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?
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
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.
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.
Monday, November 2, 2009
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!
"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!
Friday, October 30, 2009
Ways to Find New Customers - A Series
So this idea of helping you find new customers has been on my mind for a while, and I have been debating how to deliver it. Should it be a conference call series? Seminar? And then it struck me - Just keep blogging, and 2 or 3 people will benefit from your experience. So this will be an ongoing series until I run out of ideas, which should take a LONG time, cause I am full of it (ideas)
The title will always be Ways to Find New Customers, and I will number them or something clever.
So here goes Number 1
YOUR OWN MAILBOX
We all get direct mail pieces just about every day in our mailbox. So I collect mine, and I go through them, and look at each one critically. Because there are three things that need to be there in order for that piece to be effective. It has to have...
1. good creative
2. good timing
3. a good offer
If anything I receive is missing any of those three elements, I come up with what I would have done differently, and then I do some research on the company. And then I very diplomatically craft an opening dialog that will address how I can help them improve their communications, increasing the value of them, lowering cost, or increasing the ROI.
Here's an example. A major furniture manufacturer sent out postcards to a seemingly random list of homeowners. It was a nicely designed piece talking about a sale. We just happened to be in the market for a new bedroom set. What was the problem, you ask? the Website on the cards was WRONG!!! What a colossal waste of time and money, and how much damage done to a brand! So if I were selling print today, I would immediately get on the horn with a C LEVEL marketing executive in that organization, and say something like this.
"My job is to help retailers increase their profits and optimize their print spend by creating targeted and cross media campaigns that garner double digit response rates, thus increasing sales." No where did I say I was a printer. And I am NOT talking to a designer, admin, or print buyer. The one who cares about the ROI is the C Level person who loses his or her job if sales don't increase. Like my old friend Bill Farquharson says, "Solve the problem, get the order." They have a problem in that no one was paying attention to details. Others have a problem because their creative stinks, they have no strategy about who they are mailing to, or there is no offer.
By the way, this rule applies to you, too. If you are going to spend the time and money to do a mailing, PLEASE make sure your creative is good, you offer SOMETHING, and that the companies you are targeting are in a position to buy from you. I can go on and on about list procurement and where to find these folks, but that will come in another post. Or you can call me and we can talk about your situation specifically.
The title will always be Ways to Find New Customers, and I will number them or something clever.
So here goes Number 1
YOUR OWN MAILBOX
We all get direct mail pieces just about every day in our mailbox. So I collect mine, and I go through them, and look at each one critically. Because there are three things that need to be there in order for that piece to be effective. It has to have...
1. good creative
2. good timing
3. a good offer
If anything I receive is missing any of those three elements, I come up with what I would have done differently, and then I do some research on the company. And then I very diplomatically craft an opening dialog that will address how I can help them improve their communications, increasing the value of them, lowering cost, or increasing the ROI.
Here's an example. A major furniture manufacturer sent out postcards to a seemingly random list of homeowners. It was a nicely designed piece talking about a sale. We just happened to be in the market for a new bedroom set. What was the problem, you ask? the Website on the cards was WRONG!!! What a colossal waste of time and money, and how much damage done to a brand! So if I were selling print today, I would immediately get on the horn with a C LEVEL marketing executive in that organization, and say something like this.
"My job is to help retailers increase their profits and optimize their print spend by creating targeted and cross media campaigns that garner double digit response rates, thus increasing sales." No where did I say I was a printer. And I am NOT talking to a designer, admin, or print buyer. The one who cares about the ROI is the C Level person who loses his or her job if sales don't increase. Like my old friend Bill Farquharson says, "Solve the problem, get the order." They have a problem in that no one was paying attention to details. Others have a problem because their creative stinks, they have no strategy about who they are mailing to, or there is no offer.
By the way, this rule applies to you, too. If you are going to spend the time and money to do a mailing, PLEASE make sure your creative is good, you offer SOMETHING, and that the companies you are targeting are in a position to buy from you. I can go on and on about list procurement and where to find these folks, but that will come in another post. Or you can call me and we can talk about your situation specifically.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Who is your MENTOR?
