At least 70% of being a great salesperson relies on the sales rep’s ability to ask relevant questions openly. If you are reading this, I assume you are considering purchasing a new copy system. During my seven years at two leading copier companies, I trained new sales apprentices in the fine art of asking all the right questions. It may help to have an idea of what your copier representative SHOULD ask you. To receive the most accurate sales solution for your business needs, be prepared to answer the following questions:
1. Can you take me on a tour of your facility so I can see your current equipment? (During the tour, the sales representative should note the model numbers, equipment accessories, location, and volume of copies.)
2. How many black and white copies do you make per month? Color copies? Is its volume seasonal or even throughout the year? Do you see any reason for its volume to increase or decrease over the next 2-3 years? (The volume is an indication of the speed and size of the equipment you need.)
3. How many black and white prints do you make per month? Color prints? Is its volume seasonal or even throughout the year? Do you see any reason for its volume to increase or decrease over the next 2-3 years? How many scans do you send and receive monthly? How many faxes do you send and receive monthly? (You are being asked this question because the digital imaging product line is now multifunctional and the systems can copy and print in monochrome and color, scan and fax. Providing you with an all-in-one system often leads to substantial cost savings) .
4. Do you currently outsource printing or copying jobs, particularly color copies and printing? (The rep wants to assess whether or not they can save you money by bringing any of those jobs in-house and completing the job on the new system.)
5. Are you currently renting your system? If so, from whom? When does your lease expire? What is your current payment? Want to return your current system to the leasing company when the new one arrives? Do you own your current system? Do you want a quote for a trade-in amount in the old system? (Lease purchases are tricky, and your representative wants to make sure you have the option to end your lease and return your current equipment. The representative doesn’t want any surprises if you expect a trade-in for your equipment, either.)
6. Do you have the following written information regarding your current lease: lease expiration date, purchase to return amount, purchase to keep amount, and return instructions for the equipment? (The representative wants to make sure you have everything in writing so that you can calculate the purchase of your current lease on the proposal of your new equipment.)
7. If you could change one thing about your current model, what would it be? If you could change one thing about your current provider, what would it be? (You can bet that the representative’s product and company will be featured to be everything you want and more.)
8. Do you want to buy or rent your new equipment? How much have you budgeted for this acquisition? (The representative wants to know if your cost expectations are reasonable. If you want to lease, the representative may not even show you the actual purchase amount. If you want to see the cash purchase amount, be sure to tell your representative I design it proposal accordingly.)
9. What are you looking for in a new supplier? (You want to know what criteria you will base your decision on.)
10. When do you want to install your new equipment? (You want to know how quickly you plan to make a decision and how high this acquisition is on your long list of priorities.)
If a digital imaging representative does not ask you some variation on these questions, you would seriously question the professionalism and thoroughness of the representative and the company they represent.