Here's a great article from Pamela Webb of Promotional Consultant Today:

    
"What is selling? In simplest terms, selling is the process of helping a person conclude that your product or service is of greater value to him or her than the price you are asking for it. Our market society is based on the principles of freedom and mutual benefit.
 

In a free market, the customer always has three options with  any purchase decision.  First, the customer can buy your product or service. Second, the customer can buy the product or service from someone else. Third, the customer can decide to buy nothing at all. For the customer to buy your particular product or service, he must be convinced that it is not only the best choice available but he must also be persuaded that there is no better way for him to spend the equivalent amount of money. Your job as a salesperson is to convince the customer that all these conditions exist and then to elicit a commitment from him to take action on your offer. The field of professional selling has changed dramatically since through the years. In a way, selling methodologies are merely responses to customer requirements.

At one time, customers were relatively unsophisticated and poorly informed about their choices. Salespeople catered to this customer with carefully planned and memorized sales presentations, loads of enthusiasm and a bag full of techniques designed to crush resistance and get the order at virtually any cost. Today, customers are now more knowledgeable than ever before. They are experienced buyers and they have interacted with hundreds of salespeople. They are extremely sophisticated and aware of the incredible variety of products and services available to them, as well as the relative strengths and weaknesses of those products. Many customers are smarter and better educated than some salespeople and they are far more careful about making a buying decision of any kind. In addition, they are overwhelmed with work and under-supplied with time. Because of the rapidly increasing pace of change, down-sizing, restructuring and the competitive pressures surrounding them, customers today are harried and hassled. They are swamped with responsibilities, impatient, suspicious, critical, demanding and spoiled. To sell to today's customer requires a higher caliber of sales professional than has ever before been required. It is only going to become tougher and more complicated in the years ahead.

Following are a few ideas that you can immediately put into action to assist you in selling to today's customer. 

• Think continually about how you can convince your customer that your product or service is the very best available.
• Learn why he buys, or refuses to buy and develop strategies to turn non-buyers into buyers. 
• Upgrade your knowledge and skills every day so you can sell more effectively. You always want to know more about your product or service than your customer.

Source: Brian Tracy is a leading authority on personal effectiveness, management, leadership and sales. His clients include the executives and staff of IBM, Deloitte Touche, McDonnell Douglas and The Million Dollar Round Table. He has produced more than 300 audio/video programs and has written 28 books, including Getting Rich Your Own Way and TurboStrategy! "

According the Counselor PromoGram:

"Molenaar Issues Voluntary Product Recall
Supplier Molenaar LLC (asi/71980), also known as M-I Line, has issued a voluntary recall of about 11,650 electroluminescent night lights.

The night lights glow green when plugged into an electrical outlet. The two models - #2017 and #2019 - are in the shapes of a rectangle and house respectively. Both models can be identified by the text "71980 U.S.A." molded into the back panel just above the brass outlet prongs. These night lights were sold between September 2005 and September 2009, and Molenaar says that no models were manufactured or sold after November 2009.

The recall was issued because the night lights could contain faulty materials that can become hot to the touch and melt, resulting in risk of possible shock or fire. The Electrical Safety Authority of Ontario (ESA) and Molenaar LLC have had four reports of night lights melting over the last four years, resulting in minor property damage. No injuries have been reported."

National Breast Cancer Awareness month (October) is just around the corner and now is the time to start selling. The industry currently offers more than 125,000 items that are pink and setup up specifically for promoting Breast Cancer Awareness. Some mfg's (in no specific order) offering product lines for the cause include BIC / Norwood, Bullet Line, Sweda, Evans Manufacturing, Igloo, AAA Umbrella, Noteworthy and many others including our in house manufacturing facilities .

Distributor Sales Rise 8.1% In The Second Quarter

This just in from the Counselor^® PromoGram^® 
 

“Building on a positive start to 2010, distributors posted an 8.1% increase in ad specialty sales in the second quarter, with total revenues up to $4 billion between April and June. The increase in revenues, according to the ASI Quarterly Sales Survey, is the second consecutive quarterly gain, following an 11.1% improvement in sales between January and March. For the first half of 2010, industry sales rose 9.4%, to a total of $7.8 billion. "We are seeing more activity and in talking with other companies, they are seeing the same thing," says Pat Cavanaugh, president of Cavanaugh Marketing Network (asi/159262).

