Consultative Selling

Consultative selling has been around since the 1970’s and refers to the technique a sales person uses to discover the needs, trends and opinions of a prospect. This type of sales training is immensely under-valued. Sales is not about having the gift-of-gab or that mega-watt smile. It is a consistently applied approach to understanding and applying the method to locate potential clients, discovering their needs and delivering products or services to satisfy their needs.

If I’m in the market to buy a car, I’m disappointed when the sales person lamely shows me the cool nets in the trunk space that will hold my groceries. Really? This is all you got? Why wouldn’t they ask if I will be toting children and if safety is a concern. (safety stats) Why wouldn’t they ask if I would like to resell a car often or keep it till the wheels fall off? (resale value versus repair costs) What if my budget needs to consider the costs of insuring a 2-door versus a 4-door. (the rising costs of insurance) These are the things that matter. I know the new car will smell good and drive well. I might want to know the interest rates they are offering. I might observe how easy it is to get in and out of the showroom and their respect of my time.

I’ve never understood the notion that as a sales person I have to sneak information past a “salesperson filter.” This is where the sales process is misunderstood. Somewhere along the line buyers began to believe that sales people would somehow make them buy something they didn’t want or need. It would be of great value to consumers and buyers to act completely opposite and be open-minded to probing questions. You might find what you are looking for faster or perhaps even find a better alternative if you are open about what you need. We may discover together that I’m not a good fit for your company, but I might be able to direct you to vendors that can assist you. You might not know the answers to my questions, but I can help you track your stats to determine the best way to buy. Didn’t know your mailer could have been produced for less money just by altering the size? Maybe you thought I was being nosy. Nope, just trying to figure out how I can help you…not sell you.

My Day of Reflection

Eleven years ago this coming Monday, I woke up groggy from surgery. Staring up into John’s face he looked funny to me; not funny ha-ha, but funny weird. His eyes reflected something different, a sadness I couldn’t quite comprehend. “We don’t have a problem, right?” I stated more than I asked. “Yes, we do” he answered. That was exactly how my journey with breast cancer began.

It doesn’t really matter if you’re a printer, a journalist, accountant or teacher, cancer is indiscriminate my doctor told me. It didn’t matter that I took care of myself, ate well and exercised often. I don’t have a history of breast cancer anywhere in my family. So, when I woke up that morning years ago I felt sucker-punched. Cancer…really?

In our office right now there are four of us. Four survivors out of the 14 women who work here. Higher than the 1 in 8 ratio normally referenced in breast cancer statistics. Many of us will participate in the local Komen Race For The Cure to raise money for research and to honor those we love who currently battle, or those we’ve lost to the disease.

Since that day, September 30th has become my day of reflection. Then, the next day, and for the entire month of October, or breast cancer awareness month, I’ll represent my fight. I’ll wear my pin and my bracelet that serves to remind everyone that this is the month to be aware, and perhaps to consider donating.

I’ve written before about Chump Change. Not inferring at all that the money I had tucked away for years in my jewelry box was chump change. But, more that I was a chump for not realizing what I had. How many of us might have valuable foreign money…tucked away from trips long ago that might be exchanged and used for donations? Whether you donate to the Komen, or any other good cause, it’s a good thing. Don’t be a chump

Cool Jobs ~

Sometimes we get to print something really different.

Sudoku at 3am

For many years I’ve polished my word skills working the crossword puzzle. Occasionally I’d glance across the page at the Sudoku puzzle wondering how that worked, but not curious enough to try. On a recent trip to New York, with newspaper in-hand and the crossword done, I took a stab at the Sudoku numbers puzzle. There I sat, trying my best to logically figure out the pattern of numbers. Soon John took an interest and by the end of our trip we were hooked on Sudoku.

Last Saturday evening, I was working a puzzle with a level 5 difficulty and was so stuck that I gave up and went to bed. At 3 am Sunday morning, my sweet dog needed to be let outside, so while I was waiting to let her back in I took a look at the puzzle that had me stumped the night before. Within one minute of looking at the squares I discovered the one number I needed and a few minutes later I had the puzzle solved. Wow…my first level 5. (Yes, I woke John up to tell him)

I don’t know if it was the five hours of sleep, fresh eyes or just luck that I discovered the number that held the key to solving the puzzle. But, like usual for me, it made me wonder about how our minds work. Perhaps the uncluttered mind at 3 am was all I needed to see what I was too tired to see the night before. Or maybe it was the absence of stress that made the solution so obvious.

