How sales reps who embrace the authoritative sales approach will have a leg up on the competition.

By Peter Ebner

During the past 30 years, print sales has undergone a number of changes. However, the industry is about to undergo its most dramatic transformation yet. As in the past, those shops that embrace change will flourish, while those that try to hold on to traditional selling models will quickly find themselves struggling to retain market share.

Selling is show and tell
“Anyone that can sell, can sell printing; after all, sales is sales” was that mantra of the ’70s, and thousands of printers proved it correct. Any shop that was fortunate enough to employ a skilled pressman gained instant success. During this period there was no need to train salespeople because selling was little more than a “show and tell” activity where salespeople could land a job by simply showing a sample of their high quality work. But by the ‘80s, things had begun to change. Better presses meant that more and more shops were producing excellent work, so quality was losing its competitive edge. Furthermore, the advent of new digital technologies brought about the realization that the show-and-tell approach to selling was inadequate; print sales now required a specialized set of skills. Printing had become more than putting ink on paper; it had evolved into a diversified and complex procedure. Shops quickly realized that they could gain a competitive edge by ensuring that their salespeople were knowledgeable and had a full understanding of the printing and prepress process.

The print sales professional
The ’80s and ’90s was the era of the print sales professional. Print buyers were in the dark; they didn’t understand the application of new digital print technology. It seemed like the whole process had changed. Prepress had gone from paste-up to computer generated graphics, jobs could now be run offset or digital, short runs, print-on-demand and variable data were all options to consider. Print buying had become complicated and confusing, and the print sales professional was perfectly positioned to clarify the process and help the buyer make the right decision. Print sales had become synonymous with print knowledge. Shops across North America quickly realized that they could gain a competitive edge by getting their salespeople up to speed. Training was the order of the day and salespeople flocked to technical and production seminars.

By the turn of the century, the print sales arena was not only overcrowded with print sales professionals, these salespeople had exhausted their usefulness. Digital printing had lost its mystic, it had become mainstream and print buyers no longer needed the help of a salesperson to explain the process; they were familiar with digital applications and were capable of writing their own specs. In this new environment, the print sales professional was quickly losing ground.

The consultative sales approach
Since the existing sales strategy could no longer sustain current sales targets, a shift to the consultative sales approach offered a viable solution. In fact, consultative selling appeared to be the silver bullet, the goose that laid the golden egg and the Midas touch all wrapped into one, and any salespeople that embraced the consultative approach flourished. While the print sales professional was busy quoting jobs and competing on price, the consultant offered alternative print solutions. This new breed of salespeople was able to differentiate their services and gain market share by changing the specs.

While the consultative approach appeared to be the ultimate solution for competing in a crowded marketplace, the strategy was short lived. By 2004, was beginning to show serious signs of failure because the consultative sales approach has an inherent flaw; it focuses on printing. This sales model was built on the misguided belief that prospects are looking for solutions to their printing problems.

Consultative selling is founded on an old, outdated sales theory which states “If the salesperson can identify a problem and offer a solution, the prospect will buy from that salesperson.” And although the “finding a problem and offering a solution” methodology sounds correct, in practice it fails miserably. As most print salespeople have already discovered, uncovering a problem is not a challenge – 90 percent of all jobs can be improved. So offering the prospect new ideas that enhance quality, reduce cost and increase efficiency is easy. But these solutions usually fall on deaf ears because contrary to accepted sales theories, people don’t fix problems; they only fix big problems and printing is rarely, if ever, a big problem.

Furthermore, the consultative sales approach has lost its uniqueness. While, as little as 5 years ago it was refreshing to meet a print salesperson that did more than quote the job, nowadays asking probing questions and suggesting print alternatives is common practice. In fact, it is so common that price has, once again, become the primary point of differentiation. As a result, the consultative sales approach is dying a slow death, and any salesperson that clings exclusively to this approach will suffer the consequences.

The authoritative sales approach
The print sales model is once again undergoing a major change, and the emerging authoritative sales approach is unlike anything the industry has seen before. Although the 
progression from show and tell to print sales professional to 
consultative selling showed some remarkable advances, all three sales models collapsed for the same reason – they were built on the misguided belief that printing can be sold, when in fact 
nobody wants printing. In other words, prospects do not want brochures, business cards, catalogues or product labels; they only invest in these products because they believe that they (printing) will help them gain market share, increase sales, generate leads and improve brand recognition. They want to reach their business objectives. Without the benefit of these business solutions – no one would order printing!

Unlike previous sales models, the authoritative selling approach focuses on offering business solutions. In order to provide these solutions, salespeople will need to transform themselves into 
industry or product experts. Which means that authoritative salespeople will not offer their prospects brochures, catalogues, 
labels, mailers and general commercial printing – because diversity 
dilutes expertise. Instead they will focus their efforts on a niche market and become the recognized authority in that market.

For instance, direct mail is a billion dollar industry, and thousands of printers are clamoring to get their share of this lucrative market. But competition is tough because printing has become a price sensitive commodity where pencils continue to be sharpened every day. Even so, the authoritative salesperson will make huge inroads into this market by positioning himself as a direct mail expert. This new breed of salesperson is not only familiar with the printing processes, he also has an in-depth understanding of direct mail. He knows which color sells best; what type of envelope is most likely to get opened; how to use postscripts to increase direct mail response; which type of postage to affix and which type face to avoid. He’ll be able to answer questions like, “Should I save money by printing on both sides of my sales letter?” “Which pulls better, a two-page or a one-page sales letter?” “When writing an offer, which gets a better response, half price, buy one get one free, or 50 percent off?” He’ll also be familiar with the latest postal regulations and he’ll be able to advise his prospects on how to manage their mailing list.

Not only will the authoritative salesperson outsell the competition, selling will become easier than ever before because positioning oneself as an industry expert creates a paradigm shift. Instead of being viewed as an adversary who is trying to get top dollar, the authoritative salesperson is perceived as a business partner who can provide valuable solutions. Here’s a short comparison of the consultative and authoritative selling approach.

The winds of change are already blowing as more and more salespeople turn to the authoritative sales approach. Those that embrace this concept will find print sales more lucrative and more enjoyable then every before, while those who resist will watch their commissions erode as they struggle to maintain market share.

Peter Ebner is a professional sales trainer and marketing consultant with over 25 years of experience. He is author of 11 industry specific books and audio programs, including Breaking the Print Sales Barrier. He can be reached at (905) 713-2274, or visit his Web site at www.ebnerseminars.com.