We Live in an Amazon World

Let’s look Inside the Sales Conversation for the week of June 13, 2022

Ordinarily, these points are taken from conversations found in my The Sales Vault and Slack sales community groups. This week, I wanted to discuss three things that frequently come out of MY mouth during those same conversations.

1. “Learn the story behind the printed piece”

This is one of the very first lessons I learned in my initial print sales training class. Most salespeople only consider the specs of the job. The real money to be saved (and the best way to create a profitable sale opportunity) is to examine how the piece is used. That is, what’s the story behind the specs? By asking questions and learning everything that happens from the moment it arrives in Receiving to the moment it ships out (or gets thrown out), you are able to come up with a better print solution. The motto of my first company was, “Solve the problem. Earn the order.” If you want to sell on price, keep quoting. If you want to sell an idea, start asking.

2. “We live in an Amazon world”

40 years ago this month I started my sales career. Delivery times for the business forms (computer paper, continuous invoices, etc.) I sold were 4 to 6 weeks. A rush job was 10 days. FedEx changed that when they told us we could absolutely, positively have it the next day. Skip forward a few decades and with a couple of swipes, goods arrive at our door… sometimes within just a few hours. Until the recent supply chain shortages, this was our new expectation. As such, we need to meet those client expectations with the same Amazon-level communication and ease of ordering. In addition, we need to seek positive reviews and client testimonials. To do otherwise is to open the door to competitors. Amazon upped the game. Up yours!

3. “Marketing is the new Sales”

Hybrid customers. Locked doors. No receptionist. Unanswered phones. Unreturned voicemail messages. Clearly, the traditional sales approach is not working like it once was. Enter Marketing. Very few purchases are made without someone first either knowing something about your company or researching your company (again, we live in an Amazon world). Marketing tells the story and builds the brand. It highlights your expertise and greases the skids. Marketing precedes the sales call with success stories told through YouTube, “How to” White Papers, and case studies. I feel this with my own company. Rather than sell The Sales Vault, I rely on marketing to tell its story, demonstrate its benefits, and convince salespeople in selling owners to join the community. With the annual slowdown just before and just after July 4, you have the opportunity to come up with your own marketing plan. There is lots of information available online, but this is one particularly good piece I found on Patreon (a subscription-based website provider).

And speaking of marketing…

Want more? Join the conversation and be a part of our sales community in The Sales Vault. Learn more at SalesVault.pro or call Bill Farquharson at 781-934-7036.