Cold Calling

One of the greatest fears a new packaging salesmen has is the dreaded.....COLD CALL. A cold call can inhibit even the most aggressive and outgoing salesmen.
As with most "fears", the worst part is the time leading up to the moment. The time spent waiting ( and yes, procratistinating ) contacting the potential client. Even after 20 plus years of calling on customers, I still have a few "antsy" moments ( as my Mom would say..).
How can we overcome this?
I was speaking with my brother-in-law the other day, and we were discussing this point. How do you break through the cold call wall and effectively present yourself and your company to a client?

His advice?

Swallow the Frog!

Yes, that is what I said, "Swallow the Frog".

Simply said, simply do it. Pick up the phone. Write the e-mail. Approach the client. Write the letter. Walk across the room. DO IT.

Swallow the frog and make the contact. Once it goes down, the natural and trained sales instincts take over and we overcome.

Swallow the Frog!

History repeating itself

A book in the library caught my eye regarding life in the United States during the great depresssion.
I am about half way through this book and what strikes me are the similarities to the events leading up to the depression and the events which has led up to the current "recession".
One can take the headlines from the papers of the late 20's and early 30's and simply change the date and the name of the Senator, government department head, President, etc... and apply them to your current home paper.

If you are interested, check out the comments by then President Hoover and compare them to the comments of former President Bush and President Obamba. The lack of foresight and understanding of the markets and the mood of the American people are remarkable.

Government Assistance

In general, I am very much a critic of the obstacles and paper beaurocracy that our government has placed in front of small business. It is indeed a formidable and depressing task to figure out not only the process, but the appropriate agency to contact with a business idea or model.

However, I recently worked with an agency that is affiliated with George Mason University. This agency works from a small grant and is set up to help small business begin to do business with local, state and federal agencies.

My experience was very positive. This group saved me countless weeks, if not months, of wasted time and effort. My hats are off to this individual and group.

I hate to be vague as to this agency, but I do not want to give too much information to my competitors......LOL

Veteran Owned Company

Virginia Materials and Packaging, LLC is proud to be a Veteran Owned company. We are in the process of certifying this with the Federal Government and with the State of Virginia.

First Post

Late in the day, grass needs cutting, and dinner is on the table. What better time than to start a blog!