Bill Farquharson
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Print Sales CallRecent PostsDon't call meDecember 23, 2008 | Link This | Email this | Comments (0) A few weeks ago I attended a shocking seminar on Internet safety for kids. My three teenaged girls are far smarter than I when it comes to social networking but I am no slouch when it comes to being computer savvy. The fact that I left the auditorium shocked at the eminent risk despite my extensive Internet knowledge is not what I am blogging about. It's a small piece of that talk that my 18 year old just exemplified.... The professor speaking that night said, "Email is SO last year. Kids don't email. They text. They use Facebook. The occasionally talk, but not much." Think that's not true? Check out these numbers: November text message usage in the Farquharson household: Emma: 4417 Kate: 4950 Madi: 7923 Remember, that's just ONE MONTH!!! ...Read More Recent PostsYour price is too highDecember 11, 2008 | Link This | Email this | Comments (0) "Many of my long time customers are calling and looking for pricing on repeat jobs. These were jobs that we once did automatically. I fear that they are bidding me out. What do I do?" My answer: The LAST thing you want to do is to drop your price. Amongst other things, doing so says, "Yes, I've been screwing you all of this time and you finally bagged me!" You don't want that, so.... My suggestion is to price the job as is: no changes, no discount. Once you have that price in hand, call the customer back and say the following: "Your price is $X. If you are looking to save some money, perhaps I can offer some design ideas that will lower the cost..." and then start asking questions about how the piece is used. Your goal is to find out WHY they are asking...Read More Recent PostsGoogle meNovember 18, 2008 | Link This | Email this | Comments (0) A client just called me. I had been coaching his sales rep and it was clear to me very early in our dealings that troubling times lay ahead. I didn't like what I was hearing and we wound up having several back and forth conversations to try and straighten out expectations. Last Friday, the rep was canned. So, the owner calls me today and gave me the whole story and told me he'd use me again, blah, blah, blah. But then he adds, "The next time we go to hire, we are going to Google search the name." I asked why and he continued, "Turns out the guy had done some modeling in the past...for Playgirl." Now, neither of us ever saw the pictures and I doubt that his choice of periodicals would have impacted his sales abilities, it's just that you'd think a young guy would have the cognitive thought, ...Read More Recent PostsWhat to do, what to doNovember 17, 2008 | Link This | Email this | Comments (1) This is the last full week before Thanksgiving, one of the worst weeks to make a sales call. No one wants to hear from you that week and you might as well just cruise into the all American holiday. Um.....NO! First of all, don't do that. Let the customer tell you it's a bad time for them. Assume nothing. Second, use that time to increase your sales efficiency by taking a look at the various types of electronic tools you use in order to do your job. Visit the Apple store (Mac users) and call your cell phone provider. Tell them what you do and ask how they can help you to do it better. Pull out the manuals of the software programs you use and learn how to get more out of them. In general, use that time to get better at what you do. ...Read More Recent PostsOpportunityNovember 5, 2008 | Link This | Email this | Comments (0) If you need me to tie this Blog entry into sales, here you go: "Anything is possible. You must never give up. Regroup. Rethink. Try again with a new approach. Believe in yourself. When you hit the canvas, get up and try again. You can do it." Optimism. I bel...Read More
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