Ask any printer or print salesperson if they are "customer focused" and along with the "I cannot believe you even asked…" look, you will get an unqualified "…of course we are!".

Surveys of print buying organizations show that 1/3rd of them are not convinced that their print supplier(s) are very customer focused and are unhappy with those suppliers. (e.g. A WhatTheyThink Survey from 5/21/01 says 32.4% of buyers rate their print suppliers poor or adequate while a second from 6/4/01 says 33% of buyers rate their print suppliers poor or adequate.). See the WhatTheyThink surveys from this past spring and early summer for more details on this.

So where is the "disconnect"?

Perhaps it is in the definition and perception of what exactly "customer focused" means. Print sales strategies and behaviors in the past (and unfortunately yet even today) have generally reflected a transaction - product and feature - oriented sales approach. Lots of time spent "being available" for the next print job, moving proofs, and other menial administrative tasks, all in the name of "servicing the customer". These are all relevant, in fact very important, tasks but not anywhere near what the expectation of the customer happens to be.

What customers are looking for are more collaborative, strategic and consultative relationships with their (select few) print suppliers. Customers are looking for, and reward with business, those printers that have a "listening" strategy to identify their real needs, understand the intricacies of their jobs, and provide them with solutions to their most "annoying" problems.

The missing ingredients are a combination of research, strategy, planning and skills. Print sales professionals must develop a new set of collaborative and consultative skills. They must be P&L savvy. They must be able to manage and use their sales assets (time, information management and communication skills) more effectively. And they must be willing to effectively involve the rest of their team in meeting and exceeding customer expectations.

In kind, their employers must be willing to empower and compensate them to make this change…. More on this later.