Blog posts
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Why asking for quotes loses you printing sales
Here’s a sales approach that is guaranteed to create the wrong result for you “Dear Matthew, We are a printing company with an xx press, offering excellent quality and service. We wondered if you had any work we can quote for you?” I still receive a worryingly high number of approaches from printing companies along these lines, both by phone and e-mail. So what’s wrong with this approach? This sales...
Why asking for quotes loses you printing sales
Here’s a sales approach that is guaranteed to create the wrong result for you “Dear Matthew, We are a printing company with an xx press, offering excellent quality and service. We wondered if you had any work we can quote for you?” I still receive a worryingly high number of approaches from printing companies along these lines, both by phone and e-mail. So what’s wrong with this approach? This sales...
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Why printing companies without difference will ...
What happens if you don’t have a difference? Imagine seeing three similar items in a shop. They all look pretty much the same. Which one will you choose? Nearly everyone will choose the cheapest. When it comes to choosing a print supplier, it’s a comparable situation. The majority of printing company sales messages sound pretty much the same these days. It is one of the major reasons why buyers choose...
Why printing companies without difference will ...
What happens if you don’t have a difference? Imagine seeing three similar items in a shop. They all look pretty much the same. Which one will you choose? Nearly everyone will choose the cheapest. When it comes to choosing a print supplier, it’s a comparable situation. The majority of printing company sales messages sound pretty much the same these days. It is one of the major reasons why buyers choose...
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How much time do sales people actually spend se...
Here’s a really scary sales fact According to one study (Go-Iko) the average sales person only spends 5% of their time on the phone. So what do sales people actually spend their time doing? Well, according to this study, 59% of their time is spent in non-sales activity. 25% of their time is spent on internal meetings and administration. 18% of their time is spent generating leads and researching prospects....
How much time do sales people actually spend se...
Here’s a really scary sales fact According to one study (Go-Iko) the average sales person only spends 5% of their time on the phone. So what do sales people actually spend their time doing? Well, according to this study, 59% of their time is spent in non-sales activity. 25% of their time is spent on internal meetings and administration. 18% of their time is spent generating leads and researching prospects....
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Warning: most printing companies are on track t...
Do you plan for decline? No matter how hard you try, it’s impossible to keep all your current customers. Some will stop using print, some will choose another supplier and some will simply go out of business. If you stay being reactive to your customers needs, your business will almost certainly start declining. This will happen sooner rather than later. That’s why it’s essential that you create a plan to...
Warning: most printing companies are on track t...
Do you plan for decline? No matter how hard you try, it’s impossible to keep all your current customers. Some will stop using print, some will choose another supplier and some will simply go out of business. If you stay being reactive to your customers needs, your business will almost certainly start declining. This will happen sooner rather than later. That’s why it’s essential that you create a plan to...
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How do you write a good sales letter – 4 tips
A lot of people tell me they struggle to write a good sales letter It’s hard. How does one grab the prospect’s attention? Here are four handy tips: Sell a service A service is easier to differentiate from the competition compared to a product. Services are often valued more highly by buyers and they can be prepared to spend more on them. Also, services are also more difficult to compare...
How do you write a good sales letter – 4 tips
A lot of people tell me they struggle to write a good sales letter It’s hard. How does one grab the prospect’s attention? Here are four handy tips: Sell a service A service is easier to differentiate from the competition compared to a product. Services are often valued more highly by buyers and they can be prepared to spend more on them. Also, services are also more difficult to compare...
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Why selling print will be the death of printing...
Print Sales Do you remember vinyl? What about cassettes? I spent many happy days in my youth building up my record collection. And I enjoyed making compilation tapes too. All of this is now a distant memory. My vinyl was sold off long ago (although with many regrets). My cassettes are now more. DAT has been and gone. Even CDs are falling by the wayside in the era of the...
Why selling print will be the death of printing...
Print Sales Do you remember vinyl? What about cassettes? I spent many happy days in my youth building up my record collection. And I enjoyed making compilation tapes too. All of this is now a distant memory. My vinyl was sold off long ago (although with many regrets). My cassettes are now more. DAT has been and gone. Even CDs are falling by the wayside in the era of the...
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How print companies force buyers to choose on p...
I’m tired of hearing the same old message from so many people in the print industry. I’m tired of hearing that buyers are driving down prices. Some of you may think that I’ve lost the plot here. After all, print prices are steadily declining. Isn’t that down to the actions of buyers? Often it’s the fault of print companies that prices are being slashed Printers encourage buying on price by...
How print companies force buyers to choose on p...
I’m tired of hearing the same old message from so many people in the print industry. I’m tired of hearing that buyers are driving down prices. Some of you may think that I’ve lost the plot here. After all, print prices are steadily declining. Isn’t that down to the actions of buyers? Often it’s the fault of print companies that prices are being slashed Printers encourage buying on price by...
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What to do when prospects say no
It’s time to embrace no! Sales people hate the dreaded word “no” when they are talking to prospects and customers. It means that their sales efforts have been wasted. They have put in a lot of hard work trying to win new business, only to be rejected. However, some sales people see no as an opportunity. They are not put off when someone appears to reject them. These sales people...
What to do when prospects say no
It’s time to embrace no! Sales people hate the dreaded word “no” when they are talking to prospects and customers. It means that their sales efforts have been wasted. They have put in a lot of hard work trying to win new business, only to be rejected. However, some sales people see no as an opportunity. They are not put off when someone appears to reject them. These sales people...
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UKvUSA: Which print sellers will thrive (and wh...
UKvUSA Podcast In this episode of UKvUSA, Deborah Corn and Matthew Parker discuss the print sales market at the moment, who’s going to thrive and who’s going to struggle, and how the fate of a print business may differ on both sides of the pond. Listen to hear: 👉 Some predictions that might surprise you 👉 Whether we think your company is going to do well or not 👉 How does print management fit...
UKvUSA: Which print sellers will thrive (and wh...
UKvUSA Podcast In this episode of UKvUSA, Deborah Corn and Matthew Parker discuss the print sales market at the moment, who’s going to thrive and who’s going to struggle, and how the fate of a print business may differ on both sides of the pond. Listen to hear: 👉 Some predictions that might surprise you 👉 Whether we think your company is going to do well or not 👉 How does print management fit...
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Never forget to make a sales call again
Sales people rarely contact me when they should When I was a buyer I was often contacted by sales people at the wrong time. I would often tell people that I was reviewing my supply base for what they were offering at a certain time of the year. I would tell them to contact me then. Guess how many people actually followed up when they should? It was less than...
Never forget to make a sales call again
Sales people rarely contact me when they should When I was a buyer I was often contacted by sales people at the wrong time. I would often tell people that I was reviewing my supply base for what they were offering at a certain time of the year. I would tell them to contact me then. Guess how many people actually followed up when they should? It was less than...
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How traditional selling encourages customers to...
Can you imagine how it feels to be sold to by 1,400 different printing companies? That is what happened to me as a buyer. In fact, that’s a pretty conservative estimate of the number of printing companies that I spoke to during my print buying career. In theory, I should be able to tell you about all the creative sales approaches that I received. Unfortunately, the reality was rather less...
How traditional selling encourages customers to...
Can you imagine how it feels to be sold to by 1,400 different printing companies? That is what happened to me as a buyer. In fact, that’s a pretty conservative estimate of the number of printing companies that I spoke to during my print buying career. In theory, I should be able to tell you about all the creative sales approaches that I received. Unfortunately, the reality was rather less...
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