This makes me think of Raymer Bookbindery and the philosophy that Myers, the owner, uses to create his custom bookbinding. Myers likes to muse about a project and he will not be rushed. He knows through experience that his most challenging projects can’t be solved quickly. He is certain the solution will come to him, but perhaps in a time frame that is not necessarily in sync with our current craze of doing everything quickly.

That gets me to thinking about some of my more difficult print projects. Sometimes I don’t immediately know the best way to proceed with a job and I’ll need to make paper mock ups and discuss the project with my pressmen or production team. All of this takes time for us to think, to estimate, discuss some more and execute. The absence of time restrictions would be beneficial to every project, and although we don’t typically have that luxury, it is obvious that with additional time to ponder we would be more efficient at solving problems.

Looking for a job…

When was the last time you tried to sell yourself?

The typical preparation would be to prepare your résumé, get your profile out in the social media channels, contact your current relationships for introductions and prepare to contact and interview with prospective employers.

You can only put so much information on a résumé, your education, work history, accomplishments, maybe some personal information. Then, if you’re fortunate enough to land a personal interview, you only have a short amount of time to impress the interviewer. But, most-likely, a prospective employer will only scan your résumé, and if nothing interesting catches their attention, you’re filed away with the myriad of other job seekers. You become just another piece of paper in a file…but you know you’re much more than that piece of paper. You know you have so much to offer and you could fit in well and make a difference. You can solve problems ~ you know you’d be an asset to the company. You just know it…but how do you convince that one person of that?

Being educated, accomplished, likeable or interesting isn’t always enough. You can have the skill set the job requires, but then, maybe you didn’t graduate from the right school, or you’re wearing an outfit that’s too conservative or perhaps too sophisticated. How would you know? You can research the company in earnest before your interview and think you know enough about the company, their culture and what they’re looking for, but your first challenge is to impress the interviewer.

Searching for a job is challenging, humbling and at times, scary. There is a fine line between selling yourself and bragging, and then you have the challenge of asking the right questions to provide the information the interviewer needs to make a scrutinized decision. But, when a job search stretches on, especially in down-turns in the economy and you become frustrated, you certainly can’t come across as pushy or desperate to a prospective employer.

Here’s where I’m going with this blog.

Professional sales people sell themselves everyday…that is their job. We manage current client expectations while at the same time searching for new opportunities to keep our manufacturing plants open, and not only ourselves employed, but our co-workers employed. Our résumé might be our equipment list…not a complete example of what we can do for a client, but a form of introduction non-the-less. We are active in the social media channels but those mediums work only if clients are searching for us. Nobody has unlimited time to wait to be discovered, not the person looking to be employed, or the salesperson looking for work. It’s good to have those channels covered, but the reality is sales people must be more pro-active.

So, if I’m (interesting/knowledgeable/funny/?) enough on the telephone or on paper without sounding like I’m selling or pushy or desperate, I might get an appointment. But, if I don’t nail the client’s need on the head, on what sometimes is my only opportunity, I must continue to find another person who will take the time to see me. If you’ve ever looked for a job, you know how difficult it is to get an interview AND land a job. There is not a rep here at Ussery Printing who I would classify as slick. As a group we are veterans of this industry but still bumble our words on occasion and sometimes don’t get our message across. We’re human, complicated and sometimes fragile….but we’re also resilient, positive and we know we can solve problems ~ we know we would be an asset to your company…we just know it.

The Death of the Movie Theater

Years ago…back in the 80’s when VCR’s were being introduced, word on the street
was that the movie theater would no longer be needed. Conventional opinion was that nobody would want to, or need to go to a movie theater, since you would now be able to rent movies and watch them in the comfort of your own home. Never mind that the rates weren’t that much different from a movie ticket, but, then again, you could have a group of people watch for only one rental price.

Fast forward decades and the movie theater didn’t fade away, in fact, they grew. Megaplex movie theaters emerged with lots of lights and glam. Although the viewing rooms were made smaller to accommodate many movies, investors made improvements in chair comfort, big screen, big sound and then there’s the IMax. You can’t get that experience at home. The successful movie theaters committed themselves to making positive changes to the movie experience. The theater industry not only grew despite the threat from the movie rentals, but boomed. Who would have thought?

