Some Advice for the New Year--DeWese

This column will take care of some old business. First, I'm going to alert you to a flimflam artist salesperson who is working her scam through any companies that will hire her.

Next, I'm going to encourage you to read a great report that has been published by the Printing Industries of Michigan.

Finally, I'm going to help you write your 2005 sales resolutions.

The scam artist looks like your third grade school teacher—kind of plump and matronly. She claims to be a divorced single parent. This, of course, builds sympathy among potential employers. Rightfully so, it should create sympathy, but it's not true. She is apparently single, but has no children.

The woman uses the same story with each prospective employer. She is leaving her present employer because her largest account has become unhappy with quality and service. The large account is a multi-billion dollar international soft drink company. This ruse works well because any printer realizes that this account buys a full range of printed products.

Just think of the possibilities. Short- to medium-run 40˝ sheetfed, long heatset web runs, probably some digital printing, folding cartons, point-of-purchase store displays, labels and on and on. Just think about how positive a boost just a little of this work would give to your profits.

So far, she has worked this ruse at five printing companies—five big and sophisticated firms. She looks credible. She has a fantastic resume that is purposely written so that it's hard to check out. She gives customer and employer references and their private phone extensions, which are then answered either by her or accomplices.

It's understandable. Our industry is famous for traveling to Germany, Japan and numerous U.S. installations to make a decision on what press to buy. But most managers don't dig deep when it comes to hiring salespeople.

The Skinny on a Scam

The con artist negotiates and gets a big draw and an expense account that she requires while she transfers her soda company work to the new printer. She's out a lot, working on the details. Usually, after two or three months, the sales managers get suspicious. Some have even asked to make team calls on her contacts.

She's good. She's practiced and nothing rattles her. She has a bagful of excuses and delays. Meanwhile, she's cashing the checks.

After several months of no orders, the employers have become demanding and her dodge usually begins with her buyer suffering a heart attack, requiring open-heart surgery and confined for a prolonged period of time. She has to build a relationship with his stand-in and others.

Finally, when the scam is discovered and the sales manager tries to retrieve credit cards or recover the draw money, a friend calls to inform the company that the salesperson's father is dying of cancer in Arizona and she must be at his side during this tragedy. The poor guy has died of cancer five times. The print buyer has had open-heart surgery five times. And five printing companies have wasted a lot of time and about $300,000.

This woman is so good that she is probably capable of pulling off this fraud simultaneously at several printing companies or even in different industries. I have the name she uses and a list of the companies she has scammed. If you think this is happening to you, contact me.

Okay, the next piece of business is more positive.

The Printing Industries of Michigan has published a report titled, "What Print Buyers Buy…And How They Buy It." The report was done at the request of Ford Motor Co.'s Global Service Purchasing Department.

The folks at the Printing Industries of Michigan surveyed several hundred print buyers in the healthcare, financial services, education, publishing, agriculture, advertising and automotive industries. The report is formatted for easy reading with many charts and graphs that depict the demographics and expectations of today's print buyers.

This is the most in-depth and relevant report I have seen. Every salesperson, sales manager and company president should have a copy and study it carefully. Remember—he or she who controls the information—controls.

You can purchase the report for $106.00 by calling Kathy Bitonti at (248) 354-9200 or e-mailing your request to Kathy@print.org.

Okay. It's time to write those 2005 sales resolutions. Get a pen and some paper or go to your PC and clear your head.

Your "To Do" List

Your first resolution should be to call Kathy Bitonti at (248) 354-9200 or e-mail her with your request for "What Print Buyers Buy . . .And How They Buy It."

So write it down. Call Kathy Bitonti.

Your next resolution should have to do with your personal growth during 2005. One of my readers, Mike Coughlin, is a modern-day Ben Franklin. He prints on an antique letterpress, he writes and publishes, he sweeps the shop, shovels the snow and wishes he would make more sales calls. Mike is a thinker and he published a little 12-page book titled, "Growing."

"Growing" contains a passage about Sir Christopher Wren, who was a professor of astronomy at Oxford. At age 48, Sir Christopher decided to change careers and become an architect. During the next 41 years of his life, this amazing man built 53 churches and cathedrals, most of which are still standing 400 years later. Your first three resolutions should be about how you are going to grow in 2005.

The next three resolutions should be about what you are going to grow during 2005. They should be about stuff like new account calls, sales dollars and the profitability of your work.

The next three resolutions should be about stuff you are going to stop doing during 2005. In my case, that could be many things. My bad habits and bad behavior are known all too well by my work colleagues, my spouse "Ol' Attila the Nun" and my friends.

The first 10 readers who e-mail or mail their resolutions to me get a free copy of the Printing Industries of Michigan report. I promise to keep your resolutions in strict confidence.

As soon as you have finished the resolutions, you need to get out there and sell something!

—Harris DeWese

About the Author

Harris DeWese is the author of Now Get Out There and Sell Something, available through NAPL or PIA. He is chairman and CEO at Compass Capital Partners and is an author of the annual "Compass Report," the definitive source of information regarding printing industry M&A activity. DeWese has completed more than 100 printing company transactions and is viewed as the preeminent deal maker in the printing industry. He specializes in investment banking, mergers and acquisitions, sales, marketing, planning and management services to printing companies. He can be reached via e-mail at DeWeseH@ComCapLtd.com.