Post-COVID Print Sales Challenges: How to Stay Close to Your Clients

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I’ve been involved in quite a few conversations recently discussing the new realities of selling post-COVID. People are hard to find. No one wants to meet. Lots of turnover means new decision-makers. And a business lunch? Fuggetaboutit. The pandemic either changed the rules of engagement or eliminated them completely. All during the shutdown, people talked about looking forward to things “getting back to normal.” Few of us could have seen how that just was not going to happen. Some of the changes to the landscape have been small and barely noticeable, while others seem more apocalyptic. We are clearly not in Kansas anymore.

One such seismic change is the relationship between customer and vendor. Even before the pandemic, there was erosion in this bond as personal buying habits meant customer service was more defined by how well an online transaction was handled instead of the face-to-face interaction with another human. The pandemic accelerated the separation, weakening an already weakened loyalty factor. Whereas a first order had a pretty good chance of turning into a second order, and repeat business was expected (though never a given), we are now as good as the last job we shipped in and clients are far more transactional in both their purchasing and in their thinking.

The paper shortage, as frustrating as it has been, has served to shift some of the power (if that’s the right word for it) back to the printer. But it has caused animosity as well.

Once upon a time, we were partners with our clients. Our opinion and advice were sought, and we vendors had a place at the table when companies were discussing their future. We educated our customers on our capabilities and even sought them out when pondering our own next steps, such as the purchase of a new piece of equipment. This level of relationship still exists, although it is increasingly rare, and that’s a shame.

New Generation, New Print Sales Relationships

Part of the blame for this phenomenon might be generational. The new buyer is younger and has lived a life head-down looking at a screen. They would define “relationship” differently. Personal interaction is done only as a last resort and after all other options have been exhausted. Phone communication has been replaced by emails and text. Attention spans once measured in YouTube units are now only as long as a TikTok video. The target is getting smaller and smaller. Our chances of gaining an appointment are shrinking.

How do we get back to the days when we, as salespeople, mattered? Is there a way to increase our relevancy not just to pre-COVID levels, but to the “back in the day” kind of relationships we once enjoyed? The traditional sales approach is not working. New tactics must get undertaken. But as you think about what you might do differently, keep in mind the fundamentals never change. Specifically, while we might create and maintain them differently, relationships are still critical. Our opportunities to demonstrate our interest in their interests have diminished.

Face Time Is Replaced by FaceTime

Face-time meetings are now, at best, FaceTime video calls. How do we stay close to customers if we can’t get close to our customers? How do we show prospects we are keeping them top-of-mind? To solve this evolving sales challenge, we must visit the past.

Like my parents before me, I’m in the habit of sharing newspaper articles of interest with customers. I’ll be reading the Wall Street Journal and find a piece on how colleges are looking at students differently. They are skipping standardized testing and putting more emphasis on the essay. Schools are even throwing curveballs at prospective students by asking off-the-wall questions like, “What would a wisdom tooth say?”

What makes this something worth passing on? Because it provides an interesting talking point to any client of mine who pursues that vertical. So, that URL gets shared with those in my network who focus on the college market. I do it because I know it will be of interest to them. I do it because I want them to know I’m keeping their companies top-of-mind.

And I do it because of Dan Canzoniero.

The Gold Standard of Clients

Dan was a client of mine for many years. If I had a Hall of Fame for favorite customers, he would be a first-year inductee. When he passed away, I wrote a blog that I review from time to time as a way to remind me what the ideal relationship should look like, and hold it as kind of a gold standard.

Dan owned Gamse Lithographers in Baltimore, Maryland, and perfectly embodied the idea of what the ideal vendor/client relationship might look like. He’d call me while driving just to talk through an idea that hit him about his sales team. He’d email me with a comment about a Printing Impressions column, blog post, or perhaps one of my sales tips. Dan was a bottomless pit of curiosity. Engaging him in conversation was equal parts admiration for what he was saying and appreciation for his interest in what I said.

But every conversation ended every with two words: “Stay close.” I took it to mean, “Help me by sharing your thoughts, by providing advice, and by constantly reaffirming the strength of our relationship. Think Gamse, Bill.”

Earn Back Your Seat at the ‘Cool Table’

Dan died five years ago, but his words are the roadmap for getting back to the coveted level of importance in the eyes of our clients and prospects. By understanding their needs, their challenges today, and where they are headed, we can earn back the seat at the “Cool Table.”

Don’t assume people follow their own industry news and trends. Most are too busy managing their task list to think about the bigger picture. But what would you do with the knowledge that hospitals are adding emergency centers on busy street corners? What would that sales call sound like? Who would you call on? And what about the automotive industry’s desire to cut out the dealers and go direct? Can you find an opportunity?

As the great Jedi Master, Yoda, taught us, “Always in motion, the future is.” For us non-fictional characters, this means we need to understand and anticipate what’s coming next for our clients and prospects, let them know what we’ve learned, and then demonstrate how our print solutions can help them grow. Making this point can be done one forwarded URL at a time. It screams, “I am staying close,” and it might just be the best relationship-builder since the handshake was invented (sorry, fist-bumps. You are a sorry replacement).

At some point in your sales career, you will achieve the ultimate goal of truly partnering with your customers. On-time deliveries, fair pricing, and great customer service will move you in the right direction. Forwarding the occasional article of interest pushes that needle just a bit further. Staying ahead of the customers, anticipating their needs, and understanding their future direction, is an optional exercise to be taken only when your goal is to have a rock-solid, bulletproof customer/vendor relationship.

You know, like how it used to be.