100 calls a day, 240 minutes talk time a day, 4 opps per day equals NO job

I was alarmed when I received and email from a very valued print4pay hotel member. I just spoke with him tonight and I'm hoping I can him connected with another job in his area. I also had his permission to post this and he may or may not want to remain anonymous. But I think this is a great topic of discussion and to see if any of us can help him. Below is the email to me:

Well...

A couple months ago they brought in a new sales manager and started changing our pay structure. Goals went to a 30% monthly incline and if you don't hit goal you don't get commission. Also, in order to hit goal you have to average 100 calls per day with an average talk time of 250 minutes per day and enter a minimum of 4 new business opportunities per day. If we miss any of these points we don't get paid.

On top of that the CEO has a very disrespectful and degrading management style to the point where he pretty much bullies the employees every day. He required that we call the office before and after every stop in the field and would call and email during meetings just to check up. He recently called the client's office because I wasn't answering. He had tracking devices on the work vans, which was fine, it let him know where we were but if I'm with a client I can't take calls for no reason.

Last week we had a total of 7 sales reps. He let 3 go early last week as well as the only accounting employee and 1 of the 3 customer service reps. Tuesday they called me out of the field to fire me along with 1 other sales person.

They now have 0 accounting employees, 2 customer service reps, 2 service techs and 2 sales reps that have only been in the industry for 4 months.

So...as hard as I work at hitting these sales goals I was let go with no notice, explanation or severance pay. They only thing I'm left with is a 4 page non-compete and bills to pay.

I've sent the non-compete to two different attorneys and they say it's solid. Since I saw this coming a head of time I tried to get a sales position with a local company, they really wanted me to work for them, but then had to turn it down once they read the non-compete.

As far as future plans, I sent a resume to xyz company  yesterday and didn't mention the non compete. We'll see how that goes...

I have a phone interview this morning with one of my clients, they're a large processing company. Since I'm going to school for a degree in network security I figured this could be a good option to get the experience since security is a major concern in the credit card processing industry.

I'm not sure where I'll end up but it seems like I've been kicked out of the industry with no explanation at all.

Would like to hear from others as to how we can help.

=-=Good Selling=-

How Can You be the Best at MPS, MFP, MNS?

What does it take to be among the elite sales people at your branch or your dealership?

For starters you've got to have a passion for being number 1.  Nothing floats my boat more than being at the top of the totem poll each and every month. I like to win, don't like to lose and will do the extra work to make sure my numbers are the best they can be month in and month out.

I've spoken about the 3D's of selling before and they are Desire, Dedication and Determination.  Too often I see reps that will slack off once they've hit their number. The phone calls, the appointments and the opportunities drop. On the other hand I also understand why this can happen, our business unlike any other is filled with rejection, riddled with price driven customers and reps, along with countless hours of research that can lead to failure.

To be the best you've got to WANT IT!  Why would you be in sales if you didn't want to be at the top of the ladder each month, each quarter and year end?

For me, I pick out a goal each year, this years goal is to be number one, not only in percentage of quota but overall sales volume (it's gonna be a dog race to the finish).  This year in 2013 wanted to raise my quota by $10K per month, you know what I did?  I refused it and asked then to raise it by $25K per month. I'll admit, I'm driven and once I set my mind on something I'll try my hardest to achieve that goal.  Along with claiming the goal,  everything else seems to fall in place like the commissions, the spiffs, the placements and additional knowledge of the competition. It's a never ending learning cycle and what I like best about sales is that as long as you put the work and effort in, you never know what the next day is going to bring!

So, I've got these three targets that I try to hit every month, I know that as long as I hit these targets I'm going to be Number 1.

If you'd like those targets, then please email me and after you've registered for the forums and I'll send them to you. Feel free to log on and become a member of the largest group of Copier (Imaging) Professionals in the world!

If you're interested in raising the level of your sales team(s) excitement with a motivational seminar. I'm available to speak at your dealership or direct branch. I have an awesome story to tell that can inspire reps to stay in the industry, sell more, and have more passion.  Send an email to art@p4photel.com

-=Good Selling=-

8 Tips from Selling Copy Machines in the 80's

When you've been in the business as long as I've been there always seems to be that little something that you can write about.

