Vernon's Changing Face...

Three of Vernon's home office staff are shown here enjoying some camaraderie at the recent Las Vegas Show. Sharla Elscott (Business Development Manager), Andrea Smith (Recruiting Specialst) and Stephanie Critchfield(Western Region Manager) burnt the candle on both ends during their stay in Las Vegas.

I remember when I used to be able to do that... Actually I don't remember when I was able to do that. I am not sure I ever could. I would just start a little later in the morning. I guess you could say that I used to work the second or third shift.

Nowadays I would just assume sit back and listen to the horror stories and be glad that I was not involved. I am an early riser, usually around 4:30 AM. I love the early morning. Of course this means that you probably will not have a meaningful conversation with me after 9 PM at night.

It is refreshing to see many of the young people entering this industry. It is critical for all companies to enlist the talented youth of today, males and females. There has been a lot of talk about the explosion of young women in this industry and we see this at our own company (however it seems to be a secret to the rest of the industry) however there are a lot of young men who see this as an area to make a career as well

If you own a distributorship you should be making a concerted effort to entice these bright minds to join your firm. Providing them with the tech tools that they need in today's marketplace is essential. Recognizing that they communicate differently than many of your other reps is critical. Allowing them the freedom to express their opinions and make contributions in your organization will go along way to attracting them and their peers.

At Vernon we are making an effort to profile some our newest members as well as showcasing some of our tech tools. We are stressing the point that it is possible to be both a 100 + year old financially stable company with no debt and a technology progressive and flexible organization with the ability to handle all types of sales executives.

There is no typical rep in our organization...there really is not! You can go from the 28 year old female $1 million + producer to an 80 + year old man who sells almost $300 K. Some make all face to face calls while others work the telephones. Selling via the web and utilizing many of the electronic presentation tools that we provide is the mode of preference for many, especially our newest members.

So it is fair to say that the face is changing on our organization but there is one common denominator among our top producers. Regardless of their communication methods they are driven, driven to meet the needs of their clients and driven to make money and succeed. They are self motivated! They are confident and secure that they can solve their customers problems and last but not least they are fierce competitors.

Tough economy....not for our top reps...they will find a way. They did 20 years ago! They did in 2001 after 9-11 and they will do it in 2009.

So even though the face of our company is changing many things are the same. Top sales executives find a way to get it done. They never give up. They worker harder and smarter than 90 % of their competition and this is why they are winners.

One of my favorite sayings is the following...

It seems to me that the harder that I work, the luckier I get....

Wanted..Good News Only!

Good positive stories only..Are they out there? Recently after sending out a newsletter to our sales force venting about the media focusing on the negative things in the economy I was heartened to have a number of reps send back some positive stories on things that were going on in their own business world. I am taking the liberty of showing some excerpts below. It is not likely that you will see any of these stories on your local news....

Hey Dave------My week was great! I wrote $13,000 in orders. Not bad for a down economy! Cheer up----things have to get better. Gotta go----Time for cocktails!
- Ann B. (MA)

I had been working on renewing my largest order a week before Christmas when they informed me that because of the poor economy they were not going to do anything this year!! What a jaw dropping announcement!  The order would have been $60,000.00+ I needed 60,000 pts to win the Vernon Incentive Trip to the Big Sky Montana Resort . Both sale and points - gone!!  Shortly after this customer revelation I had an official meeting with myself and decided NOT to let this get me down. I may have lost the order, but I did not lose my ambition or my ability to sell, and heck what a challenge! I am happy to report that as of today, after three great sales weeks, I only need about 20,000 points to win the trip. I am determined to work even harder to achieve my goals! Some thing's I have observed:
Customers still want to advertise, but they are spending less
The more I call on customers face to face, the more successful that I am.
When the phone doesn't ring I need to do something to change it. Some things might include:
Set up clothing displays and bring in to my client's office
Design some spec sample hats and present to top customers
Watch for close outs, sales, and present them to customers
Put together ideas while anticipating needs of clients- Do not wait for them to contact you.
Constantly look for new clients that could use my excellent service.
- Pat R. (WI)

