Sales Training 101 For Sales Pro’s?? (Dallas, TX)

July 29, 2008 · Filed Under Sales Training · Comment 

A recent question on the LinkedIn site asked, and I’m paraphrasing, should a sales rep know his competition and how important is that? Also, should he know anything about his customers?

Yes, Virginia, people still ask that sort of stuff. I couldn’t resist so I penned the answer below, and we’ll leave it to speak for itself. See if you agree.

Wow! What a range of conflicting answers. I used to be all over the map as a sales rep on this issue. What changed? Bought a business and now sit on the other side of the desk when purchasing large pieces of equipment. I’ve learned more about the sales process from this side of the desk than in any sales training classes in the last 15 years.

Sales rep #1 won’t point out his product’s weaknesses but competitor rep #2 will, IF he knows what he’s up against. Can’t beat what you don’t know.

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Canadian Ad Agency Finds Dallas Partner-Sir Speedy!

July 28, 2008 · Filed Under Case Studies · Comment 

A leading Canadian agency, Juniper Park, needed someone in the Dallas, TX area to help them complete an eleventh-hour project. A clients’ account team was flying to Dallas in less than 24 hours to rehearse a formal presentation to a multi-million dollar prospect account that evening, and local Canadian partners were not able to produce the bound presentation/leave-behind materials prior to their departure! The actual presentation was to follow the morning after their arrival in Dallas so there was no time for overnight shipping; the job had to be produced in Dallas.

Compounding the problem were several design elements that made the task anything but quick and easy. The entire presentation was a non-standard paper size; the cover stock needed to be 1/16th of an inch thick; the client had stipulated a silver, double-wire-o binding which is not carried by local suppliers in anything but black 11”.

Her internet search for Dallas area printers turned up numerous results but response was immediately lacking. The first two printers didn’t want to tackle the project Read more

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Ad Agency Suffers Business Card MeltDown (Dallas, TX)

July 26, 2008 · Filed Under Case Studies · Comment 

Chief Idea Officer of MarketingMeasureA noted, local advertising agency creative director called me (Phillip Crum of Sir Speedy Walnut Hill) one afternoon at 12:30 in a panic. Apparently he had neglected to order a set of business cards for the agency ownership for a meeting to be held the next morning. He needed a set of business cards fast! To compound the urgency, the cards were 100% ink coverage on both sides, full bleed, and he needed them laminated. Of course he needed them by 5:30 the same day!

Solution

This is exactly the type of situation we live for! We placed a quick call to our laminating partner to get him on board with the task. Then we told our client that we could indeed handle that for him in the time-frame requested. You can imagine he was skeptical but had no other option available to him but to cross his fingers and trust us.

The agency emailed the files at 1 o’clock. By 2:00 the file was pre-flighted, imposed and ready for the next step.

Only days earlier we had installed a Canon IMAGEPRESS 6000, Canon’s latest and best digital press. Preston Crum, Digital Production Manager, and the 6000 handled the file beautifully on the requested stock and by 2:30 the flawless business cards were output and ready for the laminator.

A quick dash to the laminator and the job was back in our shop by 4:30 ready for the cutter. Tyler Crum, General Manager, carefully cut the materials down to their finished size (no time for mulligans!), packed them and the cards were ready for pick-up in our shipping area by 5 o’clock!

Once the cards had been QC’d by another pair of eyes, I was on the phone informing the amazed client that his request had been completed with time to spare.

Summary

We consistently accept jobs (not all of them last minute fire-drills!) that other printers and vendors turn down. What was the value of this job? To us, it was the immeasurable gratitude and promise of future business we gained from a very happy client. To the client, whose employer had a meeting the next morning with one of the agency’s top clients, it was worth at least the value of his job! He’s very happy with our commitment to his business and both our relationship and business volume have improved dramatically and profitably since this event.

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