A Sales Principle That Bears Repeating
Carl is a marketing manager who has been on the receiving end of hundreds of media presentations. He knows a thing or two about effective sales techniques. “Most of the…
See the Other Person’s Point of View
A friend told me about the time his mom took him to the shopping mall to help her pick out a birthday present for his father. He was about six…
Affinity Publisher and IDMarkz
Can we get away from paying monthly fees to Adobe?I spent my morning writing about mergers, buyouts, and bankruptcies. I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to spend a…
One Way to Avoid the Accidental Sales Jibe
Selling and sailing have a lot in common. Consider the jibe.A sailboat cannot sail directly into the wind, but it can sail at angles to the wind. The closest point…
Speaking of Digital
Trying to Determine What's Working at Community PapersI will remember fall ’19 as a season of research. I was involved in two major news-paper studies: one related to Millennials for…
Putting the Boss in an Ad
Sometimes it’s a good idea to feature a boss in an ad. Sometimes it’s not.Two ads come to mind. One shows a plumbing company’s president seated at the head of…
How Do We Reach Millennials?
Focus Groups Lead to a Better Understanding of Young AdultsSteve Andrist, executive director of North Dakota Newspaper Association, asked me an interesting question yesterday. It was related to my visit…
A Formula for Testimonial Quotes
Testimonials can be convincing elements in advertising campaigns. Will Rogers once said, “Get someone else to blow your horn and the sound will carry twice as far.” It’s true that…
Don’t Let Your Presentation Sputter at the End
Alex is an ad manager who wants his sales team to be professional from start to finish. “Some salespeople talk too much, especially at the end of a sales conversation,”…
What Golf Teaches Us About Advertising
I love golf, but I’m a terrible golfer. I’m the only golfer I know who has lost someone else’s golf ball. On a best-ball round, I mistakenly hit the wrong…
How to Make a Good Second Impression
Don, who manages his newspaper’s sales department, is always looking for ways to strengthen customer relations. “We understand the importance of first impressions,” he told me. “Know something about the…
Disadvantages Have Their Advantages
Jared told me about a technique his sales team uses. “I learned it in a seminar years ago, and I’ve seen it used in different industries. It’s based on presenting…