© Bill Farquharson, Print Tec Network

This article struck a nerve and I heard from managers all over the world. See what you think.

Okay, thatís it. Iíve had enough. I am here to tell all of you out there that the whining has got to stop. If I hear another excuse as to why business is down, itís not going to be pretty. Iím warning you: donít make me come out there.

Whenever I give a presentation on the subject of Prospecting, my personal fave, invariably I ask the attendees, ìWhy arenít you selling more?î The answers are always the same and the whine-fest commences. Ugh! One of these days I am going to be in one of my moods and lash out at these malcontents, rebuking their grievances with 1000cc of reality. Hey! You know what? Todayís as good a day as any:

Excuse #1: "Our prices are too high"
If you rely on low pricing, bids and quotes to find success in this business, you are going to be disappointed. In fact, I hope you are among the 25% of printers who are estimated to go out of business when this economic downturn is over. Let me clue you in to something: there is always a lower price out there. Didnít you know that? Regardless of your price, your client can find someone somewhere to produce the job for less money. You will never win if you simply throw prices around in the hopes of building relationships.

A better approach is one where you seek to learn the story behind the job you are asked to quote on. Look at it this way: According to a study done many moons ago, for every dollar your clients spend on the purchase price of a piece, they spend twenty dollars using it. Every printer focuses on the one dollar area, beating it until every ounce of profit is gone. Be different. Concentrate instead on the twenty dollar area, the usage of the piece. If you do your job correctly by asking qualifying questions of not only the buyer but the owner of the document, you will put yourself in a position to offer not just a price on the existing piece (where you are competing on cost) but also a unique and original idea that cuts the usage cost of the piece. Here, you are not competing on price and your excuse is irrelevant.

Excuse #2 "No one wants to see me today because Ö" (fill in your favorite whiny killer assumption).
ìÖItís Monday and who wants to hear from a salesman on a MondayÖItís Friday and people are just thinking ëweekendíÖItís summertime and things are slow.Öî Donít you dare believe this nonsense. If you believe that Mondays and Fridays are bad days to make calls, youíve just wasted 40% of the workweek. As a business owner, I can tell you firsthand that Fridays are the quietest phone days of the week. And Mondays? Wait for your customer or prospect to tell you not to call on a Monday. Donít assume!

Excuse #3 "I canít get around voice mail"
Yeah, andÖ? Voice mail is not going anywhere. Use it as a tool. See it as an opportunity. Learn how to leave good messages. If this is your third voice mail message with a client, tell them so. Ask them, ìHow many people call you three times? This is how badly I want to do business with you. This is demonstration of how hard I will work for you.î Donít let voice mail be a roadblock. Your persistency will pay off. They canít ignore you forever. Eventually, they will either call back or take out a restraining order. Either way, you have your answer.

Excuse #4 "They tell me they already have a print vendor"
Youíre kidding! You mean they werenít anticipating your call in the hopes you could be their printer of choice? Iím shocked. Here, try this as a comeback: ìWhen was the last time your current vendor brought in a fresh idea? Are they just taking reorders or are they still working for your business?î My guess is, their vendor of choice stopped working for the customer the moment they became a customer. Your best opportunity is to place the seed of doubt and try to win the client based on your ideas for improving the way the document is used. The key word there is ìideas.î THAT is what you are selling, not printing!

Excuse #5 "I simply donít have enough time in the day"
Time management is a challenge that never ever goes away. Everyone has fat on the bone. How is it that some sales people generate $2,000,000 in volume and others barely make it to $500,000? Are the million dollar producers using a different clock than the rest of us? Part of their success can be traced back to their mastery of time. Everyone is busy, Skippy. Learn to prioritize, sell during selling hours, push the non-essential activities off your plate, and make the time to generate new business activities and you, too, can be a million dollar producer.

Excuse #6 "No one is spending money right now"
I hate hearing this one the most. My teeth grind, my blood pressure rises, and I need to fight the urge to strangle the offender. Out in LA recently, I heard a printing rep utter this excuse when talking about the hotel industry. She had given up trying since business was lagging in the hospitality trade. Doesnít it make sense that there is a hotel manager out there somewhere who would be interested in hearing some ideas for improving business? Or how about a banquet coordinator who might like to listen to ways to fill up empty ballrooms and seminar facilities? Are you telling me that they are simply going to accept their fate, pout in the corner, and make excuses of their own to their bosses? How about showing a little salesmanship? Gee, I am sorry to hear that no one is spending money, but I simply donít buy it. Check the calendar, kids. This isnít the spend-spend 90ís anymore. We now have to actually generate ideas, help our clients to market their products and services and grow their business. Your choices are to adapt or find another job.

Excuses, excuses. Donít accept them. Donít utter them. Donít believe them. In every problem there is an opportunity. Practice your craft. Be creative and resourceful and never, ever let up in your goals.

Thatís it. Iím done now. I need to go have some decaf and calm down.

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