The three feedback questions printers must ask their customers – do YOU use them?

Did you fear the end of term report at school?  I used to hate seeing what my school teachers had written about me!

One teacher always used to write “Could do better”.  The trouble was that he never told me how I could do better.  And I never learned, because I never asked the right questions.

If printers want to do better, they need to ask the right customer questions

Printers who embrace customer feedback will create stronger partnerships with their clients.  This is because they will understand what is a potential problem for their clients.  And they will fix it.  So this means that they will be more in control of their sales pipeline.  And they will achieve their sales targets.

Printing companies that do not embrace customer feedback won’t achieve their sales targets so easily.  They will be constantly wondering why they are losing their clients.  And they will be losing their clients because they don’t listen to them.

Here are the three questions that mean you will keep your clients:

Question 1:  What could we do better?
This question allows you to understand where the weak points are in your company.  You will find out what might drive customers away.  Of course, knowing this isn’t enough.  You also have to do something about it.  You might consider asking customers “How can we fix that?”

Focusing on what can be fixed in a company is important.  But it is also important to think about how your company can change.  And that’s where question 2 comes in.

Question 2:  What else would you like us to do?
The answers to this question can be very surprising.  Often customers will come up with ideas that you would never have thought of.  Many of these will be focussed around the extra services you can offer.  And it’s these ideas that will make customers stay with you.

If a customer wants design, or data work, you should be delighted.  They are going to want to stay much longer with a supplier who offers them more than the manufacture of print.

And understanding why customers stay is important.  Which is why I have included question 3.

Question 3:  Why do you use us?
This is a really important area to understand.  It will tell you what sets you apart from the competition.  And it will tell you exactly what you should be telling prospects about your company.  It creates great sales copy for you!

After these three questions you may have a whole load more.  And that’s great.

Remember:  these questions are just the start of a dialogue
These questions are a way of kick-starting a more involved conversation with the client.  And a more involved conversation leads to better information.

Of course, you’ll be using this information at management and strategy meetings.  And this sometimes provokes a question from print companies with whom I am discussing feedback.

Do you really want to base so much strategy on customer feedback?
The answer to this question is a resounding yes!  You wouldn’t be in business without customers.  So it is vital to understand what they want.  And to achieve this it is vital to listen to what they say.

The best way to see this is in real life situations.

Here are two examples of how customer feedback has worked for me
The first example is based on the “What could we do better question”.  I had arranged a printer for one of my clients.  The printer rang the client soon after starting work with them to ask this question.  It turned out that the client wanted more file copies.  The client had never actually specified this, but it was only through asking this question that the issue came to light.

As the client had not communicated their frustration it was fortunate that the printer asked for feedback.  It prevented a dissatisfied client.  And it stopped the possibility of the printer losing the client through a simple misunderstanding.

Feedback also helped me when planning my business
It helped me create a new product.  I am about to launch The Print Industry Negotiation Handbook.  But I have only invested the time writing it after having feedback from clients that it would be worth my while.

So feedback helps you stop making errors. And it helps you create new business ideas as well.

Remember the three questions you need to ask your customers
Set a time in your diary once a week to ring a customer.  Ring one every week, and ask them the questions:

Question 1:  What could we do better?
Question 2:  What else would you like us to do?
Question 3:  Why do you use us?

You’ll find the information invaluable.  And it’s something you’ll end up looking forward to.  Unlike the school report!

---

P.S.  If you’d like to learn more about moving away from selling on price you should sign up right now for the Profitable Print Relationships “Buyer’s Insights”.  You’ll receive regular tips about improving print sales from the buyer’s point of view and get your free copy of “Ten Common Print Selling Errors And What To Do About Them” (worth $29).

Want to see more from Matthew? Subscribe to receive e-mail updates of his posts on the MyOrderDesk blog.

Three ways printing companies encourage print buyers to choose on price

Lower!
Cheaper!
Prices slashed!

Have you seen how many supermarkets always sell on price?  It seems that they think they can only get customers by being cheaper than the competition.

The trouble is that now most people choose their supermarket only on these messages.  And that’s bad news for the supermarkets.

A price based sales message

But that’s the way many printers sell.  There is a lot of discussion about buyers buying on price.  But often that is exactly what printers are encouraging them to do.

