I don’t want to preach to the choir here, folks. I hope that you read all of the PIworld sales and marketing blogs because they offer ideas on how to sell more and you can be more successful because of them. If so, please feel free to drop me a line and tell me that, because writing a blog often feels like shouting into a giant, gaping, soulless abyss. But don’t cry for me.
It occurred to me recently that there are many other resources available to you on Printing Impressions’ Website, and it’s possible that you may not know about all of them. So here, in no particular order, are some places I would be glancing if I were you.
1) The Super-Cool Fold of the Week.
Trish Witkowski is all about creativity and ideas, and if you’ve ever heard Bill and I talk for more than five minutes, you know that we continually preach about using your creativity and ideas as the best way to differentiate yourself from your competition. So check out Trish’s weekly examples of cool printed pieces and use what you learn to show your prospects what you can do for them—and demonstrate that you have your ear to the ground looking for NEW ways to help them reach their goals.
2) PODi case studies.
We often talk about anecdotal selling—the idea of using a story as a way to sell. This usually means telling a prospect about another project that you worked on, what you brought to the table, and what the results were. It is a great way to build credibility and show that you are not just an order taker, but that you understand print is used to actually accomplish something, and you know what that is.
Case studies can also be used in this manner. Just because it is not YOUR story, doesn’t mean you can’t still use it to show what CAN be done. Be honest and tell the prospect that you read about it, but use it as a way to bring a new idea to the table and stay focused on results.
[Editor’s note: PODi has kindly given us the rights to share a new case study every month, but the archive resides only on its website.]
3) Sound bites in the news.
I love to start a conversation with, “I just heard this on the radio…” or “I just read in the paper that...” There are a lot of industry-related news stories that you can use as conversation starters, ways to relate to your clients and prospects, or ways to introduce a new topic or concept.
For example, today on PIworld there is a News story about a company that will become a beta test site for the new HP Indigo 10000. After reading the article, I learned that new sheet size for the press is nearly 21x30˝, and that the printer’s plant will utilize wind energy and is carbon neutral.
If I were talking to a client, I might ask how valuable that sheet size would be for them, and how important a green platform is. It may help guide my company as to what equipment we might purchase in the future, but it also helps me understand more about what my clients’ priorities and what their future projects might look like.
4) Margie Dana’s blog.
If you ever want to get into the mind of a print buyer, here is the place to do it. Margie offers great insights about what to do (and not to do) to find your way into the hearts and loyalties of the elusive folks who sign the POs.
5) Webinars.
Click on the PIworld webinar page and you will be introduced to upcoming discussions on such topics as pricing strategies, workflow automation, personalization and QR codes. Not just for sales people, there are topics for all levels and all roles within your manufacturing facility. And as someone who has provided content for these events many times, I can say that the speakers are often world class. The webinars are usually free...so they’re worth every penny.
Bottom line—there are lots of reasons to spend time every day on PIworld. And they didn’t even pay me to say that. You can find ways to sell more, learn more, and just plain be better.
Do it.
- Categories:
- Business Management - Marketing/Sales
Blogger, author, consultant, coach and all around evangelist for the graphic arts industry, Kelly sold digital printing for 15 years so she understands the challenges, frustrations and pitfalls of building a successful sales practice. Her mission is to help printers of all sizes sell more stuff. Kelly's areas of focus include sales and marketing coaching, enabling clients to find engagement strategies that work for them and mentoring the next generation of sales superstars.
Kelly graduated from the University of Michigan with a degree in Political Science and, among other notable accomplishments, co-founded the Windy City Rollers, a professional women's roller derby league. She is also the mother of two sets of twins under the age of ten, so she fears nothing.