Letters, feedback, get it off your chest: 9 February 2011

Phil Heaton once again pens a passionate and inspired letter on the subject of print sales. Why not write in and have your say, too.

Re: Print sales into the future – Print21 magazine article
In the print manufacturing industry we have not fostered the sales approach. Companies have not embraced marketing and true promotional strategies to target markets and to change to attract markets to them. There is not a true coordinated sales and marketing strategy that is researched and implemented, and there still isn’t. I am referring to print manufacturing companies. The Print Managers do strategically promote and target clients to develop services and new technologies to excite new business to acquire their service offerings.

What I have seen is the “death of the Business Development Manager” resulting in wasted talent being lost to other “sexier industries”. These are people who know how develop sales and are not afraid to get on the phone everyday and chase down new potential opportunities for printing companies who do not support them. They don’t support them in many ways. It would seem that most print businesses owners or managers do not want to get involved in the sales process and assist in a strategy that should be the basis of motivating their “highly paid” BDMs. It takes a lot of skill to harness good BDMs abilities and translate the company’s beliefs into long term business. What I have seen is Managing Directors, and such, having high expectations and throwing sales executives with no aggressive selling abilities out on to the streets and hoping for the best with no strategy.

If they fail, it was because the sales executive was useless and was sacked. That was the strategy.

The past is the past and selling print manufacturing requires selling and marketing that work hand in hand to promote the business. It requires innovation, motivation, dedication (seems like I’ve heard that before) by all the sales team, from the top to the bottom. Yes, Reg Hammond was a man in print before his time. His vision is what is required in today’s print manufacturing businesses. Don’t get me wrong I didn’t agree with everything he did however he had an excitable passion for print that was contagious. That passion and a strategic approach to selling turned his business from a small western suburbs printer into large award winning business that was the envy of its competitors.

If there is no strategy to the selling process then the sales people are left wondering in the wilderness doing their bloody best in most cases and … a few have succeeded in securing long term profitable clients. Good on them. May I suggest that it was probably due to more ass than class (with no strategy).

I have seen the BDMs used to knock open the doors then go and look for more doors to knock down, using their own initiative (unsupported) only to, over time, as they handed over accounts, lose their contact with that client only to see the account manager paid commission on the clients they were given. BDMs have the selling skills to promote the business as directed by the management team. The BDM in print manufacturing is dead as they are not utilised correctly in a team structure. Developing a strategy that will motivate the sales team through a driven approach that promotes the benefits of the business in a united, cohesive sales thrust, so that the whole sales team is singing of the same hymn sheet. Develop a company presentation that all sales people can utilise to sell to potential clients. A promotional strategy that markets the benefits of the company.

The market has changed forever, so the skills of the company’s sales and marketing strategies must be constantly reviewed and discussed. They must take into consideration the new technologies influences and impact in the print market. Getting back to Reg Hammond and something I remember him telling me about selling. He said: “you have to sell them something new and different all the time.” He used the example of when he used to sell typewriter ribbon and carbon paper, before getting in to print. He would say when he visited his clients that “this is the latest high intensity ribbon that would improve the colour produced and the carbon paper was newly developed and would last longer, I am the only company selling it.” Always selling.

I have still heard in recent times of print manufacturing owners bagging print managers and saying they don’t want to deal with them. Living in the past boys. Embrace the changes and form strategies to promote and sell the difference. Share them with the sales team and work together.

Good luck.  

Phil Heaton

Very well spoken I totally agree with everything said.

Daniel Cicivelli   

Re: National print network set to service Salmat SMEs
I am now very confident in telling all new prospective clients that we have one of the highest quality in print in the country and are very competitively priced.
 
Looking forward to 2011 being a great year for Digital, Print and Distribution
 
Randolph Scott
Local Direct Network