Vroom-vroom...be careful with that thing!

Whuu-whuu! 

I'm not sure how you spell it but I'm trying to recreate that sound that Tim "The Tool Man" Taylor (Tim Allen) used to make in his TV show Home Improvement. Remember? The grunting sound he would make when he fired up a he-man power tool? A lot of guys and a growing number of gals know that feeling when you get your hands on a new power tool. Cant wait to use it! Fix something...even if it doesn't need fixing. Maybe just a modification or two? An improvement? Please?

In sales we are blessed when we get a new power tool. Things like CVC circulation audits and readership studies, AdMall Minutes and other sales aids give you that same powerful feeling, and -- if you're like me -- you can't wait to use them on some unsuspecting customer or prospect. Fix them...even if they don't need fixing. Maybe just a program modification or two? An improvement? Please?

Truth is, you can do more damage than good with a sales tool when you use it in situations where it is not needed. Find a nail sticking out of a wall and you fix it with a deftly applied hammer. Smack that same wall with the hammer when no nail protrudes and you've created a major hole, done damage to what was otherwise a perfectly fine structure. In our world, throw some new readership stats or AdMall facts at a customer who never questioned your readership and you could open a hole that costs you sales dollars and commissions. 

Know your tools, know their capabilities but know when and where to use them and how. That's how "power tools" improve our situations. 

If you're an FCPNY member we would be happy to arrange for sales training in your facility on a wide variety of topics. If you're not a member, please ask about the benefits of belonging to the finest state/regional free paper association in the country. Yes, I'm biased ;)

Reach us at 315-472-6007 or tcuskey@fcpny.com. Thank you!