We increase our odds of being successful when we’re prepared. The right tools make a difference when you are a recent graduate or starting on your professional career path in the printing industry
In fact, you can open doors by being the one who is ready to go when opportunities arise. Preparation pays off!
Here are 12 ways you can position yourself more professionally when launching your print career.
1. P.O. Box – You may use your home or business address for just about everything, but it helps to have a separate post office box, too. If you change jobs or move, a post office box can provide the continuity of an address. You can rent the smallest one your post office offers. If something large arrives, they will put it in a bigger box until you can retrieve it with a notification and key they will leave you in your box. If someone wants to send you something you’re not sure about (or you don’t want to give out your work or home address), you have a place it can go. I remember a very brief window for a free book from a famous author, only until supplies ran out. Normally book promos require you to pay the shipping fee, but not this time. I jumped on it, and it turned out to be a book that actually changed how I run my business. I would not have ordered it through a mass marketing promotion and given out my home address, so I was happy I had the post office box.
2. Gmail account – Many people hate Gmail and just refuse to get a Gmail address on principal. However, I love the Google suite of office apps, especially Google Docs and Google Sheets. You can open Word docs and Excel files with them, and everything works as it should. I like having a document I can share that is always updated, and that can be embedded as a live document in other apps. It works well with others! In addition, if you want to work with YouTube, your Gmail account is a very easy way to create a channel and start adding videos. I remember a situation where I needed to share a large amount of info very quickly with a client. I narrated the instructions onto video, uploaded it, and was able to help them without a big hassle on either end. Any other solution would have been too technical for them. So a Gmail account, even if you don’t use it often, can be a lifesaver.
3. Online Calendar – Most of the time, texting someone works fine to figure out a meeting time. When you’re starting your career, you need something that reflects well on you and can be tracked. You can set up recurring appointments, reserve times each week or month, set up reminders, and notify everyone on your team automatically if there are changes. Whether you share your own calendar or use an app like Calendly, you can block out chunks of time where you will accept appointments. You can define what the appointments will be and how much you charge if it’s that kind of meeting. I have client intake meetings that can take a few hours, and my clients need their V.A.s to attend, so a shared calendar makes everything tidy. Even if you don’t share your own calendar, you should send calendar invitations if you are the person setting up the meeting. Be sure to choose a calendar app that integrates with your CRM and email newsletter platform, especially if you’re in print sales.
4. V.A.s – Virtual Assistants. You have one, right? If you are in growth mode with your career or running a side business, it helps to have an assistant who keeps you organized, is spot on with technology, checks your calendar each week, and keeps roadblocks out of your path. Your V.A. can communicate with you inside a project management or communications app (Trello, Asana, Slack, etc.). Having your V.A. in a time zone ahead of yours is helpful, as that person will be up and working when you start your day. Your V.A. will help you keep your goals in mind and remind you of your priorities if you start going astray. By the way, I know many printing salespeople who have their own V.A.s, so it’s not a luxury. It’s becoming a necessity for all kinds of professionals who are getting started in the printing industry.
5. Your alarm clock – Of course we all use our phone alarms now, but you know what I mean. When I first started my home business, a colleague told me, “Never work in your pajamas. Always get up an hour before your best client, shower, and dress nicely. You never know what the day will bring.” This has proved to be great advice and opened many doors. If you are ready for a live meeting or Zoom call on the spot, you can leverage opportunities while others are hemming and hawing.
6. PayPal and online payment platforms – Yes, we hate their fees. Go ahead and set up your accounts so you can accept payment in the form most accessible for others. For new clients, I make it as convenient as possible. Giving me money should not be an obstacle!
