Sales Profile -
Calling on Office Supply Dealers
At Hammermill, we are constantly looking for ways to help merchant sales representatives increase their business. As resellers represent a huge market growth opportunity, we would like to share our knowledge of this market based on research* we have conducted. This is intended to help identify opportunities, provide tools for increasing sales of higher-margin papers, and identify market trends. It's all part of our commitment to give you the information and resources you need to increase your sales.
Contact your International Paper sales representative for more information on office supply dealers in your area.
Inside the Office Supply Dealer
- Staff
The average office supply dealer has 4 to 6 customer service representatives, and 3 to 5 sales representatives.
- Customers
Surveyed* office supply dealers report that they sell to: law firms (51%), health care providers (47%), manufacturers (46%), accounting firms (39%), civic/church/nonprofit groups (37%), retailers/wholesalers (36%), marketing/advertising agencies (35%), and architects (32%).
- Inventory
Paper:
- Copier paper (95%)
- Laser paper (85%)
- Fax paper (laser, 58%)
- Inkjet paper (58%)
- Letterhead/business cards (57%)
- Fax paper (inkjet)(51%)
- Photo paper (44%)
- Presentation paper (37%)
- Wide-format (18%)
More than half surveyed said commodity-grade paper makes up more than half of their sales.
Hammermill is the brand carried by most resellers (54%) and the brand mentioned most as the one sold.
- Customer Communication
Three-fourths of these resellers have a website, and three-fourths of the websites accept orders online.
Three-fourths of surveyed resellers distribute a catalog.
Industry Trends
Major issues affecting office supply dealers today
- Customer satisfaction
Resellers feel their success depends largely on establishing and maintaining strong customer relationships.
- Key challenges
Gaining revenue
Building profit
Effective advertising
Understanding new technology
Inventory management
Employee training/safety
Building customer relationships
Budgeting/forecasting
- Superstores
Biggest threats are the superstores.
- Color
Sales of both color laser printers and color multifunction copiers are growing tremendously.
Calling on Office Supply Dealers
How to market higher-margin papers
- What's on their mind
- Attracting new customers
- Getting current customers to buy larger quantities of paper
Most office supply dealers would rather focus on attracting new customers or increasing sales volume. So point out that selling current customers up to equipment-specialized papers is an easy way to boost their sales and profits.
In choosing paper brands, office supply dealers focus on price and quality.
- Obstacles
Two things keep customers from buying paper. One is paying higher prices. The other is being unaware of the benefits of equipment-specialized paper.
- How to reach them
Best way to contact office supply dealers is over the telephone and face to face.
- What they need
Office supply dealers would like to have more product information and samples to educate their customers about which papers to use for different purposes.
- What you can do
Give them what they want. Offer to meet with sales reps and customer service reps and do onsite product training. Ask your International Paper Sales Representative to join you. Be sure to take some of the tools listed on the next page.
Tools
Available Hammermill resources developed specifically for the office supply dealers, while supplies last:
- Tips and Tools Brochure
Brochure that explains how selling higher-quality papers can help raise profitability and make CSRs and sales reps more valuable to their customers.
- Samples and swatchbooks
Office supply dealers say they're important.
If you would like any of these tools, check with your sample room supervisor or call Hammermill Fulfillment Plus at (800) 892-5467.
Paper Education
How to help office supply dealers recognize opportunities
- How to sell equipment-specialized papers
Point out key industries that do large amounts of color imaging: law firms, architects, health care providers, marketing/advertising agencies, and accounting firms.
Share the knowledge of how paper contributes to higher quality and greater productivity. This can position you as a problem solver, a partner, and a consultant, which creates a more valuable relationship.
- Educate office supply dealers on ways to sell
Ask the customer what the paper will be used for: presentations, flyers, internal memos, notices, financial reports, and so on.
Help the customer match the right paper to the right machine.
Include samples of higher-grade papers with each office supply order delivered.
Hammermill Fore® MP
Colored papers are great tools for improving internal communications. Making colored paper recommendations expands the office supply dealer's role to that of "paper expert."
Hammermill Fore® MP brightens up ordinary printing tasks:
- Excellent for filing systems, newsletters, internal promotions, phone lists, vacation requests, and fax cover sheets.
A popular, premier performer on high speed copiers and offset presses.
Easy to read, in 16 colors.
Laser Print
Premium laser paper establishes your office supply dealer as a quality source of both everyday and high profile work.
Hammermill® Laser Print offers excellent runnability for high-speed copiers:
- 24, 28 & 32 lb. paperbasis weights.
- Sharp graphics, high resolution, and exceptional contrast.
- Ultra smoothness allows for 2,400 dots-per-inch resolution.
Color Copy Papers
The demand for color is on the rise; more documents contain color graphics and photographs.
Hammermill® Color Copy Paper maximizes color copier performance:
- 32 lb. weight in Photo White offers added stiffness, durability, and opacity.
- Color Copy Cover available in 60 lb. 80, and 100 lb. basis weights.
- Ultra-smooth, complete family of products for brochures, sales sheets, overhead presentations, graphs, and other graphic-intense documents.
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