Share Your Success!

Credit: David Bennett

One of the smartest sales moves I ever saw was crediting clients for printing awards. A printer in Atlanta held an annual event honoring customers for pieces that won awards. I wish I could claim credit for the idea. I can’t. It was in place years before I arrived.

This is how things worked. The printing company entered their association’s printing competition. It was nothing for them to win 80-90 awards annually. The work was spectacular, and the recognition was deserved.

The company’s president took the position (the correct position) that their printing wouldn’t be noticed without good design. He argued that a perfectly printed piece would never impress a judge if the design was poor. Good design was critical to being noticed.

With that in mind the company hosted an annual awards banquet for customers. Duplicates of each award were ordered in the client’s name. Customers were recognized in front of their peers for the quality of their work. The event was for and about clients not the printing company.

Nothing was left out. Announcements were printed naming each winner. Social media posts were all about design and strategy. Banquet invitations named winners and categories. Everything reinforced the premise that great printing is invisible without great design.

Clients loved it. Inquiries often started with “I’ve got a potential award winner to discuss with you. This is what I’m thinking.”

Of course, the strategy was successful. The awards kept coming and the phone kept ringing. Sales couldn’t help but grow.

I preach it weekly. Get in touch with client goals not specs. Help them with objectives and the work will come. Why they print matters more than what they print.

But…let customers know how much they matter. Include them in your success. Make a big deal of what you accomplish together. They’ll feel like part of your team.

Photo: The client wasn’t wild about a project he was required to produce. It won an award. He was shocked but had fun eating crow at the banquet.

The preceding content was provided by a contributor unaffiliated with Printing Impressions. The views expressed within may not directly reflect the thoughts or opinions of the staff of Printing Impressions.