by Ryan McNally

During the last decade, the print industry has become more complex, and for printers, that means customers have become more demanding. “Ten years ago it was possible to succeed by simply fulfilling the opportunities required by clients,” says Kevin Joyce, managing director at Eastman Kodak Co. “There was a well-defined need and definition of what products they desired, and we simply fulfilled them. Today, this is simply not good enough. The top-performing individuals and/or companies must first help the client create the opportunity, and then fulfill it.”

The print industry is changing rapidly, and the successful players will be those who make the proper adjustments. CANVAS magazine spoke with print suppliers about current trends, what the future may hold, and how they believe salespeople will need to adapt. They paint a picture of an industry moving quickly ahead.

Changing times
In today’s marketplace, printers are expected to do more than just sell raw materials. “We’re more solution-oriented, working with our customers to determine what product fits best into their business mix,” says Susan Baines, director of marketing for Komori America Corporation. “We’ve had to adapt to an industry that has changed to become multi-media — traditional offset print, digital print, variable data and Internet communication are working in tandem in many commercial printing environments.”

Kevin Clark, vice president of sales for Meadwestvaco, agrees that becoming more integrated with customers’ businesses is a key to success in today’s printing environment. “You dedicate more of your company’s resources to helping customers solve their business challenges,” says Clark. “End users are faced with tighter promotional budgets, which requires any project to be more effective in getting a buyer to react. This puts pressure on the printer and paper distributor to pick the right papers and design that allows for the most impactful work. For us, we are much more effective at leveraging our market research to design products that deliver what is important to each aspect of the customer chain.”

Growing business – for the customer
With consolidation and offshore printing resulting in a shrinking marketplace, and digital media and the Internet eroding the offset market, press manufactures need to adapt to the current market. For many, one of the biggest areas of focus is developing strategies to stay ahead of customers’ needs. “We are constantly looking at ways to improve the performance of our equipment and also how we can help our customers leverage our equipment to help them grow their businesses,” says Baines.

Labor is another hot issue for the industry, with many print companies finding that the dearth of skilled personnel across all segments of the industry is a real challenge. According to Ken Winterhalter, president of Unisource’s paper business segment, the industry needs to invest in itself by adding talented new personnel. “One change moving forward would be to add some youth, start recruiting young individuals that help replace an aging sales force,” says Winterhalter.

But even for those with a full staff, there are still labor-related challenges to deal with, such as training. “Whether we can train our existing people to adapt fast enough to the market is an area of concern,” says Joyce.

Communication is key
Traditional communication avenues such as tradeshows, advertising, direct mail and customer events remain key ways for print companies to connect with the industry. Companies are also looking beyond these core elements to help build synergies. According to Clark, it starts with education. “We educate and inform our distribution partners so they can reach a wide range of printers,” says Clark.

At Komori America Corp., the sales team plays an important role in the communication process. “We have a sales force that specializes in consultative selling,” says Baines. “They really work with our customers to determine the best product for their particular environment. We try to provide as much information and education to our customers as we possibly can to help them stay competitive and profitable.”

Opening the lines of communication can also have benefits for the print industry in general. “Kodak believes that as one of the industry leaders we must take a lead position communicating the value of our industry as a whole to the business world,” says Joyce.  “We must accelerate the use of new technologies and processes to help the users of print media extract more value.”

Collaborating customers
What makes a great business relationship? For many print companies, developing a true collaboration with clients is key. “Our best relationships are those with customers who we truly partner with,” says Baines. “These customers thrive on sharing information, have a thorough understanding of the technology available on our equipment and use it to the max.”

Clark agrees that partnership is a recurring theme among his strongest customers. “Our best relationships are more like collaborations than a buyer/seller relationship,” says Clark. “We work together to improve our market position and produce the best work.”

Although these special relationships can be hard to establish and cultivate, since they require faith in sharing by each party, both sides can reap great returns. “Our best relationships are ones where we are highly interdependent on each other’s success and are proactive in identifying hurdles and willing to address them,” says Joyce. “They are deep relationships that cut to core issues within each respective company.”

Of course, at its heart, a great business relationship must increase revenue for each side. “The focus of the best relationships is on metrics that drives profitability for both parties,” says Winterhalter. “And what you find is if it’s profitable for both parties, it tends to be the most profitable for each individual.”

Points over pricing?
Business begins and ends with the customer. Getting in tune with what’s important to the customer is key, according to Clark. “For sales and marketing people, it’s important they do not assume they understand what’s important to their customer,” says Clark. “They need to ‘start over’ and interact with more people than they traditionally have to really explore what will improve their customers’ businesses.”

According to Baines, a firm understanding of one’s company will help a salesperson offer the best tools to their customers. “We think that successful print salespeople will be the ones who can help their customers find the right communication vehicle for their needs,” says Baines. “Critical to that success is understanding the full capability of the equipment their company offers — everything from prepress through bindery and fulfillment. Targeting customers that fit the sweet spot of what their equipment and their company can offer is also a good driver for success.”

When approaching a client, focusing on sales points other than price — such as product offering and delivery mechanisms — is another tip suggested by suppliers.  “Print sales people should focus on new ways to differentiate themselves,” says Winterhalter. “’Me too for a penny less’ is a way that makes it very difficult for all of us to succeed long-term, but the differentiation and the specialization can help take salespeople to the next level.”

Specialization means knowing your product and new technologies. Fortunately, print salespeople today are more educated than ever, according to Joyce. “From the perspective of speeds, feeds, price and functionality as it’s defined in today’s world, I would say salespeople are more educated about print and communications,” says Joyce. But while expertise in these areas is a definite plus, a strong understanding of where the industry is headed is also important. “I see print salespeople looking to us for the next widget that will make it easy to sell, but this will not happen,” says Joyce. “The days of the widget as a differentiator are over. Understanding the new business applications available is the key.”

SIDEBAR: The 5 Intangibles Of Selling
When it comes to selling print, certain key intangibles can be the difference between a good salesperson and a great one. Here are five intangibles that suppliers cited as critical for successful selling in the print industry:
• Motivation — The best salespeople have the drive to make cold calls, build relationships, and otherwise do whatever it takes to create more business. In other words, they have a strong sense of mission and are relentless about growing sales.
• Knowledge — Having a strong understanding of one’s company and print technology can help salespeople better communicate with their customers. The result is higher levels of satisfaction all around and the building of trust that’s key to developing a good relationship. On the flip side, a strong understanding of the customer’s business challenges is also critical to building a satisfying partnership.
• Adaptability — As the industry changes to become more multimedia-driven, salespeople must adapt their sales techniques to address the changing needs of clients. Today’s rapidly changing technologies make it even more essential for salespeople to constantly evolve.
• Creativity — Understanding a customer’s needs, and then developing creative ways to align a print company’s projects and strengths with those customer needs, is a key to success. It’s a good idea to periodically brainstorm new ways to build these synergies.
• Organization — You can’t reach your goals if you don’t know what they are. The best salespeople have a well-organized plan for attaining their objectives.