The increasing demand for e-commerce, as well as the popularity of side hustles and social media trends, have been a major driving force behind Printful’s growth.

“Black Friday and Cyber Monday is our busiest time of the year. Each season, our customers—business owners around the globe—start preparing for the holidays earlier than the last. Their 2021 campaigns and efforts have paid off because, during the BFCM weekend alone, they generated more than $13 million in sales. I am proud to announce that, as a result, this has been our biggest peak season yet,” said Davis Siksnans, CEO & co-founder of Printful.

The company received almost 285,000 orders on BFCM 2021, and the overall best-selling Printful products this year were T-shirts and sweatshirts for the apparel category and mugs and posters for home and living.

Additionally, the company has expanded its operations in Mexico and opened a new facility in Dallas, Texas, as well as in the UK. An extended network of facilities allowed Printful to deliver orders to a total of 132 countries during BFCM. The highest sales still came from the US, with California, Texas and New York at the top of the list. Additionally, the company saw an increase in BFCM popularity in Canada, the UK and Germany.

It’s what you spend all day managing, coordinating, scheduling, and, I can imagine, much of the night dreaming about.

Yet, a recent online interview has an important message for most of us, certainly for those of you who live and breathe print as you run your professional print businesses.

It’s a simple one: don’t lose sight of what a wonderful communications medium print is.

It’s too easy, in the white heat of a typically busy day – taking, printing and fulfilling orders – to forget the importance of what you are doing. Take a step back and reflect on the fact that you are a vital cog in a chain that ultimately generates demand, new business, wealth and contentment.

The interview I referred to was between Ube Jelluma, MD of Print Power in Europe, an organization dedicated to evangelising the medium of print to brand owners and their agencies and Eef de Ridder, Ricoh Europe’s vice-president of Graphic Communications.

Ulbe showed Eef some fresh examples of print, drawing attention to how they met the needs of the brands behind them. A Nespresso DM piece and various supermarket magazines illustrated important points about personalization boosting effectiveness, and quick links to e-commerce platforms enabling print to become highly accountable.

The main, overriding point, though, was that print can be an outstandingly effective communication medium, a vital resource, especially when harnessed to digital marketing techniques.

We all would do well to remember and cherish this thought, and proudly spread the message at every opportunity.

John Blyth is marketing and communications manager, Graphic Communications Group, Ricoh Europe.

Today, Gord and Alisa are proud members of the Minuteman Press International President’s Million-Dollar Circle for achieving yearly gross sales of at least $1 million. This is impressive since they achieved record sales for their 23-year business despite the initial challenges of lockdowns last year.

“It means a lot to us that we have been able to grow our business to this level. We had a significant dip in sales for a while in 2020 when the pandemic first hit, but were able to recoup and exceed those losses by the end of the year. Two things were key in this: Our great staff and the excellent position the franchise support from Minuteman Press International has put us in to help us adapt and grow,” explains Gord.

He also credits the renewed support and solidarity among the small business community for being able to grow during the pandemic.

Gord says, “There is just this sense of all of us helping each other out. At the beginning of the pandemic, we kept promoting ourselves as essential, reminding clients that we are still open and here to help. We made sure to let them know of our delivery and curbside pickup options, and we established a strong rapport by promoting and shopping local with other small businesses.”

Minuteman Press in Chilliwack has been operating since 1998 and was first operated by Alisa’s father Henry. Gord and Alisa officially took over the business when Henry retired in 2016. The community ties they have built as a family business for 23 years have also been a huge help to continuing to thrive despite the pandemic. “Things have come full circle for Alisa, and I am so happy that we are still standing strong as a business and as a community, as we emerge from this together.”

The Minuteman Press in Chilliwack, B.C., credits its staff and the support from Minuteman Press International for successful print sales.

