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10/22/2025

65 and Selling

Source: Bill Farquharson, October 20, 2025

65

Saturday morning pick up golf with my contemporaries usually includes the question, “Are you still working?” It’s a polite way to gauge whether the older guy you are playing with is retired.

But in this case, I am the older guy. And yes, I am still working. What’s more, you can expect to see me in these Short Attention Span Sales Tips and running the Sales Vault for the next few years. Why is this relevant information?

Today, October 20, is my 65th birthday. If it is not raining, I hope to be on one of my favorite Cape Cod golf courses, Eastward ‘Ho (golfers: Google it and drool). Tomorrow, I will return to my desk and get back to work.

Retire? No way. I cannot imagine filling my day with pickleball in the hopes it will be as fulfilling as working for you and helping grow your sales. I love what I do. I am grateful to still be working. I choose to still be working. So, here are three tips for you from the perspective a newly minted 65 year old…

My first sales tip is this: If you don’t love what you do, quit, and go find something else that lights you up. I make that statement with a caveat: You can be struggling and still love the job and the challenge. In time, you will look back on those salad days fondly. Remember, when it comes to sales, it’s the “hard” that makes it great.

Second, don’t worry as much. A few years ago I asked a group of legacy reps what they’d say to a younger version of themselves and that statement was far and away number one. It will work out. Keep at it. Keep trying. Don’t stop.

Finally, take your job personally. That is, strive to make your clients your friends. Engage at a deeper level. Genuinely and authentically care. When it’s you who are near the finish line, it will make everything matter that much more.

I can’t believe the guy in the mirror is 65. But that guy still has a lot on his mind and a lot of information to share. I’ll be at Printing United this week and then back with more sales tips next week.

Watch Bill present this week's sales tip


The Sales Vault, created by Bill Farquharson, is a subscription-based resource and sales community featuring a calendar packed with live workshops, on-demand sales courses, peer-to-peer discussion groups, and 35+ years of sales training content all searchable by sales challenge. Think of it as a sales conference where the seminars and workshops, full of instantly applicable ideas, are ongoing and more programs are added constantly.

The Sales Vault is available on a monthly subscription basis, normally at a no-brainer monthly price of $45/participant, but… GMA members can take advantage of an exclusive offer: FREE membership for 30 days followed by a discounted monthly subscription price of just $40/participant. 

Bill has been a friend of GMA for many years and is, no doubt, known to our members as a top sales trainer and content creator for the graphic arts.

Other Vault resources:

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