According to ASI survey data, 54% of respondents reported a year-over-year increase in sales during the second quarter, with larger distributors enjoying the greatest success. Distributors that generate more than $1 million annually in revenue reported a 7.4% rise in sales, following a 9.4% jump in the first quarter of 2010. "We were up 14% in the first half of 2010," says Marc Simon, CEO of Counselor Top 40 distributor Halo/Lee Wayne (asi/356000). "July was up over 20%, so I am hopeful we'll have a strong second half."

Ken Laffer, CEO of New York-based Motivators Inc. (asi/277780), also reports significant gains so far in 2010. "We are experiencing a sales increase well above the 9% level," he says. "To be perfectly honest, for us it's up 37% in 2010 versus 2009. I think the economy has bounced back, and we think we will continue to see an increase in sales somewhere in the 30% range."

The majority of distributors share Laffer's optimism. Data shows 56% of distributors expect their 2010 sales will be better than their 2009 sales. "Our clients felt the pain of having cut back on marketing in '09 and because sales remain deflated they have started to open up budgets," says Danny Rosin, president of Brand Fuel (asi/145025). "We believe the second half of 2010 will be better."

While many companies are forecasting growth for the remainder of 2010, some executives believe the increases will eventually level off. "While I think the recovery in spend will gradually improve, I think the year-over-year growth as a percentage will be less than the first half of the year since the second half of last year was so much stronger than the first half of the year," says Rich Witaszak, general manager of Top 40 distributor Staples Promotional Products (asi/120601). Still, the majority of distributors believe the upswing will continue for one simple reason. "Customers are willing to spend again," Laffer says.”

Keep selling and keep believing. The dream is still alive.

 

Here's a great article form Alexandria Brown on how to beat wrok burnout.

"5 Ways to Beat Burnout"

 

"Juggling a million projects at once, burning the midnight oil, and traveling nonstop may sound like roads to success. But they’re also a recipe for burnout. Once you reach that point, it can be difficult to pull yourself out of a funk. Your health and productivity will suffer, and you’ll find it tougher to get jazzed about going to work or coming up with creative ways to market your business. Here are five ways to beat burnout – before it beats you down.

1. Just say no.  Make a list of your top five business and personal goals, then turn down any requests that won’t help you achieve those goals. Staying focused on a few important goals, rather than trying to be all things to all people, is the best way to be effective.

2. Schedule “me” time.  Mark it on your calendar and commit to that appointment the same way you would commit to a meeting with a client. Whatever your pleasure, taking time for yourself will allow you to return to work refreshed and ready to tackle new challenges.

3. Get a change of scenery.  There are times when you don’t necessarily need a break from work, but you might benefit from a different environment. Try taking your laptop or other materials to a different location: a coffee shop, co-working space, even a beach if you’re lucky!

4. Prioritize your well-being.  Give yourself time for seven to eight hours of sleep each night and make time for exercise and meals. Hire a personal trainer or have healthfully prepared meals delivered to your office if that’s what it takes. The extra time and money is a worthwhile investment in your health and future success.

5. Practice delegating.  Find competent people and delegate some of your work to them (particularly work that you don’t enjoy or that detracts from your main business function). Consider hiring a virtual assistant to handle your schedule, a copywriter to handle your blog and newsletter, and a bookkeeper to run numbers for you. Your business will run more efficiently, and you’ll be a lot less frazzled.

Ultimately, the key to beating burnout is listening to your body and its needs. Take breaks when you need to, say no when you need to, and always make your physical and mental health a high priority."

For more on information or product search ideas check out: ASI Product Search

Per PPAI and Peerless:

"Peerless Umbrella is once again receiving e-mails and the external line problem that was causing the issues has been fixed. If you sent in any orders, sample requests, or art to Peerless between Thursday, July 8 and yesterday, there is a good chance they did not receive it.