Print is essential

Two of the biggest keys to growth for Gord and Alisa are that print is an essential industry and that Minuteman Press in Chilliwack listens to their clients and fulfils their printing and marketing needs. Gord says, “Client responses have been overwhelmingly positive. We accommodate rush orders due to ever-changing government COVID-19 policies, we have an excellent and fast graphic designer who has a pulse for what our clients need, and we try our best to design and print pretty much anything.”

He continues, “For example, we have received high-demand for floor/window decals and signs from all kinds of businesses, as well as disposable and takeout menus from restaurants. As we got closer to Christmas, we saw increased demand for promotional items, particularly custom branded apparel. A lot of companies wanted to do something extra for their employees and we had the services already in place to help in this regard.”

Print has also been vital to helping the community celebrate different milestones when physical gatherings have been limited. Gord says, “We put a lot of effort into a campaign to print personalized grad signs for kids who didn’t get to have a graduation (including our own daughter). The response was phenomenal! While each sign was custom and the whole project was time consuming, it brought many people to our shop that have never interacted with us before. It also promoted the ‘all in this together’ feeling that our community really needed at the time.”

Another way Minuteman Press in Chilliwack has been helping clients stay connected with their potential customers is through their direct mail services. Gord says, “We offer all types of marketing services including mailing, which we are doing more now than ever before. We also take a cross-media marketing approach to promote our own business, which is something we can help our clients do. We participate in the Minuteman Press International Internet Marketing program and have focused on increasing Google reviews for our business by simply asking our customers to review their experience with us.”

Gord adds, “People come to us with a problem and we have the solutions waiting for them. The printing industry in general loves to help out others, even if it means staying late or coming in early to complete the order on time. We are also in a unique position, providing mostly to the business community. We have been able to use our social media accounts to promote other local businesses by highlighting the printing we do for them, which is just one example of how we take a cross-media approach to marketing.”

The Minuteman Press in Chilliwack achieved more than $1 million in sales in 2020.

Taking over the family business

Prior to buying the family business with Alisa in 2016, Gord was no stranger to the concept due to his previous employer. He explains, “I worked in a family-owned and operated automotive supply store for 22 years, starting while in high school. I held various roles over the years from delivery driver, shipper/receiver, parts person and eventually operations manager. I chose Minuteman Press in 2016 when my father-in-law Henry was about to retire. I was always somewhat intrigued about the industry and Alisa did work with him for the first few years until we began having children. We are happy with our decision and to continue the family tradition that Henry and Alisa started in 1998.”

Gord is also happy with the ongoing local support provided by Minuteman Press International.

He says, “The support from Minuteman Press has been great both locally and from world HQ. They have provided a lot of useful tools and tips to help us through the government restrictions. Being part of the franchise family allowed us to build on each other’s creative sales and marketing ideas.”

“I’d like to congratulate Gord and Alisa on all of their well-earned success over the years including their impressive growth during the pandemic. They truly care about their community and show it by supporting other local businesses. Gord and Alisa have followed the Minuteman Press franchise system and have successfully adapted to meet the needs of their clients as businesses continue to reopen,” says Neil MacLeod, Minuteman Press International regional vice-president, Western Canada.

Advice for local businesses

As he looks back on his decision to become a business owner, Gord says, “Owning my own business is hard work but it is satisfying to see the results. Previously, I worked hard for another company putting in long hours and caring deeply—now the hard work I put in is for something that is mine and for my family’s future. It is also rewarding to build relationships with other business owners through local organizations such as BNI.”

When asked what local businesses can do right now, Gord answers, “Local businesses would do well to focus on maintaining fantastic customer relationships. This can lead to bigger things later on. As restrictions are lifted in time, things will likely be a lot busier for most people and the time to prepare for that is right now.” He concludes, “Focus on being positive and diversify your offerings as much as you can. Keep your customers happy and continue to build credibility in the market.”

This article originally appeared in the October 2021 issue of PrintAction.

