Capitalizing on Niche Markets
Selling to Printing and Publishing Businesses
There's no question that printing and publishing businesses are major players in a growth industry -- and that presents an opportunity to vendors who are eager to get in on the action. Product quality, price and dependable service are all important considerations – so businesses that sell to printing and publishing businesses need to be at the top of their game.
Many printing and publishing businesses depend on distributors and vendors. As such, many B2B companies build their business models around sales to printing and publishing businesses.
Leveraging the strength of the market, entrepreneurs are knocking on the doors of the marketplace, eager to earn their share of the profits. Competition is fierce, so emerging businesses need to be intentional about the way they approach printing and publishing businesses.
How to Sell to Printing & Publishing Businesses
After you have qualified a lead, how do you close the sale?
Like many of us, printing and publishing business business owners are busy professionals operating on tight schedules. As a rule, be respectful of your customers' time constraints and adjust your pitches to accommodate their schedules.
In some instances, your initial contact at printing and publishing businesses you call on may not even be the decision maker, making it necessary to quickly locate the real decision maker and adjust your approach accordingly.
Developing a Marketing Plan
A robust marketing strategy is the basis of a profitable sales strategy. Your team might be stocked with highly capable sales professionals, but if they aren't supported by strong messaging and effective marketing channels, your conversion rate will suffer.
Keep in mind that printing and publishing businesses are fast-paced operations with little patience for long sales cycles.
A strong marketing plan helps to focus your selling proposition and deliver messaging in channels that are successful with your customer base. When combined with a sales plan, a marketing plan serves up an intentional selling strategy that delivers results.
Effective Marketing Strategies
Effective sales strategies begin with marketing, and the marketing strategies for printing and publishing businesses run the gamut.
Yet in this industry, marketing effectiveness is rooted in the ability to target key decision makers. From traditional marketing to cutting-edge Internet strategies, any initiative that fails to reach decision makers is a waste of time and resources.
Since your sales revenues hang in the balance, you can't afford to rely on stale or inaccurate sales leads. Third-party lead lists may be the best bet for making sure your team is equipped with the most up-to-date information possible. If you don't currently use lead lists, you may want to consider Experian -- a third-party lead list vendor with a reputation for providing regularly updated and sorted printing and publishing business leads.
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