Regular Sales Doesn't Mean Cold Calling or Even Being a Salesperson

Is sales all about endlessly contacting people who don’t really want to talk to you?

The traditional picture of a print salesperson is of someone who makes hundred of phone calls a day. They send email after email. They are trying to persuade people to have a meeting with them so they can persuade them to become a client.

This can seem like a soul-destroying way to spend your time, unless you are a “natural” salesperson.

It doesn’t have to be like this

This type of sales process is now out-dated. Buyers have had too many approaches offering them printing services with great quality, marvelous service and at a competitive price. They are pretty much deaf to this sort of approach.

So what’s the alternative? After all, every printing company needs more business. Here are three alternative ideas to gain more business and win new clients.

Engage on social media

Social media is an excellent way to reach out to potential clients and start a conversation with them. People are more likely to respond positively to a connection request on social media than they are to take a cold call. But make sure you spend time building a relationship rather than trying to sell straight away.

Ask for referrals

Over 90% of your customers are prepared to give you a referral and introduce you to someone in their network. But few people ask for referrals. Find out more about how to ask for the right type of referral here.

Attend events

Where do your customers hang out? Go where they go to. There are plenty of events for businesses both by locality and market segment.

So will you never have to make a sales call again?

Naturally you will still have to call prospective clients. But you will be speaking to warm prospects; these will be ones that you have met on social media, through your network or at events. It completely changes the conversation. You will no longer be contacting people who don’t really want to talk to you.

PS Find out more ideas on how to engage with today’s buyers: download my free e-book “Ten Common Print Selling Errors and What To Do About Them” right now at http://profitableprintrelationships.com/e-book/ You’ll also receive my regular “Views from the print buyer” bulletin, full of ideas on how to sell print effectively. Also, check out my book, "How To Succeed At Print Sales: Setting targets, planning the right activities and making sure goals are met." You learn how to create 12-week sales projects based round precisely this sort of activity.