The collaboration with POA will increase accessibility of Kodak’s leading digital print equipment including Kodak Nexfinity and Kodak Prosper presses to U.S.-based customers.

“As digital print continues to gain momentum, we are excited to be working with POA to make Kodak’s highly versatile and efficient digital print solutions even more accessible,” said Jeff Perkins, U.S. VP-digital print, Eastman Kodak Company. “Our collaboration with POA will help organizations seize new opportunities with digital print to optimize their businesses and increase profitability.”

“Pacific Office Automation looks forward to our relationship with Kodak,” said Doug Pitassi, president, POA. “The technology they provide fills a demand that we know will satisfy our current customers and the new ones that we acquire. We look forward to a great future.”

Reasons for increases

There are several reasons for price hikes. There were few or no increases since 2018. Also, for the first three quarters of 2020, the demand for printing and copy paper grades evaporated due to the pandemic. During that time, North American mills removed capacity by more than 20 per cent, and converted offset and copy paper grade equipment to more profitable grades.

In 2021, Asian paper export supply reduced, as shipments were routed to meet Chinese demand. To complicate matters, a shortage of shipping containers raised costs.

North American and European mills have been at the end of their financial ropes for many years. Due to a tight supply situation, mills had to raise prices.

Customer perspective

It is true customers are reluctant to accept price increases. In some cases, they threaten to pull out work if the printer insists on passing on the cost.

Further, terms and conditions (T&C) of sale can be unclear. Quotations need to include T&C clearly identifying that the quoted prices are only valid for 30 days and they are based on the cost of materials at the time of estimate. The printer has the right to pass on cost adjustments that happen up to the time of the order. However, it becomes the printer’s responsibility to confirm and lock in the paper price promptly after receiving order confirmation.

Print contracts limit the ability to raise prices. As a buyer, we include appropriate material escalation clauses in our contracts. The clauses indicate that all price increases must have documents to validate, plus an accounting for the effect of the material increase on the total cost of the work. For example, if paper represents 50 per cent of the cost of the order, then a 2.5 per cent cost increase was acceptable within the contract terms.

Most commercial print jobs are not tied to binding contracts. Also, printers suffer from a market base that is notorious for slow payments. Printers have to deal with collecting money on a timely basis. This puts the viability of many printers at risk.

Many businesses operate with budgets, which cannot be changed in the middle of the year. If the printed product is to be re-sold, buyers may not have the ability to pass on cost increases to their customers. However, some customers do pass on 100 per cent of the printed product cost to clients. In such cases, it is advisable to negotiate an arrangement where legitimate, documented increases would be paid through another channel, subject to contract T&C.

Fair dealings

So, how do you fairly deal with this issue? Ensure estimates include current T&C that accurately and fairly address material cost hikes.

Keep a close eye on material prices when customers accept your quotes and act promptly to secure material. If prices increase, then have an honest discussion with the customer to negotiate adjustments.

Understand the customer’s perspective, and try to get past people who are unwilling to be flexible.

When entering into fixed price agreements for printed goods, ensure there is a paper or material escalation clause.

Offer alternatives to price increases, such as reducing paper grade or run length or making other changes that bring down the cost so as to offset material price hikes.

Good luck with your efforts. Also, if you want to be treated fairly, you must treat your customers and suppliers in the same way.

Bob Dale and Frank Kerr are with Connecting for Results Inc. They can be reached via email at info@connectingforresults.com.

This article originally appeared in the June 2021 issue of PrintAction.

He acknowledges that this past year has been challenging for everyone, both professionally and personally.

“It is true we have incurred material and freight cost increases; however we have also benefitted from a strong Canadian dollar. During these last 18 months we have also worked extremely hard on our internal processes to ensure maximum efficiency and lowering our overhead costs as much as possible in-order to ensure that we can hold our prices and continue to provide you value and save you money,” says Westgate.

He continues, “To our loyal customers, we thank you for your business over the years and look forward to continuing to work with you. To our new customers we look forward to proving our value to you and providing you the best means possible to grow your businesses.”

