Selling Boldly

19Transcript of Actual Customer Interviews

In my last book, The Revenue Growth Habit, I laid out what a sample conversation would sound like.

For this book, I got permission from a client to use transcripts from an actual conversation that I did with his customer. In this chapter, I give you excerpts from this customer interview. (Since my client granted permission, I will identify him, but I will protect his customer's privacy and not reveal her real name or the company name.)

The Customer

This customer is a product manager for a large packaging distributor.

Let's call her Jill.

Jill buys from my client, Artistic Carton, which makes cartons (but not corrugated boxes) for retailers—think the gift boxes you get when you buy clothing at the mall—and industrial applications like the carton that goes around an air filter. They print the cartons, stamp them, die‐cut them, and pretty much everything else. Artistic Carton is one of several hundred companies in North America that makes these kinds of cartons, but one of just five that owns its own paper mill. This means the other carton companies must buy their paper from suppliers, but Artistic is one of just five “integrated” companies that can make its own paper.

The owner of Artistic Carton, and my client, is Pete Traeger. I am working with him and all of his customer‐facing staff.

Reminder: This is a direct transcript of the call between me and the customer, Jill, about Pete's company, Artistic Carton. My comments are in italics ...