I was taught that after every order/sale I would then ask Mr. or Mrs. Right for three referrals that I could call on.  Seems back in the 80's everyone needed a plain paper copier. Wait! Let me stop right there, I'll go out on limb and bet that at least 60% of today's reps that are selling copiers probably always thought that copiers always printed on plain paper! Yes, the 80's, everyone needed a plain paper copier, and at the end of every sale we asked "Would it be possible to get the name of two or three businesses that may be interested in our services"?   That was then, and to tell you the truth the last time I used that is when a prospect asked for a better price and I tied in, "If I give you a better price will you sign the order today and I'll need two or three businesses that may be interested in my services".

But, it does bring back memories of things we used to do. Here's a short list of how we did things in the 80's:

1) Send a Thank You card for every sale you made.
2) Send a check for $25 or an in house credit to a customer that gave us as a reference and we made the sale.
3) Ask for referrals after every sale you made.
4) Knock on the doors of the businesses next to the customer you just made the sale to.
5) Give a check to the technicians for leads (they loved this, and I was very generous to many, now it seems that most dealers are controlling this, because too many sales people never paid up).
6) Send Christmas cards (I sent them with my name and the dealership name).
7) Call an existing customer and ask them if they know of anyone who is interested in my services (offer them free toner if a sale goes down).
8) Call and ask for a letter of reference (now you can still call them and maybe email them and ask them to post a referral for you on linkedin. I include my linkedin signature link on my emails)

I'm sure that some of are still doing a few of these today, but I plan to pick up my game with mailing Thank You cards again, asking for referrals after the sale, calling an existing customer to see if they know of anyone they could refer me to along with adding more referrals on linkedin.

-=Good Selling=-

Monday, A Day in the Life of a Copier Salesperson

FYI, this was something I posted about 4 years ago, this was just one Monday that I wrote about.  Seems it was the same time of the year, since the METS we're doing their home opener.

Monday???.....Everyone knows that a great copier sales person week starts late Sunday, because they called it quits early Friday!

With that in mind, Sunday night is geared to getting these type jobs accomplished.

• Answering emails that came in late Friday
• Preparing any quotes or orders needed on Monday
• Researching items needed to quote early in the week on Monday or Tuesday
• Checking your calendar to make sure there are no conflicting appointments
• Going through your account list to see if there any viable upgrades coming soon
• Rewriting your list of things to do

Whew, after all of that is done, it's MONDAY, yea!!! Time to make some sales YEA!!

The dreaded drive to the office, for someone like me, a late owl, I always find myself in a rush on Monday morning. Can you believe my wife picks out here clothes the night before? Well, not me, I'm a man and can figure that out in an instant, so off I go to work with two different color socks. Stop for coffee, and off to drive 33 miles which will take almost 90 minutes in order to get there by 8:00AM.

I'm at the office, get the laptop, get my presentation binder,

How to Close More MFP & MPS Sales

The other day I read and article by Tom Callinan titled "Close More Sales" on The Week in Imaging.   I found the article enjoyable and a good read, in closing the article Tom presented this paragraph.

How do you actually close more sales? That’s easy; uncovering a solid business case by asking great questions, listening attentively, and focusing on moving the sale forward with every meeting. The best closers are those that spend their time to uncover specific issues their product or service will alleviate, and understands the precise value of addressing those issues before they ever move to their proof source. After you’ve uncovered a quantifiable business case and you’ve proven that your product or service can address that business case closing will be as easy as “It seems like it make sense to move forward with the (your product or service) acquisition/installation, doesn’t it?”

I agree with everything above, what I don't agree is that this will help you close more sales, it will help you close a sale.  For those of us in the business long enough we know that WE CAN'T close every opportunity.  There will be those appointments where you can be the best listener, you can ask great questions, you can uncover those specific issues, but you're just not going to get that deal for whatever the reason may be.  It could be price, value, a cousin pops up who is in the business, a neighbor is a friend of the CFO who has a guy, the list goes on and on.

