from the Sunday paper. Analysis also shows that Internet coupons are of increasing interest to consumers with 11 percent of households currently obtaining coupons via the Internet, an increase of 83 percent since 2005. All of the coupon acquisition categories have experienced growth since 2005 – with most categories experiencing double-digit growth.

Places Households Obtain Cents-Off Coupons (% of households) 2005

2006

2007

$ Increase 2005-2007

Sunday newspaper

49%

49%

53%

8%

Mail

29%

31%

35%

20%

In-store coupons

27%

27%

33%

22%

to www.printinthemix.rit.edu.

Customer/loyalty card

21%

20%

22%

5%

Print in the Mix is a free and

In-store circulars

18%

18%

22%

22%

Weekday newspaper

14%

15%

17%

21%

Product packages

14%

13%

17%

21%

Magazines

12%

12%

15%

25%

Internet

6%

8%

11%

83%

To read these and other print market research studies, go

easily accessible clearinghouse of research on print media effectiveness, published by the Printing Industry Center at RIT and made possible by a grant from The Print Council (www.theprintcouncil.org).

P16 CANVAS october 2008

Source: Scarborough Research, July 17, 2008: Scarborough USA+, Release 2 2005, 2006 and 2007. All local market is based on DMA, or Designated Market Area, which is a trademark of Nielsen Media Research.

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An industry-specific publication developing high achievement in print sales. an exciting new foray into the realities of today’s printing industry, CANVAS is the first publication that focuses on what is truly relevant to the world of the graphic arts sales professional. it investigates the challenges of an industry that is decidedly global, while at the same time, intimate and local. This new, sophisticated endeavor explores intelligent sales techniques, marketing models and best practices. by delivering the insights of industry leaders and innovators, CANVAS supports the printing and graphic arts industry and the sales professional’s role within it.

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Product SPotlight P Potlight

»» Product Spotlight

Unisource providing

Chain-of-custody certified printers can now easily become respect™ printers.

new Web-based tool

unisourcegreen.com Web site to provide certified printers an easy method to

for chain-of-custody

Unisource’s greenfinder™ tool has received industry-wide attention for mak-

certified printers

Unisource Worldwide, Inc. is launching a new interactive tool on its innovative apply online to become a member of Unisource’s respect™ family. ing it simple for customers, specifiers and end-users to explore and see what various “green” papers are available for their customers. The greenfinder tool quickly provides information on papers that fit the specific green attributes desired for a project. However, after determining the paper, the customer is oftentimes challenged to find a certified printer who can complete the chainof-custody process through the end product, by printing the piece.

To facilitate a match between green paper specifiers and certified printers, Unisource is providing a Web-based tool – through its unisourcegreen.com Web site – that allows chain-of-custody printers to apply online to become a member of the respect™ family. Once Unisource has verified the printer’s certification, their name and contact information is listed on the unisourcegreen.com site. The listing will enable designers, specifiers and end-users to easily locate a printer in their local area.

Users of the new tool will be able to partner a certified paper with a certified printer and complete the chain-of-custody loop to their end product and easily promote their company’s efforts to support their sustainability efforts.

YUPOBlue™ introduced YUPO Corporation America launched its newest synthetic paper grade, YUPOBlue™. YUPOBlue, made specifically for and certified to run on the HP Indigo line of digital printers*, is perfect for short run and customized pieces.

YUPOBlue and HP Indigo offer the flexibility of using a superior substrate on premium printing projects that must meet the tightest of deadlines.

“When deadlines are tight, YUPOBlue’s faster drying time gives printers an edge,” said Troy Olson, Yupo’s Marketing Manager. “And because the ink adheres to YUPO’s surface, there is little-to-no smearing, chipping or scratching.”

YUPOBlue is superior among synthetics for dimensional stability and also received HP’s highest level of substrate certification. Like all YUPO paper, YUPOBlue is bright white, super smooth and durable. It is stain-resistant, 100-percent waterproof and resists stretching. YUPOBlue will be available in three weights of 12” x 18” sheets – 78#, 5.9pt text, a 58#, 8.0pt cover and a 74#, 9.9pt.cover.

For more information, call (888) USE-YUPO, or visit yupo.com. *YUPOBlue is not compatible for use with inkjet or laser printers.