I feel the same way you do... too many people are in the corner, depressed because they are listening to the media too much. Too many of us are prejudging our customers assuming they don't want to buy! Add to this the fact that a lot of reps are not interested in getting out there to try and sell because "nobody is buying anyway".
Dave, when you sent out that email asking us to forecast sales for 2009, I was depressed and in the corner.  During the break for the holidays, I realized I was letting it get to me. I decided to do something about it and since then I have sold $10,000 per week for the last three weeks and am half way to $10,000 for next week already.
I received a wall sign for Christmas from a very caring person in my life. The sign says "It is what it is.." The sign is not going on my wall because in my life "It is what I make happen".
Be proactive in your sales.. Go cold call 20 new prospects a day, every day. If you gain one of them as a customer, then you have gained 20 new customers in the month! That's phenomenal growth! 
- Scott W. (UT)

This is just the beginning. All I want is good news stories this week! I have told our people that I do not want to hear what happened to them.....I want to hear what they are doing to change the outcome!

What I found in this process is that hearing good stories makes me feel better. Hanging around with positive people makes me more positive. This should not be a surprise...we all know this and have known this for a long time...right?

If this is the case why doesn't the media get it? They are as much responsible for where we are as any one.

Wouldn't it be refreshing to see the 6 PM news show only good news stories for one week. Thinks about it...

5 nights, 30 minutes a night of good stories....2 1/2 hours over the course of the week....I want to hear about people volunteering, people making a difference, small businesses that are thriving, some new entrepreneur ideas....

Oh well...a man can dream...can't he?

Just one of those days

Well here I sit at home in my basement, the area my wife calls the "man cave". I have my big screen TV, a fireplace, a refrigerator, a spare bed room (if needed). What more could a man want???? Right now I am decompressing from a trying day.

I just finished one of those days at work...you know the kind I mean, the kind where I know it is Thursday but man I wish it was a Friday...

As I think back to review the day beginning at 6 AM heading to the office, a 45 minute commute everything was going fine. And then I entered my office. Let me preface this by saying that nothing really bad happened all day today. It was little things, nagging things that piled up one at a time, each of them appearing to weigh on me more and more.

By noon time people in my office were afraid to say "Hey Dave" for fear that I would snap at them. Again I think I am being fairly objective when I say that this is out of character for me but it happens and today was the day.

Have you ever had one of these? Maybe you have them all the time. Boy I hope not because today really sucked!

I usually view myself as Mr. Positive. I usually find a reason to laugh all the time, even some times when it is not politically correct. This means sometimes I have to watch myself but generally I am okay. Humor has a way of reducing some of the tension that can build in any situation if a release of some sort is not found.

Laughter, recognizing that it could always be worse, noting that tomorrow is another day...a new beginning...always makes things better.

Every day when I head in to Vernon's Corporate Office people greet me with "Hi Dave how are you doing?" I quickly respond with the fact that "I am doing great...but it is still early". I am clearly joking and it usually gets a chuckle...maybe a small one when they have heard the same line three weeks in a row.

So tonight I sit in the "man cave" having a cold beverage and reflect on my day I see things for the way they are. Nothing that came up today was insurmountable! We tackled the issues one at time and made it through the day.

Tomorrow is looking up. We plan on adding two or three salespeople to Vernon's Sales Team, people that we met and interviewed in Las Vegas. We will also be meeting to formalize our plans for our National Sales Meeting in St. Petersburg, FL. This event makes me smile because it is fun. We will have about 175 people at a beach hotel on the Gulf of Mexico. Three days of meetings, but with a mix of fun in the sun and a dinner cruise sound pretty good as we prepare for another 0 degree week end in Iowa.

Just thinking about these things makes me feel much better and more optimistic about Friday. Add to that the fact that it is Friday...TGIF!

The bottom line is that we all have the ability to sit back and reflect on days today. Every one has them. The trick is to keep these to a minimum and to bounce back and move forward as soon as you can.

I suggest retreating to your "man cave" if you are a guy or some other place if you are woman. Find some where that you are very comfortable and get yourself calmed down. Reflect on what is really important and figure out how you can get back on the positive track. What can you do with your actions to make things better?

Those things are there! Make a list and follow it. None of us are helpless. Don't sit back and just let things happen to you. Fight back and you have a chance.

