By Dave Fellman
I’ve written in the past that all printing buyers will fit into one of five categories: Solids, Liquids, Gases, Players and Price Monsters. Solids are happy with and loyal to their current printer, and they simply are not going to change. Liquids are also generally happy with their current printer, but they’ll at least talk to you. Gases have already decided that they need to change printers, for one reason or another. Players spread their work around, and they can have solid, liquid or gas tendencies. Or Prince Monster tendencies. Price Monsters make every decision based strictly on price. As I’ve written, when you identify a price monster, you should run away. Today, though, is about when you identify a solid. I think you should walk when that happens…but still away!
I’m often asked: “But what if the other printer screws up? Shouldn’t I try to build a relationship and keep my name in front of that ‘solid’ customer just in case that happens?”
First of all, someone else’s solid is not your customer! By definition, a solid is not even a prospect, because there’s no real interest in buying from you. Chasing a solid is like staying in a poker hand trying to fill an inside straight. (If you’re not a poker player, that’s a venture with a low probability of success!)
If you can stay in the hand with a small bet, though, it might be worth trying, because the payoff could be large if you make your hand. In this case, the size of the bet is measured in terms of your selling time. So it comes down to this, it’s OK to invest a small amount of your selling time on a few large solids, but you really need to spend most of your time looking for liquids and gases and players That’s where the best ROI—Return On Investment—will be found!
I’m pretty ruthless about qualifying decisions, and I encourage you to operate in the same way. More than anything else, I think the early stages of prospecting are about looking for people with a good attitude. “I’m happy with my current printer” is not a good attitude. “I don’t have time to talk to you” is not a good attitude. “I’m looking for very low pricing” is not a good attitude. “I’m willing to talk to you, answer your questions and listen to your ideas and recommendations” is the sort of attitude I’m looking for.
Think of it this way, when you run into a solid, you can invest your time trying to change their whole attitude, or you can go looking for someone who has a better attitude. Also, please consider that there are “big-fish” solids and “minnow” solids. I don’t think minnows even belong in your poker game!
Dave Fellman is the president of David Fellman & Associates, Cary, NC, a sales and marketing consulting firm serving numerous segments of the graphic arts industry. Contact Dave by phone at 919-363-4068 or by e-mail at dmf@davefellman.com. Visit his website at www.davefellman.com.