What Prospect Traits to Use to Select New Accounts? (Dallas)

June 27, 2008 · Filed Under Sales Training · Comment 

Chief Idea Officer of MarketingMeasureJust answered a question on LinkedIn about what characteristics a sales rep should look for in selecting potential new accounts. Aside from the usual profile traits: gender, location, age, income, industry codes and such this is what I offered up:

1. Are they “nice” people? ( I send the mean ones to my competitors.)
2. Is there sufficient profit potential?
3. Are there reciprocal opportunities?

I’ve spent more than 20 years in sales dealing with all sorts of folk and I decided quite some time ago to give the unhappier, fussy ones the opportunity to find a better business partner.

A barely profitable account requires as much or more time and resources as a fat account does. Doesn’t it make sense to size ‘em up first then chase the money?

Since smart entrepreneurs realize the importance of “who you know” or networking, they develop accounts to whom they can refer business if at all possible. The recipients of those referrals tend to be grateful and send more business making the account all the more profitable.

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PMS Explained-Finally! (Dallas, TX)

June 23, 2008 · Filed Under Offset Printing · Comment 

Chief Idea Officer of MarketingMeasureOh, please. In my world PMS stands for Pantone Matching System, the industry standard for color matching. Each color in the Pantone spectrum is assigned a permanent number so each time your refer to PMS 186 you’ll get the same shade of red.

Look at the swatch book closely and you’ll see that each number is represented twice. There will be a PMS 186 C and a 186 U. The C stands for “Coated” and the U means “Uncoated”. Notice that each of those two samples are printed on different stock? The colors ending in a “C” are printed on coated stock and the intent is to show you what 186 looks like on coated paper. 186 U is printed on uncoated paper so you may see what that looks like. They’re substantially different but they’re both 186 right out of the same ink can.

So if you’re project is being printed on uncoated stock and you request 186C you’ll be greatly disappointed. And people will laugh at you and your mother will be embarrased.

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Digital Printing, Digital Press, What? (Dallas, TX)

June 22, 2008 · Filed Under Digital Printing, Integrated Marketing, Offset Printing · Comment 

Chief Idea Officer of MarketingMeasureConfused by the terms commonly used to describe non-offset printing? Well let’s straighten that out right now. Digital Printing is the term most commonly used to describe documents produced in an electronic, non-offset environment, typically a color copier by another name. Sort of.

So is all digital printing done on a digital press, and what is a digital press?

No, not all digital printing is done on a digital press. There are very few, true digital presses. Most of what is produced and called digital printing is done on color copiers. A digital press is a machine that looks a lot like a copier because his ancestors were indeed copiers, but the method in which the image is created, cmyk mode, is done in exactly the manner in which offset printing produces a cmyk process color image. That makes it a true press by definition.

So when would you produce a cmyk image on an offset press vs. a digital press? Use an offset press when the run lengths typically exceed about 5,000 or you have plenty of time or 1-to-1 personalization is not wanted. Use a digital press (like a Canon ImagePRESS 6000) when your run length is less than 5000, you want personalization on each piece, or you don’t have the time for the offset printing cycle.

Got it?

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