Creativity—Just making prospecting phone calls is like columnists who write the same sentence over and over again. To break things up, get creative and try different avenues in an effort to get in the door: Intro letter, handwritten postcard, e-mail, drive-by, etc.
Differentiation—What is your competitive advantage? What is your brand? You need to define yourself in ways that say, “I’m not just another printer.” Getting back to point #1, given the fact that nine out of 10 first-time voice mails go without a follow-up call from the sales rep, making a second attempt to the same number will differentiate in and of itself.
Bill Farquharson is a respected industry expert and highly sought after speaker known for his energetic and entertaining presentations. Bill engages his audiences with wit and wisdom earned as a 40-year print sales veteran while teaching new ideas for solving classic sales challenges. Email him at bill@salesvault.pro or call (781) 934-7036. Bill’s two books, The 25 Best Print Sales Tips Ever and Who’s Making Money at Digital/Inkjet Printing…and How? as well as information on his new subscription-based website, The Sales Vault, are available at salesvault.pro.
Very much alive and now officially an industry curmudgeon, strategic growth expert T. J. Tedesco can be reached at tj@tjtedesco.com or 301-404-2244.