When I was 12 or 13, I was on the basketball team. My school was small, so everyone made the team. Somehow I was still third string. When…
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6 Things Clients Are Buying
Clients and prospects still are buying. Your customers still need you and still want to buy from you. What your customers want to buy is a more efficient, more profitable, more exciting company. They want to buy a better brand. They want to buy the ability to be the first choice among shoppers looking for the services…
Read More11 Keys to Great Success in Life and Business: Key 10: Grow Your Sales Skills
Most of us will never win the big lottery, so we have to go out and earn our successes. And earning success equals selling. In Key No. 8, I talked about the four pillars of success, the only four things a business owner can do to create wealth: Earn new customers. Sell more to your…
Read More11 Keys to Great Success in Life and Business: Key 9: Understand Accounting and Finance
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 MoreSelling in the Zero Moment of Truth (ZMOT)
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 MoreA Run in Her Silky Sheer Black Stockings
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 MoreConcubines, Coffee and Change
“Sixty queens there may be, and eighty concubines, and virgins beyond number; but my dove, my perfect one, is unique…” (Song of Solomon 6:8-9). This Old Testament verse, interestingly written by one of my very distant relatives (Solomon), beautifully makes a point that modern day language can’t quite convey. Every business must have a unique…
Read MoreCan I Run a Report on Amount of Sales from Customer Groups in QuickBooks?
Question: Is there some way in QuickBooks to run a report showing the amount of sales from a particular group of customers? Answer: Yes. QuickBooks allows you to define “Types of Customers.” When you open a customer in the Customer Center, click on “Additional Info” on the left side of the screen. There you can…
Read MoreDo I Have to Collect Sales Tax for Out-of-state Sales?
Question: Do I have to collect sales tax for out-of-state sales? It depends, and it’s complicated. State governments would like to collect as much sales tax as possible and, with declining revenues over the last several years, are looking to every possible source.
Read MoreGotta Love These Supplier Best Practices
I’ve been in the promotional products industry for more than 25 years, both selling products and programs, and coaching and educating distributor sales professionals. I’ve seen a multitude of changes in that time, but one thing remains the same: our reliance on quality suppliers.
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