What once defined success for most printers was how close their operations were to the customer, how many shifts they ran, their equipment list, and the strength of their relationships with the sales team. Well, these may be good reasons for customers to stay, I’m not convinced that these are enough good reasons to attract new customers.
Buyers expect faster responses and the ability to connect with their workflows to make doing business easier. They’re looking for strategic insight to help them maximize their print spend and to make them more effective and, in many cases, the ability to execute across multiple channels.
And why are they looking for all of this? I believe it’s because they are either trying to attract new customers, keep the ones they have, or disseminate information that’s important to their audience. I believe those three areas are the main reasons people print things. Don’t overcomplicate things.
So, what does that mean if you’re a sales rep charged with filling that new 8-C press? To take a page out of Jordan Belfort’s story, don’t sell the pen. Sell what the pen does. Stop selling printing and start selling what print does for your customer. Being interested in what your customers or prospects are trying to accomplish can go a long way. Being interesting, can help keep the conversations going.
That’s why the role of leadership, especially in sales, is no longer optional as its mission critical. The companies that win aren’t relying on tribal knowledge, or loan Rangers or what’s always worked. They’re running sales with the same operational discipline that they might use on the plant floor. They are developing a scalable, repeatable, predictable system that allows them to keep their sales funnel full of new opportunities.
Be Buyer Centric
We spend a lot of time talking about how to sell. Take equal amounts of time, if not more, and try to understand why and how customers buy. Again, to simplify this, go back to your most recent new customer and ask them what was it that you said or did or showed them that made them want to say yes, switch print providers and come over to your business. It doesn’t matter what we think, it matters how they responded.
Take the time to redesign your sales approach to match how your best customers actually make decisions. My guess is as you chase other prospects that look like them, they may be using many of the same attributes. Understand their workflows, anticipate their pain points and what causes them to stay awake at night. And focus on providing good proactive ideas, not just on quoting jobs.
Create Clear Lanes
It’s really hard to grow consistently if all of your sales reps are doing a little bit of everything. The high-performing teams are working diligently at separating the farming from the hunting. The hunters are focused on bringing in the new opportunities, and the account managers focus on deepening those relationships and expanding share of their business. And depending upon the size of your organization, you may also have business development reps who sold job is to open doors of qualified and interested prospects.
Coach Them Up
We tend to get really focused on tracking activity and typically spend less time on improving the habits which leads to better results. Yes, in many cases you can argue that it’s a numbers game, but numbers without depth are meaningless. Work with your team to help them develop the behavior they need to be successful in today’s marketplace. Behavior drives results, but only if the behavior is the right behavior.
Pete and Repeat
There’s no mystery in achieving great results at the companies that are thriving. It’s part of their plan. They’ve defined the process and focused on what should be tracked and what is really just noise. They inspect what matters and hold people accountable to the job at hand. They’re not looking for heroes or lone rangers. They are looking for those who understand why people buy print and are able to meet them where they are. The focus on helping them become more effective and efficient with their print spend.
This could be the perfect time to review your sales operating plan and ask the tough but important question: is it aligned with the vision admission of the business or is it align with the personal preferences of each individual sales rep? The companies that answer honestly and adjust accordingly, will be the ones leading the industry forward.
I welcome any thoughts or questions, please add them below or reach out to me directly.
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