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How PSPs can stand out from the crowd
| 14 October 2011
Times are tough – how can you ensure you not only survive, but are in a position to prosper in the future? That’s a question on the minds of many PSPs (print service providers) minds right now and, with the BAPC 2011 Conference fast approaching, we ask BAPC keynote speaker Jo Lloyd of Cotmandene Training & Development to share her views on the matter.
2011 remains a tough time to be a printer in the UK. Whether 2012 will bring any improvement remains to be seen. But there is one inescapable fact – recessions are cyclical – and we will emerge from this one, as we have emerged from all those of the last century. Whether you and your company emerge, and in what condition remains fundamentally up to you. Now is the time to create a strategy that will ensure survival and prosperity.
There are many elements to a business strategy, too many to be covered in one speech or article. Therefore, for this purpose I will focus on a few key points. These are: the importance of finding good people; focusing on benefits – not features - when out selling; and maintaining a consistent dialogue with our customers.
Employ the best. Business begins and ends with good people. A cliché perhaps, but also a truism and the old adage of “no sales, no business” has never been more relevant and more crucial. Likewise the statement – “people buy from people they like”. Why do people like other people? What are the qualities that hold an enduring appeal? Honesty? Integrity? Knowledge? An appropriate sense of humour? Skill? Empathy? The ability to know when to push, and when to step back? Knowing when to speak, and when to be quiet? A twinkle in the eye and a firm handshake? If I had to list the qualities I look for – all of these would be right up there at the top of the list. The ability to convince someone that your way is the right way, at the right price – all delivered with a smile, and in a style that will ensure customers believe you won’t let them down. No over-promising. No leading anyone up any garden paths, just enthusiasm, knowledge, honesty and the wish and ability to deliver. That’s what makes the good people stand out.
Seek these people out at every opportunity and when you find them – don’t lose them – they are indeed rare and elusive beasts. Employ them, fill them with enthusiasm and belief in your offering, get them on side and on board – then target and reward them, and protect them from all comers. They are the people who will make the difference to your business.
Think benefits, not features. Think hard about your offering to customers, and how you portray it. Poorly trained and/or inexperienced sales people will often concentrate on features. It’s all too easy to get into the habit of telling people about your presses. Half the time that’s what we do on our websites as well. Times have changed – rarely today are we selling to experienced print buyers who know the difference between a Speedmaster SM74 and a Roland Versacamm.
Increasingly we find ourselves sitting opposite marketing and procurement people who wouldn’t know one end of a printing press from the other, and neither do they care. What they are more interested in is what you can achieve for them – not what kit you will use to do so. Will it look good? Arrive on time? Give me a return on my investment – and if yes – how much? How much will it cost me? Has anyone else done it and did it work? These are more likely to be the questions you will be asked these days – not how many sheets an hour you can print, or average finishing speeds. Talk benefits – what is in it for them? Demonstrate ROI when possible. Inspire your customers and prospects with ideas, and then utilise case studies to back them up – in other words - SELL – don’t just take orders.
Talk to your customers about the future because without them there is no future. So ask them where they are going, how they plan to get there, and how you can help them along the way. What do they need from you and your business to ensure success? Because if you can demonstrate that you both understand their needs and can actively help them, inevitably their success will rub off on you. Customers can guide your purchasing and investment decisions – so ally your plans to their road map – don’t just make up your own. Have senior level review discussions regularly – and consider doing them yourself or utilising more senior people from your company – don’t just rely on the sales team. Get involved. Take your client base seriously.
Get the pride back. Somewhere along the line over the last few years, I can’t help wondering when we lost our sense of pride. There has been so much downwards price pressure; overheads increasing; and cutbacks and redundancies; a constant string of rivals and contemporaries going under; and talk of the digital age being the death of print. We’re so often demoralised and under pressure that we’ve forgotten to fight back and be proud of what we do, the technology behind us, the output and what it can achieve. If we stop and look around we are surrounded by the printed word. It has plenty of life in it yet. Let’s start being proud of both the product and of ourselves as an industry again, and start justifying to customers why we charge the prices we do, and why they need to pay them.
A good price for a good job. Let’s start believing in it again.
Jo Lloyd
Managing director
Cotmandene Training & Development
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