Printing Education, Career Pathway
Joe Rickard
CTC Leads with Innovative Graphic Arts Career ...

Central Texas College instructor, Bobbi Waddle conducting her graphic communications class

CTC Leads with Innovative Graphic Arts Career Education

"Joe Rickard"

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Who is a Great Sales Manager

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In this economy, there has never been a greater need for outstanding sales managers. They are critical differentiators for sales driven companies

We can characterize many sales managers into categories. I know there are more. Even good managers can fall into these stereotypes.

The Loveable Hands-Off Sales Manager

Everyone loves this one except those who care about the organization’s sales performance. These sales managers spend most of their time taking care of administrative and compensation issues for their salespeople. They provide ongoing support for everyday problems and not much else.

 

 

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Stop Spinning and Start Selling #Printing

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With the advancement of digital printing, W2P and the gradual acceptance of cross media printing solutions, many printing salespeople have a lot of new products and services to offer their customers. There is a great deal to learn and a much to do.

The key question is “are printing salespeople and their management up to the task?”  During our sales and marketing consulting engagements with graphic communications organizations, we find many are.

Here is the challenge. Large customers have continued to reduce expenses and in particular marketing budgets. Many small and mid-size customers have suffered the most. They have been especially hammered by uncertainty and a slow recovery. It is tough enough to sell printing in a good economy; it is really rough to sell in a bad one where there are lots of less expensive digital and social media choices

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Poor Content and #Printing of Product Documentation Is Bad Marketing

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Am I the only person who gets frustrated with poorly designed, poorly written and poorly printed product documentation? It never ceases to amaze me how companies can invest so much money into the development and production of their products and then not take one additional small step to ensure that all their marketing is first class.

Here are two examples of many that I have recently uncounted:

I recently bought a high end car. There were four manuals provided. Sitting in my car and attempting to learn all the features and capabilities was daunting. The content and graphics depicting and explaining the car elements were not clear enough. Using my laptop within my car was not a viable alternative. I learned most of what I need through trial and error.

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Stop Me When You See Some #Printing You Like

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Gaining an appointment with a customer and first showing them endless samples and examples of your printing products is a prescription for a failed sales call. It is still a common crutch for many printing salespeople to carry a brief case full of print samples. This is known as a “pitch book”.

 

Gaining an appointment with a prospective customer who can actually make a decision to buy is the hope and dream of every sales person who sells complex products or services. No new customer is gained unless a customer’s curiosity is elevated to interest and a call to action. The surest way to lose a golden opportunity is to misuse precious face to face time with a customer by sharing information and samples that the customer does not need or care about.

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#Printing After All Is a Personal Service

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Most print providers get most of their new business from existing customers. With so many commercial printers trying to compete in a price sensitive and commoditized world, customer service is often the only differentiator among competitors. Providing outstanding customer service is a critical necessity.

I recently ran across an old 1922 ad for a large NY Printer, Charles Francis Press in Printer’s Ink Magazine. The title of the advertisement was “Is the Charles Francis Press Too Big?”

The gist of the ad was that this large printing company was easy to do business with. The copy of the ad written by owner, Gus Oakes, emphasized that any customer was welcome to come to the plant and ask any employee what was the status of their job. The promise was that the Charles Francis Press will treat every job and every customer special. 

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Social Media and Commercial #Printing

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At Graph Expo 2012, I participated in two education events where the topic of social media was discussed vigorously. Essentially the question came down to two key points. Should Commercial Printers be using social media in their sales and marketing strategies? The answer is YES.

In a July, 2012 poll conducted by Social Science Research Solutions (SSRS) published by the AARP Bulletin, 69% of ages 18 to 49% and 38% of ages 50-plus use some type of Social Media.  These represent big numbers that will likely get even bigger.

At the very least, just like with any communications media, Printers must know how to integrate social media and print. 

Here are two important to do’s for every Printer.

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