Superior Lamp President Ken Hennig “How Fortunate We Are To Have This Career.”

“I am an old man and I have known a great many troubles in my day, most of which never happened,” so goes Mark Twain’s famous and perhaps not so humorous quote about people. The sad truth is that this quote hits home with all of us much more often than it should. Every day, too many salespeople spend way too much time feeling sorry for themselves and building up imaginary problems rather than counting their blessings. I have listed here for review a few of the reasons salespeople fall prey to this dreaded disease.

- They feel they are doing more than they being given credit for.

- They think the world owes them a living.

- They want their rewards given to them “before” they do the work to ensure the rewards will be forthcoming.

- They have the habit of dwelling on their problems rather than on the solutions.

- They don’t understand and, therefore, do not positively utilize the “Law of Production,” which never, never allows you to earn less than you are worth for very long.

- They never count their blessings.

The truth is, we are so very fortunate to have an opportunity like Superior Lamp; a company that truly cares about us and our careers. There is absolutely no upper limit here at Superior Lamp. When we “do good, ” “act good,” and “think good,” only good comes to us. One thing is for sure; feeling sorry for ourselves with an opportunity like Superior at our fingertips doesn’t cut it!

Ken Hennig





President Superior Lamp

Maintenance Engineering President Curt Kesselring “Tips For A Happy New Year!”

- Think about details you can control, not about details you can’t control.

- Think about what you can do, not about about what you can’t do.

- Think about what you can change, not about what you can’t change.

- Think about the ONE you can change, bot about people you can’t change.

- Aim high, be happy and have fun in everything you do in 2013!!

Happy New Year!

President Curt Kesselring





Maintenance Engineering

Maintenance Engineering Vice President Dennis Leno “2013- Believe and Succeed”

” Be it done to you as you believe.” – The Bible

” What you think about you bring about.” – Mary Kay Ash

” Your wish is your command.”- Kevin Trudeau

“Everything is an inside job.” – Rhonda Byrne

” Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve.” – W. Clement Stone.

I bring you these great quotes as a reminder of how powerful positive thinking is. It can and does move mountains. These quotes remind us that belief in yourself, in your positive thoughts, in your goals is where your power lies. This holiday season, let’s believe and bring about a great ending to 2012 and an even better beginning to 2013.

Merry Christmas!

Vice President Dennis Leno

“Frank’s Corner”- Sales Tips from Maintenance Engineering’s all time #1 salesman

Vice President Dennis Leno and I like to joke about 40 years in the business. In these almost 40 years I’ve known every rep who has ever done a good job in the field from Diane Pilkinton, Jim Frankson, Brian Breitbarth who are now in management helping others succeed like Veterans Mike Alimento, Brett Child, Mike Gilberstad and many others who are the backbone of Maintenance Engineering.

All of those people have one thing in common, it’s what I call “Character”, which has often been defined as “What you do when no one is looking.” It’s getting out early when you’re tire and not feeling %100. It’s making a few extra calls and closing one more time. It’s showing a little extra interest in a buyers personal life which could result in an order.

Character is doing all those thing we all know we should be doing all the time but sometimes neglect to do them. Character is what can make all of us more successful.

Frank Grendler



Maintenance Engineering

Maintenance Engineering Vice President Dennis Leno “Awards Year Ends January 12, 2013″

As I write these comments there are less that 5 weeks left in Maintenance Engineering’s sales year for 2012. Since Maintenance Engineering’s sales year for 2012. Since Maintenance Engineering’s Sales Year is a 53 week year, this allows you the benefit of having an extra week to catch those customers after ringing in New Year.

Planning, Planning, Planning… Have you sat down and planned out your year end? For those of you who are aiming for those Luxury Dollars a great year-end plan will be critical. Remember you want to talk to every one of your customers before January 12. In fact the majority of your customers should be talked to before January 1, in case they have excess budget dollars to spend.

Good Selling!





Vice President Dennis Leno

Maintenance Engineering President Curt Kesselring “Merry Christmas!”

Spend a lot …make a lot! That’s my suggested formula for a great Christmas and New Year’s. No matter what our frugal intentions are the Holidays always seem to cost more than we anticipated. The great thing about being a commissioned sales person is that you can work harder and smarter on the days surrounding the holidays and make enough money to cover those holiday expenses. Done right, you finish the holidays with no leftover debts.

First put together your work plan and stick to it. Mark the days you are going to work on your calender and set volume goals. Second, commit to those goals and do whatever necessary to hit them. Work the right type of accounts at the right times on the right days to maximize your effectiveness. remember, you are on a mission to come out of the Holiday Season with no leftover holiday expenses.

