Back to School

Do we all remember those days?

The summer was a great time. Taking trips, hitting the beaches and burning the candle on both ends.

Actually I only burnt the candle on one end staying up to crazy hours and then sleeping in late.

Well the summer is over! It is that "back to school" time. I remember those days as well. They were mixed with a little bit of sadness and a lot of anticipation.

I have spent much of the summer encouraging our Account Execs to get ready, to rest up for the end of the year push.

Well guess what? The time has come!

The economy is showing signs of improvement. Pay attention to those signs. Talk about those signs. Get out there in front of your customers and prospects.

Make sure that they know who you are, where you are, what you offer and how to get in touch with you. Do NOT assume that they know!

We need to hit the streets with energy and enthusiasm from now through the end of the year. We need to be more creative and better organized than any of our competition. We need to emphasize our service and the value that we bring to the table. Actually this should be a year round objective in all our dealings with existing or potential clients.

So the time is now! Are you ready? Are you excited?

Remember that your attitude and outlook can be contagious. This can be a good thing for you or it can kill any chances of a sale if you are not on top of your game.

Be prepared! Just like the stock market that is performing well and working hard to make up for past losses, we can all do the same thing.

One day at a time, trying to sell more today than on this date last year is the way to go. It works if you approach things this way.

Try it!





Dave Regan
The Vernon Company
Vice President of Sales
641-792-9000 ext. 8256
641-275-2835 cell
daver@vernoncompany.com
Follow me on www.justdavesopinion@blogspot.com
Follow Vernon on www.twitter.com/vernonwantsu

Is a psychological tune up in order?

My guess is YES! Walking the floor at two recent trade shows in Chicago and Long Beach I was amazed at the number of people who felt obligated to speak about how bad things were. This included both suppliers and distributors.
After walking a few aisles and answering the same question about a dozen and a half times, I felt pummeled emotionally. I felt like going home and pulling the shades down.
I certainly did not feel like attacking the promotional products world and my customers and prospects with new ideas. Maybe it is just me that feels this way, but I doubt it. I go to trade shows to get energized, to get stimulated to go out and sell. This is what I expect when I go to a show.
What is your objective? At one of our sales meetings recently we distributed buttons that said “I refuse to participate in the down economy”. The reality is that we are all in it whether we like it or not, however we do not need to go on and on about how awful things are.
Talking about the weather or the Red Sox and their quest to outlast the Yankees this year (not looking very good right now) is far more therapeutic than bringing up the negatives. We talk about the glass being half full or half empty? This is all about perspective!
My suggestion here is similar to what I was taught when I was just a young child. If you don’t have anything good to say, then don’t say anything at all! At least by following this saying you don’t throw me into an emotional pit far worse than when I walked on to the show room floor.
Can we do this? Can we make a pledge? Can we at least try? Call it a psychological tune up! If we all did this I truly believe that we would find that we would all “run better” after coming out of the shop. This is what we all need right now.
There are too many “clunkers” out there driving around spewing negative emissions about the economy and it is polluting the environment, the environment that I live and work in.
The time is now for everyone to step back and take a deep breath and say today I will say nothing negative. Today I will only talk about positive things. They are out there! They may be a little tougher to find. Check your local paper. The good news is usually on pages 8 to 14, just after all of the negative stuff that the media can find.
If speaking about only positive things for an entire day seems to be too daunting a task, then try doing it just for the morning, or just for a few hours. If someone starts to speak about the negatives please try to turn the conversation around. Tell him or her that you have taken a pledge to talk about only positive things for the day. Challenge them to try the same thing. We might all be surprised that by doing this we can make a difference!