Takedowns. Wins. Slaying the dragon. Nothing is quite so pleasing as capturing the business of a major client, with bonus points for wresting the account from a formidable competitor. In fact, the sales rep may add a little gusto to the bell ringing if the incumbent vendor was a Read More

When the conversation turns to employment, the bottom line remains as frustratingly consistent as the supply chain situation…which is to say, the news remains the same. But given the shifting tides of the economy and rising inflation, it will be interesting to see the impact on Read More

There’s a memorable scene in the movie “Fast Times at Ridgemont High” where Mark Ratner is on a first date with the incomparable Stacy Hamilton at a restaurant. When the check comes, Ratner reaches for his wallet, and a subtle look of horror crosses his face when he realizes that Read More

I know you’re busy, but take a look at today’s date in the lower right corner of your laptop or on your cell. Yes, it’s really mid-August; colleges are welcoming students back, as are public schools in some parts of the country. Some of us still haven’t even ventured to the beach Read More

Ledena Cayetano knows how to establish a commanding presence in front of a crowd. After all, the current Consortium program manager for Toshiba America Business Solutions learned an abundance about case building during her time as a practicing attorney specializing in Read More

Over the years, much focus has been placed on the importance of cultivating top-notch sales representatives. As the Great Resignation has rumbled across the American business landscape, dealers have mobilized to ensure the conditions created by COVID have not cracked open the Read More

There are fewer things more unnerving from a professional standpoint than being an employee of a company that has been acquired by another entity. The mind races with questions: will the entire team be kept on? Will my job be eliminated due to redundancy or because the acquiring Read More

In the office technology dealer space, a critical question arises in the hotly-contested employment landscape. With office dealers often competing against other industries that may offer greater flexibility when it comes to the ability to work from home (WFH), can it constitute a Read More

In the last 10-15 years, there’s been a huge marketing movement toward reinvigorating the lens through which customers view their providers. It’s a case of perception is reality, and history is replete with names (RadioShack, Blockbuster Video) of companies that went down with Read More

If there’s one telltale sign that you’re a perfectionist, it’s the attitude that you hate to lose more than you like to win. There is a difference between the two: winning is the expectation, and losing is the failure. While everyone in the business world experiences losses, the Read More

You might have noticed last week that we added a new feature to our newsletter, the Before You Go Poll. With all the negativity we’re hearing and reading from the mainstream media, we figured a light-hearted approach to polling would be a pleasant distraction from the talk Read More

How can one best understand just what makes Kate Kingston tick? For the answer to the motivation and the success behind the founder of Kingston Training Group (KTG), we offer a microcosm of the experience from the viewpoint of one of her students, a female sales executive from a Read More

Any time the prospect of venturing into a new discipline is broached, a dealer will have plenty of questions (and needs) addressed in order to move forward. And when it comes to advice, either slight or significant, insight from those who have already been down that road can be Read More

As much as she would love to wave a magic wand and make it disappear, Laura Blackmer knows the supply chain struggle confronting the industry isn’t going anywhere in the foreseeable future. That said, the recently promoted president of dealer sales for Konica Minolta Business Read More

There’s little doubt that Paul Hanna is an old-school sales guy. He comes from a generation of reps who made their bones by shaking hands and kissing babies, loading copiers into the back of a station wagon and demonstrating them in person, a.k.a., going belly to belly with the Read More