Impressions - June/July 2014 - 62

Screen Printing Production

FIGURE 1. To really sell extra items on existing
orders, try generating options in a paper or digital
layout example for customers using their artwork.

1. Customer relationships are as important as orders. Talking to clients in a
friendly way with a genuine, helpful attitude and voice makes a memorable difference (while being pushy, or acting bored,
stressed or annoyed is a sure way to lose
them). Since referrals still represent one
of the best ways for printers to get new
clients, you need to be someone to whom
they will want to send a close friend. When
was the last time you listened objectively
to a sales call from your company? Did
your representative sound like a printer to
whom you would refer your friends?
2. Don't sell on price too quickly. Yes,
people care about price a lot these days.
But the best clients want more than that.
They want service that stands behind
their products. They want great artwork
62

Impressions | June/July 2014

that makes everyone notice their products. And they want quality printing that
doesn't look rushed. If a client asks for
your price, try to ﬁnd out what he really is
looking for ﬁrst.
After a few questions, you may be surprised to ﬁnd out that he is more interested in a speciﬁc garment, art style, or
even a higher-valued item if it will work
with his needs. Of course, he may just be
price shopping. But if that is the case, then
you quickly will know to spend less time
with him. When you shop at the store for
something to wear, do you always buy the
cheapest item, or do you ﬁrst look at the
value and other qualities balanced against
the cost? Delay the pricing question until you have offered the client a chance to
know the value and other qualities he is

buying. Often, a fair price with a proﬁt for
the printer is better for the client than the
cheapest price on an order that must be
pushed through the shop.
3. Offer additional options. Henry
Ford said, "If I asked my customers what
they needed, they would have said faster
horses." Since you are a printer, it is likely
you can visualize what your clients' artwork will look like on a variety of items
better than they can. Remember that a
verbal offer of additional items likely will
not generate the mental image for a nonvisual customer.
To really sell extra items on existing orders, try generating options in a paper or
digital layout example for customers using
their artwork. If you are printing T-shirts
for them, then offer some additional longsleeve, tank top or hoodie options if the
design will ﬁt on them for the same print
run (see Figure 1). The extra step of showing customers how the additional garments will lower the cost of their original
items through volume pricing can be an
even easier sales bump. The real key, however, is to honestly offer these options as a
beneﬁt and opportunity that the customer
may not realize. In this manner, the client
will not feel pressured and you won't feel
disappointed. Do you offer a visual upsell
option on every order that makes sense?
4. Track every sale and customer. The
proﬁt truly is in the details with regard to
sales. If you know when a client will order
again and how well he liked his order after
it was completed the ﬁrst time, then you
have a great head start on the competition. When you have the details for a large
group of sales and customers, you can start
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Impressions - June/July 2014

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