The key to closing more sales is to have a bounty of opportunities and follow what Jim pointed out with every appointment. Let me put it this way, if your quota is 60K per month, you need three times that in opportunities that may close that month. That's $180K worth of potential business every month, if you don't have three times you quota in the monthly pipeline you won't close more sales.

This month alone I had two opportunities that went by the way side, one I lost and that opportunity was over $70k and the other was put on the back burner for a few months and that opp was $42K.   That's $112K lost, fortunately I still have another $60K that still may be able to close this month.

Many reps especially new reps will have a few good months or a few good quarters and then they'll relax, thus the activity will drop (which includes calls, emails, mailers, stop ins). When the activity drops then so does the opportunities. 

My belief is that you need to generate 3-5 opportunities each week to close more sales, we'll lose a lot of them but we'll also take our fair share also.

If you'd like to read more on this and become a member of the Print4Pay Hotel. We have more than 2,300 registered members from around the world that share sales information and tips on a daily basis. Registration is free and the forums are secure for members of our industry.

-=Good Selling=

7 Ways to Help You Get Better Results When Prospecting

Prospecting in the office equipment industry is equal to putting your shoes on every day. It's just something you do all of the time!

Now that I'm a little older and little wiser (that's me), I've been able to hone some of my prospecting skills to get better results and qualified prospects. Here's a few tips for you.

1. Sometimes during the sales process, the customer will ask for a better price, and yes you can use the standard close, "If I can give you a better price can we do business today?", however I'll also add that in order to get the better price I'd like to get two to three names and contact information for friends or associates that are in business that may have a need for my services. This is probably the best references or leads that you can get, and you must follow up on them right away!

2. Vertical Market Prospecting, follow up with other businesses that are in the same business where you just made a sale. Mention to the new prospect that you just helped out "xyz" company to new state of the art technology and also make the statement that there are many features designed for your type of business that will save time and money. It's just like the copier industry, when you come right down to it, its a small world and everyone pretty much knows someone else in their same line of work.

3. Prospect Around The Corner, when you have made a sale or have gained an appointment be sure to make a call to other businesses in the area and let them know you'll be meeting with so and so, and ask if you can stop buy. The same goes true for knocking on doors, whether before or at the end of the appointment take the time to stop at other businesses and tell them of your success or just drop a card and a brochure. It may take so time, however these cold calls will pay dividends down the road.

4. When going to a network event, GO ALONE!, this will force you into having conversations with other people and not yucking it up with your buddy from the office. Volunteer to be an officer or chair a committee for that organization.

5. Develop and maintain a mailing list of all your cold calls whether phone or on-site calls. Then set a reminder on a calendar program for a monthly mailing or emailing to these clients. You can mail brochures, flyer's or my favorite a neat little one page newsletter that will keep them updated with your new products and services. If you are religious in sending mail or email every month, you will start seeing great results in 3-6 months.

6. Many times when prospecting we can't get the name of the "right" person to speak, this is when you can turn to their web site and see who may be listed as C level execs. If you can't get the information I have a little secret that I can share (via email only art@p4photel and you'll need to register to be a print4pay hotel member, it's free) and I will send you a little trick that may give you the contact name you need or at least someone to start with.

7. LinkedIn baby! I use the free version, however I will use it to see if any of my contacts are connected or doing business with the company that I'm looking to penetrate.  I'll also use it to see if I already know anyone who is working there. If there is a connection with one of my existing accounts or someone I know I will ask for a connection.

If you have anything else to add, please feel free to!

-=Good Selling=-

The Birth of "State of the Art" Copier Technology

There was a recent post on the Print4Pay Hotel forums that was asking members if they inject humor in their copier/mfp demonstrations and if so what were some of those classic wits of humor that we use.  Of course I added by two cents but I also added a paragraph about some of the old technology that was used in copiers before they went digital in the mid nineties.