Also, remember your Maintenance Engineering year ends on Jan 12! Any leftover expenses can be taken care of with lots of phone orders on BLOWOUT WEEK! (Jan 7-12)!

So my recommendation for the Holiday Season is SPEND A LOT (as if you needed the tip) AND MAKE A LOT! This will insure a fun time with family and friends with no expense hangover!

Good Selling

President Curt Kesselring

Maintenance Engineering Sales Tip – Principles From Dale Carnegie “How to Stop Worrying and Start Living”

The Perfect Way to Conquer Worry.

1. Pray.

Don’t Worry About Criticism

1. Remember that unjust criticism is often a disguised compliment.

2. Do the very best you can.

3. Analyze your own mistakes and criticize yourself.

Prevent Fatigue and Worry and Keep Your Energy and Spirits High.

1. Rest before you get tired.

2. Learn to relax at your work.

3. Protect your health and appearance by relaxing at home.

4. Apply these four good working habits:

a. Clear your desk of all papers except those relating to the immediate problem at hand.

b. Do things in order of their importance.

c. When you face a problem, solve it then and there if you have the facts necessary to make a decision.

d. Learn to organize, deputize, and supervise.

5. Put enthusiasm into your work.

6. Don’t worry about insomnia.

Maintenance Engineering Vice President Dennis Leno “Goal Setting- The Fuel for Your Fire”

You have heard this phrase, “If you don’t know where you are going, you can take any road to get there.” No phrase describes the problem associated with goal setting better than this one.

Lack of goal setting is associated with these problems and many others:

1. Call reluctance

2. Poor Presentations and Closes.

3. Poor Planning and Waste of Time.

4. Poor Work Ethic.

Try Goal Setting

Henry Ford said “Thinking is the hardest work in the world, that’s why so few people do it.” Goal setting is thinking and its hard work but it’s got to be done.

Work a Miracle In Your Life

What do you really want ou of this career? What do you really want for yourself and your family? When you can answer these questions, you are doing some very important goal setting.

Here is what Goal Setting Does for You:

1. Kill Call Reluctance.

2. Your presentations and closes are powerful.

3. Your planning and time management are excellent.

4. your work ethic is superb.

Maintenance Engineering Curt Kesselring “Year End Plan”

Now is my favorite time of year! Nothing beats Christmas, my favorite holiday with my favorite music! New Years brings with it the opportunity for reflection on the past year and a new beginning filled with new opportunities. And best of all, this is a fantastic selling time! There is a lot going on in the next 5 weeks…consequently, it is more important than ever to have a plan. I’ve enclosed a holiday calendar to help you in your plan.

There are really two important parts to every holiday plan. First is to make a plan, second is the discipline to actually do it. Here are some key points to an effective holiday plan:

1. Identify the time you want to take off… and can afford to take off.

2. Review where you are on your yearly volume and set you goal for year-end volume.

3. Identify the time you are going to work… and your income and volume target.

4. Commit to your plan and stick to it.

Great Holiday Time, Great Selling Time, Great Plan and Great Execution will make this the fun and profitable holiday season you and your family deserve.

Curt Kesselring

President of Maintenance Engineering

Maintenance Engineering Vice President Dennis Leno “Power of Role Play”

Did you know psychologists tell us that our subconscious minds cannot tell the difference between a real or imagined experience? Why is this important?

Think of it this way. Our subconscious mind is the set of our power. It automatically controls thousands of mental and physical functions a day. It can also automatically give us the right words, actions, and knowledge to write an order.

So where is the subconscious mind going to get the pattern so that it can give us the right words, actions, and knowledge during a presentation? From role play! That’s right! When you give you subconscious mind the right pattern, it will give it back to you. That’s why Vince Lombardi said “Practice does not make perfect. Only perfect practice makes perfect.”

So what does a wise salesperson do? They do perfect practice on their new account presentation, their phone repeat presentation, their appointment presentation, and their promotional pitches.

Perfect practice. Perfect role play. That is what a wise salesperson will do because they know that perfect help from their subconscious will then be received.

Dennis Leno



Vice President Maintenance Engineering

Maintenance Engineering Vice President Dennis Leno “Referrals Are Powerful”

“Anything can be had for the price of an effort.”- Plato

This week we want to remind everyone of one of the most powerful techniques in sales, asking for referrals. Referrals are unquestionably the most overlooked technique.

Why is this technique overlooked by so many salespeople? Because they don’t know lucrative they are! If you were given $100 for every referral, would you remember to ask for more referrals? I guarantee you would!