WorkflowOne names Kevin Kearns Vice President of Sales Dayton, Ohio-based WorkflowOne announced that Kevin J. Kearns has joined the company as vice president of sales, reporting to chief sales and marketing officer Scott Berry. Kearns was formerly president and CEO of Huthwaite Inc., a sales performance-consulting firm. He also served Huthwaite as senior vice president of sales and region vice president, expanding its presence throughout the United States and abroad. Kearns is co-author of the book “Escaping the Price Driven Sale ,” published through McGraw-Hill in 2007. Before joining Huthwaite, Kearns spent nearly a decade at Moore North America, now RR Donnelley, working in a variety of positions, including regional manager and national account manager.

“Having worked with top companies on issues related to revenue growth, profit improvement and operational excellence, Kevin is uniquely equipped to bring best practices to WorkflowOne’s extensive field sales organization, which is already known for industry-leading customer satisfaction,” said Berry.

»»

CORRECTION

In the “The Pendulum” article in the August 2008 issue of CANVAS, the Pendulum technique was described as a visual of a pendulum that swings from the 9 o’clock position on a clock face to the 3 o’clock position, with the 9 o’ clock position having a prospect eager to do business, and the 3 o’ clock the prospect giving no indication of whether he’d buy from you.

The visual should be with the customer ready to do business at 3 o’ clock, and at 9 o’ clock the customer is ready to get out. CANVAS regrets the error.

CANVAS

P19

Front And Top Of Mind

Center

By Ryan McNally

“O

ut of sight, out of mind.” The phrase dates back to the 19th century. But for 21st century print salespeople trying to say ahead of the pack, it’s as timely as ever. Only now, with modern technology, there are many more choices when you want to check in with a client and remind Stayi them who you are and what services n clien g at the your company can provide. Being t’s m top o i nd fa a sale top of mind is all about being the first spers is critica company or person a client calls when l to on’s With succe these they need something done. Someone ss. can’t tips f creative, trustworthly, memorable and expe rom indu -miss courageous. It’s also about getting a leg rts, y stry o u sure up on the competition. Here are some you a can mak must-read techniques for not only making e chiev lofty e sure you’re at the top of a customer’s mind, statu this s. but also that you’re doing so in the most efficient and positive manner possible:

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Top Of Mind: Front And Center

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Wo Main rk with c tainin lient with s you g g custo ood comm like. mers if you i uni s a deali like the p task ma cations de e ng w asier ith. “ eople yo with u I tr y ’ r peop e to wo le I re have rk you. e spec some k i l eone y m e t t o h a h s t nd ing in s wit sure self a d myself e r comm k u a o acco h,” says B y M n t on un rian W k resen ec t. “I bra p , y l Print t executi e bac e p v s i s r e g e r v ve at est, ing. “ o er t, Con ould ng t b i h y C T s m r t h t a o L n e s mple i them f la lie te the c erson who says Tw y helps ac t that I uiddy and t ” Q p respe , m c y a t i M e s n t t a u st he co ct d tha rep a omm e s mmo ay prese c c e l n e i a h v s n nt, ng to t me s eople tative . “I am co l p u h s t tay re round he i n w g co lps levan rintin iness eates P s r c u c i b s s i t.”

Clas to do c t. And th e k i r than l e e e h l t p p s o e t peo and r talk abou p relatione k i l to elo they ork.” w hings lps to dev t r f o o ce lots it he e of fi h — t g d n n Get i printi ansce r n fron t t a th t Don’t ships get ca of your cu st u rival s alesp ght nappin omer. erson g whi you’re le a gains n o an ed t in fro then m ge. “ nt o y says J guess is yo f the custo If mer, oe Se ur com quen p sales e t ition i zia, at Om s,” aha P vice presid e-ma rint. W ils and ent of ith a inte throw ully. f n you rruptions b ds, e r a c r cust eing you m isten l omer d l yield ay no l n i a w ’ s s t w a n t 24/7, estio nec tion th ke a break but b be on thei ay, u q k n ein rb ta of you As e a co ividends, ears. “My r clien g regularly rain g r o f d t ca To in to spe iness open your erest in s u b ed on n help you front t g d make stron ine in when g, an u n n i k e you b their needs keep up l g a t t etter , whic show from o tha s Paul d o t t a ’ h s t i n yo w a y e ensur you c advic g,” sa vele thei ur job and ill n d i n k l a a t r busi e s, help ness. client ing all the nt, sales d cs. do phi side you’re , vice pre dated Gra our d i n n l i a a o , t s n ys Cas of Co se da t e . It’s n h y t e fl y m e s h p u t o e too b s now on l l a t to b n e i a r ’ w n e o le ti “W hing’ peop unica c t y i m n p ‘ m a p co how m n you sto g n i z e wh ning.” ama e u t s o i l y t d r aroun nd just sta a

