Welcome back! You’re probably gaining some real momentum by now with attracting your print buyers. After all, you’ve created an awareness, cultivated connections, built trust, and worked on becoming exclusive. Nice work!
But, here’s a little secret. Did you know that:
The key to selling more printing most often lies in these four little words: after-the-sale support.
That’s right; increased sales are the fruit of continued pursuit of your print buyers.
But, how do you show your prospects and customers you still value and cherish them without the awkwardness or stalking? Simple. You give these tips some thought and action.
7 Tips to Continue the Pursuit of Your Print Buyers
1. Understand the Responsibility of the Pursuit Lies With You
Integrity-based sales and growth expert, Ian Altman says, “Rarely is your customer crying in their office because no vendors will speak with them.”
Although it might sound harsh, the truth is that your print buyers don’t actively recognize they want to be pursued until they see the value in it. Once a prospect or customer understands where you might add value, that’s the point where you go from being awkward to being an asset.
2. Recognize the Symptoms
Cold-calling your print buyers and asking them where they think they need the most help isn’t going to get you very far.
Instead, in all of your years of experience in working with multiple businesses in B2B environments, you should fairly quickly be able to create a list of what symptoms might indicate a need for your products or services. Once you’ve identified those symptoms, you’ll have a springboard to start from on how and where you can add the most value.
3. Become a Great Student
Ask any longterm couples what the secret is to a longstanding relationship, and you’ll probably hear something along the lines of, “They know me better than I know myself.”
To know someone that well, it requires constant study. To pursue a print buyer well means to be in perpetual discovery mode. Your mindset should be, “How do I keep close enough to continually learn about their situation and see if I can help?”
Need some ideas?
- Follow your customers on social media.
- Join their mailing lists.
- Understand their business and how you can add value to it. For example, what is something your customers aren’t currently buying from you that would be beneficial to their business? Are they a large corporation with multiple franchises or locations but order their printing from different printing companies across the country? If so, suggesting a private, company-branded online ordering portal would be a tremendous added value that you could bring to the table.
4. Model What Works
Have you ever heard the expression that “lessons are caught not taught”?
Actions honestly do speak louder than words, and it holds true with print:
- Are you telling your print buyers about the many benefits of a direct mail newsletter but not sending one yourself?
- Are you encouraging omnichannel marketing tactics, but haven’t posted anything new to your social media channels in months?
- Or, maybe you’re telling your audience about the importance of follow-up after a direct mail campaign, yet have never actually done it yourself.
Sometimes the most profound lessons are captured through simple example.
5. Learn to Love Their Family and Friends
In marriage, everyone knows that you don’t just marry your spouse, you marry their family and friends as well.
If you value someone, you value the people around them as well. Keep this in mind with your account contacts. While some businesses may have one decision-maker who buys print, keep in mind that several companies have more than one contact you should be reaching out to connect with.
You can take this thought further by getting to know the customers of your print buyers as well. Better understanding your customers’ target market will help you better understand your print buyers and add value where needed.
6. Remember (or Record) the Details
One of the easiest ways to make your print buyers feel pursued (and special) is by connecting on the details.
In your communications, note the details of your conversation so you can ask about them later and build on your previous connection. For example, if your print buyer is telling you how stressed out they are because their daughter is getting married in a few weeks, note that important detail. When you reach out to them at a later date, you’ll see the comment in your notes and be able to ask, “How was your daughter’s wedding?”
7. Be Yourself
It’s tempting to bend and mold yourself into something you’re not when pursuing customers and prospects… but don’t.
Yes, “the customer is always right” mantra is important, but only for the right customers. Don’t get lost or offtrack in your pursuit by going outside of your unique selling proposition (USP) or core focus.
Stick to what you do best. Stick to who you are. No longterm relationships end well when one person loses themselves in what they thought the other person wanted. So, if a particular product or service isn’t in your wheelhouse or isn’t profitable for you, it’s okay to walk away.
Bonus Tips:
- Incorporate peak moments. Look for ways to show your appreciation in unexpected ways.
- Keep things simple. Make it continually easy for them to purchase again and again through online ordering solutions that will make their ordering experience better.
- Be where your customers are. It’s hard to connect with someone or feel pursued if you’re never in the same place. Go where your print buyers are, including local events, trade shows, online platforms such as social media channels, and in their homes through direct mail marketing.
- Don’t overpromise. Guard your credibility by aligning your expectations with your print buyers regularly.
- Find out why. Lastly, if they’re interested in someone else (your competition) and the pursuit has grown cold, find out why. What can you learn? Seek to understand what your competition is offering that solved that print buyer’s pain point, and how you can adjust if needed.
Stick With Us
You’re almost there! Join us next week as you’ll discover the last step in attracting print buyers: Building a Lifelong Advocate.