Read some of the comments and techniques that we reprinted this week from a previous newsletter and begin using them. No technique you can use is more powerful to put you in front of more buyers!

Dennis Leno





Vice President Maintenance Engineering

Maintenance Engineering President Curt Kesselring “Good, Better, Best!”

Maintenance Engineering’s 5 line concept allows you to broaden you customer base beyond those who only want the BEST and who can afford the BEST! Now you have products which the majority of your prospects can afford.

One of the great advantages of the GOOD, BETTER, BEST concept is that it allows you to sell against yourself. Whenever you’re selling against a competitor your words are suspect. The prospect believes you’re just trying to make yourself look better than the competition so you can make a sale. However, when you’re selling against yourself you are more believable. The customer views your presentation as being informative in order to help him make the best decision.

Another huge point, when you’re selling against a competitor, it’s win/lose. When you’re selling against yourself it’s WIN/win. Whatever he chooses, BEST, Better or good…You win!! You get a sale!

Use this new powerful tool to go back on a personal NEW ACCOUNT CAMPAIGN. The price objections are softened dramatically with the GOOD, BETTER, BEST objection answer. The number of accounts you can now sell increases dramatically along with your volume, size of your file box and your income.

This is the perfect sales strategy for these recessionary times. Work with your Sales Coordinator to insure you have the skills and motivation to turn this powerful new product line into a huge income increase for yourself.

Curt Kesselring



President Maintenance Engineering

Maintenance Engineering Product Tips- “Did You Know?”

Did you know that when you are replacing incandescent flood lamps with Maintenance Engineering Halogen Pars, you can use the lamps as either light-boosting devices, or energy saving devices, or energy-saving devices, or in some cases, both?

For maximum light boosting, you can match wattage with the incandescent and get about double the light output.

For maximum energy-saving, you can drop to about half the incandescent wattage and still match the incandescent’s light level. Or you can pick a Halogen Par wattage somewhere in-between and get noth some light-boosting and some energy-savings, just lesser amounts of both. It is up to you decide what the customer requires.

Maintenance Engineering Vice President Dennis Leno “Maintenance Engineering Has The World’s Best Products At The World’s Best Prices.”

When is the last time you read through you Maintenance Engineering catalog? Every time I do I marvel at the amazing array of products in our catalog. But what really impresses me is the quality of these products.

Maintenance Engineering has the world’s best lighting products. This is a result of President Curt Kesselring and his staff never settling for second best. They are relentless in their search for the world’s best manufacturers. In the end, it gives Maintenance Engineering the world’s best products.

Yet, that alone is not enough. Maintenance Engineering has two testing facilities, one in Chicago at our warehouse and one in Fargo at the Home Office.

Every product Maintenance Engineering has is first researched and tested to ensure it actually meets the specifications the manufacture says it has. Then as it arrives at the warehouse, it is randomly tested to ensure we have received what was ordered.

The result of all this is that no one has products that can compare to Maintenance Engineering’s. I hope you are as proud of the Maintenance Engineering as I am. This is the product line all of America should be using.

Dennis Leno





Vice President

Maintenance Engineering “It’s Great To Have Multi Box Pricing”

Veteran Paul DiSylvester had a fantastic opening order the other day. He walked in a business that was a big machine shop, he explained why he was there and they called the owner out. The owner was interested in what Paul had to say as they were recently having trouble with their lighting.

Paul plugged in his demo and they all just loved the lights, they called all the guys over that work in a particular are and they were all sold! They took advantage of the multiple box pricing and bought 5 boxes of various products they needed right away with much more to come! Keep up the great work Paul we know your customer will be fully satisfied!

Maintenance Engineering Vice President Dennis Leno “Cover 100% Of The Market”

“Nothing succeeds like success.” You have probably heard that quote many times, but why is it true? Why does nothing succeed like success?

Look at it this way. to start a fire, you need something to start with, some kind of igniter. That’s why that quote is true and that’s why Mary Kay Ash’s quote is so powerful. The way you ignite a successful fire, the way you get your success raging like a fire is to think success, feel success and be a success.

Imagine if we went around all day saying “I feel successful. I am successful. I am thankful for my great success.” With that attitude we might be able to do what Mary Kay Ash did!

“What you think about you bring about.” -Mary Kay Ash

Dennis Leno



Vice President Maintenance Engineering

Maintenance Engineering President Curt Kesselring “Fall Selling Is Quantity Selling!”