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Gras p yo u r cu Keep s to m i n mind need that y ers’ nee s are ds . ou lik as th e prin ely chang r custom er t indu ing a ness s fast s’ str y. is lite “Bus rall the s ipeed y moving at there of lig fo h . ing o re our un t, and loses c t favor s f our a derst n i f s d k custo andtoday Avoi immic ardness g m y e d c rs’ n a w an a ent t ing sh straight for king a w e omor nd will b eeds h c a d Es e dif f row,” belie sty an nt tool in m lient. e ern says o ve th c of h Casta e sam pote on a custo a n e o i i b s n only, s e is t . “I mers n e y a r t i c p r g m r ’ per e ue f do an ing i ith int ny other w s d how ception o or our linger l l e a f wha we c eam s ot have it t y lieve e t we M an he b n “ I d “ l a. lp the e wou uenzi q m.” and I e elp th h S s o y t sa to le need way,” e to be ab u o y ’t .” av u can walk away you h o y f i , and t and a h t client e t unica m m o c

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Top Of Mind: Front And Center

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Be c Confi onfident de b build nce goes ut not co c ing so a lon g wa ky. lid re you’r y to lati ei think n sales an onships. “ ward d you If of yo urself don’t pany or y as won’t top of min our comd, the make terso n, acc it,” says B n you ount r “You execu ad Pathave ti yours t elf an o feel con ve at DPI. fide dm are th e bes ake buyer nt within s beli t cho ice fo e r thei ve you r nee ds.”

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Pas For w s along a usefu arding an n article . l piec ar ticl e e o o to cli f indu r oth ents e s t r y i inform r s a sa in tou vvy w ation ay to or su ch. “A go st od c a cc se stu ay oppo ess stor y dy g r tunit y to s ives client relev ant fo s t r thei ay presen an t r inte rnal c and says lients West ,” .

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n writte d n a h a Send k you. n a h t r lion note o over 150 bil stand well o e r S a . y l e i r a The a lated d u c r i d send c n a s l i s a e n ss e -m -writ te he ma t d n m a o h r ed d out f glec te ashion f e n d l t o s o quick, f the m business is o e n O in the note. “ n e note,” e s n e e t v t ’ i I r w tools e hand andwrit ten h t f o h the ar t “Also, . ay to n i w a t t s a a e r C says us are a g s ’ u o umero y n k e n h a t t th e amids t u o ents w d m o m stan onic’ p in.” e ‘elec tr e d o s are all

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Pass along a book.

“It gives you something different to talk about with a client besides printing over a luncheon, thus cementing the idea that you’re trying to help them be successful in business,” says Lambert, who has given books such as “Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking”; “The Ecology of Commerce”; and “Selling the Invisible, A Field Guide to Modern Marketing.”

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t s. e a le r l g o o tomers G s p u c u r t u Se g with yo p u erestin t p n e i e e k b p t on To hel t migh a h t aler ts s e l w g e o n o ut and et up G e to really p s , m e ik to th cs. “I l es and i o p h o s t ’ t s er relevan larly,” ustom u c g y e r m s in es myself r busin i e s give h t t r t e l u a o b le think a “Goog his . n i a t s a With t .

C k s c y a a r t s inside r ticles, e a h t d r e a m w will for I t h , refer k g Fill cli i o o ins b a ents’ g S h n t e i o n l w ding f bellie m e h t pass a ood c n t s. e g i l c a h r n I a o ique f n be a s , e s s n e o n i o g n ef fe n r gene bus mouth c tive includi ( r a s t e i . n c .”

M r ) g l ake it el g s o ( s y o l resou w t d e n high-q ets wo wordurre o uality rk wel don’t c it’ll ge and ta fl) to m t pass st y axim ed aro und — ize the cha nc talking and g et peo e about ple you.

