The New Art of Selling Production Inkjet

Production inkjet isn’t like other printing processes, and trying to sell it on anything other than its own terms is a recipe for failure. Three inkjet adopters who have learned to sell inkjet the right way shared the lessons they’ve learned during a panel discussion at the Inkjet Summit.

With Barb Pellow (Pellow & Partners) as moderator, the trio emphasized that properly educating and motivating sales staff on the value proposition of inkjet is what drives success; the old norms of selling on price aren’t meaningful. If a printer wants customers to get excited about inkjet, they said, the provider must communicate its own passion for the process in every pitch it makes.

“We never go to market selling print,” asserted Christine Soward, president and CEO of DMS Ink. Solutions and executions based on a thorough understanding of client needs are what DMS Ink offers, all delivered with the awareness that “if it it takes too long, it isn’t relevant.”

Soward, who was once the company’s sole salesperson, has built an inkjet sales force that she manages according to specific principles. One is that every rep must do his or her homework to learn exactly what the customer wants and expects. (Otherwise, she said, “you come off pushy.”) Another is that today, selling is about networking and fostering personal relationships.

“Your best sales should go to your current clients,” Soward tells them.

When Formost mediaOne installed a high-volume inkjet web press in 2016, said Tyler Marshall, sales and marketing manager, it became a “full white paper factory” able to deliver solutions in a marketplace where “two-month SLAs” have a habit of turning into “two-day SLAs.” The company’s sales force is divided down the middle in terms of experience, with each group having its own capabilities and temperaments.

On one side are the traditional, 100% commission sales reps with “a lone wolf mentality” and closely guarded customer relationships. Although they excel at selling the kinds of work they’re used to selling, Marshall said, growing into an inkjet sales mindset can be challenging for them. On the other side are younger Millennials, eager to perform, hungry for knowledge, but also in need of continuous reinforcement.

Marshall said reps in both groups should be encouraged to talk to their clients about solving problems instead of regaling them with data about machine speeds and feeds. Formost, he said, likes to take a “small town” approach to customer relationships by inviting key accounts to the plant and introducing them to everyone who serves them.

Print is the main channel Apex Revenue Technologies uses to help hospitals and health care providers collect money owed to them by people they’ve treated. Patrick Maurer, president, explained that driving payment results is not only a core business for Apex, but a financial lifeline for its customers. The remittances can mean the difference between the institution remaining open and being forced to close its doors.

To stay ahead of this task, Maurer said, acquiring inkjet “was almost a necessity for us.” With the help of its variable data capability, Apex can personalize billing statements with financing options, prompt-pay discounts and other messages aimed at persuading recipients to settle their accounts.

Apex’s 12-member sales team operates with the knowledge that improved collections are guaranteed to customers and that the return on their investment will be measured in this way. This type of selling is best done at the CFO level, Maurer added.

In the session’s wrapup, Marshall reminded the audience that no inkjet job can be priced until the printer has the files and artwork in hand and can accurately estimate ink coverage. Soward said that when sales reps meet with customers, price should be “the last thing they want to talk about.” If price is the sole focus, it may be necessary to have the conversation with someone else in the organization whose understanding of the benefits of inkjet is more sophisticated.

According to Soward, the strongest selling point for inkjet may well be the service provider’s own belief in it. At DMS Ink, she concluded, “we eat our own dog food” by internally testing and utilizing whatever solutions the company proposes. That way, the product or service can be sold with a passion — a passion that will be evident, and persuasive, to the person making the purchasing decision.