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You did it! You worked and worked and worked. Phone call after phone call after postcard after drop-by after email after social media stalking…and it has now paid off: You’ve got your first appointment with a new potential customer for your digital/inkjet printer equipment! Congratulations! Woo-hoo! Let the doves loose! But… Now what? Today, appointments are few and far between as everyone has gotten busier and, thanks to the “Amazon-ization” of everything (online researching, ordering, order-checking, etc.), there is less of a need to see someone face-to-face. This blog has to do with making the most of that rare appointment opportunity and it comes down to two words:  Preparation & Execution.   Preparation First, let’s prepare for the call. Before you walk in the door, there are three things that you need to research: The company: Double down on the research you have already done. You’ll want to know everything from the company’s history and background to its selling/buying …

What if you knew that your success during a sales presentation on digital/inkjet printing was predetermined? That is, what if it was the steps you took prior to walking in the door that accounted for the success or failure of the meeting? In fact, this is exactly the case. In addition to knowing what you are going to say, you must also think about what you might hear and be ready for response. Wikipedia defines the word, "objection" as “a request for more information.”  Keep this in mind when you consider a response to the following possible statements you'll hear from prospects and customers. “I don’t understand digital.” It's highly unlikely you will hear someone use this exact statement. Rarely will you find someone brave enough to utter the words. Instead, you might hear something irrational or nonsensical doubting the validity of your arguments but what it comes down to is, they don't have a clear picture of what digital is and what it can do for them. If you know someone to be …

Years ago, a print company in Vancouver bought one of the first black-and-white digital print pieces of equipment. It was a big deal. The equipment manufacturer made a lot of noise about the purchase. There was an open house, complete with balloons and confetti and wine and cheese, and all new marketing materials were sent out to announce the availability of this new technology. The excitement lasted about as long as it took for you to read that last paragraph. For soon after the dust settled, it quickly became apparent that there was no market for digital print in Vancouver. And how did the print company find out? Why, their salesforce told them as much. It must be true, then, right?   Meanwhile, in the middle of the country, an Ottawa-based printer was adding to their already impressive cachet of digital print devices with yet another piece of equipment, this one identical to the one at the Vancouver printer. Business was booming locally, but they had found a new and untapped market …

As a marketing professional you’re always looking for ways to retain and up-sell the customers you have, find prospective new customers, and break into promising new markets. But here’s the problem: You need to know the lay of the land—who’s buying and selling what, where, and why—to construct a marketing program that really kills it! Think about it: What are your potential customers actually buying? Is it what you’re selling? And if it isn’t, what are you doing about it? Here are related questions: What are your competitors selling successfully and why? Where should you devote added resources in your business development efforts? Are there promising demographic or market segments you can pitch for existing or new products? Knowing the answers to these and other questions—that is, increasing your market and competitive intelligence and addressing it appropriately—can give you a big marketing advantage. You could start simply, by visiting competitors’ websites to check out the type and …

"Who buys your digital/inkjet print?" If there was one question that we would eliminate from your sales portfolio of opening lines, it would be this one. Why? Let's follow the scenario through and see where it leads us… You: "Who buys your digital/inkjet print?" Customer: "That would be me." You: "I sell print. I sell digital and inkjet print, too. Do you have anything that I can quote on for you?" Customer: "Sure. Give me a price for 5000 of these." <> You: "Here's my price." Customer: "Sorry, your price is too high."   The problem with this sales approach is that it leads to the same ending every time. This should surprise no one. If your sales pitch is focused on the price of the printed piece, the basis of winning the bid is limited to being the lowest cost provider. By focusing on the clients’ print needs, you have limited your ability to sell profitably, effectively, and develop a loyal customer base. Surely, there must be …