Business Management - Marketing/Sales

Any business of any size that has tried to write a strategic market plan in the last year knows that there is a force of mass information that needs to be dealt with. Hundreds of channels to choose from and millions of words published each day makes it essential to have a number one priority in mind before you publish.

It used to be that the prospecting process began with an introductory letter. Sales people would collect their thoughts and try to make a good first impression, followed by a phone call or two to secure an appointment.

A “shotgun” marketing approach is useful for raising the market awareness levels of products, services and companies that lack broad name recognition. Successful “shotgun” programs will get your company’s selling proposition in front of many key business influencers in a short period of time.

As print service providers look to incorporate technology solutions into their service portfolios, managers are working to create a strategic and value added based approach to selling.
 
One of the key challenges to successfully selling solutions that require purchasers to think beyond price per unit is building a compelling value proposition. 

You will learn:

• How to train sales reps on value-added selling
• How to establish strong relationships with clients
• How to sell strategic solutions that are integral to the client's business

I once had a boss who used to say—“The cobbler’s kids go barefoot.”—every time I asked him for a brochure or some materials I could drop off while prospecting for new business. Do you have marketing materials?

When I sold digital and VDP, it was as a broker. The year was 1992. I’d find the applications, open the account and hand it over to Gary. Gary would talk with them about how to prepare the files.

I know this will be hard to accept, but 71.9 percent of our industry’s salespeople do a lousy job of describing their companies in an introductory 2-3 minute monologue. Trust me, I track this kind of stuff.

Last week, I was with a bunch of business owners discussing their Internet social media efforts. Two of the seven owners were doing something with social networking, yet neither could hang their hat on any revenue generated.

Let’s start with why you might want to do that in the first place. Simply put, tons of people are opting out of print and into online media. Does this spell the end of printing? In my opinion, it does not.

When creating a direct marketing campaign, consider giving away free or inexpensive versions of one of your lowest-selling products. As long as the product’s perceived and redeemed values are high, the offer will help forge future business opportunities with recipients.