I saw a re-run of an old Seinfeld the other day about the mentor/protege relationship, in which Jerry's girlfriend's mentor is dating Banya, one of Jerry's rivals on the comedy scene. It got me thinking about mentors and mentees, and whether those relationships exist today. I remember my first professional mentor - my boss in my first job out of college. We were working in retail and she taught me a lot about standards, professional behavior, and goals. Over the years, few of my mentors could be considered bosses. Some were headhunters, and one was a business coach who I have done some consulting for in the last year or two. Here are some things I have learned about this relationship called mentoring.
1. There are no rules or guidelines, and often nothing formal involved. Often, if you find value in the advice or listening skills of a peer, competitor, customer or friend, that person is a mentor to you.
2. The mentor does not have to be older or more experienced than you. Again, this is all about reflection, getting ideas, advice, and feedback.
3. The mentor is not always right, so it is always important to listen to that voice in the back of your mind. Your true gut is always your greatest ally.
4. You can't have too many mentors. It took me a long time to be able to say out loud, "I need some help. I need to get other's views on this topic before I make a decision." We always want to be self sufficient, but that does not always serve us so well.
5. The internet is no substitute for authentic relationships. I belong to a lot of groups in which people seek advice about equipment, services, or just about anything. Just remember, everyone has an ulterior motive on the web- the advice you seek could be coming from someone who has a vested interest in the outcome. So, finding neutral people you can trust becomes even more important. Take me for example. My ultimate goal is to help make printers more money in digital printing, but it only serves ME when they choose Canon Business Solutions. I have chosen not to sell a product to a prospect because it would not fit their application, but not everyone is as honest as me!
In a nutshell, mentors are good. Being one is good and leaves you with a sense that you are giving back. Having one is like having a free coach at your disposal. If you aren't one or don't have one, see what you can do to change that. And I'm always available!
1. There are no rules or guidelines, and often nothing formal involved. Often, if you find value in the advice or listening skills of a peer, competitor, customer or friend, that person is a mentor to you.
2. The mentor does not have to be older or more experienced than you. Again, this is all about reflection, getting ideas, advice, and feedback.
3. The mentor is not always right, so it is always important to listen to that voice in the back of your mind. Your true gut is always your greatest ally.
4. You can't have too many mentors. It took me a long time to be able to say out loud, "I need some help. I need to get other's views on this topic before I make a decision." We always want to be self sufficient, but that does not always serve us so well.
5. The internet is no substitute for authentic relationships. I belong to a lot of groups in which people seek advice about equipment, services, or just about anything. Just remember, everyone has an ulterior motive on the web- the advice you seek could be coming from someone who has a vested interest in the outcome. So, finding neutral people you can trust becomes even more important. Take me for example. My ultimate goal is to help make printers more money in digital printing, but it only serves ME when they choose Canon Business Solutions. I have chosen not to sell a product to a prospect because it would not fit their application, but not everyone is as honest as me!
In a nutshell, mentors are good. Being one is good and leaves you with a sense that you are giving back. Having one is like having a free coach at your disposal. If you aren't one or don't have one, see what you can do to change that. And I'm always available!
Monday, October 26, 2009
How Well Do you Know Your Customers?
I find it interesting that the more I reveal about myself, the more I tend to learn about other people. This is especially true when I am talking to you, my customers and prospects. As I have been travelling around and the topic somehow gets to my ever increasing belly, I share that I am expecting twins in February. This information tends to encourage people to share stories about their own children, someone they know who also has twins, or some other interesting tidbit. The point is, valuable information is being shared, and I am really enjoying it.
So my question to you is this - How much do you and your customers share when it comes to information? Now, I know this can be a slippery slope and can lead to phenomena like OVERSHARING, but I am going to encourage you to go out on a limb and get to know your clients better. Not only does this encourage a more personal (and genuine) relationship, but you never know what else you might pick up. What if your customer has a brother in law who works for a big law firm and is responsible for print buying? Or what if a customer told you when his or her birthday was a you showed up that week with cookies you made ( or bought and passed off as homemade?)
Just remember, people buy from the people they like, and if you listen to your customers and go a little deeper with them, it will inspire the kind of relationship that we all seek in the business world. One where lowest price is not the only factor in the equation, and where a genuine connection can last years or even decades.
