World’s Largest Association Printer in Maryland Th is certainly defi nes the market area and the suspects: associations in Maryland. It is fairly easy to obtain a mail list, so it’s easy to identify the market. Now, with a little imagination, we could project what these suspects would need. Communications would be an example. Websites, email broadcasts, and direct mail to their members, as well as to their suspects. And, yes, direct mail. Th ere’s no address correction on email, plus suspects place a higher value on a printed and mailed piece than an email broadcast. So, instead of fi ghting the print vs. new media battle; provide it all. World’s Largest Supermarket Printer Th e company didn’t see itself as a printer, per se, rather a point of purchase provider of everything a supermarket needed for in-store display, including shelf hangers and various size window posters including the two really big ones that are usually displayed near the entrance. Interesting to me was that the company purchased specialized equipment including the largest two color press I’d ever seen in order to print an average run length of less than 10 (days before wide-format). Why? So they could produce everything a supermarket needed for in-store promotions and become the world’s largest supermarket printer. World’s Largest Circus Printer Another company focused on circuses, for the owner grew up in the business. Now, while you may think of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey, the term really meant the hundreds of carnival-type shows that travel throughout the country each year. Now, among the many thing he provided was the advance package to the advance “man.” What I found interesting in that was the “walk along tickets.” Th e advance person, among their many tasks, was to go around town putting up carnival posters. Th e “walk along tickets” are provided so when someone shows up with a shotgun threatening the advance guy, he can shower them with some free carnival tickets to get out of a sticky situation. It is this depth of knowledge of what Find this article at PrintingNews.com/12185294 the customer needs that make these major account programs so productive. Mundane Major Account Program But most of us can’t reasonably become an association, supermarket, or circus printer. But that still doesn’t keep us from becoming the world’s largest. World’s Largest Small Press Shop in Zip 25302 With focus, we can become the world’s largest small press shop in zip code 25302, or the largest job shop printer in Charlton County, or even the largest non-electric sign shop in southeast Georgia. Th is not only defi nes our market area, but it also focuses us on the kinds of services we should provide and the type of equipment we need to provide it. It also can focus us on the way we need to approach our suspects and prospects. Point Is We all can become the “world’s largest” something. To do it, we will focus our eff orts, our off erings, our equipment, and our services. portunities are lost to price issues than anything else. I thought about that for a while and decided that I disagree. Yes, sometimes it’s a price monster situation. (Th at’s my term for people who make all of their buying decisions based strictly and only on who off ers them the lowest price.) But just as oft en, it’s a situation where one salesperson outsold his/ her competitors. Th e distinction I’m drawing here is that, many times, the salesperson who “lost” was never really in the competition, so there was no real opportunity. Th ere might be some of that in what I’m going to say next, because I think more printing sales opportunities are lost because they fell through the cracks than for any other reason. In other words, no plan and no follow-up. Bottom Line Th e bottom line for today is that selling is really pretty simple. Identify an opportunity. Follow up on that opportunity. Sure, there’s complexity in each individual selling situation, but the fundamentals are not complicated at all. What do I do next? When do I do it? What is the next level? What is the appropriate follow-up? One more thought for today. Selling is still a numbers game. Th e more opportunities you identify and follow-up on, the more successes you will have. I have 300-plus suspects, prospects, customers, and maximized customers in my ACT! database. I add to and subtract from that database every week. I don’t succeed with every opportunity, but I never lose out on one because it fell through the cracks. Now I have to fi gure out what to do next with my soft ware guy. Selling is still a numbers game. The more opportunities you identify and follow-up on, the more successes you will have. Continued from page 49 PrintingNews®com September 2016 ® Printing News 51
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