That VCR explosion makes me think about the internet explosion and the conventional opinion that print will no longer be needed. Like the movie rental industry, there will be those situations where the digital version trumps the print version. But what an opportunity for the printing industry to re-invent itself and come out booming.

You Need a Sense of Humor ~

I’ve prayed a lot lately. There are prayers for family, co-workers, people who are sick, and the occasional selfish one that I ask: Please dear God, please let me win the lottery. I’d really like to get all six numbers. Please, please, please? Then I won’t have to work anymore! I promise to do lots of good with the money. Just think of all these people who I’m praying for who need help. I would help them. You get the point. I’m fairly certain most of us have had this talk with God.

Last Saturday night the Texas Lotto was about 17 million and change. Love that…and change. Ha! The “change” is 700,000. So, being the big spender that I am, I played five lines (or $5.00) Of those, three were quick picks and two lines were numbers I chose. A few weeks ago I saw a TV newscast of a statistical mathematician who was giving advice on how to win the lottery. Don’t go with low numbers, popular numbers or quick picks. Really? And how many lotteries have you won?

Anyway, I actually did win the lottery on Saturday night! So, why am I not celebrating in Austin, Texas instead of writing my blog from work on a Wednesday? I did get all six numbers, but on my entire ticket ~ OH, but you need them all to be on the same line to win. And, the winning ticket? It was three numbers on the same line, so I won $3.00.

God has such a great sense of humor. Next time I’ll be more specific.

Why’d you have to be so Mean?

I’ll put it right out there…I dated a bit before getting married. I dated all kinds of guys because I was still discovering what I liked or valued most in men. There were lots of dates where the guys were nice enough, but we didn’t have much in common, so there wasn’t a second date.

Sales appointments are kinda like first dates. You really don’t know if you’re going to like the person you’re meeting. In dating or business, you can’t count on being liked or valued; however, good manners simply require you to be respectful of a person, regardless if there will be another date or meeting.

I had an appointment yesterday with a young woman who was adversarial and confrontational and I have no idea why. She was unhappy with everything I brought to the appointment and told me so over and over again, even though I spent over an hour researching and pulling samples I thought she would like. For this I apologized and asked to meet again, which lead to another series of insults and posturing that indicated I must be stupid. The third attack was her assessment of on-line printers versus printers (like me) who, just happened to be sitting in her office with the intention of trying to help her. She made it clear to me at the end of our meeting that I was of no value to her.

I could only surmise after leaving her office, that she must be going through printers as I imagine she goes through dates. If her lack of any respect towards me was based on the fact that I could be replaced with a dozen other vendors, well, good luck to her then. I imagine she will run out of options someday, both personally and professionally.

Virginia Is Lucky…

Virginia will soon be the new home of my friend, Linda Stingel-May.

After an entire career in the Graphic Arts Industry, more specifically, printing…Linda is retiring next week to move closer to one of her sons. Half my heart is happy for her and the other half of my heart is sad for me. I will be losing a friend, confidant and mentor.

Linda and I met a few years ago at a Dallas get-together of “Girls Who Print,” an international group started locally by Mary Beth Smith. We hit it off immediately and six weeks later she joined the sales staff at Ussery Printing.

I can’t say enough nice things about Linda, but of course, she’s my friend so you would expect that. But, Linda is well-known, well-liked and admired throughout our industry and just as equally appreciated by her clients. She has served them well. In an ever-changing, commodity driven industry, she has kept the pace her entire career. She is still hard-working and focused with her sparkling blue eyes and positive demeanor. She’s competitive, smart and has a skill-set that sadly, can not be replaced.

When next week comes and goes and I pass by the empty office down the hall, I know I will miss Linda terribly. In the few short years we’ve known each other she has become a positive light in my day. I know the joy she will bring to her family in her retirement will be their blessing and I wish my friend love, peace and most of all…happiness.

Choices…

I was just reading the responses to a discussion titled, “How do you choose your supplier of printing consumables?” The responses ranged from the obvious issues concerning quality and pricing, making sure the supplier is capable of the work, reputable, and of course, the ever important relationship.

Years ago we solicited bids to finish out a driveway and add a carport. We choose our supplier based on his knowledge and recommendations to our project. His company was capable and reputable, and his pricing was in-line with our budget. He did what he said he was going to do and did a great job on the driveway and carport. We ended up with a quality product, within our budget (not the cheapest), finished on-time and we were completely satisfied. The relationship developed during the project because we were treated fairly and with respect.

