We have all likely heard the quote attributed to Charles H. Duell, commissioner of the U.S. Patent Office, who in 1899 famously said, “Everything that can be invented has been invented.” He then recommended that the Patent Office be closed and resigned his position. It has now been proven that he never said that. The […]
Where Did All The PCB Salespeople Go?
Where are all the PCB salespeople? A few years ago there were all kinds of sales people on the street. Good sales people; seasoned veterans with proven track records who had been victimized by first the stream of mergers that left them high and dry when the conquering company went with their sales force and […]
Do You Tell Your Customers You Buy The Cheapest Parts Possible?
It always amazes me that the same people who claim to be building the best products on the market today are also the ones who want to buy the cheapest ingredients they can. Think of your customers, how many of them have told you this… “We are building the best Missile, MRI, Automobile, Computer than […]
5 Things We Should Be Doing And Aren’t
Dare to be great We are all so busy running our businesses that we seldom have time to do what really needs to be done to move our businesses forward, to take them from “good to great” to use that old but true cliché. I know that all of my friends who own board shops […]
If You Are Not Growing Your Business, You Are Killing Your Business
Sometimes playing it safe is the most dangerous thing you can do. In fact, I view business like this: If you are not growing, you are dying. If you are not constantly trying to find ways to make your company more attractive to your customers, you will die. I personally know of some companies who […]
10 Principles For Success In Life
In sales and in life for that matter you are only as good as the people you know, work with and are friends with. You are only as strong as your affiliations. You have to know and be willing to work with everyone if you are going to be successful life. So with that in […]
Catching up with…Dr. Anthony Caputo
I met Dr. Anthony Caputo last year while helping one of my clients secure some strong engineering talent. Anthony had been reading my columns and reached out to me since he was looking for a new opportunity in a high-tech printed circuit board facility. Once I read his CV and saw his credentials, I jumped […]
7 Reasons To Fire Your Principal
Sometimes a rep has to do what a rep has do to Okay, so now it’s your turn. We have talked enough about making sure that you as a rep make yourself invaluable to your principal. We have gone on ad nausea about the various ways that reps disappoint the companies they represent. So now […]
Tales From The PCB Sales Crypt
Did you ever live through something that was so insane, and so stupid that you couldn’t believe it was happening right before your very eyes? I have, and many times. But I’m no different from anyone who has sold PCBs, or anyone who’s spent years in our industry, for that matter. Then, late at night […]
5 Ways To Get The Most From Your PCB Vendors
Five things you have to do to get the most form your PCB vendors Most PCB users are missing the boat when it comes to getting the most from their PCB vendors. I have talked about how the new age of buying boards with minimum communications and almost no face to face relationships between everyone […]