November 2009

Four Pillars of an Effective Social Media Presence

Are you starving for new clients? Join the club. We don’t have to tell you that effective salespeople are the key to increasing revenue--no matter how exceptional your products and services are, they won’t sell themselves.

Fortunately, GSI partners Dave Clossey and T.J. Tedesco have co-authored a guide to selling into this tough, often unpredictable industry. T.J. and Dave have authored or co-authored five industry-related books between them, and T.J. has years of graphic arts sales experience in addition to his 13 years as GSI Sales Team Leader. So they know a thing or two about selling into this industry.

“Playbook for Selling Success in the Graphic Arts Industry” is a workbook designed to identify the strengths and weaknesses of graphic arts services salespeople. Anyone on your sales force—from a rookie rep to a veteran manager--can benefit from “Playbook”’s insights and information.

The book covers such topics as:

Knowledge of Self, Company, Industry and Economy What kind of seller are you? How do your company and the state of the graphic arts industry affect the way you should approach each sale?

The Art of Selling Why do buyers buy? What are you really selling? How do you get your foot in the door?

The Science of to Whom Do I Sell? Learn how sales databases, website research and social networking can help you identify leads and create a list of appropriate clients that fit with your business.

The Importance of My Personal Brand Become an “industry ambassador” by developing product knowledge, aggressive courtesy and character.

The Selling-on-Purpose Action Plan Win top-of-mind positioning, move the battlefield away from price, create irresistible relationships and other tried-and-true GSI sales tips.

The Low-Cost Self-Marketing Plan Learn to market yourself through emails, press releases, and articles in trade publications.

You can only learn so much about a topic by just reading about it. That’s why “Playbook” takes an interactive approach, providing lists, diagrams and short answer sections that will help your salesperson gauge his interest in and ability to sell graphic arts. With this book, any motivated reader will learn crucial selling, marketing and time-management skills. In this sales climate, no seller should be without it.

Charting a course for aggressive, intelligent growth can be difficult. Grow Sales, Inc., has been helping printing and other graphic arts companies with their strategic concerns and growth needs since 1996. Whether your company is in transition, the middle of an upswing or seeking help to get there, let us put our sales and marketing leadership to work for you.

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