With one of our Mita (I sold the Adler Royal version), there was a feature that allowed users to white out or black out areas of the copy.  The prospect/user would use a plastic pen to white or black out a section of the document. I would set the user up, give them the pen and state that they need to be very careful with the pen because "inside the pen was the technology that enabled the document to white out or black out" and that if the pen was lost it would cost $300 or so for a replacement. The user then selected the points on the editing board, pressed the copy key and the copy would be edited with either the white out or black out section of the copy. Prospects and users awed when we showed this feature!

This was funny to me because some users actually thought the technology was in the pen and I had a few frantic users calling me that they had lost their pens and needed another. LOL

Another Mita copier had the ability to copy in two colors at the same time. It was always

10 Ways to Increase Your Copier and MFP Sales

I dug this up from the past and made a few minor changes, something that stuck out right away was that I was mentioning "workflow" three years ago.  Workflow is now the buzz word for the industry.  Just thought I would share that.

Whats made me successful in the field for so many years? I given this much thought and would like to share my top ten from my 32 years in down the street sales.

1. Be a consultant and not a sales person. Dig deep for their workflow and volume.
2. Always try to meet with the buyer/decision maker and not the gate keeper.
3. Be a professional at your job. Be on time, Courteous, Clean, speak their language.
4. Find out what your potential client does, what do they sell or manufacturer.
5. Position your self as the expert. Testimonials, Recommendations, Certificates..etc
6. Find out who they do business with. You may have common ground.
7. What is their buying time and why? (do they have pain)

I Stink as a Salesperson

I really didn't want to use "I Suck as a Salesperson" in the title, so I'll use it here. Even though I had a OK month when it comes to revenue, it seemed that every sale or opportunity I touched had issues.

Personally, I had too much on my plate, February had me at 22 or 23 opportunities that could close, most of them came down the wire and a lot of them rolled to March.  In January of this year I asked for a higher quota to push my self.

I found the opportunities,  however with so many open opportunities I was overwhelmed and fell short of hitting quota by about 3K.  The good thing, I should have a super March, the bad thing, poor planning on my part on some of the deals and just not enough time in the day. Gee, if I only had another me! Yeah and I forgot I took two vacation days in a short month, that didn't help either.

Selling Days

Moving into March, I'll also be short on selling days due to our Presidents Club Trip. I will lose 22% of my selling days this month.  How many of you actually look at the calendar every month and count how many selling days you have?   I have the selling days mapped out for each month of the year in advance and it helps with knowing when we have a longer and shorter sales cycle.

What Will I Do Different This Month?

Has The Time Come for Sales People to be Paid on Click Revenue?

In the world of MPS (Managed Print Service), commission for clicks is the common method pay compensation for reps.  Most time commissions are paid off the monthly revenue click from systems that our under a MPS agreement and in some cases commissions are paid one time for the first months worth of billing.

The copier commission world is a completely different story, reps are paid either paid on the percentage of gross profit or a percentage of the revenue for each copier that is sold.

Traditionally copier reps can also make commissions on the maintenance or cost per page agreement, the commissions range from 5%-10% of the annual agreement. In recent months I've heard some grumblings that dealers are pulling back and not offering commissions on maintenance agreements or cost per page programs.  Which I find surprising since maintenance and cost per page agreements are the life blood of the dealership.

If I were not getting a commission to sell a cost per page agreement or a maintenance agreement I would hard pressed to sell an agreement at the time of the sale.  Matter of fact, if I thought the break and fix model was better for the customer I would make the recommendation to go that way, my thought process is why muddy the waters and fight the battle with pricing on the maintenance or cost per page agreement if I'm not getting paid on that.

Personally, I would like to see some kind of ongoing

This History of Fax "According to Art"

Go ahead, you can do it, no one will see you. It's ok to hug your fax.

Facsimile "make similar", "make a copy" was invented in 1843 by Scottish mechanic and inventor Alexander Bain. He received a British patent for “improvements in producing and regulating electric currents and improvements in timepieces and in electric printing and signal telegraphs”, and the fax was born, well not entirely.

Alexander Bain's fax machine transmitter scanned a flat metal surface using a stylus mounted on a pendulum. The stylus picked up images from the metal surface. An amateur clock maker, Alexander Bain combined parts from clock mechanisms together with telegraph machines to invent his fax machine.

