I joined thousands of suppliers and distributors last week at Promotional Products Association International (PPAI) Expo East. This was my first chance to experience Expo East combined with the Imprinted Sportswear Show (ISS). Quite a few Geiger colleagues, as well as a few other PPAI board members, joined me. I saw several vendors that I…
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Question: Is it time to upgrade to QuickBooks Premier 2016? Answer: QuickBooks Premier 2016 was released in November 2015. Every year when software comes out, it takes time for the bugs to get worked out, and Premier 2016 is no exception. It’s wise to wait a few months after the initial release to upgrade. My…
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Time to spill a few more sales secrets, kids! And these secrets are organizational in nature … This past week, I once again sat down with a multi-million-dollar producer and interviewed her, trying to uncover attributes, work habits and her secrets of success. Just call me Bernstein from The Washington Post. Wait, maybe I should…
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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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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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.…
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“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…
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