Quick Printing is the resource for the Commercial printing, visual and graphic arts industries. Since 1977, Quick Printing has focused on improving efficiency and increasing sales and profits in the print shop. Industry experts share their ideas and
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Executive Suite 28 Quick Printing | January 2015 MyPRINTResource.com David C Claerbaut Get expert problem-solving inexpensively. Ask Dr. David about his special online and phone consulting. He has been solving printing problems for over 25 years. He can help you with yours. Reach him at 702/354-7000 or drdavid@fcbb.com. How to Qualify Leads in the New Year By David Claerbaut W e talked about bonding last month. Now you must qualify. There are just three vari- ables in a sales negotiation: time, information, and power. The buyer has the POWER and she determines WHEN. You get your edge by getting the right information. Qualifying Items You want to know fve things: § What they are buying. § How much. § What do they most look for when buying. § Who they are buying from now. § What do they know about your company. What Are They Buying: If you are clear on the buying mix, ask the questions in an… I understand you mainly use (or buy)…, looking for confrmation. Once you have the buying center, branch out, missing nothing. You may know what a deci- sion-maker buys, but you need to all that the decision-maker buys. Deter- mine this as swiftly as possible: You know Mr. Decision-Maker, I'm interested in a solid relation- ship with the people I work with as clients, so if I may, I would like to ask you a few questions about your printing. (Having the go-ahead) tell me, what kind of printing do you use? You ask the questions. Do not yield control. Don't get snookered rate quality, excellent service, and a very competitive price. But for most of them, one of those three really stands out. Which is most important to you? From there, probe with questions, leaving nothing to chance. Smoke out the price buyers. Try this: you know, Mr. Decision-Mak- er, I fnd there are two categories of price buyers. Some have to take the lowest price due to budgetary reasons. Others, however, although they are concerned about a fair price, only deal with frst-rate sup- pliers, offering excellent service and quality. Where do you see yourself? The key is to distinguish the true price-buyer from the person who sim- ply wants to get a competitive price. Who? If you are concerned about asking for this key information, preface it: If you don't mind my asking, who are you using now? Most will answer, and if they mention more than one, whoever she mentions frst is your competitor. With that name, you have an edge. Every company has a reputation, and your competitor is no exception. If you cannot get a name, you may get it from an Infuencer or Gatekeeper, or even the guard downstairs. Differentiate Now ask: What do you know about our company? Repair any negative by saying, A good sales rep should check to be sure that doesn't happen. In fact, you can be doubly sure that you will not have that problem because I will take special care now that you've told me that. More important, you want to differ- entiate. You want to talk about what you are selling in terms of what she is buying. Custom pitch your company by focusing on things the person has already told you, fnding ways to differentiate your company from the competition. People buy differences, so give this person a compelling rea- son to buy from you. Qualifying gives you a focus. Have a ready format. Skip no steps and you will be ready to close. with "Tell me about your compa- ny." They do not care about your company; only about theirs. Dodge that trap by saying, I will be happy to tell you about my company in a moment, but if I could, let me ask you a just a few questions. How Much There are only three animals in the sales jungle—elephants, deer, and rabbits. You want to bag a few elephants. Going after the quick but little rabbit sale is tempting, but you will not eat well on just those little "critters." Worse, they will devour your time. Elephants simply expect you to be professional and deliver. So determine how big an animal you have here. Some salespeople come at this directly: What kind of print budget are you working with? You can get at it indirectly, asking how often she orders, whether buying is seasonal, or if there is a "buying cycle." From there move to more specifc questions which will give you a good grip on how much is bought. Buying Priority When it comes to quality, service, and price, gone are the days when the buyer could have any two with the seller holding the third. Many clients do, however, have a priority among those three. Some must have peak quality. Others need you to all but come in and run their operation. Still others will price shop at a garage sale. Begin like this: Tell me, what do you look for in making a buy decison? If the open-ended inquiry does not get the needed information, frame things more specifcally. Everyone I work with wants frst-