There is a book I recently read titled The 10 Immutable Laws of Power Selling: The Key to Winning Sales, Wowing Customers, and Driving Profits Through the Roof Today written by James DeSena. In it DeSena outlines strategies for producing high value solutions and lasting customer relationships. Last week I had the opportunity to interview Patrick DiLeonardo, president of Zebra Print Solutions. While he hadn't read the book, he was clearly deploying the principles.

Zebra Print Solutions was founded in 1992 in Raleigh North Carolina's Research Triangle Park. The company has harnessed the power of innovative technologies to provide flawless print and fulfillment of training materials around the world. The company has a deep understanding of the intricacies of print, document management, and fulfillment, and the inherent problems that can occur in each. This has enabled it to develop unique processes and procedures that ensure error-free delivery. The company has expanded its services to incorporate a full array of meeting support products that includes everything from workbooks, handouts, name badges, and table tents to promotional specialty items. Zebra is also becoming a leader in corporate enterprise services, providing major corporations with online order entry and tools to update versions of documents, flexible shipping options, enterprise pricing, and e-commerce capabilities. The company recently acquired a direct mail firm to expand its marketing services and delivery capabilities.

In DeSena's book he talks about what contributes to the best experiences organizations have had as it relates to selling. The key areas that differentiate high performance organizations include:

When asked to describe his business, Zebra Print Solutions President Patrick DiLeonardo said, "We are a service business. The things we manufacture support the service we provide to support meetings, training, and customer communications. We start with asking the customer about their business problem and then build the solution. We talk to our customer base in their language. We make sure that we understand their industry and business issues, and that drives loyal customer relationships."

One of the key points in the DeSena's book is that you define your market. He says, "Defining your market is about finding the right prospects. It is more about quality than quantity. Prospecting and cold calling depend on the numbers –it is all about quantity. The more people you get in front of the more chances you have to sell. Selling is about finding the right problems, the ones the customers are feeling. When you get in front of customers, it isn't about numbers - it is about preparation and planning and asking the right questions."