Use Maintenance Engineering new Quantity Prices to capture that business your customer is giving our competition! Use Maintenance Engineering’s presentation which SETS UP Maintenance Engineering’s Quality/Quantity close which will have you selling boxes of lamps! Too much of our customer’s business is going to our competition! Those are sales that should be coming to Maintenance Engineering…AND COMMISSIONS that should be coming to you. Now is prime selling time. Days are getting shorter with more overcast skies. Now is when people are stocking up with lighting supplies for the long dark winter ahead. Fall selling season’s orders should be larger than normal by a factor of 2-3.

Remember Mix and Match! The quantity prices apply to any mix of products the customer buys. This can be a huge incentive for a buyer to move business forward and buy it now for a better price. This can also be a huge incentive for a buyer to shift products he’s buying from a competitor to you! Do this and you’ll be on your way to Triple Volume and Double Income. Make sure you help you customers with all their lighting business during this fall selling season!

Curt Kesselring







President Maintenance Engineering

Maintenance Engineering President Curt Kesselring “Push The Reset Button”

Most electronic products have a reset button, an on/off switch or a power supply you can cut.. which reboots its electronics. Every once in a while the electronic components need to step back, clean out the clutter and start thinking with a clear electronic brain. People are the same way. Every once in a while we need to push the reset button to clean our mind of assumptions and old conclusions that were based on old facts. We need to take a step back and take a fresh look at a situation.

Maintenance Engineering’s old timers were raised under different field conditions that required different solutions. When Maintenance Engineering was founded 60% of our sales were incandescents. Short life incandescents burned out in 1 to 4 weeks! Short life fluorescents burned out in a month with the ends becoming solid black. Businesses had maintenance personnel who dedicated a majority of their time changing light bulbs. Even tiny businesses went through a lot of light bulbs and were good respectable accounts.

Today small accounts provide good “Fill” business but have only small repeat potential. Today we are shifting our focus to medium and large accounts. these accounts are more difficult to get into; consequently our strategy is to build a relationship with these buyers where we can get 100% of their business. Medium size businesses will purchase premium products for 10-30% of their needs. The balance is made up of residential products which we want to convert to Maintenance Engineering Industra and Commercial products.. and the rest to our Residential line. We want 100% of their businesses. We want to develop a relationship with the buyer where we are their lighting expert. We will sell them Premira for the locations where they need the longest lasting, brightest and whitest light. Where they don’t need the best.. or can’t afford the best we’ll sell them a quality level that fits their needs and budget. Bottom line we want to 100% of their business. This new sales model will result in triple volume because it takes 1/3 of the time to expand an existing account as compared to opening 3 times more accounts!

Triple Volume will result in Double Commissions since much of the volume will be at lower commission rates. But, remember , we don’t spend commission rates at the grocery store, we spend dollars… and having double commissions.. is double dollars in your pocket. Best of all this can be done without more effort.. just by applying this new sales model where you “HARVEST” 100% of a buyers business rather than 10-30% as in the past.

So press the reset button on your “Sales Computer” and rethink your market and customer base in light of this new business model. What if you got 100% of your existing customer’s business? You would probably increase your sales tenfold. Triple is realistic and so is Double Commissions. Hit the reset, learn Maintenance Engineering’s New Sales Methods and begin ”HARVESTING” the business that your present accounts are giving you competition! Put the competitions commissions in YOUR POCKET!!

Curt Kesselring







President Maintenance Engineering

Maintenance Engineering "Sales Story- They're Buying From Someone"

Director Bill Pilkinton passed along the reason that Veteran Charles Mobley is able to resell old customers. Charlie simply begins each call with small talk. However, this small talk always has a purpose. What do we mean?

Well, these are customers who used to purchase all their light bulbs from Charlie. Why did they stop buying? The number one reason a buyer stops buying is price! They simply felt they had to go to less quality lamps. Maintenance Engineering now solved that problem. We have a bulb to fit everyone's budget.

That is the message Charlie is passing along to his old customers. They are buying their light bulbs from someone; they might as well be buying them from Charlie.

Maintenance Engineering “Dale Carnegie’s Golden Book – How To Be A Leader”

1. Begin with praise and honest appreciation.

2. Call attention to people’s mistakes indirectly.

3. Talk about your own mistakes before criticizing the other person.

4. Ask questions instead of giving direct orders.

5. Let the other person save face.

6. Praise the slightest improvement and praise every improvement. Be “hearty in your approbation and lavish in your praise.”

7. Give the other person a fine reputation to live up to.

8. Use encouragement. Make the fault seem easy to correct.

9. Make the other person happy about doing the thing you suggest.