Three ways to improve the effectiveness of your print sales calls
“I should know my prospects better” That was the conclusion of the Managing Director of a large printing company after he had been on a print sales workshop with me. So what made him reach that conclusion? We had been working on target audiences. One of the exercises at the workshop was to fill in a simple questionnaire about a key customer. Just like many other attendees, the Managing Director found that he had many gaps on his questionnaire. He had been unable to answer some pretty basic questions. He admitted to me that he found this lack of knowledge…
The three types of pain that can help you sell printing
Imagine that a doctor has just announced some bad news to you What happens if you suddenly discover that you are suffering from an illness that you didn’t realise you had? You will focus on how to get better. Money is suddenly no object. It’s the same with sales. Show a prospect a problem that they didn’t know they had and they are suddenly interested in how to solve it. If you can help your prospect solve that problem you are in with a great selling opportunity.
What do print customers really want to talk about?
Here’s a one-minute video on a customer’s favourite topic. Make sure you watch it – you may be surprised at the answer (hint – it’s got nothing to do with print!) Please add a comment at the bottom and tell me your thoughts. Download your free copy of “Ten Common Print Selling Errors And What To Do About Them” (worth £19/$29) right now
How social media engagement leads to print sales
Do you have any friends you regret losing touch with? Over the years I’ve had a few friends that I used speak with regularly. But now the friendship is dead. There is just silence between me and them. It’s all my fault. I didn’t do enough to keep in touch. If I’d made more of an effort those friendships still might be alive today. It’s the same with social media. If you don’t make the effort, the relationship with your connections will fade away.
Why social media is not about finding prospects to cold call
If you throw enough mud, some of it will stick There are quite a few print sales people that I have met who believe that there is only one way to meet their targets. That way is to phone as many people as possible. Most of these salespeople have no time for social media. However, some have embraced it as an excellent way to build contact lists. They spend time researching as many names and numbers as possible from social media platforms. Social media has become their new telephone directory. It is certainly true that you can use social media…
How social media fits in to the sales cycle
Have you heard of an earth-inverting horticultural implement? You may not realise it, but many people talk about these regularly. It’s just that they use much simpler language. An earth-inverting horticultural implement is simply fancy language for a spade!
#UKvUSA: What should printing companies sell?
Two continents: US and UK. Two different buying backgrounds: procurement and agency. Two alternative ways of looking at things. I’m delighted to have teamed up with Deborah Corn from PrintMediaCentr to bring two extremely different views to some important print questions. So welcome to Print Buying: #UKvUSA where Deborah and I share information about our experiences from both sides of the pond. At the end of this post I have linked to Deborah’s answer to the same question. We wrote our answers (each limited to 500 words) without any idea of what the other was writing. As Deborah says: “Maybe…
Why you should use pain to sell print
Watch this short video on the power of pain and how it can be used to successfully sell print. Download your free copy of “Ten Common Print Selling Errors And What To Do About Them” (worth £19/$29) right now
Three reasons why social media should be a key part of your sales activities
We live in a world of change Incredible as it may seem, the first mobile phone call made in the UK happened as recently as 1985. Nowadays it is unthinkable that a sales person would be able to operate with out a mobile phone. LinkedIn launched in May 2003. Twitter started up in March 2006. Google Plus only went live in June 2011. For many sales people, social media networks such as these are as important as a mobile phone. They would not achieve the same sales results without these networks. Social media is now a vital sales channel. Here’s…
#UKvUSA: Whose responsibility is it to educate print buyers?
Two continents: US and UK. Two different buying backgrounds: procurement and agency. Two alternative ways of looking at things. I’m delighted to have teamed up with Deborah Corn from PrintMediaCentr to bring two extremely different views to some important print questions. So welcome to Print Buying: #UKvUSA where Deborah and I share information about our experiences from both sides of the pond.
