Why People Hate Buying Copiers

In the song “these are a few of my favorite things” I have never heard “my copier” adlibbed in. Copiers are a necessary evil. Your office has to have a copier along with printers and they always seem to break at the worst possible moment. “Hey, copier! I have a proposal to do in fifteen minutes…..Can you go ahead and start making those folded-up paper fans?”

Buying a Copier Doesn't Have to be a Task

And then there is always the task of buying one. A bunch of salespeople having a mud fight. “Know what else is wrong with them?” I have always found it interesting that it is so common to find mudslinging in a competitive environment like copy machine sales. I learned early that people don’t like it. It is uncomfortable for the buyer and really doesn’t accomplish anything; at least anything positive. If they don’t like their current vendor, they don’t need me to tell them that, and if they do they probably don’t want to hear that they are demon spawn. If you have issues with your vendor I will listen and tell you if we can solve the issues, and if so, how.

Listen to Your Customer

That is why people hate buying copiers. I am in a Vistage group and did some business with a fellow member.  We went through the contract and he was surprised at the lack of “gotchas.” The vendor he was with had a lot of them. He told me “you know that people hate talking to you guys. You should start selling from the back of your contract.”

Be Transparent and be Relevant

This verified what I already knew. I tell reps that they really don’t need to convince anyone they need what we are selling, just that they should consider you. How do you do that?  Be transparent, be relevant, and listen to what the customer wants and then figure out the best possible way to deliver it.

Buying a copier doesn’t have to hurt. It doesn’t have to be a bloodbath and I promise you that we will not sit in your conference room and talk about everything wrong with the competition.

If you have experienced this; If you have been the buyer and your seller did nothing but tell you why NOT to buy from someone else rather than WHY to buy from them,  Meet with us. It really can be different.