Don't Be Wary of the Data Center

Think of the data center and the people in it as your friends. Data centers are typically high-volume customers that consistently print the same types of jobs on the same stock. Much of the work typically processed through a data center are low-effort jobs compared to variable print-type work. Some might even say the typical jobs handled by the data center are tedious or unexciting, but even so, it's profitable if you can win the data center decision maker's confidence and get inside.

As other segments of the printing ecosystem have slowed down because of the COVID-19 pandemic, some data centers and transactional printers remain busy. There shouldn't be anything scary about a data center or the people employed there at all. Perhaps the most frightening thing about the data center is how much business you can get out of it once you have found a way in.

And selling to the data center enables you to go where many of your competitors who haven't overcome their fears won't.

Hide and Seek

One of the biggest challenges of selling to the data center centers on location, location, location. That means discovering which organizations have data centers, and which of those run the type of jobs that can be enhanced by the solutions you sell.

Data centers in hospitals, insurance firms, and banks continue to perform mission-critical printing during these uncertain times. These organizations and others often have data centers that print and mail transactional documents such as bills, forms, statements, marketing collateral, explanation of benefits, as well as paychecks, unemployment checks, first-responder materials, and other items.

Data centers are found in large companies and organizations that have high print and/or mail volumes, and print jobs that require rapid turnaround. Vertical market segments such as insurance, financial, healthcare, and government agencies are prime locations for a data center.

Of course, you don't have to travel into uncharted data center territory alone. Partnering with a solutions provider such as RSA can lighten your load and provide you with valuable guidance. Not only can a software provider such as RSA provide the workflow software to help the data center more efficiently process its jobs, but it can also provide technology recommendations.

Meet the Decision Maker

Who is the decision maker in the data center? That usually depends on its size. If it's a small data center, it could be anyone that works there. In a larger data center, a customer service rep may be your best bet. These individuals can provide you with insights into their workflow, challenges, and types of jobs produced.

Ask questions and get details. Find out if the customer is happy with their current provider, is the equipment satisfactory or is it always breaking down. Or maybe the equipment is fine, but service is subpar, or the sales rep never shows up until just before the lease is up. All these things should be part of your discovery process and provide compelling reasons for decision makers to hear you out.

Someone has to get in there and show they can do a better job. Why shouldn't that be you?

Fear of Change

If there's one characteristic common to those who work in a data center, it's that they don't like change. They prefer the familiar. Data center managers and employees are often hesitant to swap out technology and revamp processes out of fear that if they make a change, the technology or process won't work as it did before.  

That's a challenge, but also an opportunity. You need to get in front of the customer and show that you have the alternative for whatever they currently have. If you can convince the data center that a new workflow program or a new device will improve their workflow and processes, and once they purchase it from you and it's been installed, their inherent hesitancy to change is in your favor. If you can take care of them, they'll likely be your customer for a long, long time.