I Want to Sell Value, Not Price!

Credit: Robert Peters

A few months ago I took a call from a printing company CEO. He was frustrated with price pressure and the declining value of the work his reps were bringing to the table. He wanted to change the selling paradigm and secure more valuable client relationships.

Making this change isn’t rocket science but it is different. It requires a more intimate commitment to clients. You have to get beyond bids.

What follows is the summary of our conversation. He asked these questions. I answered as shown. I solicit and welcome your thoughts and comments.

How do I migrate my company from commodity type printing projects that are price driven to value projects that pay at higher rates per hour?

If your sales strategy is limited to responding to client specifications, you cannot make this change. If you are simply delivering a price to a client for the item, they ask to have priced you have given them nothing to evaluate except price. Your service matters but only if they are having service issues with others.

The challenge or way out of this race to the bottom is to ask questions. Dive deeper into how the client’s business works and how the print being proposed is consumed.

Your job, if you want to change how you are seen, is to understand client obstacles/objectives and make suggestions that turn on your machines. It might be storage, just in time delivery, print on demand options. It’s up to you to understand your market landscape, the technology available to you and how you might solve problems with those tools.

What areas of print are less price sensitive?

Price gets set aside when clients have anxiety about success. Nobody wants to save a buck on a print order only to miss a critical delivery or have a project fail. The more critical the project or more complicated the execution the greater this anxiety becomes.

Large format graphics are more flexible on price. Dimensional graphics (marketing boxes, kits etc.) are much more flexible on price. Crisis documents (financials, proposals, business plans) are more flexible on price.

Each of these expect more of the printer. You can’t do easy stuff and expect to charge more for it. In these spaces you take enormous anxiety off the client’s table. This relaxes price conversations.

How do I find prospects once I have identified an area I want to pursue?

You can’t choose an area of business to chase without identifying prospects first. Look around at the businesses you admire in your area. Look them up on social media and identify employees with titles that appear to fit what you do or propose to do.

My experience is LinkedIn is a perfect tool for this exercise. The platform exists to connect professionals with employment and business opportunities. Everyone on LinkedIn is selling something, buying something, trying to get hired or looking for employees. Commit some time each week to identifying valuable contacts.

Once I have names what do I do?

You ask to connect and make contact. There are no shortcuts. You send messages, notes, samples, email etc. In each case you speak to what you perceive their needs to be and how you might be of service.

Clients buy when they are understood not when they understand you. Your messages have to show empathy not “I have all the answers for you without meeting you.”

What should my message be?

That depends on the type of work you decide you want to do and who you target. As you arrive at names, visit their websites. Read what they say about themselves. This tells you their self-image and what they value.

Your messaging has to align with theirs for them to see you. Samples you send, messages, notes…everything must fit into their world and how they solve problems. Once again, this is different from bidding specs.

What tools matter?

I can’t speak to your company, specifically, without knowing your market and targets. Generally, it’s safe to say you’ll want a website, company LinkedIn page and good case studies.

As for case studies, it’s great to talk with your reliable customers. People that call you repeatedly do so for a reason. It’s likely different than what you think. Spend time with them and listen. You’ll come away with a greater understanding of client minds and what makes you valuable.