We’re considering another project and thought about getting another bid, but then decided…why? We like this company, this man, his work. Why would I not reward him by working with him again?

Information Overload

In our desperate wish to be seen as informed and intelligent, we are complicating our lives. Information is accessible today by so many mediums, radio, television, the internet, print and mobile applications. How could we not be smarter and more sophisticated than earlier generations? But sometimes, all this information makes me feel over-whelmed, not smarter. I’m going out on a limb admitting this, and I’m convinced that many people will not want to risk agreeing for fear of appearing ignorant. It reminds me of the story about the emperor’s new clothes.

Hans Christian Andersen’s story is about an emperor who pays a lot of money for some new magic clothes, which he’s told, “can only be seen by wise people” The clothes do not really exist, but the emperor does not admit he cannot see them, because that would mean he was not wise. Everyone else pretends to see the clothes too because, well, they don’t want to be seen as stupid either. It isn’t until a child shouts, “The emperor has no clothes on!” that the people realize how silly they’ve been.

Like the people in the fairy tale, we often agree to absurd ideas because we are afraid to appear ignorant. When will the child in us say enough is enough?

Why?

When I was young I never thought to myself…”gee, when I grow up I want to be a sales person.”

My sales career happened because I stumbled upon a fascinating industry, Graphic Arts, and more specifically ~ printing. Initially I was hired as a Sales-Service Secretary (for a printing facility), promoted to Customer Service for a very successful salesman, and then, I made the ultimate leap to sales.

Why? Because I was fairly certain that I could do the work. During my years of support roles, I watched other sales people and knew that I had the combination of work ethic and industry knowledge to do what needed to be done. What I didn’t know at the time is that it would take a bit of luck. That one person who would make a difference.

I’ve written before about that one person, from Morgan to Cyndi, that single person, who without their involvement, a story might end very differently.

If you ask any business owner or sales person, more than likely they will admit there was a person, who without them, they wouldn’t have been successful. It’s not as rare as you think to find the person who will make the difference, you just have to try.

Kia’s Question…

How do you negotiate with your printing suppliers?

Kia was looking for funny stories but ended up with a rather frustrated group of printers and print producers. Her take on the conversation was meant to be satirical, but satire can be offensive to some people. Satire is risky in that, if it makes you uncomfortable, there might be a smidgen of truth to the story.

I’m careful in printstories to try to relate stories that don’t offend. During my 30 years of printing there are many conversations that I’d rather not repeat. Sometimes the misinformation a novice brings to the table does make you want to smack your head against the wall. But that is actually an opportunity if you’re up for the challenge. And, there it is, sometimes as sales people we are not. We sometimes get tired of the people who are in positions where you think their knowledge base would allow them to at least spec a job. Lately, I’ve worked with designers who can’t even tell me how many pages are in their catalog. Or, a print buyer who comes to look at a job on press and states, “when will you people learn to print in RGB?”

As a seasoned rep, I ask questions to determine the production knowledge level of the person I’m working with. Long ago, I gave up believing in the title of the person. I just can’t trust those words. I need to know going into a negotiation how much of my time and effort is required to work on a project with this person and the level of difficulty in the job itself.

The art of negotiating? It is, at its best, when the buyer and the seller respect each other and have empathy for each person’s position. Management is putting pressure on the buyer to bring in the best price. The seller is trying to make a fair living and a fair profit to stay in business. The problems in negotiating occur when respect or empathy are missing…on either side of that table.

It’s Free

Nothing is free, except the mud, mosquitos and the breeze…if you’re in Belize. Sorry, I digressed very quickly today.

We’ve heard over and over again that so much on the internet is free, so the argument goes…but is it?

The other day I bought concert tickets on-line. There were four options to receive your tickets. You could pick them up at the concert at will call, expedite them overnight, standard USPS mail and the option of email. Two of these options were free; can you guess which two?

Of course the expedited method isn’t free, but of course the will call would be free. If you guessed the email was free you would be wrong. The emailed ticket was $2.00 and the USPS? Free.

As a client told me a few months ago. Stick a stamp on it, .45 cents…what a deal.

Temperament

John and I have marveled lately at the size of the cacti blooming on the side of our house. It’s a west-facing strip of dirt that gets a ton of direct sun, not much attention from us, and the additional heat off the brick of the house. But, the cacti are obviously very happy and thrive in that environment.

