Do you have a print sample kit? Some printers don’t… and even worse, very few companies look at the samples in their print sample kits. It doesn’t matter if you are a transaction provider or a commercial provider that prints bills, invoices, point-of-sale brochures, pitch books, or packages—you need print samples!
By developing print samples that pair the print solution with a functional story, you can differentiate yourself from your competitors. Furthermore, story-telling print samples give your sales reps stronger talking points when they are engaging with prospects and existing customers.
For transaction print providers, both in-plant and print-for-pay, developing a healthy print sample program gives you an opportunity to highlight what you can do with your devices. If you have a white paper factory and a full color press, develop samples that show full color images, marketing messages, and key information with colored text or boxed highlighting. TransPromo communications aren’t finished growing, and you can help your clients understand how to design for success.
Commercial print providers have the opportunity to show off their full range of print and finishing options. Give your existing clients a refresh on your capabilities and share ideas on how you can create unique products for them. If you have digital print capabilities, you can help them create highly segmented output that adds value to their marketing collateral or point-of-sale material. Whether you print wide format, letter/A4 flat, or folded and glued materials, you probably have more capabilities than your customers realize. Look for the value-added solutions that make you indispensable, then get examples into the hands of your sales teams and clients!
For book printers, consider the types of books you produce today and think about the added value of color, paper variations, cover variations, or personalization and customization. Even if you already do this work for customers today, it may not be in your sample kits. When you complete an amazing project, obtain your client’s permission to show off the work in sample kits or lobby displays. Highlight the range of your capabilities to increase share of wallet among your existing customers while also attracting new ones.
If you are a general-purpose commercial printer, demonstrate the wide range of print technologies, formats, and finishing options that you’re capable of producing. Consider building a project to show an entire campaign, perhaps for your own company, that uses every piece of technology. You might consider showcasing the same piece printed on different substrates to illustrate the role that paper can play and the appearance of a printed product.
Tips for Building Print Samples That Sell More Work:
No matter what type of printer you are, what type of customers you serve, or what technologies are in your print galaxy, print samples help your customers and the sales teams that serve them understand your true capabilities. They encourage your customers to think differently about the possibilities of printed communications. When used correctly, print samples can encourage business growth and also encourage long-term payoffs.
View Pat's additional blog to supplement her article
Pat McGrew is the Senior Director and Evangelist for the Production Software and Services team at Keypoint Intelligence / InfoTrends. As an analyst and industry educator, Pat works with InfoTrends customers and their clients to promote communication effectiveness and best practices. Her experience spans all customer communication channels, plus transaction print, data-driven, and production commercial print using offset, inkjet, and toner. Co-author of 8 industry books, editor of A Guide to the Electronic Document Body of Knowledge, and regular writer in the industry trade press, Pat won the 2014 #GirlsWhoPrint Girlie Award for dedication to education and communication in the industry, and the 2016 Brian Platte Lifetime Achievement Award from Xplor International. Find Pat on Twitter as @PatMcGrew and on LinkedIn.