Margie Dana

If you’re hiring a print rep, I imagine you pay special attention to sales numbers and the accounts that a rep would bring to your company.

Print customers don’t care about either of these. They care about other things, including one that you should play up: that special skill a salesperson brings to the table.

Customers don’t buy from companies. They buy from people. They work with people. And they bond with people.

A print rep is the face of your company, and how well a rep gets along with a customer depends on lots of things. But if a prospect learns that a print rep is an expert in an area that really matters to his or her company, well, that might be the winning ticket.

Make sure that print customers and prospects are aware of the particular skills or expertise that your reps have.

What special skills would impress a print customer? Passion and experience in any of these areas would pique my interest:

Paper – File prep – Graphic design – Photography – Mailing – Marketing – Personalization

Years ago I met a print company owner who also serviced client accounts. Her background was in the paper industry, and I remember thinking, “Wow, I’ll bet your designer clients love this about you.” I suggested that she somehow make this known when communicating with prospects.

Having a passion or a developed skill set for anything that relates to your printing business shouldn’t be kept a secret. It could make a big difference to a prospect. Don’t be modest: spread the word!