My mother sang in a Philadelphia glam/punk band called Separate Checks in the late ’70s and early ’80s. At night, she would go on stage dressed as Ziggy Stardust and belt out covers of “Lady Stardust” and “Suffragette City” in bars across the city. I was too young to attend, but on weekends I listened to…
Read More
January is the embodiment of the new. People celebrate the new year, discuss their New Year’s resolutions, outline their plans and, in general, treat the month like it’s a fresh start on life. January is treated as a new beginning every year because it’s the beginning of our calendar year and … that’s it. There…
Read More
Answer this. Believe your answer. You’ll be well on your way to defining your competitive advantage, your value proposition, and will become more successful at differentiating yourself and your company. You’ll be well on your way to moving away from the commodity business and being an innovative value creator. Describe your client’s life before they…
Read More
Question: How can I set up QuickBooks to control what information users have access to? Answer: QuickBooks allows you to set up users and passwords under the “company” tab. When setting up a user, you can specify which information you want that particular user to see or not see, and edit or not edit. You…
Read More
Let me apologize to you right up front—this article isn’t the typical “dream big” stuff I enjoy writing about. But the truth is, if you don’t understand these concepts, your big dreams could turn into big nightmares. Many sales-minded people are not interested in accounting and finance. My guess is that it’s a right brain/left…
Read More
Zero Moment of Truth (ZMOT) is about being there whenever and wherever your client might be receptive to your message. It used to be far less complicated to be in sales, especially in the promotional products industry. If you had the relationship, you were the clients’ resource. Your marketing primarily consisted of sending a catalog…
Read More
As she slowly pulled the sheer black nylon stocking up along her shapely leg, her bright red fingernail caught at the edge, causing a fresh run to skittle down her thigh toward her shimmering midnight calf. OK, as much as I love them, that’s about all we’ll be talking about black stockings in this article.…
Read More
Pop quiz: You call up your mother and ask her what she wants for the holidays. She says, “nothing.” Do you: A) Buy her something anyway. B) Seriously, go buy a present for your mom. When people tell you that they don’t want anything for the holidays, they are lying. Everyone wants something for the…
Read More
Through the years, I have attended a variety of education classes that have had a positive impact on my business. I persevered and with my eye on a goal, I obtained my Master Advertising Specialist (MAS) designation. This is an accomplishment that very few people in our industry have achieved. We all have the opportunity…
Read More
Question: How can I find out if I have to collect sales taxes on additional charges, such as screen charges and freight? Answer: Contact your CPA or the department of revenue for your state, because sales tax varies by state—and sometimes by county. It is most likely that these extra charges are subject to sales…
Read More