The Power of Curiosity

You get a call from a prospect asking about a job they need printed. You get the specs and their information and then get to work to get them a quote (which you hope that they’ll accept). But suppose for a moment that you asked them about their objective — what is the printed piece intended to do?

An article in this week's Printing Industries Association of Southern California Weekly Update asks printers to go beyond just spitting out quotes, and try to understand what the customer is trying to achieve.

Suppose that you chatted about the nature of their business, taking advantage of the reality that people like to talk about themselves. With what you might have learned, do you suppose that you could suggest other things that you could supply that would help them with their objective? Could you suggest ways to make the printed piece that they’re asking about more effective creating more value for them and revenue for you?

Everyone talks about the need to sell value, but value is defined by the buyer (the client) not the seller (your in-plant). Understanding where the buyer is coming from, what their objectives  are, what pain points are troubling them, begins with your curiosity about them. Your curiosity is satisfied by asking questions.

The successful partnership relationship is about meeting their needs, not selling your press time. The conversation must always be about them and not you.