Money’s tight and your customers want to see some cost savings. So, how are you going to deliver the same high-quality printing services along with a few cost-cutting measures for your customers? The answer is options.
By providing your customer base with a few lower-priced options, you can save your clients – and your own company – money.
Offer a House Stock
Keep a house stock of paper. Buying in larger quantities will save you money and you can pass that on to your clients. Also, let your customers know that printing on standard stock and standard sizes are going to save them money.
Provide Ink Choices
You may want to offer greener printing choices, but if switching to “green” inks means raising your prices across the board, you may want to simply give your customers the option. They can choose “green” inks, but at a premium. Customers looking for environmentally-friendly printing options will appreciate the choice, as will those looking for cost savings.
Deeper Quantity Discounts
If you can afford it, cut some deeper quantity discounts. In this tight economy, you might encourage a few clients to dig deeper themselves for larger, more evergreen orders.
Submit a Quote with Options
I’ve got a friend who works for a printer that sends multiple quotes for the same job. They basically say this is how much it is with the embossed, glossy cover, but this is how much it will be with a plain, coated card stock cover.
So, instead of cutting themselves out of a bid by packing their quotes with high-end features, they offer a low-end option that gets them in the door. Guess what happens? A large portion of their clients end up choosing their higher-end options anyway.
Tell Your Customers How to Save
You’ve probably heard the term “value added” over and over, and are as sick of it as we are. But as overused as it is, this is where you can set yourself apart from your customers. Don’t just print whatever the client hands you, because they don’t always know what will be the most cost-effective, what problems they may have down the road, or whether they’ll even be happy with what they created. Give them some free consulting and add value to what you offer.
Send out a letter, give them a handout or put it in a newsletter, but tell your clients how they can save money on their print jobs. Give them tips about opting for standard sizes, planning ahead, choosing more “evergreen” designs or purchasing in bulk. Trust me, they’ll appreciate it and they may just repay your kindness with increased business.
Times are tough and we’re all having to fight a little harder for our sales, but by providing your print customers with cost savings options you’re setting yourself apart from the competition, especially in this economic climate.
