Ways to Find New Customers - Part 4

I am a big fan of collaboration. I also really like cliches. So when you hear me say "Two heads are better than one", what I mean by that is that there is a lot of value in surrounding yourself with people whose opinions you value, or people who can do something for you. One great example of this is networking groups.

I first came to a networking group very reluctantly drawn in by a customer when I was selling printing about 8 years ago. He told me about LeTip saying that they meet once a week for breakfast and to exchange leads. The exchanging leads part I liked. The once a week thing I did not. But, I bit the bullet and joined, and great things happened to me. Not only did I pick up new business - these groups often offer category exclusivity so you would theoretically be the only printer in the room, but I made great contacts. There is usually a real estate agent, a financial planner, and an attorney, and at different times in my life I have needed all of the above, so it was very beneficial.

I have already checked for groups in the south suburbs of Chicago (my apologies to my followers elsewhere, but the websites will guide you) No one and I mean NO ONE will find these groups useless. However, like many things in life, you get out what you put in. You will likely be required to produce leads for other members, and the more leads you give, the more you will get. You can often get invited to try a meeting on for size for free, so go ahead and see if it is for you.

Alternatively, there are a lot of community groups, chambers of commerce, and civic and charitable organizations that will serve the same purpose. With these groups it is more beneficial to get on a committee to gain some additional visibility - you have to spend some time and energy to get a return, but again, worth the time and effort? Most definitely. And you might just end up doing some good, too.

www.letip.com
www.bni.com
www.babblebee.com

HAPPY NETWORKING!

A Hard Thing to Do

I'll admit it. I don't always like to say this sentence... "I was wrong." And I'm not alone. Fonzie could never say it. Politicians RARELY say it. But I got the idea to talk about this topic after I read Eric Zorn's column Change of Subject in last week's Sunday Trib. He was talking about how when he originally heard about the woman who's stroller got caught in the closing doors of a CTA train, he doubted that she was telling the truth about the way things happened. He basically accused the woman of lying, and it wasn't until later that he decided that perhaps he did not have a full understanding of what happened and how, so he had "doubts about his doubts."

I believe that it is human nature to react strongly to stories that we hear and often make snap judgements about them. However, later, when more information comes to light, some of us will actually change our opinions and thoughts about what we thought we knew. I know that I am treading on dangerous philosophical ground here, but my point is this, and it is also Zorn's point. It is a shame to have been wrong. But it's a disgrace to stay wrong just because admitting you were wrong is so hard.

Many people express themselves in absolutes... "I will NEVER get into digital printing." is one that I have heard more than once this year. So I am giving you a hall pass here. Even something that you believed whole-heartedly even 6 short months ago can look very different today. Maybe you've done more research, talked to more customers, or been to an event that is helping to change your mind.

Here is what I am here to help you discover. It is OK to change your mind. No one will fault you if you decide to do something that you have said for years you would never do. Keep in mind that flexibility is a virtue, and as my friend and product specialist Jeannie McTurner always says, "If you keep doing what you're doing, you'll keep getting what you're getting."

Look for a whole blog post on this phrase, because not only is it true, it's brilliant, and very liberating. I have been wrong about a lot of things in my life. But not this!

Ways to Find New Customers - Part 3

I guess I could be biased, but I love the library. That could be because this year I was selected to serve as a trustee for my local branch. But it's also because I have been going to the library since I was 3 years old, with a huge break in my 20's - I rarely went during that decade.

Here's what I have discovered about how a library can help you from a business perspective. There are dozens of reference books at your disposal to help you identify new customers. There are two that I use frequently. One is the Business Directory by directoriesUSA.com, a division of InfoUSA. This book tells breaks down businesses by city, by yellow pages directory category, by major employers, and manufacturers by city and SIC code. So you can use this directory to look at a particular city and the kinds of businesses in that city, or you can identify a type of business (ie: medical manufacturers) and look at all businesses within that SIC code. I can assure you that as well as you THINK you know your area, you WILL find businesses that you never knew existed. You WILL find new opportunities.

The second one is the Lexis Nexis Advertising RedBooks. These books tell you the names of companies by city, their sales, the # of employees, a description of their business, key personnel, their advertising expenditures and what types of advertising they invest in, and who is their agency of record. Again, this list companies as big as Sears and as small as a 5 person shop that
makes ball bearings. You can find out who the president or Chief Marketing Officer is, what kinds of advertising they buy, and develop your talk track and approach around the research that you have done. Imagine the powerful position you can be in if you approach a president and say, "My job is to help you sell more ball bearings. I see that you invest half of your marketing budget on trade shows and industry publications. I have some ideas for direct marketing that can increase your sales by as much as 20%. Should we talk about this further?" Who is going to say no to you?