Printers who sell on price may win customers, but these customers are not loyal.  They will move at the drop of a hat.  So the printer has no control over their client turnover.  And they never get to the goals they set because they are too busy chasing new customers.

Printers who do not sell on price are more likely to end up with customers that are partners.  They have a better control over their sales pipeline.  So they can spend less time selling and more time achieving what they want to achieve.  This is because they set the right tone for customer conversations.

The first 30 seconds usually set the tone for a conversation.  And in most conversations that I have with printers we start straight off by talking about price.

Here are three ways in which many sales people encourage me to think about price.  And the first of these is something that can come up in the first two sentences of a conversation.

 

1)  Asking for a quote

Asking for a quote is the most common way to start making a print buyer think about price.  But it also makes a printer sound desperate.  The printer is asking the print buyer to take action before they may be ready.  It is much more powerful to wait for the print buyer to ask if they can have some quotes.  Then you know that they want to engage with you.

Asking for a quote immediately also invites the print buyer to compare prices with their current suppliers.  And some print salespeople actually make this mistake much more obviously.

2)  Asking to compare versus other supplier

Some print sales people actually suggest that print buyers compare their prices against those of their current supplier.  They have immediately started a price war.   And they have invited print buyers to view their services as nothing more than a commodity.

This also means that print buyers will be just as likely to carry out this exercise again.  They will probably do this as soon as the next print supplier approaches them.

Printers need to encourage print buyers to engage with them because they offer something different.  A printer needs a point of difference.  They need a unique selling point.  The problem is that many printers believe that price makes their unique selling point.

3)  Using price as a USP

Print salespeople must not make their sale pitch using price as the thing that makes them different.  This tells the buyer that there is no reason to use them unless they are looking for a cheap price.  And, as in price comparisons, the buyer will have no loyalty to the printer.

A printer needs a USP that shows the buyer some value.  It is likely to be a way in which the print buyer can reduce their costs.  Or a way in which they can use their print more effectively.  These are very different from price.

But don’t print buyers always buy on price?

Remember that many print buyers buy on price because they have been encouraged to do so.  It is the print salesperson’s job to encourage them to encourage them to buy in other ways.

Here are some other ways in which you can encourage print buyers to buy:

• show them how you can help them reduce their costs
• show them how they can buy print more efficiently
• show them how they can specify more economically
• show them how they can use print more effectively
• show them how they can use print to increase their revenues

All these approaches give print buyers a reason to spend more.  It gives them an opportunity to move away from a purely price led conversation.  And you’d be surprised how many print buyers focus on other things apart from price.

Of course price matters

All printers will have to show that they price competitively.  But this is different to showing that they have the cheapest price.  It is not difficult to persuade a print buyer to choose a higher price.  But they need to have a reason to do so.

Let’s look at this in real life.

Here are some examples of how printers sold on higher prices

One of my clients works in the magazine sector.  They avoid leading on price because they offer clients more than just print.  They also offer apps and online publishing solutions.  They become more than just a provider of ink on paper.  They offer something very different, and more valuable, than their competitors.  So the conversation moves away from price.

Another printer helps their clients improve the return on investment for their marketing print.  This means that the conversation is about maximizing revenue.  And not about cheap print.

And finally, one large format printer works with office interior designers.  These designers are desperate to find innovative solutions to sell their clients.  So the printer is able to research and offer new substrates and processes.  The conversation is about new ideas.  Not lowest price.

In all of these cases the printer has taken time to create a sales offering which makes the different from the competition.  And which adds value to the client.  They never sell on price.

Here are three action points to stop you selling on price

• Ban the sales team from asking for quotes.  (If the conversation grinds to a halt, it is more effective to ask “Where do we go from here?”)
• Make sure you create a point of difference.  And make sure that it contains something of value for the target client.  If you are stuck on this one, ask your clients what they would like to see
• Make sure that your sales pitch never compares you to the competition.  Make sure that you come across as a company that is different from others

Even supermarkets don’t really sell on price

Some of the advertising is very price led.  But when you are in the store they are very good at encouraging you to spend more money.  Most of their products have a basic option.  But the best sellers are often the premium version.  Supermarkets look after their profit margins.

