By Dave Fellman
I get asked pretty often about what specific characteristics to look for in a printing/graphics salesperson. My answer always includes three things: intelligence, a competitive nature and an appreciation for the finer things in life.
Intelligence
Intelligence is simply the single most important factor in complete selling success. Please note the word “complete,” because I recognize that there are printing/graphics salespeople out there putting up pretty good numbers without displaying much brain-power. It’s been my experience that these people are the exception, though, and not the rule.
It’s also been my experience that these salespeople are usually the ones who have to be “tolerated” by owners and fellow employees. Yeah, they bring in business, but they also cause problems. Given the choice, I’m sure you’d prefer to hire someone who can bring in business and be a fully-functional part of the team. That, I believe, is very largely a function of intelligence.
Competitive Nature
You have to want to win to be a successful salesperson. You also have to know who you’re competing against. The latter is a function of intelligence. The former is the second most important factor in compete selling success. I don’t know any really successful salespeople who don’t have a competitive nature.
That’s not to say that you have to be an ultra-jock to be successful as a salesperson. You just have to understand that you’ll be in competition every day, and you have to relish the competition.
But let’s look closer at that competition, and let’s recognize that it’s not really a who, it’s a what. And let’s also recognize that it’s a different competition, depending on whether the buyer is a customer or a prospect. The what is the status quo; in other words, the way the buyer is currently doing whatever he or she is currently doing. If the buyer is currently a customer, you have to defend the status quo – buying from you! If the buyer is a prospect, buying from someone else, you have to change it.
The Finer Things
When you come right down to it, the best motivation for a printing/graphics salesperson is money. Actually, though, that’s not quite correct. The best motivation for any kind of salesperson is what money will buy! I spoke with a printer last week who was attracted to a candidate because he needed to earn more money. I suggested that we hold out for someone who has all the money he/she needs, but simply wants more!
Think about this for a minute. What sort of person always needs money? Does the word “underachiever” come to mind? Yes, I know there are good people caught in bad situations, but again, I think we’re talking about the exceptions that prove the rule.
Looking Up
Things are looking up in the printing industry right now. I have talked to numerous printers recently who are looking to hire new salespeople. But please think about this. Industry-wide, quite a few salespeople lost their jobs over the past year. Some were laid off or discharged. Others simply gave up. Most of them were under-achievers.
This is a time to look for new talent, not to hire back under-achievers. This is a time – and an opportunity! -- to look for people with intelligence, a competitive nature and an appreciation for the finer things in life.
Dave Fellman is the president of David Fellman & Associates, Cary, NC, a sales and marketing consulting firm serving numerous segments of the graphic arts industry. Contact Dave by phone at 919-363-4068 or by e-mail at dmf@davefellman.com. Visit his website at www.davefellman.com.