Life of A Printman!
I have the most interesting job in the world and so do you.
We are the innovators and the doers of the impossible. We never get to say no and we always have to
find a way to make it happen. I hope to
teach you with this short note sheet and video I just made for you how to develop
that talent and become the go to person for all of your client’s wild and crazy
ideas. I have never said no to a client request
in over 25 years and that has taken me down some interesting roads. Developing
this skill will put you and keep you in the million dollar club + and keep you
there. It takes you out of the promo sales rep category and puts in the “most
valuable vendor and friend category”
This is how I do it and it has worked for me for over 25
years. I have gotten really good at it
over the last few years and I am really enjoying going to work everyday.
First: Who do you
work for?
Answer: Yourself,
your creator or your boss and company.
If it is not for yourself or your creator then you need to
change it. If you believe in a creator get up tomorrow and say this day is all
for your glory and work like you mean it for your creator. Then reflect back on your results. I have
found working for someone you trust and admire makes you work harder than
working for yourself.
Second: What do you enjoy about your industry? I mean what really is
amazing to you?
Go deep in that subject and become an expert. Go to vendors
and get to know the process better. Your passion will line up with clients’
needs if you ooze that you love it.
I was scared to sell bags. I had only sold one bag in 25
years. So I went to bag vendor and took a tour and learned as much as I can. I
met with a bag broker and he is mentoring me on how to sell bags. I know have the confidence when the next
opportunity to sell a bag comes I will land it.
Always add new items to your bag of tricks. Go to trade
shows to learn, go to the seminars. Free
ones are best and Fee ones are good too.
Introduce yourself to a speaker and ask if you can help them at the seminar
pass out papers or be their right and person for an hour. That gets you an
audience with a pro and it also gets you into the seminar for free. Wink Wink.
I recently went to a trade show and found a new solution for
a box. My client is shipping Fracking Plugs that look like 90lb spark plugs.
His client sells them to Frackers who buy in bulk and store on site. The drilling sites are wet and not clean and
the boxes at some point get wet and start to fall apart. So we are working on new solutions:
1 Make a litho lam box and then have it wax immersed like
you see on lettuce boxes.
2. Use this new box I
just found at a trade show. It is a very
thick waterproof chip board than be formed into a box with wood plugs used in
the ends. It is bullet proof almost and
will certainly work. When you find those kind of solutions your client will use
you and then you are the only supplier. That means custom projects. That means higher margins.
That means you are the only one in this big bad world that sells this item and
your client will need you and love you for it.
Go above and beyond:
My client is a broker for a packaging company. The product
is chip bag displays for tortilla chips. They made this amazing display and
then had to make a video and instruction sheet to get it built. They called me last week and needed 1130 11 x 17 flyers printed 4/4. They needed 200
Monday a.m. so they could start the pack
out. On Friday they sent me the wrong
sized flyers. So they had to send then
again. I got the files. I did 380 sets using a digital print method
and a higher cost, but faster. Then I used a gang run process to do 750 of them
at a longer lead lower cost method. My pricing
was compared to a local print shop that quoted to do all digital press method
at the higher cost. I did the job and delivered on both parts on time and now
the client knows I can do great things to keep his processes rolling. He will
think of me next time he is in a bind.
Become the expert, be better than any other company you are
competing with. You can do that because you love what you do and when you do
people will come out the woodwork to help you.
Don’t fret if you have to send the vendor a gift card to get priority. I
call it greasing the skids of commerce.
People respond to the extra bits of love you send their way.
I always do what is right for my client to make their date
and get their job. That creates loyalty and return business. I have even gone
to vendors and sat in their lobbies waiting for a job to be done. When the boss sees you there and asks you how
can he or she help you and you tell him or her you are waiting on the job. It
gets done. I call that the Kevin Washington Method. See video.
How can I help you:
You tell me. I am a Patriot Vendor and I am waiting for my big
opportunity at American Solutions for Business.
Bring me your crazy, wild, multi component, not easy to write up projects
and let me help you find a solution. I
love huge long projects that are super difficult. I like items that grow and repeat. I have
spent 25 years+ learning every industry possible and have lots of knowledge in
my bag. I am ready to share the love
and and help you set yourself apart from
the masses.
Cheers!
Scott Rundle
All Source
951 640 3890
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