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I wrote last month that all printing buyers will fit into one of five categories: Solids, Liquids, Gases, Players, and Price Monsters. Solids are happy with and loyal to their current printer, and they simply are not going to change. Price Monsters make every decision based strictly on price. When you identify a price monster, I wrote, you should run away. When you identify a solid, I wrote, you should walk…but still away!
That led to a couple of phone calls and e-mails, one of which asked: "But what if the other printer screws up? Shouldn't I try to build a relationship and keep my name in front of that 'solid' customer just in case that happens?"
First of all, someone else's solid is not your customer! By definition, a solid is not even a prospect, because there's no real interest in buying from you. Chasing a solid is like staying in a poker hand trying to fill an inside straight. (If you're not a poker player, that's a venture with a low probability of success!) If you can stay in the hand with a small bet, though, it might be worth trying, because the payoff could be large if you make your hand. In this case, the size of the bet is measured in terms of your selling time. So it comes down to this, it's okay to invest a small amount of your selling time on a few large solids, but you really need to spend most of your time looking for liquids and gases and players. That's where the best ROI—Return On Investment—will be found!
Ruthless Qualifying
I'm pretty ruthless about qualifying decisions, and I encourage my clients to operate in the same way. More than anything else, I think the early stages of prospecting—which should really be called suspecting!—are about looking for people with a good attitude. "I'm happy with my current printer" is not a good attitude. "I don't have time to talk to you" is not a good attitude. "I'm looking for very aggressive pricing" is not a good attitude. "I'm willing to talk to you, answer your questions and listen to your ideas and recommendations" is the sort of attitude I'm looking for.
That's not to say that you should run at the first hint of trouble, and I've written before about "comebacks" to these common objections. The point is this, if your comeback doesn't overcome the objection, you may be talking to a solid or a price monster, and if that's really the case, I think you're looking at a very low probability of success.
Next Month: A few thoughts on what your expectations should be when you decide to stick with a solid.
David M. Fellman is the president of David Fellman & Associates, Cary, NC, a sales and marketing consulting firm serving numerous segments of the graphic arts industry. Contact him at 919/363-4068 or visit his website at www.davefellman.com.
author: BY DAVID FELLMAN