Tomorrow, Friday January 23rd is going to be a good day for me. There is no doubt about it in my mind!

I know nothing...

I realize that this statement may show my age...52 years young... but I think it applies here.

If anyone is as old as I am (I know you are out there) they might remember the famous show Hogan's Heroes, where Schultz, the guard of the American Prisoners, would frequently utter "I know nothing".....

If anyone views this blog expecting to see my predictions and forecasts about what is going to happen in the industry and the economy you came to the wrong place. There are many bloggers in this industry and others who spend a good deal of their time telling you what is going to happen next...the next 3 months, 6 months or 12 months. Not me!

They also spend some time letting you know that they saw this all coming months before everything hit the fan. Baloney...I don't believe it. If they did, then why are they spending their time blogging today. You tell me!

What I plan on doing is writing about my experiences during my 20 years in the industry. A good deal of my time is spent talking to others in the industry about who they are and what they sell and how much they sell. Again, a big part of what I do at our company involves telling people about what we have to offer to them if they are looking to make a change in their employment situation. Perhaps they work for themselves or maybe they work for another company.

Just like selling promotional products to a buyer, the most important part of the process and a key determinant in whether or not you "make the sale" has to do with your line of questioning. When I first meet or speak with some one I have no idea if we have anything to offer them. I can't say we have a good deal or a bad deal for them. Only by asking a number of questions can I start to piece things together.

Be leery of anyone who starts telling you that they have a deal for you especially if they do not know what your deal is now.

In the coming weeks I will relate some stories about strange experiences in recruiting. One of the best for me involves hiring someone back in the Boston area where I grew up. This goes back some 15 years and I can not tell you how excited I was at the time when we "landed" an experienced hire who had been in the business and was selling about $300 K. I immediately called my boss and told him of my good fortune. Of course I probably told him that I used some magical closing technique (years of experience have since shown me that there are no magic techniques except maybe offering more money).

I called my new hire daily to see how things were going and was pleasantly surprised when he related the orders that he had sold each and every day. Wow...it was great to have a winner! This pattern continued for about two weeks when I received a call from my boss letting me know that they had received no orders in the home office. Calling my new hire, we went over when the orders were mailed and via what method they were sent.

I made calls each day and my good luck continued as he reported that he was selling one or two orders per day. Total sales for the three week period amounted to over $21 K. I had from this man the suppliers, the quantity, and the dollar volume of each order that he "sold".

My boss was all over me. No orders...I mean not a single order was ever received in the home office. Finally my new "shining star" hire stopped answering the phone. He returned none of my calls. I went to his home and he did not answer the door. I should have mentioned earlier that when I initially hired him I did go to his home and I sat in his office and I saw his record keeping and his files and his samples. The man was in the business! So what was the deal? What was his motive?

I didn't know then and I do not know now. What motivates some people in this business is beyond me. Again it proves to me that "I know nothing".

Have any of you been involved in recruiting? Have you had some "strange" experiences? I would love to hear them. Let me know.

So remember no predictions will be made here regarding the stock market or the financial and automotive industries. I would much rather talk about things that I do know about...things like hard work!

Look for more down the road....

Take care...

My Profile Photo

Don't be scared! This is not what I look like today. Actually this photo was taken when I was a senior in my 5th or 6th year of college...I can't remember. Looking at the picture you can probably figure out why I don't remember but this is a different story for a different day.

I like to look at this picture some times to realize how much things can change and also how fast time flies by.

What's funny about that photo is that is when I really should have combed my hair but I didn't. Today I have very little hair left but I get up every morning and go to comb it only to find out that I do not need to now and as a result I have a lot of free time in the morning.

How time flies....WOW! Certain things about those college days seem like yesterday. I know it is easy when times are tough like now to think that they will never end. Will there be a day when business is good again? Of course there will be because whether you like it or not time does fly by. Anyone who has children can tell you that. My 16 year old daughter was just 6 or 7 two years ago...I know she could not have been unless they changed the numbering system on the calendars but I know they didn't do that so it must be just me!

So if time really moves that fast and this picture helps me to realize this fact then it also goes a long way to letting me know how precious today is. Enjoy it...get the most of it! Look for those positive things...appreciate the silver linings in life that you have. You say you don't have them...I do not believe it. It may just be that you are not looking hard enough or that you are choosing to dwell on those not so positive things and as a result you are distracted from the good things in your life.

