Production Inkjet Technology and the New Art of the Sale

Inkjet isn’t like other printing processes, and trying to sell it on anything other than its own terms is a recipe for failure with it. Three inkjet adopters who have learned to sell inkjet the right way freely shared the lessons they’ve learned in a heavily attended panel discussion that kicked off the second day of the 2018 Inkjet Summit.

Under the moderation of Barb Pellow (Pellow & Partners), the trio emphasized that properly educating and motivating the sales force is what primarily drives success in a market where the old norms of selling – particularly selling on price – aren’t meaningful in the value proposition that inkjet presents to customers. They also noted that if a printing company wants its customers to get excited about inkjet, the service provider must communicate its own passion for the process in every pitch it makes.

“We never go to market selling print,” asserted Christine Soward, president and CEO, DMS Ink. Solutions and executions based on a thorough understanding of customer needs are what the company offers, all delivered with the awareness that “if it it takes too long, it isn’t relevant.”

Soward, who was once the company’s sole salesperson, has built an inkjet sales force that she manages according to some specific principles. One is that every rep must do his or her homework to learn exactly what the customer wants and expects. (Otherwise, she said, “you come off pushy.”)
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