Print Solutions December 2006
433 East Monroe
Prospecting From Obituaries
I’ll bet every sales rep reading this magazine has a story similar to mine.
There’s a bar not too far from DMIA headquarters called Nick’s. I sold advertising for a regional nightlife magazine, and Nick’s was in my territory. The first time I called to set up an appointment, I had a
good idea who the decision maker was. Not only was his name on the door, it was
in our database.
“Hi,” I said, “My name is Andy Brown. I’m with On Tap Magazine, and I’m calling for Nick.”
“He’s not available.” [Click]
I tried over and over, but Nick was never available. One day I called, and
someone new answered.
“Hi. I’m calling for Nick.”
“Nick died a year ago.”
“Oh. May I speak to the person in charge of your marketing?” [Click]
I learned some lessons from that experience. One lesson is that a database is
only as good as those who maintain it. I inherited the database, but I also
knew that Nick
’s record hadn’t been updated in more than a year. My first call should have been simply to
confirm that Nick was still the decision maker. Or I could have asked any
number of the bar and restaurant owners I knew for a referral. I could have
easily avoided an awkward situation.
Another lesson I learned is that prospecting and cold calling are not
straightforward tasks. Mastering the techniques involves research, practice and
persistence. Even then, the most experienced sales reps encounter curveball
situations. The difference is, they know how to react without jeopardizing a
sale. To help you achieve that level of confidence, this issue of Print
Solutions focuses on customer interaction, from cold calling and beyond. For
instance, distributors and experts on prospecting share their thoughts on p.
47.
Finding customers is only the first step. Winning the business and maintaining
relationships are equally important. Our cover story,
“What Are Your Clients Thinking,” offers insights from end users about their current relationships with
distributors and printers (p. 20). The consensus is that our industry must work
harder than ever to add value to the products and services they offer.
Companies that differentiate themselves and build the strongest relationships
with their customers will succeed as competition and consolidation increase.
For information on how businesses measure customer relationships, read
“Acquisition, Retention and Add-On Selling” on p. 38.
Andy Brown
Managing Editor
Share Your Story
Be a source for Print Solutions magazine. Email abrown@PSDA.org or call (703)
302-8799.