It makes me think about how we too, as people, are happiest and thrive in the places, jobs and relationships where our natural-born temperaments belong.

My Creative Side…

Not many people know that I like to mow the grass. (now you know) The simple act of walking back and forth lost in my own thoughts while smelling fresh-cut grass appeals to me. It does help that I don’t have allergies either.

Many years ago, as I was preparing to host a wedding in our back yard, I thought, how cool would the lawn look with a pattern mowed into it? I have no idea how they do the patterns for baseball fields, but it was the look I wanted. Maybe a checker board pattern…yes, that was it! It just took a little thinking and then I just did it.

When the Ducky Bob guys showed up with my chairs and tables they stared at my back yard and asked me, “who mowed your lawn?” That would be me I said. They looked at me and then at the yard and shook their heads. I suspected approval, but I really couldn’t tell, it might have been disbelief.

Many times over the next few years I mowed the front yard with a checker board pattern. When people drove by while I was outside I could see their heads whip around to stare. Sometimes they stopped and backed up to get a better look. The greatest compliment was the neighbor who figured out my madness and clipped his lawn the same way.

That was many years ago and I don’t mow the lawn with a push-mower much anymore….but I’m still creating and visualizing patterns and designs in my mind.

Sometimes what we think we know about somebody is only a fraction of who they are on the inside.

The New Me ~

When asked what I do for a living, for the last 23 years I’ve said, “print rep or salesperson,” but today, after brain-storming with a co-worker, I’ve decided to give myself a new title.

I am a creative person at heart…I love to write, to dance, and to create things. So, from now on, my title shall be Creative Print Specialist, or CMYK CPS for short.

As a Creative Print Specialist my job duties won’t change, I won’t get a bonus or a raise, but after 31 years in the printing industry…I think I’ve earned that title.

Simple Things ~

I went shoe shopping the other day and tried on about three dozen shoes before I found the combination of comfort, height and fit I was looking for.

Every woman knows that the height of their shoe must reflect their own height, what they’re wearing the shoes with and when they’ll wear the shoes. Comfort is a requirement for some women, but obviously not for all. I’ve seen women squish their toes into pointy little shoes. I go for comfort since I’m on my feet a lot during the day. Fit is a must too. I tried on a couple of pairs where the height and comfort were perfect but my heel kept slipping out as I walked. That’s not good.

One of the first pairs I tried on was one of the two pairs I bought on that shopping trip. It didn’t occur to me at the time why they were so appealing. Besides height, fit and comfort, it was the designer’s position of the buckle and the strap. Something very simple. The shoes I choose had the buckle more forward on my foot. The others had me contorting uncomfortably in the shoe store trying to get the strap through the buckle part.

It only occurred to me the next morning when I was strapping on my new shoes. They were easy to buckle.
It was something so very simple, but so very important…less irritation in my morning. Yay.

So yes, as usual, that got me to thinking about what I do for a living. Clients are fairly typical in their desire for the combination of price, quality and turnaround from their print providers. But what about the simple things that might make us easier to work with. This is worth thinking about.

Paper…

Thank you Michelle for inspiring me this morning!

Nothing in printing is more challenging than specifying paper. In an earlier blog, I likened the paper options we have to the myriad of wall paper options. There are so many paper choices from coated papers offered in many finishes, such as gloss, dull, silk and matte. Then there are the uncoated paper options, meaning they do not have a finish. Then we must consider the paper weights, 65lb, 80lb 100lb, but is that cover, book or a text weight? You have Mills that manufacture coated sheets in many grades of paper, grading usually refers to the brightness, opacity and quality of the coating. I know this is boring, so I’ll get to the point.

Designers typically will take great care in determining what paper they want. If there’s a lot of vibrant color they might choose a coated paper because of the superior ink hold out. There is dot gain on uncoated papers and if you’re not working with a quality managed print shop you might not like the way your photos turn out. But then, sometimes there’s the end client who will just roll their eyes and say Finch or Sterling ~ I don’t care which bird you use.

Press Okays & Smart Phones

You won’t get any arguments from me…I love my smart phone. It is clever, handy and useful. But, there are some things it can not do.

For Instance: If you are running late to a press okay, please don’t ask me to take a picture of the press sheet so you can review it while driving. Then, don’t ask me to take a picture of the backside of the sheet so you can see if the inks match up front to back.

This makes Larry, my pressman, begin to ask me questions I don’t want to answer.