I'll go one further. I am offering to go to your local library with you and spend one hour doing research with you. You just have to make it before Christmas, as I will likely be going on maternity leave til the 2nd quarter. Drop me an email telling me you want me as your research assistant, and I'm all yours. I'll even buy lunch!
kmallozzi@solutions.canon.com

The Power of YES

I don't know about you, but I greatly prefer the word YES to the word NO (unless the word NO is followed by "You don't have to cook dinner tonight, honey"

So how often do you say NO to your customers and prospects? I had a conversation with one of you several weeks ago, that had to do with how digital printing can allow you to provide more of an "on-demand" service to your customers. This person told me that they had a customer ask them if she could have 100 sheets of letterhead. Instead of saying "Yes you sure can!", he told her she would have to order a minimum of 250 sheets. He said that the job just wasn't worth doing for 100 sheets. I asked him, "What if, instead of saying NO to her, you said YES, and produced the job with a price and margin that would make it worth while to you?" Even if he charged her for 250 sheets and kept the other 150 sheets on hand in case she re-ordered at some point, she gets what she wants, and he keeps a customer satisfied.

I come from a retail background, and the rules were always that you NEVER say no to the customers. That privilege is left to upper management. The purpose behind it is to always give the customer the feeling and the perception that they are getting what they want. One of the important elements of this theory is that when one side gets what her or she wants, it does NOT mean that the other side does not. When customers feel satisfied and that they are getting what they want, we all win. They should be that much more likely to stay with you than to jump ship and go to another vendor because they feel that you are not attending to their needs and giving them what they need.

Fundamentally, the point is that we should view our customers as allies, not enemies. We all have some difficult customers that always make us feel like we have to fight for every order, but that can be part of the challenge. How can we change that relationship so that we both feel like winners most of the time. I'd love to hear some feedback from any of you who have managed to turn a difficult customer into a valued one. ANYONE?

Ways to Find New Customers - Part 2

As promised, I am adding to my series on how to find new business today. For this next one, I am going to encourage you to look for customers where you shop.

Each of us would LOVE to have Sears or McDonalds as a customer, but so would every other printer known to man. The smaller, more local options might be easier to land, and you will have first hand knowledge of how they are (or aren't) marketing themselves and how they merchandise.

Here's a real example. Fruitful Yield is a local health food chain that is owned by NOW Foods (or vice versa) They have several locations in the western suburbs, and do virtually NO direct mail or in-store marketing. If I were selling printing today, I would be on the phone with the president of the company (he is the one who will feel the pain if sales start to slump) and I would talk to him about how I could increase his average dollar sale as well as increase the number of times a regular customer shopped in his stores. Notice I have said nothing about printing - that comes later. I would tell him that with some great offers and a creative campaign, we could mail, use PURLS, and market in-store to help him understand his customers better, stock what they need, and get them in more often. How? With direct mail, a PURL campaign that can be launched by gathering info in the stores, etc. You see where I am going with this?

We all have regular places that we go; for food, for entertainment, clothing, etc. Have you ever noticed how SELDOM those places target you and communicate with you? Use that experience to translate that lack of attention into printing business for you, and increased sales and brand awareness for your favorite retailer.

Just What is Transpromo Anyway?

It seems like there are a lot of terms out there that scare people because they are unknown. Some of you might be scared of variable data printing because you have heard that you need programmers and marketing professionals to really make it work (we'll talk more about that another time) And some of you might steer clear of the concept of "transpromo" because you really have no idea what it means and don't want to have to ask someone. I stole this sentence off a website from the UK...

"Transpromo contains two main ingredients; transactional print and proactive marketing."

What does this mean for you? It means that you can use YOUR transactional documents (invoices, boxes of shipped printed materials, etc) to promote your services and products.

For example, if you print a buckslip ( 1/3 of a sheet of 8.5x11 paper) with a cleverly designed message about how you also offer wide format printing, digital copying, or promotional products like pens and tshirts, and insert said buckslip into each invoice you send out this month, you would be utilizing the concept of transpromo.

So what are you waiting for? Print a message on your invoices, change your email signature to remind everyone you communicate with that you have a new website, or put a message in with each order stating that referrals are always appreciated and will be treated with respect, appreciation, and maybe a gift certificate to Starbucks....

One of the most valuable lessons I ever learned is that customers do not remember us as much as we remember them. You might THINK they know everything about what you do, but you'd be WRONG. Use every tool at your disposal to remind them of all that you CAN do for them, and maybe they'll actually take you up on it!