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. t ma i l c e r i d of hing to most t e e h m t o s Make ny has can be an a p m o l c c t mai If your e r i news. d e , h e t t a e r r a e celeb y to sh rec t mail du a w e v i di ef fec t rating lot of b e a l e g c n i do int is ess,” “We’re t Omaha Pr n i s u b in fac ven to being to the o f r o p s s r a a o 150 ye nzia. “This h icate t n u e u m q m e says S y to co p us top of a w t a e re and ke nding be a g s e r s e , s m u n sto n ed b o d our cu d ow ca a h s n a e d s A tra efore b mind.” es before a n o i t uc iec introd y mail p l e m i erson. eat p d i n v i o r g p meetin

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. press d o rit ten o Get g mpany is w , it our co publication y y r o If you ustr y ecialt d p s n i r n u a o up in date y mind with i l a v f elp top o can h u o y eep s. and k client

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Top Of Mind: Front And Center

Staying Power Mike Philie, vice president and consultant of NAPL, offers up 5 more tips for staying top of mind: 1) Know your client’s business. Do you know how your clients make money?

How about their business model, their marketplace, and who their top three competitors are? What business problems keep the VP sales and marketing or CEO awake at night?

Knowing these pivotal issues can help elevate your role to that of a key business partner with your profitable clients.

2) Maintain multiple-level relationships.

To achieve trusted advisor status, the sales reps, managers, owners and all client internal contacts need to be on the same page as to the importance of providing the correct solutions to the right people to achieve their clients’ business goals. The rep is not the only person who should be involved. Owners and key managers can also assist in building relationships with clients so collectively they can fortify their place at the table and help “connect the dots” between client needs and printer solutions.

3) Give them a reason to say yes. Make it easy for them to buy from you and to get the information they need to manage the projects from their perspective.

4) Know why your best clients buy from you. This will help you to influence the expectations for those clients as well as new opportunities that you uncover.

5) Become the go-to person. Develop a reputation for being the first-stop resource for your clients. You want them to call you at the concept stage for all of their print-related initiatives.

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. y card om the a d i l o ah out fr s d Send n a it st our cli y o s s e d r u ca it uniq print oliday y t h i l r a e Make u h s of ot . Use q ith catchy g n i v i e dozen c w y be re ersal theme include a m t n e iv k a un rget to nt 3-D c o i f p t ’ , n k o se stoc , and d mber t has s c i h p a ustom L c . gra t r i e n h ny of heir ame o your n ards that ma hem up in t t y pc leave nds m i y m e p op - u e h r T t I llec t. “ ound, and i ber t. “ m a ers co r L r s all yea tomer e,” say s m u c t u of fice a o ers ab ently to visit n three m o t s u c d rec re tha e o s i r m p t r f fice.” en o s s I i h d was su r f in e a ca a shel n o and se p lu go stil a s r a ye

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a job. g h t i w riencin t e p Help x e re contac nies a r a u p o y m o co -mail t ompa e c When r n a a l i ey ut sim , send that th layof fs rmation abo k s a fo g, and k s be n i r r i o with in h w e s at ar w thi omers t s nies th ong. “I kno u c y al nked b loyees find a h t pass it n e p er em I’ve be m e r s o u f a . c eir mber t ing th a L p l s e y h sa for jobs,”

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s. event g n i t r to spo lege spor ts s t n e ol cli p o or c r Bring p a an hel g c n i t d n n e i e l c hip At t with a ations l t e n r e s v s e busine . “Our sales r u o y build set ting stomers and d e x a l in a re t will take cu ents, and v tmen ,” or ts e p s o t depar or sure s f e s d u n i o p m their s top of d l i . u sb uenzia q e S it help s say

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r. e m i na s a d l r atten ationa Hold o tage of educ e them an v d i d v a o r e p Tak ies and ‘Tricks t i a n u o t d r e op p o ts. “W n e r y year i l e c v r e u r o a y in for de’ sem s, teaching a r T e r of th stome u c es that u r u q i o n r h o c f e . latest t s Sequenzia e h t ay them em,” s h t er from v p l o e s h s n o to cr ca rently topics e f e f i s d e h g “T esignin f fec tive.” d o t g e mailin e costb g n i help

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ip. ne r s h t r a p a ionship t a l B u i ld e r g a stron the sale is a g n i m d For beyon client’s s r e u o o y g n t that stay o o t p migh e y r a s w e l t r sa sma ent or inting r m p l l fi A l “ u f r mind. ith the w s l e buye l h a t c o e s k ma les rep e projec t is a s g n i l mai ent th td fi n o c ays Pa l s e ” , e f y l l r l e e wi ind, th d prop e m g f a o n p ma stay to will be o b T o j “ . e th terson .” know o t blems s a o r h p r t e ou buy d with e c u d pro

g rketin . a m r o t sales l clien r a u u o d i y v i g d Tailor ac h i n peakin t s e e o r ’ t u o ge now y and no k messa s o d t e t e wan eir n our People them and th . So mold y g ts y to r ef for ecipient usin u o direc tl y g ue r nnin shotgu to each uniq mats. or ge ty of f e i messa r a v a

