One of my heroes in life is Bill Levine, the founder of PIP Printing. It was almost 40 years ago that he found himself at the front of the line in an industry. That industry has changed significantly since he opened his first instant printing operation. It began with an idea that joined technology together which eliminated several steps in the printing process. At that time, the printing plate making process required 8 time consuming steps that took days to accomplish. The newly developed Itek plate making unit was a self contained system which had the ability to create printing plates in about a minute.

Although this new invention was shown at tradeshows around the country in 1966, only a handful of individuals saw the vision of an industry and the revolutionary concept of this technology. Those who caught the vision were blessed with skyrocketing growth as the instant printing industry grew. I know, because I was there with Bill Levine as a member of his team from 1980 to 1988. Some instant printers refer to this as the golden 80s.

Today, most of those Itek plate making units are retired and have been replaced with high speed copiers that perform the role of the printing press in many applications. With todays technology it is hard to tell the difference between a copier image and one that was printed.

The FAX Revolution that Sputtered
In the mid 1980s there was a large machine that cost about $6,000.00 which had the ability to send a document across the country in minutes using a telephone line. The only challenge was that another machine had to be on the other end to receive the document. This seemed revolutionary at the time and today we call these old Fax machines. The challenge at PIP Printing Headquarters was convincing business owners to invest in the expensive technology.

It was only a few years later that Fax technology caught on and customers were lining up and paying several dollars to get their faxes sent around the country to another location as the Fax explosion took hold. The profits generated from those early investments paid off handsomely.

Today, the lines have all but disappeared and Fax technology is being replaced with email and instant messaging. In my case, I dont have a fax machine; I use efax for sending and receiving faxes.

Selling Technology Isnt Easy
The facts demonstrate is that most people dont want to be first in line. Being first in line has some risks. However, the people at the front of the line always get the best seats and the greatest rewards.

Our sales role is to create the vision of success in the hearts of our customers so they see the advantage of being first in their market with our system or solution.

Technology hasnt stopped and there is new technology that is being developed everyday that will impact us tomorrow. Our challenge is to help our prospects and customers recognize an opportunity when it is in front of them. Today I understand how Bill Levine felt with his discovery. Im looking for companies that want to be first in their market with the advantage of sales automation so they can increase sales with technology. I have a vision to share with my clients, do you?

Steve Martinez

My name is Steve Martinez and I started this business development company to eliminate sales failure. I have spent the last few decades honing my experience as a National Sales Manager, Sales Trainer, Mentor and Author of Selling. This history provides the depth of my experience and value to you as a client in the Business to Business marketplace.

I am proud to say that our innovative sales management strategies are revolutionizing sales for business to business companies. My clients are taught the advantage of building long term profitable relationships using his customized sales action plans. The results are nothing short of magical. Salespeople are able to perform twice, three times and, in some cases, ten times what they used to do before. Sales Managers enjoy the Selling Magic system as they more effectively manage and forecast sales.

I am not new to sales management, technology and sales workflow. I bring 25 years of business management consulting experience. I have been fortunate to have traveled the United States as a National Sales Manager, National Account Executive where I learned the real world lessons of sales. I've also worked for franchise organizations leading sales to a network of over 700 salespeople.

I wish I could say that sales success came easy. It didn't! I had to work at selling and learn the tough lessons. fortunately, this made me stronger and wiser. Through my experience I learned why businesses fail and why salespeople struggle in sales.

I enjoy applying these valuable lessons, focusing on teaching others how to increase sales, become more profitable using technology and following the best practices of Customer Relationship Management.

Our clients tell us, Selling Magic is a logical choice. It provides advanced business development strategies. We are certified members of the Cargill Consulting Group and the Mastermind Consulting Group. Selling Magic delivers sales management and Customer Relationship Building solutions with a suite of consulting services designed to enhance your business.

Steve is an accomplished speaker and writer for business development projects. Sales Automation, Sales Coaching and E-Marketing are his primary projects in business development.

We invite you to discover the Selling Magic approach to sales management and how Selling Magic can help you "out wit, out smart and out last, your competition."