Class Is Now in Session —DeWese
WELCOME TO the campus of Mañana University.
I am your dean and also one of your professors.
You are here to earn your "PhD" in the sale of print communications and related services. When you have completed the course successfully, everyone will call you Doctor.
Your unworthy sleazy competitors will have to bow down and call you Madam, Sir, or your Ladyship or your Lordship.
Your best friends, your customers, will call you to pick up the orders. Your other best friends, at the IRS, will call you with thanks for sending the big tax check.
This a first-ever educational institution located within the pages of a magazine. It is innovative. It is creative. It is educational. And it is hard work.
I explained the rationale for founding Mañana University in the March edition of Printing Impressions. I'm not going to waste space restating those reasons. If you must know, go back and re-read my March column.
The number of firms comprising the print communications industry has been shrinking since the late 1980s. As companies disappear, so do sales positions. In 1989, there were approximately 53,000 printing companies of all shapes and sizes, serving many very different markets. Twenty years later, there are approximately 30,000 establishments still remaining.
Successful Behavior
If we assume that each company employed an average of two salespeople, then the army of sales professionals has shrunk from about 100,000 to 60,000 individuals. And 60,000 is probably too high a figure. I also wonder what those other 40,000 people are doing now.
So, our potential student body enrollment is 60,000, but I know better. Maybe 6,000 salespeople will actually show up for class, and they will be among those still working by the time the number of printing establishments drops to 20,000.
This curriculum is difficult, though, because printing companies are not alike. They serve different markets, with different equipment, in different geographies, producing different products, with different owners who pay different compensation.
I'll put it another way: A salesperson who works for a pharmaceutical label printing company has a very different job description than a salesperson who sells for a general commercial printer.
It becomes even more difficult when you consider a salesperson's job description for a company with annual revenues of $2 million located in a city with 50,000 residents versus a company with annual sales of $20 million in a metropolis of one million people. The smaller company is likely to have an average order of $1,200 versus $5,000 for the larger company.
It follows then that print buyers in the small city with smaller print needs behave differently than those in the big city with larger print budgets. But, with all of these differences, there are still many common requirements that demand your best, no matter how different your company may be.
The great common characteristic—our starting point—lies in your behavior. I want to get your full attention, so I will shout it: "YOUR BEHAVIOR!"
• You will succeed if you are not condescending.
• You will succeed if you are not pretentious.
• You will succeed if you are not officious.
• You will succeed if you are not arrogant.
• You will succeed if you can subordinate your ego to your customer.
• You will succeed if you are cheerful.
• You will succeed if you are gracious.
• You will succeed if you can actively listen.
Vocabulary Test
I was going to challenge you to write the definitions of the bold face words above but, since this is your first class, I will provide the definitions. That will also give me, old rhetoric breath, the chance to editorialize on the definitions.
Condescending—Assuming a tone of superiority or a patronizing attitude. The speaker is saying, "I know more than you know." This behavior is the kiss of death for a salesperson.
How about that? Patronizing is another word that comes to mind. Frequently, those who are condescending are incorrect, but they still convey their thoughts in a pompous, know-it-all way. They convey an opinion that is not rooted in fact, but rather is based in a form of fallacious argument.
Pretentious—Claiming or demanding a position of distinction or merit, especially when unjustified. This describes the salesperson that ascribes unfounded importance to himself with respect to his position in the company, the clients he serves or his past accomplishments. Basically, the individual is a pompous fool we all know as a braggart. This behavior will disconnect your phone and rip your heart out.
Officious—Marked by excessive eagerness in offering unwanted services or advice to others. This definition requires little explanation. It is the salespeople who "smother" people. They talk incessantly, rarely taking a breath, and the buyer can't even think, much less say anything.
Arrogant—Having or displaying a sense of overbearing self-worth or self-importance. We all know these people. They abound in the business world, and especially in politics. They should be chloroformed and put out of their misery.
Of course, I have no problem spotting these idiots. After all, I'm your all-knowing, all-seeing Mañana Man. If you are permanently arrogant, consider a career as a baseball umpire or as a U.S. Senator.
Subordinate—In this case, to make one's ego subservient to that of another. Among other things, this means that you never one-up a buyer or, for that matter, anyone. You will succeed if you never talk over or interrupt a customer or prospect.
Cheerful—Having a happy disposition; in good spirits. Pleasantly bright, hearty, ungrudging, enthusiastic and helpful. If you don't aspire to practicing cheerful behavior, then find a job as an economist.
Gracious—Characterized by kindness, courtesy, tact and propriety in a merciful or compassionate nature. Salespeople who practice and perfect human graciousness truly stand out. They are revered and honored with loyal clients and successful sales.
Graciousness is lost in America. It is so absent that, when I actually encounter a highly considerate person, I am dumb struck. One of our top faculty members here at Mañana University is Dick Gorelick. He has perfected graciousness, so you will hear much more about this vital trait in future columns.
Listening—To make an effort to hear something, pay attention, and to heed and recall. Gorelick has also perfected his listening skills. It goes hand-in-hand with being gracious. He teaches how to improve listening skills, so be prepared for advanced courses addressing this valuable skill here at the university.
OK, our class time is up. It's time for all of you to head out to your local bookstores. Buy the book, "Please Understand Me," by David Keirsey and Marilyn Bates. Read the book and test yourself before our next class. There may even be a pop quiz. Call or e-mail me if you have any questions.
Or, better yet, write or type an old-fashioned letter on your letterhead and mail it. You might even try sending one of those handwritten or typed letters to your prospects and existing customers. Remember what business we are in.
Meanwhile, between classes, get out there and sell something! PI
—Harris DeWese
(To read previous columns by Harris DeWese, click here.)
About the Author
Harris DeWese is the author of "Now Get Out There and Sell Something" and "The Mañana Man, Books II and III," available at www.piworld.com/bookstore. He is chairman of Compass Capital Partners and also authors the annual "Compass Report," the definitive source of information regarding printing industry M&A activity.
DeWese has completed more than 150 printing company transactions and is viewed as the industry's preeminent deal maker. He can be reached via e-mail at HDeWese@CompassCapLtd.com.