I can remember one of the main applications for fax was that of military use, when we demonstrated the technology we also spoke of how it was first used by the military. In fact the military adopted faxing in 1943 to transmit maps, orders and weather charts during World War II.

The "Art" of the Copier & MFP Demo

When was the last time you packed a copier on a sales cart, wheeled it into the customers office, performed the on-site demonstration and left with an empty sales cart and a check?

For those of you that have never had this experience, I can tell you this was the zenith of the sales cycle!

In days gone by I can remember practicing demo's a few times a week.  We would practice with fellow sales reps, sales managers or the District Sales Manager of the manufacturer.  Usually every year there was some type of demo contest either run by the dealership or the manufacturer.  It's really a shame that our industry has moved away from the demonstration.   I'm still a big fan of the demonstration and will push for one when I can't get the DM to move forward or is the sales cycle is stalled.

So, what makes a good demonstration?  Here's a few tips that I've put together for everyone.

A Potential Customer Lost is a Prospect Gained!

How long have you been in the business, five years, ten, fifteen, 20 or more years? The cliches never stop do they, one that comes too mind is "what comes around goes around". For those of us who have been in the business a long time, we've seen it all, new tactics get old and old tactics get new again.

Do you remember the name of the prospect of the name of the company for your first sale? How bout the first deal you lost? sorry to say, I can't remember any of them!

How did you first schedule your appointments? I can remember getting a Doctors appointment book to write down the locations, appointment times, directions, things to do and phone numbers. As the days turned into months and the months turned to years I would find myself getting another appointment book for every year. After about four years I realized that could go back and review the accounts that I didn't sell and contact them again for the potential upgrade, gee wasn't that smart of me to keep those books.

These days most of us keep our

I'm Listening, Are You Listening to Your Prospect?

How well do you listen to your customer?

Really, are you listening and have an understanding of what they want and how they want you to get them there?  Over the years of selling "down the street", I've learned to let the client do most of the talking and I'll do most of the listening.

Of course I'll ask a few key questions like "why are you considering a new solution", or "how much is that costing you", and even "do you have any pains in your day to day business that involve your printing or copying hardware". It took many years to understanding that listening is the key to consultative selling and the key to success in being a top producer.

Most customers have a round about way of telling you what they want from you and your company. Like telling a story about a previous experience and or a bad rep that they had to deal with (listen to this carefully, they are telling you what they want from you when they tell you about their past experiences). I hear many complaints from clients about the pushy reps, the ones who only want to sell what they thing they should have and not what the customer really needs. Heck, we had one guy at the office and 90% of his sales has been a 35ppm box, how is that? Customers will appreciate that you listened and comprehended their needs, in return they will shower you with references down the road.

Today, I was at a clients account and would have liked to pitched a 25ppm color system to them, this customer has an 18ppm digital system that scans, prints, copies and faxes, plus they also a have a color laser printer that prints up to 11x17. They printed more than 100,000 pages on the printer and only copied, faxed or printed 36,000 pages on their 18ppm digital system, plus they get service as they need it (break & fix) for both units.

I would have loved to sell them a 25 page per minute color device to replace both of the units, however the customer stated that business was slow and that they may look to buy the 18ppm from the leasing company. I listened..... and then asked to schedule another appointment to discuss their needs for the next three years.

What to Do?

From listening to the customer and finding out that they were at least in favor of getting a price from the leasing company for the 18ppm system, I knew that in order for them to lease or buy that I would need to present and cost analysis for them.  That's right put the time and effort into figuring out their existing costs for both devices.  Then cross your fingers and hope that you'll be able to save them "x" amount of dollars per year with a new system. If the cost analysis was not presented, then the customer would have bought the 18ppm from the leasing company and continued to do business the same way.

The key to listening in this case was that their current business is slow (lower revenues, profit, etc).  Most companies when presented with a cost analysis that presents the existing costs and proposed cost will move forward with the new proposal as long as they have a savings!  Another tip to keep in mind is that is the monthly savings is low 20-30 per month, then show the yearly and term of lease savings.  When the monthly savings is high per month, show the month and not the yearly or term of lease savings.

