In an age when competitive advantage is fleeting, brand differentiation should be the ultimate goal for printers, mailers and marketers. What many companies believe are efforts to differentiate are in reality, efforts to replicate. A quick look at your website and marketing collateral may confirm this. There is too much emphasis on teaching sales people to be good closers when in fact, being a great listener and having the ability to communicate are the most valuable sales traits. There is still a product mentality and that needs to change. Engage customers in conversations about their business and their challenges. Focus on understanding their needs rather than selling your products. Keep the conversations going with highly relevant marketing content. This applies to outbound and inbound marketing. Avoid the temptation to use generic content (replication). It's actually worse than doing nothing.Keep the focus on differentiating your brand and the sales rewards will follow.