With more than 25 years of successful experience in international print applications, Nagle’s strengths are in business development, flexographic equipment, digital print technologies, digital prepress, pressroom troubleshooting, account transition, operator training, product development, colour control and new applications development.

“I have visited over 1000 pressrooms around the world,” said Nagle. “My process experience and print knowledge is finely tuned. I look forward to helping MPS customers run highly productive printing businesses.”

Nagle also has in-depth knowledge and experience in the different kinds of ink used with flexo, screen, letterpress, offset and gravure. He is also an active contributor to many industry associations, including TLMI, FINAT and FTA, where he is a board member.

“Keith is very passionate about print and brings along broad industry experiences and an outstanding industry reputation to the MPS team,” saidHarm-Jan de Jong, vice-president of MPS Systems North America. “We are happy to have Keith on board and wish him all the best at MPS.”

“We are pleased to strengthen our One Kodak vision and the presence of our print solutions in the Western Canadian commercial print market through this new distribution agreement,” said Jeffrey Zellmer, VP global sales, Eastman Kodak Company. “Our collaboration with West World Paper will help more Western Canadian printers integrate the highest quality production technologies into their operations while receiving exceptional support and services from Kodak’s dedicated Canadian service teams. Further, this new partnership will reinforce Kodak’s commitment to the Canadian market and the exceptional clients we serve.”

WWP is headquartered in Coquitlam, B.C., and has an additional facility in Calgary, Alta., to support its diverse customer base. It offers a range of printing paper products to the local markets and will now expand its portfolio by distributing Kodak solutions.

“Our vast sales experience and in-depth knowledge of the local print market will help us to offer commercial printers the innovative Kodak solutions that best meet their individual needs,” said Kevin Burden and Shawn Leach, owners of West World Paper. “Our partnership with Kodak represents a significant milestone for West World Paper, as we are determined to develop our portfolio of products and services in the commercial print market to serve our clients and help them grow their businesses. We are delighted to be adding the end-to-end solutions from Kodak to our portfolio range and look forward to working closely with the local Kodak teams to expand Kodak’s coverage in the Western Canadian marketplace.”

West World Paper will start selling Kodak’s portfolio in their markets from July 1, 2021.

“Our executive leadership team is thrilled to have Willis join our company. His extensive, 20 years of inkjet experience will help drive Iimak’s continued growth and success in developing aqueous-based inkjet ink solutions for many OEM printer companies,” says Steve Emery, SVP of digital inks.

As a Kentucky native, Reese graduated from Murray State University with a bachelor’s degree in printing management/graphic arts.

Starting his career at Sun Chemical, most of his work focused on the traditional packaging ink and printing market, developing and selling the first four-colour paper towel and napkin inks. Reese has been in the digital ink and coatings business since 2006, making his mark at companies, such as Noveon, Hexion, INX, and DyStar.

EFI will be implementing the price changes, which will apply to inks, supplies and printer parts across EFI’s VUTEk, wide-format, Reggiani, Cretaprint, Nozomi and Cubik product lines, as of July 1, 2021.

Price increases will vary by product; EFI will be communicating specific increases directly to customers and channel partners.

“Since the beginning of the pandemic, EFI has worked diligently to solidify our supply chains and maintain the best quality and consistency available with all of our inkjet products,” said Scott Schinlever, COO, EFI Inkjet. “While we have taken consequential action to contain costs, lingering market challenges have led to a price adjustment needed to ensure continued, uninterrupted supply to our global customer base.”

Raw material shortages are an ongoing concern for Sun, and the competition to secure these scarce resources has accelerated the cost increases within a majority of Sun Chemical’s raw material categories. Further, international and domestic logistics costs have soared too.