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MultiMedia

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Making integrated marketing work for you and your customers.

by Steven Amiel

I

t’s an unfortunate truth that many printers today are not having great success profiting from the cross media marketing tools that have evolved out of the digital revolution. Based on our considerable direct experience selling integrated marketing programs and knowledge learned from helping printers in our consulting practice, we hope to explain why this is occurring and what

printers can do to take advantage of this extraordinary time in the print industry.

Integrated marketing is hardly new. It’s been used for years to reach prospects

over time and in a variety of ways to generate awareness and stimulate purchasing and decision-making behavior. When it came to your role in the process, printers were obedient and printed as requested. You did not care why you printed; your role was in doing a great job, on time, at a fair price and with minimal issues. That relatively limited role has evolved considerably today for many printers, and will continue to change in the coming years.

Today, printers actively marketing themselves as “marketing communication providers”, which means they provide services that include Personalized URLs, variable data print, Web-to-print, data bases and e-marketing to complement their core print services. These types of services typically have you involved at the marketing and strategic levels of organizations where these tools get integrated into campaigns at the time they are conceived, not when the printing is bid out.

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Effective cross media marketing techniques Most printers do not understand why their customers market or how various techniques fit into the mix. Whether marketing directly to consumers or in the B2B space, everyone is bombarded with ads, direct mail, e-mail – and with little time to absorb it all. In today’s busy on-demand world, it is much harder to gain someone’s attention, let alone to get them to respond to a call to action (how hard is it to get someone to call you back?). That is the purpose of integrated marketing campaigns. They are meant to reach prospects over a period of time, qualify them based on their interaction (or lack of) and lastly, provide a salesperson with a reason to have a business discussion with a prospect (other than

What it means The sheer scope of marketing tactics has grown exponentially in recent years, as evidenced by the list below. “Integrated marketing”, whether employed in a B2B or B2C space, refers to the combination of two or more of the following to communicate a company’s message:

Print collateral Direct mail

soliciting for some work). Unlike direct mail or a telemarketing effort where someone responds or not, integrated marketing campaigns provide a variety of intelligence that can be gathered that must have corresponding responses to reflect the level and type of opportunity identified.

Learn to qualify leads What makes integrated marketing so potentially impactful is that it enables you to use time to your advantage, by helping nurture and define prospects and their buying cycles over time. Executed properly, you can use time to develop a qualified pipeline of prospects and where they are in a buying cycle. Your goal is to help your customers improve the way they sell and market through your

Variable data print

techniques because more and more marketing budgets are being

Point of Sale

doing the same trade shows or print ads year after year are over. If

Personalized URL’s E-marketing Trade shows Print Advertising

held to a level of scrutiny they’ve never had before. The days of just a program is not tied to a result, i.e. new leads or sales, that money will be allocated elsewhere.

The purpose of providing these services to your customers and prospects is to help them measure the success of what you are providing. An example might include using a “Thank you“ Personalized URL to trade show attendees with a survey to differentiate between those who simply stopped by to win an i-Pod

Telemarketing

vs. those who might actually be in some stage of a buying cycle.

Seminars

that were attributed to the show as well as helping the sales

Broadcast (TV, cable or radio) Mobile Viral Video Social networking Blogs Catalogues Out of Home (billboards) Kiosks Web-to-Print

This is invaluable information in helping a company track sales force better utilize their time by following up on and nurturing real leads.

Leads aren’t leads if they sit in a drawer What happens if your efforts result in 25 qualified leads, but your customer takes a month to get them into the hands of the sales force? Marketing and sales must work as one for the most effective results. You need to understand the flow of data and the sales process to ensure success. Ask more questions at every step of the process.

Use integrated marketing techniques as a strategy, not a tactic Most prospects are not enticed to action merely by seeing their name written in sand or underwater in bubbles unless there is a compelling call to action. Personalized URLs that are crafted with gimmicks, like steveamielyouareterrific.com, may get a prospect to a site, but little more will come out of it if they get there and the

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offer is not clear, compelling and relevant. Cross marketing techniques are strategies, not tactics unto themselves.

Avoid creating overly high expectations The most common mistake is to define the success of a PURL campaign simply by the amount of hits on a personalized landing page.

