I like my car
My car goes from 0-60 mph in 8 seconds. I enjoy the surge of power as I accelerate out of the bends on the country lanes where I live. I like being able to overtake without struggling.
However, I haven’t got a clue about what it is that makes my car accelerate faster than others. I don’t understand all the technical aspects around this. And I don’t really care to know either.
I buy the results, not the technology
It’s the same for people who are buying multi-touch marketing and similar solutions. They are buying the results, not the technology. In my last article, I talked about how many prospects aren’t familiar with the idea of cross media. If the concept confuses them, you can be sure that they don’t care to try and understand the technology behind it, either.
Just as I don’t care what makes my car go faster, most marketing people don’t care how you produce multi-touch marketing campaigns. They are interested in the results.
Printing companies often focus on the technology
I have sat through some very dull software demonstrations. Many sales people seem to want to focus on all the functions of their systems. I’m often told about all the features and benefits of the technology. But I’m not told about the fundamentals of why I should be using this sort of solution in the first place.
This sort of sales approach really does put me off.
Let’s look at a different way of selling these solutions
One company I know doesn’t talk about their technology at all unless the customer asks them to. Instead, they focus on the results.
One of the sectors they concentrate on is charity. When they talk to the right contacts they ask about what sort of results the charity is achieving when they ask for donations. Then they ask if the charity would be interested in seeing if they could improve these results.
It has turned out to be a great way to get meetings. They have been known to approach the marketing manager and end up being invited to present to the senior directors of a charity.
Naturally, they need something more detailed when it comes to the meeting. That’s where case studies come in useful. You can find out more about these here.
Here are two steps to selling on results
- Start creating your own results-based case study. Work with one of your current trusted customers.
- Start promoting this case study to other companies in the same sector as your customer.
You’ll find it much easier to start a conversation with a prospect in this way rather than focusing on the technology.
Editor’s Note: This post is part of a larger series on how to sell cross-media solutions:
- Could Selling Cross Media Solutions be a Recipe for Disaster?
- Why Focusing on Results is Vital to Successful Cross Media Sales
- Why Multi-Channel Printers Should Learn About Productisation
- How to Create Long-Term Customers with Multi-Touch Print
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Matthew Parker has been buying print for over 20 years. He’s had over 1,400 sales pitches from printers. Now he’s using that experience to help printing companies engage with their customers and sell print more profitably. Find out more about Matthew on his site. Download his e-book “Ten Common Print Selling Errors And What To Do About Them” for free here.
