Printing and Promotional Products used to be divided into specialties. Boy has life changed not only do you will need to be multi-facited but you better be multi-dimensional. The printing field up until recently used to be dominated by the big companies. A Moore Business Form or Supreme Envelopes had sales individuals who were given thirty to fifty balances. All they needed to do was know their product well, put out fires and write orders. They would drop in their accounts every few months, take their clients out to lunch, then compose an order. This reminds me of a current Visa commercial, Oh if life was so straightforward.
Nowadays large companies have downsized, their best sales people have become disillusioned, and they no longer think their jobs are safe. The best sales people have become printing agents but so as to survive with the current margins they needed to learn how to sell other printed goods then the product they sold exclusively. Those that accommodated early have stayed successful; those who were slow on the trigger have experienced their earning plummet.
These buyers are swamped with promotional products in their jobs. They do not have time for long lunches or order takers. If they require a repeat item they will email you the order or will email a quote to 3 or more firms who offer the identical product. Rather than be a salesman or order taker, you need to be an indispensable partner to your customers. You have to understand your customer’s company, his business climate, his rivalry and what he wants to make his company grow.
After instructing him on a few details, like 25 percent of people never use their allotted money, that almost 75% of individuals spend more than their gift card amount and that gift cards facilitate cash flow on a business, he jumped onto the band wagon. The first order was for 10,000 cards. Four months later he purchased another 50,000 cards. We are currently in the process of starting a loyalty card program. The client knows that the more information he has on his clients purchasing habits, the more likely he can cater to those needs and make his company more successful.
Speak to any promotional merchandise salesman who used to sell pens, pens and calendars. The really successful men and women are promoting both printing and promotional goods. The way a client has traditionally ordered has shifted because of e-commerce and internet sites. Today you will need to be diverse and open to change.