The majority of tests like this will fail. How successful is one cold call? Integrated marketing campaigns are just that. They reach prospects over a variety of touch points and time. Any one of the data points unto itself means little. A classic example is one printer I worked with recently printed a two-part direct mail campaign with PURLs announcing their purchase of a new piece of equipment.

There was a call to action with a window of time to take advantage of an offer. Out of 980 pieces mailed to existing and prospects, there were 31 persons who hit the site and 15 who took the time to fill out the short survey. Based on basic lead scoring principals, this campaign identified 31 prospects who felt the mail piece was interesting enough to go to the PURL to read more, and out of those 31, 15 clearly identified themselves (although three asked to be removed from the list) as qualified prospects. Let’s look at the results and what they mean: • Under most conditions, after a call or two, most salespeople would have judged this campaign a bust. However, in this case, the company had created telemarketing scripts and a strategy to track the progress of the 31 prospects. Ninety days after the mailing, there have been seven meetings, a number of estimates and one account they have now done over $200,000 with.

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Multi-Media

• Most important, it gave reasons for the sales reps to call and follow up with prospects. While only one account was won, no one can argue the success of the program in creating a pipeline to follow up and nurture these leads over time. It was a huge advance beyond a sales rep’s previous conversation with a prospect, “Do you have any printing needs I can help with today?”

In my experience in consulting to printing companies, I have often heard printers speak glowingly about the potential increase in response rates without any consideration to the real intelligence which can be gathered. Who it is being mailed to, the call to action, the quality of the list and the other touch points involved are critical to understanding a campaign’s success.

Who it is being mailed to, the call to action, the quality of the list and the other touch points involved are critical to understanding a campaign’s success.

It’s important to understand how this part of the marketing program you are producing fits into an entire strategy. And herein lies the takeaway: If you do not know the way your customer currently markets, what their current response rates and cost per leads are, you have absolutely nothing to measure against to judge whether you have made a positive impact.

Be smart in how you use lists and evaluate response rates Most printers will buy a list, or use a house list and send a clever post card or self mailer with a PLP without good results. However, based on whom you are mailing to, expecting even 3 percent of your prospects to respond to a B2B postcard or a campaign is overly optimistic. The key to success is: What are you doing with the small percentage that do respond? What do you do with the ones that are returned and not deliverable? What type of follow up is there from your sales department in between mailings? How do you treat the ones that hit the site but don’t respond? Sending a post card with a personalized URL to presidents of Fortune 1000 manufacturers in hopes of getting a response will be a waste of time, as will trying to get them on the phone. Sure, you may hit one, but as the expression goes, “even a blind squirrel will find a nut in the winter”. The real goal in lead generation is about focusing your time on prospects where your value proposition will stand out. Vet out the companies you prospect, and the people you prospect to.

Utilize the same sound integrated marketing lead development strategies internally that you want to provide to your customers That includes: • A qualified list • Sales training in phone skills so you will know how to quickly articulate your company’s value proposition (a fancy way of saying, creating an exchange that quickly qualifies your understanding and potential benefit to that prospect)

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•A campaign which over time will acknowledge that 98 per-

Value beyond the order

cent of most prospects are not in a position to spend time

In today’s world, the value that salepeople need

with you now.

to provide their customers is more than just moving a job through the shop. The best salespeople

Position the value of integrated marketing to your customers

take the time to understand their customer’s

Prospects already have full-time jobs that keep them busy. Sell-

the integration of cross marketing techniques to

ing cross media applications will require you to have enough of an

improve how their customers sell and market.

understanding of their business to provide the project manage-

Moreover, they need to provide the project man-

ment services needed to help get a program through an organiza-

agement skills to help their customers execute

tion to try something new. Be prepared to meet and present to

campaigns flawlessly. The reward is now having

committees. It is not unusual today for cross media marketing to

a hand in not just keeping the print work, but in-

involve marketing, procurement and IT departments. Understand

creasing the business you do by providing other

what your customers are trying to accomplish and hook your wag-

products and services at non-commodity based

on to what you can do to help them reach their business goals.

pricing. Customers will always appreciate the in-

Contour your capabilities to demonstrate how you can do this

cremental value the techniques that savvy print-

better than your competitors.

ers can bring to their business.

