7 Myths of Selling Print to Startups

When you are trying to sell print to a young, new company — especially a startup in the tech sector — you’ll have better luck if you set aside the myths and consider the facts.

MYTH #1: The founder is the decision maker.

FACT: When you look at the website for a startup (also known as a start-up or start up), you’ll probably see the founder listed first. However, you will climb the walls if you spend too much time courting the founder. Why? The founder developed the product or service that launched the company. Think of these people as inventors. They are very, very smart and have a vision, but they usually are obsessed with details that don’t involve marketing.

MYTH #2: There is a print buyer in the company.

FACT: You will have to be very creative to identify the print buyer. Statistically, someone on the team grew up loving print. The other people don’t care or don’t know. Find your advocates, and help them look good by bringing you in as a resource.

MYTH #3: Your best sales pitch will win the business.

FACT: Young people and startups can smell a pitch a mile away. You don’t want to go in selling. Your role is to help this company launch, and to show how print is going to make that happen successfully.

MYTH #4: Your print samples will open doors.

FACT: Have one and only one sample that’s your door opener. Don’t mail a manila envelope filled with stickers, coasters, pamphlets and business cards that say “John Doe of Anyplace, USA.” Busy people don’t want to connect the dots. Pick the most useful sample and send it with a personal note explaining why it’s relevant.

MYTH #5a: You will make a gazillion dollars.

FACT: Sure, you may end up being the printer of choice for a company like Apple, Microsoft or Facebook. More likely, you’ll experience higher levels of frustration with smaller financial rewards. However, you will probably meet many people who can open doors to new customers, and that’s key. If you become a trusted member of their team, you’ll meet angel investors, relatives, friends of relatives, mentors, the families of mentors, other vendors, and all the fans on social media, Kickstarter and at startup events. It’s like being at the quirkiest party ever, where everyone hugs you and says, “So YOU’RE the printer!” If you’re good at leveraging contacts and referrals, you will quickly meet many people —  young and not-so-young, rich and cash-starved — who know how to network effectively.

MYTH #5b: You will go broke working with a startup.

FACT: Never assume a start up is financially strapped or that the team members aren’t good business people. Set a fair price, establish consequences for non-payment, and collect promptly. If the startup is paying everyone with a credit card or PayPal, don’t be the one on the sidelines waiting for a check. Have agreements in writing. Run credit reports. Be smart.

MYTH #6: Startup teams are young, naive, and operate out of someone’s garage.

FACT: There are startup companies around you. Founders are everywhere. Maybe you’ll meet a former CEO who is forging out with the backing of investors. Or maybe there’s a team of people who met at their last job and now they’re developing products themselves. Perhaps one of your customers is spinning off a new company to prevent brand confusion, but there’s financial backing until the new company can operate on its own. Startups come in all shapes and sizes.

MYTH #7: Printers and designers have to be insanely creative to win a startup as a customer.

FACT: Sure, it helps to be highly creative and solutions-oriented. However, like the accountant, banker or other outside professionals helping a new company, you need to convey trustworthiness, stability, quality and usefulness. You may be serving many roles with your customer, and your reassuring presence and credibility are crucial if you are the one they turn to for answers.

If working with a startup sounds exciting, I encourage you to make the leap. Find a prospect, ask about their organizational chart, understand their company culture, learn how they define and measure success, get a feel for their timelines and benchmarks, and then prepare to work hard and help them achieve their goals. And when they hit it big, you can say, “I knew them when they were just starting up!”

Sandy Hubbard is a marketing strategist for printing companies. She builds marketing programs that can be sustained over the long haul, with affordable tools and your own people…and without stress! Find Sandy on Twitter at @sandyhubbard each Wednesday at 4 PM ET, assisting #PrintChat host Deborah Corn @PrintMediaCentr with a lively online discussion for printers and those who love print.