David M. Fellman
A lot of printing sales situations are decided by inertia. In other words, you start talking to a prospect and they seem to like you well enough, but they’re not unhappy with their current supplier, so the easiest thing to do is to keep buying from them. It’s a fact that many printing buyers view printing as a commodity.
How do you change that thinking? Sometimes you just need to find a tipping point, one specific thing that will overcome the inertia of an "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" attitude.
For example, I have a client who has made a significant commitment to being “green” and has found this to be an effective tipping point in some of these inertia situations. When all other things seem to be equal, we’ve taught his salespeople to ask whether “green” is important to the buyer. If the answer is yes, they tell the company’s “green story” and then ask if it’s enough to make the difference. This strategy doesn’t always work, but sometimes it’s just enough of a tipping point to move the buyer away from the “easy” decision.
Please note that they don’t lead with their “green story.” It’s held in reserve, for situations when a little more differentiation is required. As I have written in the past, most printing salespeople can’t seem to wait to shoot off all of their big sales and marketing guns, and that’s usually a bad strategy.
Now, you may not be as “green” as this particular company, but there are probably features of your business that can provide you with some tipping power. Local vs. out-of-town or out-of-state? A woman-owned or other minority-owned business? Supporters of specific causes or charities? Remember, sometimes all it takes is just a little more weight to tip the scales in your favor.
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.