When marketing business forms, working smarternot harder is a valuable philosophy
By Sharon R. Cole
Marketing products need not be a one-man show for distributors trying to propel sales.
Manufacturers offer techniques that make the marketing game a win-win situation for everyone involved and, according to Bob McAleavey, general manager, Specialized Printed Forms, Caledonia, N.Y., most manufacturers prefer to help distributors.
"It's a two-way street in this business. If a distributor is trying to increase sales on a product that we're manufacturing, then sign me up!" said McAleavey.
Conducting joint sales calls, working the trade show circuit and printing direct mail campaigns are a few ways Specialized Printed Forms has been able to assist its distributors.
McAleavey described the successful relationship he has formed with Wilfred Kolko, CEO, IF Business Forms, Rochester, N.Y. "When IF Business Forms' experienced distribution plans and skillful sales savvy combines with the technical creations of Specialized Printed Forms, the results are predictablean unbeatable team," he said.
Kolko agreed, noting that McAleavey has proven to be a great asset to his company by adding an extra dimension to the marketing of its products.
"I do a lot of four-color process work and a lot of distribution fulfillment for clients," said Kolko. "I trust in McAleavey's abilities so much that I have taken him on calls with me on the East and West coasts, not just around upstate New York."
Allowing the voice of the manufacturer and the distributor to be heard, said McAleavey, is key for meeting and exceeding a prospective buyer's expectations.
"Kolko brings sales savvy to the meeting and I field all of the technical questions. This way we are able to cover all the bases," he said.
Because the duo worked together to create a unique product, McAleavey said bringing it to the market was the fun part. In addition to sales calls, McAleavey said, "IF dropped hundreds of catalogs and went through a trade-show circuit to market to end-users.
"On my end, I handled direct mail campaigns and also went on a trade show circuitall the while pointing end-users toward IF Business Forms."
Typically, Specialized Printed Forms will send out about 2,000 mailers, including business reply cards, for a direct mail campaign, according to McAleavey. "If we're lucky we'll get an 8 percent response rate; if we're really lucky we'll get 10 percent or 11 percent," he said.
"The reality is that we are not good salespeople. Our job is about printing, so we would most likely end up in embarrassing situations if we were to drop the distributor," McAleavey added.
Additional marketing efforts that manufacturers offer to distributors take place in the classroom. Through training seminars and workshops, Tracy Dennis, sales manager for Transcontinental Printing, Newtown, Pa., said that distributors can gain a better understanding of the printing business while also learning about new products.
"We want to help our customers grow their business, so we welcome them to come tour our facilities, or we will go on-site to hold product training seminars," she explained.
Through these venues, distributors learn the ins and outs of business forms, direct marketing and commercial printing, as well as marketing tips.
"In addition to specific product training, we give our distributors ideas of where, why and how they can sell our products," said Dennis. As a result of additional education, she noted, many distributors have increased their sales and have been able to pursue new opportunities. "Distributors benefit because they learn about products that they may not currently be selling," she added.