I Hate Print Sales
I cringe whenever I see a printer offering a blanket discount, like 10% off all color copying. Some see that as marketing. I see it as giving away profit to either the wrong customer or customers who were going to buy from you anyway.
So imagine my reaction when a click through ad popped up on my digital edition of The New York Times that read, “20% off all printing at your local UPS store.”
Printers are notoriously bad marketers. We’ve never had to have any skill or creativity in that area. Heck, many never even had to have a salesperson on board. Orders just came in or customers walked in for a chat and to drop off a job in a Mayberry RFD manner. But that was then and this is now.
Now, building a successful book of business requires problem-solving skills. Simply cutting prices makes you a participant in the race to the bottom. If that’s you, I hope you win! There’s something noble to being a nonprofit and I admire your monk-like commitment to the shunning of capitalism. Enjoy your Birkenstocks.
A better message is one that discusses an application, a solution. Make that your lead sled dog and the desired response will come your way: “I’ve got that same problem. Can you help?”
My anger (if you can call it that) quickly turned to laughter when I hit the link in the offending UPS Store ad only to land on the message, Page Not Found.
Karma is a b*****.
Hey! My new book, The 25 Best Print Sales Tips Ever! is now available on Amazon! Click here for the link and get yours. You can learn more at The25BestSalesTipsEver.com
Need sales?
Bill Farquharson can drive your new business sales momentum. See his training programs at AspireFor.com or call Bill at 781-934-7036. His email address is bill@aspirefor.com
To talk about what I can do for your sales team in the form of a live presentation, workshop, or individual training, either call or hit this link and jump on my calendar.
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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.
