THE OUT WITH OLD

ack in the days before the pandemic forced commercial printers to rethink how they approached the sales process, Jay Thomas says it typically took 22 attempts before The Marek Group could get a prospective customer on the phone. Today, that number is 42—and counting. The sales landscape back then was a different animal — one where to close a deal, you might have three to four calls with a customer. Now you have one shot.

From Thomas’ viewpoint, today’s sales landscape (from the making-a-pitch perspective) is basically a printer carrying around a puzzle piece trying to find a match.

“We are not selling meetings today,” says Thomas, The Marek Group’s Chief Strategy Officer. “Before it was about face-to-face presentations. But we are no longer selling to two people making a decision. There are a lot more factors involved.”

The Marek Group, a turn-key marketing execution company specializing in print, promotions, mail, incentives, kitting, fulfillment and sales enablement, is a bit different than most of today’s traditional commercial printers. Whether it is the top, middle or bottom of the customer’s journey, Marek provides the technological advantages to give its clients a single place to turn for sales support and marketing campaign execution.

“More than anything else, you have to focus on the how and why,” Thomas says. “Whatever conversations we have with our customers—and time is king— those conversations have to be about what’s in it for them, not us. In most cases, the customer does not know what the solution to their issue is. They don’t know what they need until we help them understand.”

In The Marek Group’s case, those solutions typically fall into areas like campaign management, on-demand marketing and content. In short, Thomas says the key to selling in today’s changing sales landscape can be answered in three simple questions: What problem are you solving? Do your core values match with what you are selling? And do you have what is needed, i.e., the innovation, customer service, etc.?

“The real wins today are not on price,” Thomas says. “The real wins come in your ability to identify and solve your customer’s problem. It is about providing value. The easiest entry point is keeping it simple and understanding what it takes to move the needle forward. Today, connections are less about budgets and more about time.”

Living in a remote world

George Slater says there is no getting around the fact that a strong majority of CRW Graphics’ clients work remotely these days. Each of his team members have stories about video conference meetings conducted with clients in their homes. Regardless of where and how, the priority is to make the appointments.

Slater, the owner and Sales & Business Development leader of the Pennsauken, New Jersey, custom print solutions provider, says that his team has settled into the transformations made in the wake of the pandemic, giving everyone a new perspective on the company’s most enduring tenet:

The customer comes first.

“The business world became very forgiving and lenient in 2020-2021,” Slater says. “There are a lot of factors that went into that. But the world is getting back to normal, which means that expectations are coming back to normal. We see this as a good thing.”

For the past 50-plus years, CRW Graphics has set itself apart by continually providing the cutting edge technologies and customer service needed to keep its clients taken care of. Today, even as everyone continues to adjust to how to do business, its relationships with its clients are as strong as ever. “It’s less about strategy and more about mindset,” Slater says. “Hard work, smart work, coupled with a great offering and a winning mentality will always prevail. We are driving growth through new technology and equipment investments. These are the kind of things that will create a competitive advantage in the marketplace.” your efforts and allocate the resources needed to achieve the greatest impact? This is the focus of each of our print sales team.”

And as Thomas alluded to earlier, the time you have with your customer must be spent on finding what they need and delivering. “Today’s sales execs need to know the print process, industry trends and be a solution provider. There is no, ‘Hey, can I call you back later after I check into something?’ You don’t get those types of discussions anymore. Clients want to feel they are getting support from the decision-maker, not a message taker.”

That means if today’s sales reps are going to be experts, they need to know the lay of the land and have the decision-making skills to keep the conversations going. Slater says CRW works shoulder to shoulder with its team to make sure they have what they need to create a winning formula. This includes providing them with the training and resources needed to hit the mark.

“The formula to a winning sales mindset is simple,” Slater says. “It takes hard work and a dedication to continuing to learn your craft. Our sales team conducts role play presentations with each other. As we say here: First in, last out, be consistent.”

In case you are wondering, the CRW Graphics team reports to the office every day. And regardless of how their interactions with their customers take place, the edict remains the same—be the expert. “Buyers are smarter than ever,” Slater says. “Empty discussions equal no purchase orders. You have to have your facts straight, be a problem solver and work harder than your competitor. How can you prioritize