Research Helps.

Credit: Bill Gillespie

I started selling printing in November of 1978. I had been a buyer for 3 years. I was excited to be working for a commercial printer in Atlanta.

In those days you didn't have LinkedIn, websites, Google or any of that stuff. If you didn't know what a business was you walked in, asked to see the person responsible for printing and dumped your story. Some funny things could and did happen given that sales paradigm.

I had been at it for 3 weeks. I was west of the city. I walked into this industrial looking place. Industrial was good because that meant they made stuff and might need instruction sheets or labels. I asked to see the person responsible for their printing.

A dude arrived in the lobby. I handed him my card and started sharing my wisdom with respect to printing 4/color process work on 2/color presses. I launched into dry trapping, gloss and how the best work was done. I told him I had samples. He was good enough to look at two or three.

Finally, he stopped me and said, "Bill, follow me. I want you to see something." We walked through double doors and into one of the loudest places I had ever been. Then he dropped the bomb. He said, "that's a printing press."

I had never seen a web press. I didn't know what they were or for. This guy had several and they were all going at the same time. A national sports magazine was being printed the day I was there.

I was treated to a detailed, albeit embarrassing tour. I saw more work produced in the hour I was there than my employer would do in a year. My pride was hurt but I gained perspective on just how large and fragmented the printing industry was/is.

I'm sharing this because it's an example of an uninformed call.

Tools exist today that can prevent this. I've already mentioned LinkedIn, websites and Google. Reps owe it to themselves and their victims to know who they're calling.

Think this is obvious, think again.

Before today is over, I will receive an email or LinkedIn message offering me sales training. I will also receive one offering ghost writing services. There will be franchise opportunities and suggestions that I should quit working for the man and do my own thing.

These people know nothing about me. They haven't taken time to visit my profile. They have no idea who I am or what I do. They're simply spraying messages. Perhaps they've subscribed to a service...a service that takes money from them in exchange for qualified leads. These people are wasting their time and resources. They're trying to sell 2/color printing to a publishing company. They're "chasing the wrong rabbit."

I made a professional friend at the publisher west of Atlanta. The guy stayed in touch. He introduced me to others in our industry and helped me find suppliers at critical times.

It wasn't a wasted call, but it did teach me the value of research.

Do yourself a favor. Before you fire off an email or make a phone call, learn what you can about your prospect. Visit their website. See what they think of themselves by reading their marketing copy. Look up your contact on LinkedIn. See what they share and what they’ve done.

Based on the calls I get, you’ll be miles ahead of the pack if you do.