There comes a time when, in order to take your sales to the next level, you may need to take a risk and shift from selling entry to mid-range products, to selling high-end products. This is what Wisconsin-based Corporate Business Systems did and it led to 69% sales increase in the first three months of 2015.
When we caught up with Corporate Business Systems’ President, Mike Blake, he told us that, “Sometimes, taking a risk by focusing on high-end sales isn’t much of a risk after all.” Here is what Mike had to say about their approach and how they have managed to be so successful in such a short time.
Know where your growth will come from
“We took an active approach to the light production equipment,” said Mike. “We’ve had significant wins with the D Series, C series products, and the WorkCentre™ 7800 series too. We see this as a growth area for us and for Xerox.”
Define your ideal customer
When it comes to light production, the Corporate Business Systems team concentrates on corporate accounts with high demand for in-house printing rather than companies in a print-for-pay environment. Through that approach, they sold a number of $55,000+ deals in quick succession including deals with a local beer distributor and grocery distributor. Both now use Xerox D95s to print delivery tickets in-house.
High-end doesn’t always mean high complexity
“Embrace the light production equipment. Many dealers are afraid of it because it’s a higher end sale, but it’s not really more difficult than any other equipment sale.” Said Mike, “The reward from a service and profit standpoint are much greater with light production equipment.”
The three R’s to generating significant revenue
Mike also shared what he considered to be, fundamental keys, to generating significant revenue with Xerox:
Reputation
Corporate Business Systems is built upon a reputation for good service. It’s their top priority. Prioritizing the needs of the customer first is paramount in delivering good service. It is an important part of their sales process and brings in referral business.
Reliability
“The Xerox product has proven to be very reliable. We placed a Xerox Color C70 into a pharmacy association five months ago. 300,000 printed pages later, and we still have yet to receive a service call.” said, Mike. “Quality products make a huge difference in customer satisfaction.”
Corporate Business Systems has plenty of experiencing dealing with other manufactures’ products. The lack of reliability and common services issues often outweigh the benefits of the products themselves. Mike says, “It’s not like that with Xerox, with this partnership, the team leads with service and reliability and sales follow.”
Resources
Xerox reliability doesn’t end with the hardware. Mike mentioned that having a Xerox representative to assist before, during, and after sales calls helps close more deals and earn more business. And, Xerox seminar support and online marketing tools add value by helping them develop a digital presence in the community.
Build on what you already know
Ultimately, Corporate Business Systems took what they already knew worked and introduced higher-end equipment into their portfolio. They were laser-focused on targeting the right type of customer and utilizing all available vendor resources – and that included the vendor’s representative. This all adds up to a ‘winning formula that has set Corporate Business Systems on the road to remarkable growth.
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