Your PC and your business – Keeping it lean and mean

26 01 2010

Let’s face it, you almost need a PC in order to run a small business these days. From communicating with clients in email to managing your books, a computer is a necessary evil. Yes I called it an evil because your computer lives in a very hostile environment- the Internet. A computer basically does what it is told and unfortunately thousands of unscrupulous people are telling it to do bad things. How do you keep it safe? There are many ways, but I’m going to focus on one area- the web browser.

There are a handful to chose from but they pretty much do the same thing- allow you to surf the web. And what you have to be careful of are the multitude of add-ons and plug-ins and tool bars available. There are some that I would consider a necessity: Adobe Flash, Adobe Acrobat, Java, Microsoft Silverlight to name a few. These allow you to access the content on almost any web page you visit.

For your business PC this should be good enough. But alas, there are tool bars for almost every search engine, plug-ins that let you play games or stream music, plug-ins which offer to optimize your PC or Internet connection. These are not required in a business environment, so don’t install them! Not only could they slow your PC down, they could also cause conflicts with other programs or even be malicious. I have been called several times to help friends and family that somehow have downloaded viruses or spyware. They usually masquerade as anti-virus programs or toolbars that will make searching easier. If you are running your business from a PC it’s best to keep it lean and mean and only run the software you require.

Phillip Grandsard  is a Software Developer at PagePath Technologies. PagePath was founded in 1983 and is headquartered in Plano, Illinois. PagePath’s MyOrderDesk is an eCommerce solution that combines, Web-to-Print, automated proofing, pricing, reordering and more. It seamlessly integrates into a printing organization’s existing website or can be used as a standalone site. MyOrderDesk is known throughout the printing industry as the leader in Web-to-Print software.


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Categories : General Business, General Information

How to select candidates and interview them for an important position

12 01 2010

You might be ready to hire your first employee, a right-hand “man,” or an important addition to your business.

You may not be sure exactly which role the new person will fill, but you know you need help. Decide first if you are looking for someone to take on some of your responsibilities or for someone to whom you can delegate tasks. If you want to delegate, carry a clip board around for a day or two and list everything you do. This will help you create a job description.

The Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE) has another idea: Consider whether you could use someone with skills you don’t have.

What skills are you weak in that might make your business grow?  In your job ad, give a clear outline of duties. Play up the opportunity to influence the direction of the business, advise consultants quoted in Money.

For the interviews, SCORE recommends:

  • * Provide candidates with a company profile in advance so they can relate their experience to your company.
  • Prepare a list of questions. Use openended questions like “Tell us about a challenge you overcame in your work life.”
  • Allow a full hour between interviews. Create a relaxed environment and spend 30 to 45 minutes with each candidate. Use the rest of the hour to write down your thoughts of the person immediately after the interview.
  • Ask each person the same questions so you can compare their answers.
  • Be careful not to dominate the discussion. You should talk only 20 percent of the time and encourage the candidate to speak 80 percent of the time. The more they talk, the better picture you will have of them.
  • When looking at candidates’ employment histories, be wary of someone who moved around a lot, particularly for more money.

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Categories : General Business

PagePath Announces Marketing4Printers

8 01 2010

PagePath Technologies, a leader in the Web2Print market since 1982 has developed Social Media Marketing Classes specifically targeted for printing and graphic arts related companies. Classes are designed to teach printers how to leverage the benefits of Social Media in their marketing efforts. You will learn how to harness the strength of Facebook, Twitter, Blogging and LinkedIn.

Class registration, $49 per class, will give participants access to the live webinar classes as well as the recorded video of the session and any slide deck or class materials. To register for a class, click the links below. If you have any questions on the classes themselves, feel free to contact Joe Kern at 866-770-7569 or by email at jkern@pagepath.com

Facebook Marketing 101 for Printers

Next session, Janaury 15, 2010 at 1:00pm Central

Twitter Marketing 101 for Printers

Next session, Janaury 22, 2010 at 1:00pm Central

Blog Marketing 101 for Printers

Next session, Janaury 29, 2010 at 1:00pm Central


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Categories : Marketing, Social Media

Sales fundamentals have not changed-Earn the Order

5 01 2010

“I am sitting in my office late at night (ah, the life of the self employed!) watching last minute sign ups for my January Sales Challenge (which begins Wednesday Jan. 6, btw). This little program continues to blow me away and has ever since I introduced it last March. I’ve been a sales trainer in the printing industry for, um, wait, I should know this, oh, a bunch of years and in that time I have introduced a couple dozen training programs, produced E Learning material back before there WAS E Learning material, spoken in front of thousands of people and written unknown numbers of articles and blogs. But it is this little program—which came to me in the middle of the night last February—has become my biggest seller and I am having so much fun adapting and changing and watching it grow. It’s times like this that make me happy to be in business for myself.

I’ve always been a Fundamentals kind of guy. The first company I worked for, UARCO Business Forms, had a fantastic sales motto. It said, “Solve the problem. Earn the order.” How can you go wrong with a foundation like that? I believe that regardless of the economy, the fundamentals do not change. It’s amazing to me that there are still people out there who “sell printing.” What are they thinking? Have they never heard of Dale Carnagie? Even today I was coaching a guy who told me he goes door to door. That really shocked me, but his lack of success as a sales rep did not. So, I model every program I put together after what I learned way back when about solving problems.

When was the last time that you sat with a client and talked about his challenges? Fears? Opportunities? Did you ever wonder why no one returns your voice mails? You complain about the lack of courtesy but maybe your messages, well, suck! Why not learn to talk about THEM and not you; about solutions and not printing? Hey, if what you are doing is working, that’s cool, but is it really working?

Do you want to know how to grow your business? Here’s a freebie for you. These are the fundamentals:

  • Diligence
  • Call Quality
  • Creativity
  • Differentiation
  • Luck

Improve the quality of your calls. Make them relevant to the customer. Increase the quantity of calls and be pleasantly persistent. There you go. In four sentences, I just gave you a world of wisdom. Want more? Take the Sales Challenge. I start a new one every month (HEY! There’s another sign up coming in now!). I’d be happy to help you!

Bill Farquharson has a long history of driving sales momentum through his various training programs and initiatives. Every Monday, over 4,000 people from all over the world listen to Bill’s free audio—and now video!—sales tip, which ranges in subjects such as time management to overcoming objections to beating voice mail. Bill is unapologetically Old School in his thinking and coaching, but New Age in his approach and communication style. As a columnist and Blogger for Graphic Arts Monthly, Bill shares wit and wisdom from the experienced mind of a 27 year print sales veteran. Bill can be reached at bill@aspirefor.com or by calling 781-934-7036.

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Categories : Printing, Sales


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