And so should printers.

---

P.S.  If you’d like to learn more about moving away from selling on price you should sign up right now for the Profitable Print Relationships “Buyer’s Insights”.  You’ll receive regular tips about improving print sales from the buyer’s point of view and get your free copy of “Ten Common Print Selling Errors And What To Do About Them” (worth $29).

Want to see more from Matthew? Subscribe to receive e-mail updates of his posts on the MyOrderDesk blog.

The three essential questions you must ask your print customer – do you use them?

Do you remember the story of Little Red Riding Hood?

Do you remember how she thought she was talking to her Granny?  And then found out that she was actually talking to the big bad wolf?

If only Little Red Riding Hood had asked a few more questions.  She might have realized that she wasn’t speaking to the sort of person she wanted to know.  She might have stopped herself from being eaten alive!

Sometimes printers are faced with customers who aren’t what they seem

Sometimes printers need to ask the right questions to make sure they are dealing with the right sort of customers.

Printers who ask the right questions can forge valuable relationships with their customers.  They can stay in control of the sort of client they deal with.  And they can save themselves a whole load of time by only dealing with worthwhile customers.

Printers who don’t ask the right questions can end up with clients that they never wanted

These are the sort of clients who don’t pay.  Or leave for another supplier at the drop of a hat.  These are the sort customers that can waste your time with endless, pointless enquiries.  These are the sort of customers that can leave you with little control over your business.

So here are three questions that you should ask.  They will sort the good customers from the not-so-good customers.

Question 1 – What are your payment terms?

This is a really important question to ask as quickly as possible.  You don’t want to waste loads of time on a sales pitch only to find that the customer is planning not to pay you for 90 days.

And this question can be followed up with a few questions about financial stability.  After all, you want to get paid for your work.

I always ask my clients this question right at the beginning of a conversation.  It shows that I’m only prepared to work with them on the right terms.  And if there are any issues that I’m not happy with, then I want cash up front.

It’s only when I’m happy with the finances that I move to more questions.

Question 2 – Why are you asking for a price from us?

This question can give you some great opportunities to sell your services.  Sometimes a customer is looking around because they have a problem with their current supplier.  So then there is a perfect opportunity to find out more about how much those issues are costing the customer.  And to show the customer how you can resolve those issues and get rid of those extra costs.

But sometimes this question shows that a customer is merely looking for prices.  Prices with which to beat up their current supplier.  Do you want to waste your time producing price ammunition for someone?  You’ll get no work.  You’ll waste your time.  And how would you feel if someone did that to you?

So this may be a good time to say goodbye to a customer.  But it may also show that you have a serious customer.  In which case it’s time to move on to question 3.

Question 3 – What do you expect from us?

This question will show you what a customer is like to work with.  Will they demand huge amounts of time and patience from your team?  And do you need to cost this into your price?

Or are they an efficient customer.  The sort that is worth working hard to win?

So again, this question may lead to you carrying on a conversation with a customer.  Or it may lead to you saying goodbye and rejecting the customer.

But isn’t rejecting customers is bad for business?

I would suggest that it is far worse for business to take on customers who

• Are not creditworthy
• Are going to waste time with quotes where you can’t win
• Who expect high levels of service without warning you about it

These three questions are designed to stop you from gaining clients like this.  Of course, it can be hard to ask the questions.  No-one likes to offend a buyer.  And sometimes a buyer won’t give you a chance to speak.

It is important not to let buyers run a meeting.  You need to show buyers that you have levels of expectation too.  You need to show buyers that you are fussy about the type of customer you are prepared to work with.

So here are three steps to make sure you end up with the right sort of customer

1. Raise these questions at the next sales team meeting
2. Agree the minimum standard of answer you expect from these questions
3. Be ruthless!  Refuse to deal with customers who don’t give the right answers

You may be surprised to find how many then ask you about what they need to do to work with you.

And you certainly won’t end up working with any wolves pretending to be someone else.  Or being eaten alive by any of your customers!

Are there any other questions that you ask of a new client or customer? Post your responses below. I would love the hear them.

---

Want to see more from Matthew? Subscribe to receive e-mail updates of his posts on the MyOrderDesk blog.