How Many Customers Will You Lose Over the Next 12 Months?
You can’t rely on your current customers
According to one print industry report, printing companies lose 15-20% of their customers every year. You should be planning to lose one in five of your customers.
Generally this won’t equate to 15-20% of your business. Probably, most of these customers will be smaller customers with a low turnover. The impact of losing them will be minimal. But this isn’t always the case.
What happens if one of these customers is a major client?
One printing company that I know recently lost a customer. It was their biggest client by far. The company appointed a new buyer. They wanted to make changes. And, as a result, the printing company lost 20% of its turnover in a couple of months.
Hopefully, none of you are exposed to a single client in this way. But all companies change over time. Some stop using print, some go out of business and many will decide to use another printing company.
Printing companies must make time to find new business
Many rely on business simply walking through the door. Others have every intention of selling more but never seem to find the time.
Everyone involved in sales should dedicate between two to four hours every week to finding new customers.
Are you struggling to bring in new business?
Look out for my next article in two weeks’ time. I have a simple but effective strategy for you.
P.S. Here are two ways to spend 30 minutes a week or less improving your sales skills:
Firstly, download my free e-book “Ten Common Print Selling Errors and What To Do About Them” right now at http://profitableprintrelationships.com/e-book/ You’ll also receive my regular “Views from the print buyer” bulletin, full of ideas on how to sell print effectively. Also, check out my practical guide on “How To Improve Your Print Sales In 23 Minutes A Week”
- Categories:
- Business Management - Marketing/Sales
Many printing companies are frustrated how hard it is to engage buyers in today’s world. That’s where Matthew Parker can help. He is a gamekeeper turned poacher. Parker has bought print for more than 20 years and received over 1,400 print sales pitches. He now uses his buyer’s point of view to give practical advice to printers. He helps them engage with prospects and customers to create profitable relationships.
Download his free e-book, "Ten Common Print Selling Errors And What To Do About Them" and check out his recently launched book, "How To Succeed At Print Sales: Setting targets, planning the right activities and making sure goals are met."
