While I may not like the cost of automobile repairs and maintenance these days, the procedure is quicker and more effective than the "good old days." The reason: the technology of diagnostics. These days, one seldom seeks out the best mechanic in the area because he may not be knowledgeable about cars at all. He may be adept simply at using the electronic equipment that can diagnose a problem.
What does this have to do with selling print and other promotional items? After all, you don't want to devote your valuable time to reading about a traveling consultant's experiences regarding auto repair.
The moral of this column is that, in this age of electronics, detailed product knowledge may have little or nothing to do with the bottom-line effectiveness of the buyer, seller or equipment operator. One can lament the disappearance of the great auto mechanic, the great craftsman or the wonderful buyer who knows the fine details of the craft of printing, but the level of expertise no longer reflects the level of effectiveness.
Let's go back to the core issue. Not too many years ago, "knowledge" was defined as knowing virtually everything worth knowing about one's craft. Technology changed everything. Today, the technological revolution and the internet have made it virtually impossible to be knowledgeable about all aspects of one's craft. That's true at every point of an industry's supply chain.
Today, "knowledge" is defined as knowing where to go for an answer to one's questions. A print buyer, according to thousands of surveys we've conducted, rarely spends more than 20 percent to 30 percent of his time buying and coordinating print. Print is only one element in an integrated communication program.
Herein lies an opportunity for most readers of this column. Yes, many buyers and their managers are bean-counting heathens. They consider only the invoice amount when choosing suppliers, and they don't extend consideration to your expertise and the other non-product benefits you offer. We tend to remember those unappreciative folks. But selling by establishing yourself as an information resource may be a paradigm shift. Becoming an information resource for your customers means going beyond file preparation. Some major issues facing many print buyers include paper pricing, proposed reform of the U.S. Postal Service, privacy issues and federal compliance matters.
Remember to have compassion for the predicament of your customers. Their primary responsibility most likely is attaining sales and profit objectives, not to be competent in communicating job specifications. Be kind. No mother ever raised a child to become a technically proficient print buyer.
In fact, the reason print buyers may not feel a sense of urgency about equaling your expertise about print production is their comfort in believing you have answers to their questions. Don't assume that laziness, ignorance or lack of intelligence are the culprits when customers "don't know what they want."
On the one hand, you may be frustrated by some buyers' inability to provide you with accurate, detailed, unambiguous specifications. On the other hand, their primary motive in selecting you as a supplier may be your willingness and ability to figure it all out--to provide answers and information that serve the best interests of the buyer's company.
You're in the same position as your customers--you must develop your own stable of information resources. As much as you'd like to know every detail of file preparation, production and issues affecting distribution of print, the fact remains that you're probably busy enough getting through the basic duties of your day. You probably can't spare the time or opportunity costs to learn every last detail regarding technological changes affecting our industry.
Due to technology, every segment of the graphic arts industry supply chain may be "dumbing down," but "dumbing down" may be efficient if it's accompanied by suppliers who serve as valuable information resources. The truth, which some readers may be reluctant to accept, is that technology has "dumbed down" all of us, placing a premium on the development of resources that we value as insightful, knowledgeable, practical and reliable at every step of the supply chain.
Contributing Editor Dick Gorelick is an award-winning authority on sales, marketing and business strategies for the printing industry. As president of the Graphic Arts Sales Foundation in West Chester, Pa., he travels extensively, consulting, writing and speaking on sales training.
