Sales Gold
“The first key to success is to turn off the news and cancel your subscriptions to newspapers. There is a barrage of ... negative news out there, and a positive attitude is key for all times, especially tough times like these. Secondly, remember that businesses are still buying and that they are looking for value. Smart businesses realize that they need to market more in times like these. Keep prospecting hard and you will find great customers. The third key is that many organizations may have had some layoffs, and they may have a limited staff. This is your opportunity to not just be a product peddler, but a real solutions provider. When a customer needs to order a print item, ask them what project it is associated with and see if you can help with the entire project. We recently had a Proforma member working with a client that had a $50 million annual budget, but they had recently reduced staff. The customer told our member that they needed to rely on one source to handle $8 to $10 million of the $50 million spend because they didn’t have the staff to handle it. We just helped her sign an $8 to $10 million dollar annual contract. Finally, examine your own business model and assure that you are structured right for the times. In today’s environment, there are larger organizations that can help distributors with their sales, marketing, cash flow and back office work. This gives distributors more time and tools to sell.”
Greg Muzzillo, founder, co-CEO
Proforma
Cleveland