“The dynamics within the ink market are unprecedented,” said Chris Parrilli, president of North American Inks, Sun Chemical. “The lingering effects of the Texas weather event and the international logistics challenges coupled with the ongoing impacts of the COVID pandemic are all significantly impacting our operations. Sun Chemical’s primary objective is to keep our customers supplied with the products and services they need to meet their business objectives. In order to achieve that goal, we have taken all necessary steps to secure raw materials and transportation inclusive of absorbing higher costs. We are committed to mitigating costs whenever possible, however, the speed of the inflationary pressures necessitates we implement price increases in the market.”

“The price adjustment comes in an environment of increasingly scarce resources and is a necessary step to enable us to continue offering our customers the quality, customized solutions and reliable service they expect from us,” says Ralf Sammeck, executive board member at Koenig & Bauer. “The global challenges facing the industry would have to be mastered together in order to maintain our innovative strength.”

“The current price development of raw materials shows an unprecedented upward momentum,” said Rainer Hundsdörfer, CEO of the company. “Primarily due to the high demand from China as well as the global megatopic of electromobility, procurement costs have risen significantly in the short term. In recent months we have exhausted all possibilities to avoid an imminent price increase. We want to grow together with our customers and continue to be a reliable partner to them in a changing market environment. The moderate price increase that is now necessary will allow us to further expand our innovation leadership, and is therefore also an investment in the future.”

Canon also led the continuous feed inkjet market share category with 35 per cent of installations largely due to the success of the ColorStream series. Now in its third generation, ColorStream has been installed  in 1500 locations.

“At Canon, we are focused on investing in our production inkjet product portfolio to offer our customers solutions that help them to improve efficiencies, expand their application possibilities, meet customer demands, and grow their business,” said Francis A. McMahon, executive vice-president, production print solutions, Canon Solutions America, Inc.

Paul Aliprando, vice-president, digital technologies, at SUN Automation Group said, “We are excited to be adding the Highcon digital converting systems to our extensive range of innovative equipment for corrugated box plants with the aim of increasing production, efficiency and profitability.”

As the world starts to emerge from the effects of the pandemic, Highcon is taking steps like the above to expand its ongoing investment and commitment in North America.

According to a press release, Highcon has doubled its headcount in North America during the first four months of 2021. It has expanded its sales, support and customer success teams to take advantage of the growth in the folding carton and corrugated packaging and display markets.

The six-week course is a high-impact sales coaching program for companies and professionals in the printing industry who need to learn or refresh their sales performance and expertise. The class begins May 19, 2021, and runs through June 23 with one live session per week.

Participants can also opt to include customized one-on-one sales coaching to complement the virtual class sessions.

“Master the Art of Selling” includes weekly live classes and coaching option with Leslie Groene, president, Groene Consulting.

The registration fee is $399 for APTech members and $499 for non-members for the full six-week master class. A discount is also available for multiple class seats for people from the same company. Inquire with Julie Shaffer about this offer.

To register for the course, visit https://www.bigmarker.com/series/aptech-master-art-of-selling/series_summit.

“We are seeing continuous growth in the number of wallpaper printers and large-format print service providers looking at the market for custom wallcoverings,” explained Dimitri Van Gaever, market segment director for graphic arts. “Adjacent businesses such as architects, interior designers, retailers, and in-store communication professionals also are looking for creative ideas and want to explore the possibilities of digital printing. During the last few years this market has experienced a fast moving transformation, and this evolution has actually accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, our first virtual showroom contains our wall decoration suite and is designed to ‘bridge the gap,’ connecting the physical world to the virtual world. We’re very excited to let everyone discover our solutions 24/7 at their own convenience, no matter where they are on the globe.”

Implementing a new ERP system is one of the most challenging and disruptive changes that can be done. If it is not done right, it can have a devastating impact.

Change management is a science and requires dedicated effort and experienced project management disciplines in order to be successful. It is the process, tools and techniques to manage the people side of change that achieves the required business outcome. Today, we want to focus on one company that has successfully implemented a new ERP system.