Listening is some you develop over time, and in some cases prospects will close themselves and hand you the order if you let them talk enough.

-= Good Selling=-

7 Cold Calling Tips for Managed Print Services

Some of us like it and most of us of don’t like it. It’s the COLD CALL.

I like to call it GOLD CALLING!  It's usually the day from hell or the day to have find some GOLDEN accounts. If you've been doing it as long as I have, you've had success and have found some of your best accounts this way!

I must say the most daunting task is to open a door where you can’t see what is on the other side, will there be rejection or jubilation! Most times it will be rejection. Get use to it, its part of the job and comes with the territory. Attitude, Attitude and more tude will help you overcome the rejection and plow ahead. You always must keep in mind that you are there to give them a better solution or a better way of doing things, and if they are not interested then that’s their loss!

What, I hate most is a NO SOLICITING sign on the door. I think it’s rude and vulgar, every single one of these companies sell something to someone. Full speed ahead right? You may want to think twice about this and send the owner or CEO a fedex letter or package. That will get their attention.
Here are a few tips to get you going.

Tip: If someone won't provide you with a business card, get out your phone and take a picture of the company name on the business directory.

Make Quality Cold Calls

Make a plan to visit those companies you'd like to do business with. Before you’re on your merry way, do some research on those companies via the Internet. Find out the name of the CEO, CFO or the principal, find out what they do and who they do business with. When you're in the office, ask for help. “Can you help me? I like to know who is the person who takes care of your managing your documents”, then ask for additional help such as “When I speak to him or her, can you help with some additional information so I can be prepared when we speak” Your main objective is to get the “right” name and you also may want to ask what the best time to contact that person is.

Send Literature

As soon as you get back to the office, send an opening letter and some literature. Be specific when you are going to call that person such as naming the date and the time of the phone call. Get more attention by ending the letter next day air, it may cost a little however for the right account it may well open the door!

Follow up call

Remember that date and time that you gave them for the follow up call. Use it to your advantage and stage your call at the precise time you said you would. Even if you don’t get through, the message will leave a big impression that you followed up when you said you would.

Create Interest in the first 5 seconds

Hello Mr. or Mrs. Smith. Our company specializes in the cost reduction with managing the printed page. Most companies do not know how much document printing is costing them. We'd like to present a cost free analysis of your existing costs and make recommendations for improvement if needed.

ABC (Always Be Cold Calling)

Over the years I have found Cold Calling to be the best way to find new business. Try some vertical market cold calling next time. For instance let’s say you want to focus on the Managed Print Services. Do the research on the Internet in your territory and pick out ten firms that you think would need your services. Vertical Market Cold Calls are awesome, the more you do, the more you’ll become proficient in their needs and applications.

Tip: Ask the receptionist for help, state that you're new and your objective is to just get the name of the correct contact person. Always as for help!


-=Good Selling=-

Any ideas for new leads for Print Management Solutions?

The above title was taken from a thread I found on linkedin. I'm assuming the person is asking the group for new ideas for Print Management leads.  Of course the solutions part may mean the utilization of print management software like Print Audit, Preton, etc...  The person who posted the thread works for a company that sells print and copy management solutions.  There were some replies to this thread however all of them were not related to a "new idea for print management leads".

I paid a visit to the web site of the company that the person who posted the thread works for.  The web site was as generic as you can get for copiers, printers, document management etc.  It's no wonder that the sales person is looking for new ideas, one look at the web site would tell me that the website is not generating any leads.

So, what can be some new ideas to generate print management leads for this person?

1. Dang, put something on the website that tells your potential prospects or existing customers that you are in that business (print management).

2. You need to enable your current customers to

5 Tips to Reach the Decision Maker

Tired of the prospect not returned your calls?

Tired of getting the gate keeper?

To some this means that the prospect is not interested! To others (seasoned veterans) this means that the prospect is very busy and has not found the time to return your call. Use this to your advantage!!

There's a couple of techniques you can use, one of my favorites with a customer that I've already met is below.