Tony Robbins, a world renowned speaker and motivator, recently spoke at the ASI Orlando Show....At one point he asked everyone to step back, take a deep breath and think about something very positive in their lives. He mentioned health and about 1/2 the group broke out into a smile, he then said how about children or grandchildren and another 1/4 of the group broke out into a smile as well. This left 25 % of the group still searching for that silver lining and then he said what about a family pet. Once he said this I looked around and I bet 99 % of the group was smiling and laughing.

Why was this? What had happened? Tony Robbins had asked people to take a break and focus on the good things, the silver lining and once he was able to get people to do this everything seemed to get better, if only for that moment. Doesn't it make sense that if we can teach ourselves to do this that we will be more productive in our daily routine?

I think it does. So if my profile picture gets you to laugh, just for a second and smile that is a good thing. Does it make you say, I remember when....

Or maybe it does what it did to my parents when they came for a college visit say...Oh my god, I hope that is not our son and then they heard me yell....hey Mom and Dad....

Believe me they were not smiling, but I was.....Remember you have more power to control your outlook on life than you may give yourself credit for today. Try it!

Back to the Office

I have been out of the office for a week. It seems longer.

It is Saturday morning and I just jotted down my To Do list for Monday AM. I stopped the list when I got to about 20 things that need to get done Monday. They are all important!

Tops on the list is getting back to about 15 people who are interested in coming on board with. Vernon. Las Vegas confirmed to me what we thought. A lot of people are being forced to find new homes to process their orders. Small distributors are finding cash flow challenges with sales losses of 20% or even more.

Thank goodness that we have the financial stability and strength that we do!

So I will take tomorrow to take a little R & R and watch some football. I hate the fact that the New England Patriots are not in it but like my friends are quick to point out, they have had their share of success so it is nice to see some new teams.

For that reason I am rooting for Baltimore or Arizona. What do you think?

A Ravens against Cardinals Superbowl....not a big media hit but I like it!

www.vernoncompany.com/a_new_direction

Fun, Learning and Recognition

At the recent PPAI Expo in Las Vegas some of our account executives found time for a little fun during a break from working the trade show floor. In this photo (above right) our Western Regional Sales Manager, Stephanie Critchfield was found doing the bump with a bigger and more formidable opponent during the PPMN Mixer.

Later during the show we had a group of ten of us from Vernon Sales Promotion attend the PPAI Awards Banquet. Our very own, Ms. Tonia Ho (San Francisco, CA) was recognized as a winner of a Pyramid Award for eco friendly promotion of a lapel pin made of recycled plastic. Tonia and her husband Ken, along with the rest of the Vernon sales team in attendance were very proud.

Tonia will also be recognized later when Vernon holds their National Sales Meeting in St. Petersburg, FL. At this time we expect to have 175 salespeople and guests at this three day event. Fun and sun is in store for us all.

Industry top suppliers, Bic and Hit will be hosting tours of their facilities during day one of the meeting. They will follow that up with our very own dinner cruise on the Gulf of Mexico.

With our temperature in Des Moines currently at - 10 degrees the Florida beaches sound pretty good to me.

Las Vegas Show

Five days in Las Vegas....food, drink, conversations, lots of conversations...WOW...what a grind!

I couldn't wait to head home except for one thing...the weather at home had been as low as -25 degrees. Yikes!

Considering the fact that I had not stepped outside since I arrived at the show on Monday it felt good to get outside and get some fresh air for about 30 seconds and then I was freezing.

Lots of people were definitely concerned about the future. The large companies were keeping things positive yet news of layoffs hit the airwaves on Thursday. No companies are immune from the challenges we face.

The biggest change I noticed this year wast the lack of gamblers in the casinos. The slots were not ringing. The card tables were empty. Even the "working girls" seemed to be having a tough time finding "work", if you know what I mean...and I know you do.

I think that 2009 will offer opportunities for those companies and individuals who keep their eyes and ears open...those people who do not do the same old things...those folks who do not do the same old thing.

I was taught that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again while expecting different results. Many people in our business are by this definition, insane. I am not one of them!