If you did not get confirmation that it was received, please resend anything to info@peerlessumbrella.com and it will be taken care of right away."

Need an idea fast? How about a customer that just needs a product, but has no idea of what they want? Check out our Idea Lab  for ideas broken down by category or event.

In the event that you're just too busy to look for a product or idea, feel free to use our search services by emailing or calling us @ 877-274-6684. We'll send you back a PDF with net pricing and plenty of ideas within 30 minutes...all for free! That's right. Zippo, no charge, zilch, nada, FREE.

What a concept. Free search services and a 30 minute turn in most cases. We are here to help, so utilize our services and ideas. 

Good selling and we look forward to hearing from you soon.

Every year we spend the first week or two of the new year setting goals for ourselves; both personal and professional. We set goals to improve our physical health, mental health, and financial health. But do these goals actually get accomplished? In most cases, unfortunately, no.

Here's a few tips from John Boe, a nationally recognized sales trainer and business motivational speaker.

"Unsuccessful people don't set goals and have a common tendency to blame circumstances, events and other people for their lack of focus and determination.

When I began my sales career I was fortunate to have a manager who knew the value of setting goals and placed a strong emphasis on personal accountability. My first day he handed me a legal pad, a pencil and a calculator and said quite emphatically, "A goal is nothing more than a dream written down with a deadline."  

 

     Here are three tips to help you clarify and achieve your goals:

1. Determine where you want to go and chart your course.Your goals must be realistic and believable, while at the same time, challenging enough to compel you to put forth your best effort and give you pride in their accomplishment. Avoid setting conflicting goals such as I want to double my income and spend more time at home. 
2. Write your goals down and visualize their accomplishment. Anything worth achieving begins with a written plan. Because the mind thinks in terms of pictures, rather than numbers, I also recommend creating a vision board. For example, I have a vision board in my office with pictures of a world map, expensive cars and a vacation home at the beach. I get excited just looking at it.
3. Review your goals and make adjustments as required. After takeoff, due to the ever-changing weather patterns, pilots must make minor adjustments to their airspeed and heading to stay on course for their destination. Review your goals daily and make minor adjustments as needed on a monthly basis."

 

    

Tick, Tock. Tick, Tock.

Every year we turn down hundreds, if not thousands of potential orders from customers that waited too long to order their holiday giveaways. December 14th is not the time to start discussing holiday gift giving plans with your customers, today is.

More than ever, the calendar is shrinking just as fast as our available inventory on the best selling and hottest holiday items. By the time you read this blog, you should have already initiated talks with your customers about their potential holiday parties, giveaways and upper level gifts. With standard production times currently at 10 working days, and the Thanksgiving closure right around the corner, there are actually only 30 working days left before the 12/24 delivery cutoff. That's not a lot of time for your customer's ideas to go from conception, to getting samples, to getting ordered, proofed, produced, shipped and delivered.

Great ideas are indeed hard to come by, but product will be even harder to come by as the clock continues to tick. Inventories are already low as our facilities close out the 2009 inventory and begin the transition to new product and processes. If your creative side is bogging down, feel free to call or email us for holiday ideas and samples at ideas@asontime.com. You can  also check out our Idea Lab for quick fix ideas and product groupings at http://www.adspecialtiesinc.com/html/asi_idea_lab.html.

Whether you or someone in your family participates in Halloween and the art of "trick or treating", there is one thing that you won't want to forget this Saturday...to set your clocks back one hour and get a bit more rest, or a bit more party time.

Really it's not that spooky and takes just a minute. Well actually it takes several minutes. No, make that several hours. With all of the clocks that we have now it can take hours to set them all. You have car clocks, and alarm clocks, microwave and stove clocks, clocks in the children's rooms, and clocks on the kitchen walls. You have wrist watches by the dozens, and computer clocks that set themselves. Clocks that tick and clocks that tock, and clocks that don't make a sound. Most of us even have clocks that just don't work.

Is it really all still needed? I'm not sure that even the great farmers of this country still need that extra hour with all of the new equipment and machines that have been invented in the last 20 years.

Oh well.

Have a happy Halloween and don't forget to set your clocks back.