So my question to you is this - How much do you and your customers share when it comes to information? Now, I know this can be a slippery slope and can lead to phenomena like OVERSHARING, but I am going to encourage you to go out on a limb and get to know your clients better. Not only does this encourage a more personal (and genuine) relationship, but you never know what else you might pick up. What if your customer has a brother in law who works for a big law firm and is responsible for print buying? Or what if a customer told you when his or her birthday was a you showed up that week with cookies you made ( or bought and passed off as homemade?)
Just remember, people buy from the people they like, and if you listen to your customers and go a little deeper with them, it will inspire the kind of relationship that we all seek in the business world. One where lowest price is not the only factor in the equation, and where a genuine connection can last years or even decades.
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Beat the Competition, but in a NICE Way!
Ours is a world of tough competitors (to borrow a phrase from Jerry Maguire). Today we have to worry about offshore companies, internet low cost providers, and office supply companies, not to mention the freight carriers FedEx and UPS. Our goals are to keep margin, keep our customers satisfied, and continue to find new revenue streams to keep us healthy.
But what I want to discuss today is our attitude about all of those competitors. And if I had to put it in a nutshell, in two words, I would say HIGH GROUND. Here are a few fundamentals I try to adhere to as much as possible.
1. I don’t say my competitors name out loud. Now, if the prospect or customer introduces the topic, I will follow, but I never introduce it and I try to steer away from it and keep the conversation focused on my companies’ value and how I can help solve problems for my customers and prospects.
2. I do everything I can to avoid saying anything bad. Sure I have strong feelings about my competition, and much of that might be negative. And, when they are slinging mud, it might be human nature to join them in the slop. But I don’t. I will make comments that are based in fact, such as BBB ratings, factual testimonials made regarding the performance of my competitions’ offering, or published third party assessments like The Buyers’ Laboratory. But I keep my comments clean and positive.
3. I focus on the differentiating factors. If my competitions’ price is lower, I face it head on, and can explain very clearly why what I am offering is worth more. It might be image quality, paper handling, post sales support, service, or environmental commitment. I know what the competitors “strengths” are apt to be, and can answer and rebut those supposed advantages. For example, for a printer competing with an on-line company that is a supposed low cost provider, I would focus on customer support, the ability to see a proof, the low cost (or free) shipping that comes with doing business locally, and the overall personal relationships that do not exist when you are dealing with a lights out gang run shop. I would be able to explain what gang running is and what lights out means, and tell my prospect why dealing with me brings security, flexibility, and increased value due to a long range commitment to partnership.
So the next time you feel threatened by the internet, Staples, or an offshore printer, take the high road, but be ready to turn that conversation very skillfully to what YOU bring to the table and why dealing with you has more value and is an overall more profitable experience.
But what I want to discuss today is our attitude about all of those competitors. And if I had to put it in a nutshell, in two words, I would say HIGH GROUND. Here are a few fundamentals I try to adhere to as much as possible.
1. I don’t say my competitors name out loud. Now, if the prospect or customer introduces the topic, I will follow, but I never introduce it and I try to steer away from it and keep the conversation focused on my companies’ value and how I can help solve problems for my customers and prospects.
2. I do everything I can to avoid saying anything bad. Sure I have strong feelings about my competition, and much of that might be negative. And, when they are slinging mud, it might be human nature to join them in the slop. But I don’t. I will make comments that are based in fact, such as BBB ratings, factual testimonials made regarding the performance of my competitions’ offering, or published third party assessments like The Buyers’ Laboratory. But I keep my comments clean and positive.
3. I focus on the differentiating factors. If my competitions’ price is lower, I face it head on, and can explain very clearly why what I am offering is worth more. It might be image quality, paper handling, post sales support, service, or environmental commitment. I know what the competitors “strengths” are apt to be, and can answer and rebut those supposed advantages. For example, for a printer competing with an on-line company that is a supposed low cost provider, I would focus on customer support, the ability to see a proof, the low cost (or free) shipping that comes with doing business locally, and the overall personal relationships that do not exist when you are dealing with a lights out gang run shop. I would be able to explain what gang running is and what lights out means, and tell my prospect why dealing with me brings security, flexibility, and increased value due to a long range commitment to partnership.
So the next time you feel threatened by the internet, Staples, or an offshore printer, take the high road, but be ready to turn that conversation very skillfully to what YOU bring to the table and why dealing with you has more value and is an overall more profitable experience.
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