When people ask us what we do as a broker, sometimes we have to explain that we are just like an insurance broker or a mortgage broker and we do the leg work for people to make sure they are getting the best bang for their buck. But as a print broker we are also sometimes their marketing guru’s.
With one of our customer’s we know that every January they order a 6 month supply of envelopes. They send out hundred’s each month, and the 6 month supply is actually an estimate. So we have to take into consideration how many we send out each month, so instead of in June or May having a panic moment of “o shit” we are out of envelopes, we keep track, and come April or May when we are running short, we go to our customer and say you have 3 weeks worth of English and 5 weeks worth of French left, this is how many we ordered last time, this is how many we are ordering this time and this is how much it is going to cost.
By staying on top of your job, and the work that you do for your customers, they have a higher chance of passing your information on to other friends, co-workers and family to continue to expand your business.
But it is not just about current customers, it’s also about knowing what your potential customer wants. So when you are cold calling someone new, know their company, know how they promote and the type of product they are selling so that when you call them it is not just for print and promotional products, but for restaurants it’s pens and menus. For Lawyers it’s presentation folders and mugs, and for camps it’s T-shirts and back-packs. It is also about knowing who does newsletters, who mails them, and what else you can do to help them.
So in future when you are talking to a customer, or a potential customer, make sure you know how you can help them before they even ask.
Are you on top of your work?