business and are clear in how they can support

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Steven Amiel is the Chief Executive Officer and founder of Marketing Mentors Inc. An early adaptor in the business of digital, Amiel previously built and ran three print companies that were transitioned from conventional print operations to highly successful full-service solution selling organizations. Acknowledged as an expert in cross media marketing, state-of-the art lead generation techniques and sales training, Amiel works both with Fortune 500 companies as well as companies in the printing industry, achieving phenomenal results for his clients. He was quick to embrace new technologies such as digital print, Web to press solutions and the internet. Today, he is a highly sought after speaker at industry conferences and events throughout the country. Amiel can be reached at steve@marketingmentors.com Marketing Mentors was founded in 2006 as a consulting business whose primary focus is on helping companies integrate the new products and services of cross media marketing and providing the training necessary for sales persons to be successful.

Its Web site is marketingmentors.com.

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960 Moments of PRIDE Steps that will make you famous in a slow economy

By Brian Sullivan

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“L

ife is a succession of moments.

To live each one is to succeed.�

This terrific quote is attributed to Corita Kent, an American artist and teacher, but it applies to salespeople as well.

Do you know what is great about a recession? It gives top

performing salespeople an opportunity to conquer their competition. During slow economic times, average and below average performers in virtually every facet of business (including sales) use a slowing economy as an excuse to slow down their activity. Companies stop hiring, advertisers stop advertising, and salespeople stop prospecting.

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960 Moments of PRIDE

The best time to stand out is when everybody is afraid to stand up.

So as a salesperson, what can you do each day

Rather than focusing on activities that may not increase your value, try the “960 Moments of PRIDE.” These PRIDE moments can raise your value … and your commission check.

that puts you into “attack” mode? Well, you have about 960 opportunities (16 waking hours x 60

• Prospecting for new customers

minutes) to make it happen. The trick is to make

• Relationship making

sure the percentage of successful moments far

• Influence activity

outweighs the percentage of stale or unpro-

• Deviation

ductive moments. So what defines a successful

• Educating yourself

moment at work? It is one that makes you more valuable to your customers, work associates,

Prospecting for new customers

company or industry. The following moments in

You need to get out of the office and into the offense. Let me

your day, while necessary, are not necessarily in-

explain. Just last week, a tenured salesperson complained that

creasing your value. Yet many average reps burn

business wasn’t great. He was no longer calling on new accounts or

up countless minutes in these areas:

prospecting for much new business with current accounts. When asked why, he said that with the bad economy, nobody was buy-

• Doing quotes

ing anything, so he found no reason to cold call or prospect. News

• Putting in orders

Flash … He’s making excuses. That is what below average reps do

• Tracking down product information

in a bad economy. And what they miss is that when people feel

• Checking e-mail and voicemail.

pain, they look for change and run from the status quo. So are you going to be that change that people look for? If so, now is the

Reach out to at least one person in your network each week and be prepared with one or two specific questions. Don’t reach out just for the sake of “reaching out!”

Set a clear objective. time to be aggressive. Hurry, because this “opportunity ripe” slow economy won’t be around forever!

There is another benefit to going on offense. In business, the best way to defend your own accounts is to make people defend theirs (by the way, this doesn’t mean by low balling on price!). It’s that whole “best defense is a good offense” thing. If you are somebody who is spending more time in the office and not enough time on offense, your value is decreasing while your 960 competitor is increasing. There is no plateau in business. Your value is either going up or down.

Relationships Make a list of the top 10 people inside and outside of your business who can make you smarter. Then give each of them a call to set up a breakfast, lunch or other meeting (happy hour or golf is often a nice way to spend a 960 moment). Each moment you spend with a networking partner increases your value. That’s because of the

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relationships you create, along with the information you receive, which will make you more valuable to your company and your customers. Reach out to at least one person in your network each week and be prepared with one or two specific questions. Don’t reach out just for the sake of “reaching out!” Set a clear objective.

For example, “My objective in meeting with Joe is to get him to tell me at least three things that he does to separate himself from the competition.” By setting a specific objective for your networking meeting, you will get more out of it. In addition, find a way to help Joe in three ways as well. That will keep him an active member of your 960 relationship file.

Influence your activity If you are interested in saying “goodbye” to the Poconos and saying “hello” to the Bahamas, you need to be very specific about what you want to sell and how much of it you want to sell each day.

Pick one or two products or services that you think you could sell a ton of and plan to prospect on every call you make for 20 days.

