Sales Profile -
Calling on In-Plant Printers

At Hammermill, we are continually looking for ways to help merchant sales representatives increase their business. As the in-plant business continues to grow at a steady pace, we would like to share our knowledge of this market segment with you.

We designed this profile to illuminate what we’ve learned about in-plant printers, help identify sales opportunities in this area, and share marketing tools to assist with sales calls. It’s all part of our commitment to give you the information and resources you need in order to make successful calls!


Top Reasons In-Plant Printers Exist
Main reasons companies create/maintain in-plant printers

  • Lower cost
  • Confidentiality
  • Convenience/Service

Trends
Major issues affecting in-plant printers today

  • Outsourcing
  • New technology
    More digital printing and prepress.
    Variable data management/personalization.
    In-plants merging with MIS/data departments.
  • Changes in purchasing departments
    Purchasing will continue to centralize with purchasing or even IS depart-
    ments possibly controlling paper purchases.
  • Color printing
    On the rise. In-plants are receiving more color printing and color copying jobs.
    In-plants are acquiring more color copiers, scanners, and digital presses.
  • Offset printing
    Still preferred for long runs and high quality, but most four-color work is outsourced to commercial printers.
  • Marketing
    Many people within the company don’t know the in-plants exist, or what their capabilities are.

Profile
Inside the in-plant operation

  • Facts you may not know about the in-plant print shop
    Most in-plants are in schools and universities, government offices, and manufacturers.
    Most have between 10 and 50 employees.
  • Differences between the in-plant and the commercial printer

    In-plants
    • Not in business for themselves.
    • Emphasis is not on value-added grades; many want to use the lower cost paper.
    • Limited warehouse space.
    • May not realize the need to market themselves.
    Commercial printers
    • Sales and profit driven.
    • Value-added grades and services give competitive, quality edge.
    • Have warehouse space for paper and printed materials.
    • Very focused on providing services to customers.
    • Market themselves to maintain/grow business.
    How in-plants purchase paper*
    In-plant printers are the decision-makers.
    Most buy from merchants.
    Most receive product info through paper sales reps.
    Want current samples and swatch books.
    Equipment used, by rank*
    Offset presses
    Laser printers
    High-speed copiers
    Color copiers and inkjet printers

Obstacles facing the in-plant operation

  • Outside printers
    Many internal jobs still outsourced to commercial printers by management, purchasing, and marketing departments.
    Outside printers perceived as the better choice for high-profile work.
  • E-mail and electronic media
    Replacing hard copy.
  • Merging with Management Information Systems (MIS)
    Could mean staff reductions, loss of control, reorganization.
  • Lack of knowledge in new areas
    Data management/personalization
    Digital printing
    Internal self-promotion/marketing
    New software
  • Lack of competitive thinking
    Would benefit from:
    Establishing themselves as experts and sources of quality work.
    • Incorporating value-added services and papers.
    • Thinking of their clients as “customers.”
    • Promoting themselves internally
  • Pressure to adhere to or reduce a budget

Top Ways
A Merchant Rep Can Assist In-Plants

  • Go the extra mile: be available after hours, remember their birthdays, show them you’re thinking of them.
  • Keep in-plants informed of new products and provide samples. Offer paper education to in-plant staff, in-plant customers, and fellow employees. Share industry literature and magazine articles about commercial printers, equipment, and trends.
  • Be considerate of their time. Come back if they are busy.
  • Be cautious of gift limitations in the corporate environment. Ask what the rules are concerning gifts.
  • Ask for a tour of the company. Observe the number of high-speed copiers and laser printers you see. Find out who purchases paper for these.
  • Ask for a company phone book or directory so you can uncover and develop additional sales opportunities.
  • Provide quality service with fast response time so in-plants can service their customers better.
  • Conduct paper seminars and presentations for in-plants’ designers, and walk them through new products in person.
  • Consider offering to warehouse their paper purchases and ship when needed, since inventory space could be an issue.
  • Take an in-plant printer to a local IPMA meeting.
  • Keep them up-to-date with the latest swatch books.
  • Discuss how to use swatch books and samples to make recommendations to their customers and establish themselves as “experts.”
  • Provide paper samples in-plant printers can use to create and distribute their own demos.
  • Make sure they’re part of the Hammermill In-Plant Printers League.


Marketing opportunities for Hammermill merchants

Laser Print,

  • Black-and-white remains the workhorse of everyday communications, but:
  • Premium laser paper establishes the in-plant as a quality source for both everyday and high- profile work. Helps in-plant printers expand value beyond cost savings and convenience, and compete better with outside printers.
  • Hammermill laser papers offer:
  • 24, 28 & 32 lb. basis weights.
  • Excellent runnability for high-speed copiers.
  • Sharp graphics, high resolution, exceptional contrast, ultra smoothness.
  • Customers who print their own documents will feel and see the difference in quality.  
  • Color Copy Papers
  • Demand for color is on the rise; more documents contain graphics and
    photographs.
  • Hammermill Color Copy Paper gives the in-plant printer a competitive edge in quality:
    • Specially formulated to maximize color copier performance.
    • 32 lb. weight in Photo White offers added stiffness, durability, and opacity. It’s perfectly suited to meet the growing demand for two-sided printing.
    • Color Copy Cover offers the same great features of Color Copy Paper in 60 lb. 80, & 100 lb. basis weights.
    • Complete family of products for brochures, sales sheets, overhead presentations, graphs, and other graphic intense documents.
    • Customers will associate richer, sharper, more professional results with in-plant color copy jobs.
    •
  • Fore® MP
  • Colored papers are great tools for improving in house communications. Making colored paper recommendations expands the inplant’s role to that of “paper expert.” In-plants can use and recommend Hammermill Fore® MP for a wide range of applications, including:
    • Filing systems
    • Newsletters
    • Internal promotions
    • Phone lists
    • Vacation requests
    • Fax forms
    • Separating internal and external memos
  • Hammermill Fore® MP:
    • Popular, premier performer on high speed copiers and offset presses.
    • Easy to read, in 16 colors.

 
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