Proposals should be routine in your business. You write them all the time because customers don't buy AV services over the phone. They need documentation.

The problem? Most proposals are terrible.

https://www.trstimson.com/proposal-template/

New year, same pricing habits? Still sending proposals without deadlines and itemizing every line like it's 2005?

Your competitors have moved on. Your customers have seen the difference.

In this episode, I'm covering what you should already be doing in 2026 and what you need to start trying. Packages that sell shows instead of gear. Cost-plus pricing that simplifies negotiation. Good-until dates that kill dead deals.

Listen now and make this the year you stop making excuses.

Visit trstimson.com for more resources.

Follow Tom on LinkedIn

If an increasing number of buyers are revealing that they don't really understand what they need for their event or what you do, then listen to this week's Monday Morning Drive.

https://www.trstimson.com/your-sales-team-is-speaking-the-wrong-language/

What's changing our industry?

More women in leadership. A younger workforce that rejects hero culture and relationship selling. And a balance philosophy that keeps your best people off the show site so they can sell and plan the next project.

These changes aren't coming. They're here. And the companies embracing them are winning faster than those clinging to old-school thinking.

Listen to this week's episode and find out which trends will carry you into 2026 and which habits might hold you back.

Visit trstimson.com for more resources.

Follow Tom on LinkedIn

I get calls every day from folks who want to talk about marketing. It was the number one topic in 2025.

So, we chat. You tell me your plans. Then, I ask about your email list.

https://www.trstimson.com/stop-culling-your-email-list/

As we head into 2026 with steady economic growth ahead, some companies will thrive while others quietly sink, propped up by subsidies they don't even know they're riding on.

Your biggest challenge isn't the economy. It's whether your business will float when everyone else starts rising.

Listen to this week's episode and learn why throwing labor at problems is a death spiral, how to win the talent war by hiring fewer people who are twice as good, and why pricing strategy matters more than revenue growth.

Visit trstimson.com for more resources.

Follow Tom on LinkedIn

This Monday Morning Drive isn't about how you price yourself. It's about the perception of value of someone who does someone else's shows for a living versus a company that gets their customer's show done for them.

https://www.trstimson.com/best-people-to-do-shows-done/

Most companies think planning means putting out fires. It doesn't. Planning means building systems that work without you.

Alford Media evolved from throwing cables in cardboard boxes to building repeatable systems. Every time we solved a problem, we turned that solution into a system.

When planning works, your crew shows up with everything they need. You don't deal with surprises, late-night calls, or scrambling.

Listen to this week's episode and learn how to stop firefighting and start building systems that scale your business without burning you out.

Visit trstimson.com for more resources.

Follow Tom on LinkedIn