But before you do, think about how many of those products you would like to sell. For instance, if you want to sell seven widgets by the end of the month, first think about how many prospecting calls you need to make and how many formal presentations you need to deliver to get those seven sales. For example: • To get seven sales, I believe I will need to set up 10 live pre-

One simple way to deviate from your competition is to take 15 minutes to hand write thank you notes to customers and prospects that you met with that day.

sentations (70 percent close ratio…not bad!). But to get to 10 presentations, I believe I need to prospect with 50 customers.

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Now that you know how many prospects you need to talk to about the widgets (that’s 50, by the way), it’s time to get to work.

Take comfort in knowing that your competition, because they didn’t go through the above exercise, will stop prospecting at about 12, long before you have arrived at your number of 50.

Deviate 960 reps don’t look, act, think, or smell like the average salesperson. They aren’t afraid to take valuable minutes each day to do something a little “deviant.” One simple way to deviate from your competition is to take 15 minutes to hand write thank you notes to customers and prospects that you met with that day. Keep the notes, some envelopes and a book of stamps in your briefcase, car or office. Then after every high value call you make, take a moment to write it, seal it and stamp it. Find the first blue mailbox you see and send it! Think about it. When will that prospect or customer get your note? Tomorrow or the next day? Guess what that note will say about your ability to serve them. It says you care, you pay attention to detail, you have five-star follow up skills and you have time to do the little things for that customer. That note can say those things even better than your lips because it is done in the spirit of service.

If you prefer to write the notes in your office at night, no problem, just get it done. Also, for you deviants who do everything online, check out this online card creation service at www.sendoutcards. com/precise. It allows you to pick a card, personalize it and mail it with your handwriting, all from one site.

There is a sense of urgency in high achievers that has them keeping score between productivity and wasted time.

Top performers simply come closer to 960 Moments of PRIDE than others.

Educate yourself The most successful people in any business are the ones who schedule time each week to learn something new. So grab your PDA or open up your Outlook calendar right now and set a recurring appointment with yourself. Make that appointment between 30 and 60 minutes for the same time each week. During that time, you can read a trade journal, visit a competitive Web site, call a current customer for feedback, read a sales book … or whatever! If the ultimate goal is to be able to provide more value to your customers than the competition, you need to be smarter than them. And the 960 rep doesn’t get smarter by accident.

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Lastly, remember the only difference between top performers and the average ones is how they look at each moment, each hour and each day. There is a sense of urgency in high achievers that has them keeping score between productivity and wasted time. Top performers simply come closer to 960 Moments of PRIDE than others. And when they roll over to set the alarm clock before bed, it is at that moment they can tell themselves, “I made my objectives, I served others, I made a difference, and I did my best. Today was a great day!”

Go make it a 960 day!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Sales coach and business consultant, Brian Sullivan, is author of “20 Days to the TOP – How the PRECISE Selling Formula Will Make You Your Company’s Top Sales Performer in 20 Days or Less.” As president of PRECISE Selling, Brian helps improve sales, customer service, leadership, and presentation skills through seminars and Internet training programs. He also hosts “Entrepreneurial Moments,” a radio show on business and personal development. For more on his speaking, consulting or book, visit: www.PreciseSelling.com or e-mail: bsullivan@preciseselling.com.

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Book Recommendation

Made To Stick Why some ideas survive and others die

By Chip Heath & Dan Heath

M

ark Twain once observed, “A lie can get halfway around the world before the truth can even get its boots on.” His observation rings true: Urban legends, conspiracy theories, and bogus public-health scares circulate effort-

lessly. Meanwhile, people with important ideas — businessmen, educators, politicians, journalists, and others — struggle to make their ideas “stick.”

CANVAS highly recommends this book for print sellers because making you and your company stick is critical to your SUCCESS. Written by Chip and Dan Heath, “Made To Stick” is a national bestseller that addresses how to make ideas become sticky.

They explain why certain ideas seem to capture the imagination of the masses while others seem to stumble. With their acronym SUCCESs, the Heath brothers explain how you can transform the way you communicate your ideas and rethink new ones.

By keeping things Simple, Unexpected, Concrete, Credible, Emotional, and Story-like, CANVAS readers will be able to elevate their messages and easily “stick” with their customers. CANVAS highly recommends this book for print sellers because making you and your company stick is critical to your SUCCESS. Provocative, eye-opening, and funny, “Made to Stick” shows you the principles of successful ideas at work — and how you can apply these rules to making your messages resonate. Pick up a copy today!

You can find “Made to Stick” in bookstores.

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