The email read, “Thank you for your proposal and presentation to become the print vendor of choice at Whatsamatta U. We were impressed with your equipment list and capabilities. The samples you showed displayed some excellent quality. There is no doubt you do great work for your clients. However, at this time we have chosen to work with another printer. Should our needs change, we will once again consider your company.”
You sit stunned and wonder, “What just happened? What went wrong? Are you kidding me? I crushed that meeting.”
Like the other vendors, you had 20 minutes to present your case and you thought you used it wisely:
- Start with rapport-building small talk.
- Go over your company’s capabilities.
- Present an equipment list. Discuss recent purchases and upgrades.
- Name-drop other customers in the area.
- Wrap up with Q+A (there were none).
Spinning in the chair to look out your office window, you think, “I just don’t understand. This is a good company filled with talented employees. We produce quality printed matter in a timely manner. The iron on our floor is top notch. I don’t get it!”
What about you? Do you see the problem? We are now a little more than 180 words into this month’s column and you might be equally baffled by the problem. Perhaps that agenda list looked solid and appropriate to you, too, perhaps even a textbook-perfect sales pitch. But I invite you to revisit the column’s title for a clue as to where I am heading, then hop into my 88 mph DeLorean and let’s redo that 20-minute presentation with the hope of a different outcome. Here we go …
What if you had started like this:
“Thank you for your time. Ours is a quality company and we believe it to be well-suited to meet the needs of your university. But let’s face it, while we can make ink and toner stick to substrate with the best of them, for the purpose of this conversation pretty much all you need to know or care about is this: Our equipment is beige and uses electricity. I’d rather focus on something I believe is more important: Your experience as a customer of ours.”
That’s right. Throw out the “blah, blah, blah” of listing and discussing equipment and capabilities, a subject only of interest to printers. With all due respect to the equipment manufacturers (and especially those who might write me a big check in the future), your sales presentation needs to ignore the iron and paint a picture for the client depicting what life will be like as a customer. In the end, that is what they should and do care about. Here are some points to hit and maybe even the words to use:
1 » Communication: You probably buy from Amazon. So do we. We have made it our goal to provide Amazon-level communication. You will know where your job is at all times. We will keep you informed of key dates and update you as things move along. Rarely, if ever, will you need to contact us and ask for an order status. You will love the level of communication you receive from us as your print vendor of choice.
2» Design: Going from concept to completion can be difficult. Sometimes, you know you need something but can’t properly visualize or even describe it. We can help you find not only the answers, but come up with the questions to ask. You will come to learn we are adept at bringing your ideas to life. Your relationship with us begins at the design stage of a job, not the quote stage. Count on us for creativity and meeting your business needs and challenges with a fresh approach. And speaking of ideas …
3» Alternative Ideas: Let’s say you have a job you want produced and you provide a sample or print-ready file. While there are specs to consider — type of paper, ink(s), size, quantity, etc. — we look deeper and learn the story behind the printed piece. What is it being used for? Is the current solution meeting that need? How many do you use? How many do you throw away? How frequently does the piece change? By asking these questions, we learn enough to perhaps offer an alternative way of meeting its stated purpose. Remember, each order represents a solution, but there might be a better alternative possible, utilizing some of that aforementioned boring (yet incredibly capable) print equipment. And by the way, it’s okay if you don’t like our ideas. What’s important to us is you know we are always searching for the best way to meet your needs. We will never stop working for your business. We will never take you for granted.
4» Rut-row: Okay, let’s talk about something a little darker but no less important: What happens when something goes wrong? We’d love to tell you our quality is perfect and we hit 100% of our delivery dates, that paper stock always arrives on time and nothing bad will happen, but that would be less than truthful. In reality, mistakes happen on both sides of the transactions between customers and vendors. Sometimes it is our fault, sometimes it is yours, and most times it is a combination of the two. But this, we believe, is our chance to shine and differentiate ourselves further from other printers. We see situations like this as an opportunity to remind you why you chose us in the first place. Don’t you want to buy from a printer confident that any error and issue will receive top priority? The difference between a good vendor and a great vendor includes how a mistake is handled. While we hope you never find out firsthand, know that you will be impressed.
5» You’re our No. 1 and only: One of our customer-experience goals is to make every single client believes they are not only our best customer, but our only customer. We blanket each client with personal, caring, authentic service to the point where they are convinced the world revolves around them. We will treat you like the favorite client we hope you become.
6» Our philosophy is a little, well, different: Try this statement on for size: A good vendor is as important as a good customer. If that makes sense to you, then let’s stop this presentation immediately and sign the contract. We are meant for each other. You see, a good chunk of your success rests on the reliability and quality of your vendors. Our goal is to be working with you 10 years from now. That requires a give and take as well as mutual respect.
Tip O’Neill famously stated, “All politics are local.” Bringing that same thinking to the vendor selection process, you can see how important it is to paint a picture depicting customer experience, not equipment capabilities. The iron is important, but you can differentiate your presentation if you can describe to the decision-makers just how much they will love working with you.
