If you’re part of a digital agency, providing printing services might not be something you’re interested in pursuing. But what if a client requests it? Here at Where The Trade Buys, we think it’s definitely something you should say yes to, if the request comes your way…
Here’s a sure-fire way to lose a client
Tell them you can’t fulfil a job. That’s what one print company did. They were open and honest with their client: they told them that they didn’t produce a certain type of product. So the client went and found a supplier that could manufacture this product.
Pretty soon, the original printer started receiving less work from their client. In fact, it wasn’t long before the client decided to move all their work to their new supplier.
These days, customers expect to be able to produce all their print in one place
They don’t want the hassle of having to deal with lots of different suppliers. The efficiency of dealing with a single printing company outweighs any small extra cost of not shopping around.
Printing companies that find a solution to all their clients’ requirements typically create longer-term, more profitable relationships. They will also have a better chance of managing sales to their customers by introducing new products. They are more likely to achieve their sales targets too.
Printing companies that stick to selling products that they produce in-house will often struggle to achieve the same level of sales and profit. They will risk losing business because they won’t fulfil all their clients’ needs. As a result, their customers won’t value the relationship with these suppliers.
Here are three specific reasons why turning away jobs is dangerous:
Suppliers that won’t produce everything are seen as unhelpful
The first one is all about customer mind-set. Customers want solutions, not problems. They don’t want to be told what can’t be done. They want the right help to achieve their aims.
So printing companies that don’t quote on all jobs are seen as unhelpful and negative. Your customers will stop asking you for quotes unless they are sure you can produce an item. That means you risk losing the opportunity for work that you could produce in-house and that might be very profitable for you.
There’s another issue with this as well.
This type of supplier risks being pigeonholed for certain jobs
Some suppliers see it as an advantage that they are seen as the automatic choice for certain products and printing services. However, this may not be as good as it seems. Buyers do their research carefully. If they have chosen you for a certain product, you must have priced it competitively. You are unlikely to be making much profit on the product unless you are an unusually efficient producer.
Again, you will run into the problem of being ignored for other types of more profitable work.
Plus, there’s one type of work in particular that you could fail to capitalise on.
You risk missing out on creative brainstorms
Sooner or later, most clients want to print something unusual. They often start by asking suppliers for ideas. These are the projects that you don’t want to miss out on, as there’s a good chance to make a better profit margin. You also have the opportunity to take your relationship with a client to another level.
However, customers won’t ask suppliers that may not quote for unusual jobs. They won’t ask printers whom they see as unhelpful or whom they have pigeonholed for limited problems. They will only ask the suppliers who are consistently positive and come up with solutions. You have to make sure that you are one of these suppliers.
This is all very well in theory, but there’s still one big problem to overcome: it’s the production problem.
How do you manage to produce everything that a client wants?
The solution is to use a creative print service partner. It is simply not possible for the average print company to produce everything that their client base needs in-house. However, with the right outsourcing solutions, you can provide everything that your clients need.
Outsourcing doesn’t have to be difficult or time-consuming. With the right online partner, you can gain access to instant online pricing. They can give you a wide range of extra products as well as a good amount of inspiration! You will have access to white label delivery too, so your client need never know who actually produced your job. The right partner can often fulfil all your needs.
If you are new to outsourcing in this way, take a look at our guide on how to find the right print partner. Or you can get going straight away.
Check out a potential creative print partner today
We believe Where The Trade Buys offers everything you will need from a creative print partner. Have a look at our website today. You can browse our printing services and even try out the instant pricing tools without even having to sign up.
It’s a very easy way to make sure you no longer lose clients because you can’t produce what they are asking for.
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