Print buyers don’t buy printing

No print buyer has a need for presswork for the sake of being surrounded by more print. Instead, they see print as a media that fills a communication need more effectively than other, often less expensive and less troublesome methods, such as the Internet. In short they are looking for the unique value that only ink on paper can deliver.

However, if you look at print buyer needs simply in terms of print products and specifications, you may be trying to sell what they are not buying – nor what they value. Instead, try going beyond the specs and look at what your customer is trying to accomplish with their project for themselves, as well as for their customer. Then see if there is a way that you can leverage your print knowledge and techniques to help them better accomplish their print communication goals. Rather than simply parroting printing specs in your quote, acknowledge your uniqueness by translating and describing your technical and service capabilities into differentiating value for their project in your quote.