Marketing and Sales

Cleveland, Ohio-based Proforma announced the development of the ProSTART Selling System, a step-by-step program enabling Proforma franchise owners to achieve sales of $180,000 in one year or less, and $440,000 in two years by breaking down the selling process into basic steps. “To be successful in our industry, you have to be in the right place, at the right time, enough times to identify opportunities to earn your prospect’s business. The ProSTART Selling System helps owners do just that,” said Greg Muzzillo, founder and co-CEO. For more information, visit www.proforma.com.

VersaSeal, Montrose Ala.—a PrintXcel Brand and original manufacturer of pressure-seal solutions—announced the release of its updated video and DVD sales tool. The educational products, which do not reference PrintXcel as the vendor, are designed to assist distributors in introducing pressure-seal solutions to end-users contemplating alternative mailing solutions. For more information, call (800) 767-3743. Visit www.bfls.com/infocenter andenter #201

While listening to a talk show on the car radio as I battled rush hour traffic, I heard a police officer being interviewed. He is the head of the Homicide Unit in his city and was discussing techniques used to question suspects. One line was so profound and applicable to sales that I kept repeating it so I wouldn’t forget it: “When a suspect is talking, don’t do or say anything to cause him to stop.” Wow! So true. And, going beyond the surface level shows the actual danger and potential damage here. They don’t just stop talking when you interrupt them—they are also

The real estate market keeps the American economy robust—and profitable for distributors. In its 2004 Performance and Accountability Report, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) reported that the nation's homeownership rate reached a record high of 69 percent, an increase of 0.6 percent from the homeownership rate at the end of 2003. The document also showed that the United States gained an estimated 1,594,000 new homeowners—attaining a new high of 73.7 million homeowners. Based on these findings, it is clear that the real estate market is thriving. And, distributors looking to become household names should consider its many opportunities. According

Vigilant distributors can go far in this fast-paced industry. Printed automotive products continue to thrive in the face of their electronic counterparts, and distributors should think twice before backing away from this important and profitable market. "The outlook is great, and I don't see a big dent in the automotive industry from a technological standpoint," said Jason Powers, marketing director at Sellersburg, Indiana-based Giraffe. While Powers did not foresee a "paperless office," as predicted by some experts, he did acknowledge the impact that technology—such as e-commerce—has had on the automotive forms industry. "More and more people are using electronic means for business transactions

Distributors can increase sales of printed products by mixing business with pleasure. Regardless of the economy, the weather or world affairs, people love to be entertained. From sporting events to music and theater, there would be no audience without printed products. Distributors who aren't pursuing this often-overlooked niche are doing themselves a disfavor, say manufacturers. In addition to big-name national events, there are literally hundreds of entertainment-related activities happening in every community. Some are annual events, such as arts festivals, county fairs, 10K runs, or home and garden shows. Others may be one-shot events to celebrate a town or company anniversary or team championship.

The travel and hospitality industry uses a broad array of products to fill customer needs. Distributors are always on the road; it's the nature of the job. But, while traveling to meet that next potential client or sitting in a hotel room practicing a presentation, don't forget the potential of the travel and hospitality industry itself. "One of the unique things about the hospitality industry is that it uses a broad spectrum of printing—color labels and packaging, commercial sheet printing, etc. There's a lot of design opportunity," said distributor Tom Leavesley, Global DocuGraphix, Houston. Steve Michel, color applications manager at Printgraphics, Vandalia, Ohio, noted

Knowledgeable suppliers offer tips on securing lucrative selling opportunities. It's no secret that some changes within the major directs are creating all sorts of lucrative selling opportunities for the independent supply channel. What some distributors may not realize, however, is that many of them exist in serving federal, state and local governments' printing needs. For Steve Buggy, vice president of Phoenix-based B&D Litho, and Bob McAleavey, president of Specialized Printed Forms, Caledonia, N.Y., government projects represent a steady workflow that promises future growth. "At most government levels, the majors have traditionally had fairly decent success with large contracts. But, that's changing as

Doors open wide for independent distributors probing this industry. To say that there have been a few changes within the independent channel in relation to the health-care industry would be a bit of an understatement. It is now well-known that in October of last year, American Solutions for Business, Glenwood, Minn., and International Business Solutions Alliance (IBSA), Bowling Green, Ky., pulled off a major coup by snagging Novation—the largest-volume group purchasing organization (GPO) in the health-care field. (Novation formerly contracted with major direct Moore Wallace, owned by RR Donnelley, Chicago, Ill.) This spells opportunity for manufacturers and independents affiliated with American Solutions for

Unique solutions targeting financial institutions create a wealth of opportunity. Business forms distributors can get a piece of the competitive financial market pie by looking beyond sales of core, commodity-type products to specialized solutions that enhance security and cut operating costs for banks, mortgage companies, brokerage and investment firms, and lending and leasing institutions. It's all the better if those solutions include patented products. "This is where the real profits are generated," said Dan Hopkins, national sales manager for Roanoke, Virginia-based Info- Seal. "Because the items are not available from other sources, competition is virtually eliminated. And, distributors can sell them at better