Overall, the sales rep-principal relationship is not working the way it used to. In fact, it is archaic to the point of being unworkable. Let’s look at this issue from both sides and examine why it just doesn’t work. From the Reps point of view here the challenges of being a rep in 2021: Reps […]
Don’t Sell Your Customers, Educate Them
There has never been a better time to pick up new customers. For the first time in years companies are looking for new suppliers…especially domestic suppliers. They want to bring some of their offshore business home. They also are developing new products and are concerned now more than ever about protecting their intellectual property). It’s […]
The Brand! It’s All About The Brand!
Remember the Pepsi Challenge way back in the dark ages of the 80’s? That was when Pepsi performed blind taste tests with real people having them take drinks from two identical cups of soda, one filled with Pepsi and the other Coke? And remember that Pepsi won, as most people said that Pepsi was better […]
Don’t Be Afraid To Brag
Please stop being afraid that people are going to steal your stuff! It’s too confining. Stop taking yourself so seriously. No one is going to go out of their way to steal your stuff. First of all, we are in the most NIH industry in the world. NIH, for those of you who don’t know […]
You Gotta Make Sense
These things happen to all of us. We all have stories of when “policy” supersedes common sense. Here’s a good one I heard a few years ago. I took my I-Phone to Verizon one day because there was something wrong with the software and I wanted to get it fixed. The clerk checked to make […]
Hiring: The New World Order
A couple of facts to start with. The Boomers wanted jobs for life. They wanted security. Remember when working at the post office was a great career choice because you would have a job for life? Comedian and Seinfeld co- creator Larry David likes to tell the story about how disappointed his mother was that […]
I’m Late, I’m Late, For A Very Important Date
Here is the good news for North American PCB shops. PCB sales are up 4.7% so far this year. There is more onshoring going on than ever, some of it with extreme prejudice since many companies are now adhering to the new ABC (Anyone But China) mode of purchasing PCBs. New and innovative products are […]
Dinner Is Not A Sales Strategy
“I can’t sell anything right now because of Covid. Customers don’t want to see me, their companies are closed up tight, they are working from home, I can’t take anyone to lunch, breakfast, dinner, coffee, beer, golf. I can’t sell without really seeing customers.” Really? Is this the extent of your sales ability? A lousy […]
Pride Of Product
I recently read that when workers see who is using the end product that they are working on their productivity increases by up to 10%. This factor applies to a range of occupations from how it affects people working on medical devices when they see in real life how their devices are used to save […]
Turning Your Commodity Into A Premium Product
I want to talk about an amazing product. This is the story of how smart people, with maybe the help of gullible people, turned something we all have in our own homes for almost free and in unlimited amounts, and turned it into one of the most sought after products in the world. And they […]