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Selling in a Land Down Under
April 23, 2008
I love Sydney. This is my third trip to Australia and it saddens me to see one of my favorite cities in the rear view mirror as my daughter and I make our way to Brisbane. So far I have spoken to roughly 100 printers in Melbourne (my presentation spot this past Monday) and Sydney. It has been interesting to hear of the differences between our respective marketplaces.
There are much less security issues here, as evidenced by the ease of which we made it through the airport security. Whereas in the States they check your DNA in a virtual strip search, in Australia we breezed through without so much as taking coins out of our pockets. This issue also held true in building security. Companies simply aren’t locking their front doors, allowing sales people to stroll in like it’s 1999. Interestingly, the Internet is expensive and guarded like a national secret. It takes a ten digit user name and a separate ten digit password to get on line at a hotel.
From a technology standpoint, I was amazed to learn that VDP lags behind the US. The printers I spoke to (and the vendors who sell to them) were struggling to understand the applications. This coming August there will be a second PODi conference sponsored by GASAA (pre press trade association) to help further along the issue. Ten years ago I was here and found this country to be well ahead of the US. Digital printing was well received and printers were accustomed to the issues and challenges. VDP, however, is a different story. I have yet to learn why.
Overall, Aussie printers face many of the same challenges. When I asked, “Why aren’t you selling more?” I heard similar challenges as their American counterparts, a key difference being voice mail. For the most part, they simply don’t have it here or if they do, it still gives you the option of going to a live person. That is not to say that they don’t have problems getting through to someone, it just means there are less technological barriers.
So, it’s off to Brisbane, then Fraser Island, Noosa, and back to Boston next Tuesday. I was invited back by some of the vendors. Kati wants to bring her sisters. We’ll see. I have already seen what it is like to spend time with a 17 year old girl after a 20 hour flight. I am not sure I want to see what it would be like with three teen aged girls!
Posted by Bill Farquharson on April 23, 2008 | Comments (0)
