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Closing the Sale (4 Steps to Successful Election Print Sales Part 3)

Election season is a great opportunity to sell more print. We’re providing a series of four articles to help you. We’ve written about the following two steps already:

  1. Step 1: Finding Prospects
  2. Step 2: Matching Products to Needs

Today we’ll be focusing on closing the sale. In this article we will cover some sales angles, ways to handle customer hesitation, and what to do after you make the sale.

6 Angles to Push the Sale

Do you remember the 5 W’s (who, what, when, where, and why) + How? We’re going to apply them here too.

1. WHO Angle: Expertise

Client need: I’m looking for an experienced printer who I can trust.

Sales pitch: We’ve been printing for campaigns since (year).

CTA: Print with experts who know how to make a winning impression.

Contributing tools: customer testimonials, pictures/examples of past products

To do: provide informative content/resources

2. WHAT Angle: Quality

Client need: I need materials that show that I’m more professional and dedicated than my opponent.

Sales pitch: We offer premium, high-quality products.

CTA: Order better materials than your opponent.

Contributing tools: print packages, samples of premium products

To do: expand your product selection

3. WHEN Angle: Urgency

Client need: I need to get materials printed ASAP to stay ahead of my opponent.

Sales pitch: We print to meet your deadlines.

CTA: Order today before your opponent does.

Contributing tools: time-limited offers, countdown timer

To do: contact candidates early

4. WHERE Angle: Locality

Client: I want to print locally.

Sales pitch: We are a locally-owned/family-run print business.

CTA: Print with a member of the community.

Contributing tools: local advertising, Google Snack Pack SEO

To do: get local reviews

5. WHY Angle: Social Responsibility

Client need: I want to show voters what I care about through my purchasing choices.

Sales pitch: When we print, we… (e.g. donate a percentage to charity, use recycled materials, etc.)

CTA: Print with a business that gives back.

Contributing tools: social media promotions, blurbs on product pages

To do: research partnership opportunities

6. HOW (Much) Angle: Low Cost

Client need: I have a small budget for my print materials.

Sales pitch: We offer low prices for your printing needs.

CTA: Order print products that don’t break your budget.

Contributing tools: price-related offers, promotional newsletters

To do: research your competitors’ prices

Tip: If you’re looking for an outsource print partner who fulfills the expertise, quality, urgency, and low cost angles, check out SinaLite.

Handling Hesitation

If your client still seems hesitant, try these 4 steps:

1. Identify why they’re hesitating. Sometimes this could be a tangible reason like price or quality, but sometimes it could be something more psychological like lack of trust or familiarity.

E.g. “I don’t trust your print shop because it’s new.”

2. Address that particular issue by explaining how you can alleviate that concern.

E.g. “If you’re not satisfied, we’ll reprint it for free.”

3. Differentiate yourself by highlighting how or why you’ll be able to help them overcome this concern better than your competitors. Perhaps you have qualifications that your competitors don’t.

E.g. “We were the sole print provider for town’s charity event and they were very happy with our work.”

4. Remind them of the advantages of making a purchase now instead of later. Sometimes clients don’t realize the length of time it takes to print projects, so using a calendar to show them turnaround times could help speed up their decision to order.

E.g. “A lot of election signs are going up already. Let’s make sure we get yours out fast.”

After Making the Sale

It doesn’t end with your customer deciding to place an order. Now that they’ve made their decision, you have the opportunity to offer them more.

Upsell

Ask yourself: How can I meet this customer’s needs more completely?

Suggest upgrades and add-ons to your client’s purchases. A few approaches are:

  • “It only costs a little more.”
  • “This will make you stand out from the competition”
  • “A job worth doing is worth doing well.”

Cross-Sell

Ask yourself: How can I meet more of this customer’s needs?

Suggest other products and packages. Some approaches are:

  • “This will make your original product more effective.”
  • “Save when you purchase a package.”
  • “Save time so you don’t have to keep coming back.”

Final Tips

We’ll end off with some final suggestions to help you close the sale.

  • Starting from the first time you contact a prospect, always be moving towards closing the sale.
  • Show samples of your products, especially if you’ve printed election materials in the past.
  • Help them imagine new possibilities for when and where they can use print.
  • Focus on providing value, not just lowering the price.
  • Frame the products they want as products they need.

Conclusion

You’ve made it through Step 3 of our series. There’s only one more step left to maximizing print sales during election season. We’ll be discussing how to nurture repeat business. And of course, if you enjoy informative articles such as these, be sure to subscribe to Printer Success. 

Happy election print selling!

Haidan Dong

Content Strategist at SinaLite

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