Does your approach to sales need sprucing up? Does it perhaps suffer from a lack of sophistication?

I've been musing on this topic over the past week or so, having been in the audience at a couple of events where speakers raised this issue. At the BPIF's Finance & Investment conference Bill Joss, chairman of CATS Solutions, outlined a rather depressing sales scenario, thus: "Hear about job; quote job; win or lose job; move on; wait for next job to quote on."

He was of course using this as an example of where printing companies can go wrong, ending up in a wholly reactive position where price is the only differentiator. Bill's belief being that it's imperative for printers to find alternative sales models if they're to stop shooting themselves in the proverbial foot. "The client doesn't want the same pitch from the same supplier time and again, they want new approaches."

At the same event Paragon Group's Conor Donnelly spoke about the "absolute necessity" of being close to customers, in order to gain a genuine understanding about their sector and their problems. The big opportunity for Paragon lies in dishing up solutions to those problems that also relate to the group's own advantages. As approaches go it seems to working out well for them.

Last but not least, I felt rather uplifted earlier this week listening to Marianne Gaige speak as part of a customer panel when Xerox briefed the media on some of its Ipex plans. Gaige is president and chief executive at Cathedral Corporation, a high-volume mailing and transpromo specialist based in New York State.

Here's what she said: "We wrap our arms around our customers and become part of their solution. We are part of their growth rather than an expense item."

Being a valued partner has to be better than being a commoditised cost line.