7. Social media – First of all, LinkedIn. Seriously, who doesn’t have LinkedIn? If you’re regular about using it, and you fill in your profile as prompted, LinkedIn will DELIVER prospects to your doorstep. Also, your LinkedIn profile will rank on the first page of Google almost always, and you get to control the content of your profile. There is plenty of advice out there about how to set up and operate a successful LinkedIn account. If you’re struggling with this, or you’re not seeing the right activity, let me know. Your LinkedIn profile follows you whether you change jobs, sell your business, graduate from college, or take a career break. LinkedIn is the one place people can always find you. In addition, Twitter ranks page one on Google, so be sure to create and maintain a personal account. Start today and be sure to connect with @sandyhubbard! I have been on Twitter since 2009, and I have found so many people I truly enjoy, both locally and internationally. Have an open mind, and you will find that you expand your horizons and connect with interesting people. Whatever your social media platform of choice, dig in and get to know the features. Be a good social media citizen. Remember, not everyone is a prospect!
8. Zoom and other web meeting tools – If you need to throw together a virtual sales meeting quickly, be prepared and get an account with Zoom (of course) and a web conferencing tool such as WebEx. You may be a person who always has someone else set up the meeting. Try setting up a meeting on your own, with a friend or two (I’ll attend your practice session if you want!), and practice starting a meeting, recording it, muting and unmuting, putting a file/link into the chat, adding graphics, and playing a video. Find out what each platform offers in terms of features. For an impromptu gathering, don’t forget your project management app. There’s probably an online meeting feature. By the way, if, during a meeting, someone hands you the reins and asks you to share your screen, it’s nice if it looks professional. Keep your computer desktop tidy!
9. Portable storage devices – I always carry a thumb drive with my presentations on it. Once when I presented at a conference, the computer hooked up to the projector began doing a Microsoft update. OMG! It went on and on. Finally, someone ran up and swapped out another computer. I handed the person my thumb drive, and — boom! — we were set to roll.
10. Carry essentials to help others – As long as we are talking about technology, at events I always bring an extra charged battery with cables for both Android and Apple. I have saved other presenters’ bacon by having a battery they could borrow. I also carry pens with my name and phone number on them. People always need pens!
11. Quickbooks – Accounting software for new career pros should be simple. If you’re a small business owner or a solopreneur, learn how to create and read financial reports. Sooner or later you will be interacting with budgets and income statements, so this is a life skill for new printing professionals.
12. Print, of course! – Finally, I would be remiss if I did not point out that a professional business person uses printed products:
Attractive business cards * Memorable brochure * Interactive marketing collateral * Beautiful letterhead * Brande apparel * Promotional items with your contact info.
Don’t forget professional thank you cards. Keep stamps in your car so you can mail thank yous promptly. You’ll be memorable and you’ll get the job done.
Whether you’re a recent college graduate or new to the printing industry, I hope these ideas will help you be better prepared so you can demonstrate professionalism and take advantage of opportunities when they arise.
Do you have tips and tools of your own? Share them below!
Sandy Hubbard is a Marketing Strategist for the Printing Industry. She helps printers analyze and improve marketing programs so you can win customers and lead your market.
5 Responses
Everything is okay, but I didn’t get the point of P.O. Box and Alarm clock here.
Thanks for the thumbs up! As far as P.O. boxes and setting wake up times … I have many readers in 3 categories: college students, people over age 50 who have been laid off and are job hunting or starting a home business, and printing salespeople. The items on my list may seem super obvious to some of the readers, but I bet there are some new ideas for each group. When I was job changing in my 20s, I thought P.O. boxes were expensive (they’re only $10 per month!). Using your alarm to get up earlier than your best customer? My best customer is three hours ahead of me, which means I have to get up four hours early on work days with her. You bet I need an alarm! Thanks for reading! –sandy
Okay, so thats your point behind the alarm clock. Got it and thanks for extra explaination.
#12 Tip: Being in the print industry, we have tendencies to be “The cobbler’s children always go barefoot.” –@joelabrown. When I want to help educate my customers who are entering into an InkJet purchase decision, I don’t leave a business card. I leave-behind with a book to learn and grow. Sharing a business card can be plain boring and outdated. However, leave-behind a book of knowledge that will help them with learning and inspiration is priceless. If you would like to order/request these books that I am referencing, you can obtain them here: https://www.thinkforum.com/bookstore.
Print Professionals, help your salespeople #bedifferent.
#learnandgrow