1)  The next time you get the dreaded voice mail, leave them this message. Hi this is Mr. So & So with XYD company, I tried to reach you on several occasions, I am going to be in your area next week. What I'd like to do is to stop by at 1PM on Wednesday the 4th (you set the date) to meet with you, if this is not convenient for you, please call me at (phone number), other wise I'll see you then.

Natural Born Salesperson

One of my first jobs was that of a paper boy when I was growing up in Jersey.  I'm thinking I started my first paper route at 13 and finally ended somewhere at 15.  At a young age I had to collect money, work for tips and also face complaints. Thinking back the best part of the job was that I was able to hop on my bike pedal about 2 miles to my first customer. It gave me freedom, I was on my own and I learned to interact with good people and rude people at a young age.

Somewhere in the age of 18 (in the seventies) or so, I took my first real sales job (kinda) selling Kirby vacuum cleaners.  All in the course of one day I and others were trained on the features, advantages and benefits. The manager made demo'd the Kirby as the state of the art in technology for vacuum cleaners, and I was impressed.  At the end of the day he told us that in order to stay with Kirby we were to take a demonstrator home with us and sell a minimum of 3 Kirby's to our family members at a price of over $300 each.  Three hundred bucks in the seventies....was a lot of money. I bought my first car for $150, to the say the least the last thing I wanted to do was squeeze  my parents for $300 bucks, I didn't take the demonstrator home and pretty much didn't go back.

I'm sure we've all had an experience or two in our sales careers like the ones I had.  To tell you all the truth the last thing job I ever wanted was to be a salesperson, and look out that panned out.  At 23 years old I backed in to copier sales in the eighties. Prior to the copier sales I was trained for a good 12 weeks to be a copier technician. At the end of the 12 weeks I got my first copier tech gig and in three months I was brought for a review. The review kinda went like this,

Take Advantage of Recent Copier Proposals & Knockout the Competitor

For those of you that read my blog often, I don't want to sound like a broken record with why I believe it's a good thing to review proposals see street pricing from other dealers, and direct branches.

Let me take a recent A4 sale that I secured.  The account was an incumbent, and excellent service and support was issued through out the last three years. However, this account (small account) always wants to check pricing (think of all the time they would save if they did not get additional quotes and focused on their core business) from other vendors.  After many phone calls and a visit to the account I was able to keep the business for another three years.  But this time, I asked for copies of the quotes that he had received from other vendors. Some people tend to be a little wishy washy about this and not give them to you and then others will hand them over without a second thought.  Believe it or not I still get a rush when a customer gives me the quotes from the other vendors. Hey, if you're really in this business to stay you need to see all of the quotes and proposals you can even if they are not from a direct competitor.  There's a lot to learn from each and every one of them.

For example, I noticed on my competitors proposal these points:

Looking for MFP & Copier Leads in All The Right Places

I've borrowed a few lines from a blog I did about three years ago in reference to finding leads and then updated with a few new ones for everyone. 

Have you ever heard of the "three foot rule"?  It means that whenever you get within three feet of someone you should be talk solutions/MFP's or even how do you do this or that.  It sounds kind of lame, but you need to sneak it in somewhere.  I could have the worst week, month or even quarter however I always look at it that I never know what tomorrow will bring me, it's inevitable that continued prospecting will always generate new opportunities that you were not counting on.

Over the years, I found leads I've generated opportunities because I always ask myself how did they print this or make it look this way.  Here are 5 opportunities that came my way over the years.

1) The first one was a paper store; I had to buy specialty paper to run some print samples for a client. As I was making my purchase, the clerk printed a sales order/sales receipt on a dot matrix printer with pre-printed three part carbon less paper.

It clicked; I asked the clerk why do you print these like this? He just gave me a dumb look and stated "cause that's the way the boss does it", okay I thought. I then asked for the owners name and the best time to contact him. Done, it's a lead and a solutions lead at that. Pre-printed carbon less forms can run as high as .25 cents each or higher. Now it's just a case of finding out how many forms are printed each and every month to make a viable ROI presentation.