Leadership – Hands-on approach

Richard Kouwenhoven is president and COO of Hemlock Printers in Burnaby, BC. Based on some points made at a recent Industry Leaders forum, here are some insights he shared during a recent interview.

In 2016, Hemlock identified the need for a new ERP system and had a number of specific requirements. One area of focus was the effective use of data to empower the business development efforts of the company’s sales team. In Richard’s words, he wanted to, “expand their role from hunter-gatherer to services provider.” After looking at a number of options, they realized they needed to focus on the reporting power of an ERP system. Given the rapid changes in technology and software, they believed they could empower people to use the new tools they were acquiring.

Their technology focus led them to a new ERP system, which had to meet several criteria, the most important being ease of use and the utility of the reports to the employees.

Leadership – Empower your employees

Since it was an ERP, it had to have connectivity across all processes, integrate all applications end to end and help transition to a more participative culture. As a result, with tools that empower the employees, performance management is quite different with such a system in place.

With the transition affecting everyone, the impact on people needed to be the key focus, not the technology and equipment. Richard ensured everyone understood why the change was necessary and the benefits from all perspectives.

The senior management team invested a significant amount of time into the process. Similarly, they asked their employees to commit to learning and using the tools. With younger employees, the need to share goals and involve the team early on was apparent. Whether it was one-on-one or in town hall meetings, personal, interpersonal and formal means were used to manage through the changes.

What are the notable differences? On the employee side, personal growth has expanded. Everyone participates in strategic goal setting and the reports available online give them real-time access to their status and much greater visibility into what’s going on throughout various departments.

The sales staff now have relevant data on prospects and clients, sophisticated reports with real time charts and diagrams. Simpler jobs can be estimated by the sales staff, providing faster customer response, and freeing up the estimators to focus on more complex projects.

A word of caution to those who make major change initiatives: focus on the people side of change, and ensure that the leadership team remains involved. We wish you continued success!

Bob Dale and Gary Forget are with Connecting for Results Inc. Their focus is to facilitate mergers and acquisitions that maximize results for all parties, and provide recruitment and consulting services. They can be contacted at info@connectingforresults.com or visit https://connectingforresults.com.

This article was originally published in the November 2020 issue of PrintAction.

Many clients are still very cautious about spending marketing dollars when they know that without a doubt, they must. They are looking for creative communication leadership and advice from their best partners, you. We are at least six months into this current crisis and must continue to adapt our business strategies and tactics to suit our clients’ changing needs. Printers need to move beyond social distancing stickers; we need to solve our client’s biggest question: “How do I stay front of mind for my best clients?”

Your response should be an emphatic, “I’m the one who can help you keep your momentum going, adjust your marketing tactics, get personal, and not disappear from your client’s minds!”

Digital first communication

We have all adapted to a world of digital first communication remarkably well in a short period of time. We’re all attending meetings and conferences by Zoom, our electronic outbound marketing (a whole separate conversation) and social media presence has grown exponentially, websites are more important, we are cooking more, drinking more, writing more. So why aren’t we printing more?

Before you help your clients, let’s make sure your own house is in order:

• Are your services as relevant today as they were six months ago?
• Do you provide transactional print, or do you solve your client’s communication problems?
• How easily can new prospects find your website in today’s SEO-optimized world?
• What non-traditional communication services have you added to your core competencies: design, websites, storefronts, fulfillment, packaging, promotional items?
• How do you change your traditional print service model into print communication services that align with a digital first communication strategy?

Digital first communication strategies have exploded and are exceptionally powerful, however, have you noticed the signs of digital fatigue settling in? Print can play an incredibly powerful supporting role to strengthen any digital campaign. Now is the time to have conversations about (re)introducing direct mail into your client’s digital strategy. It’s been proven time and again; the more senses you touch, users experience increased emotional engagement and stronger brand recall. When digital strategies overlap with intelligently planned, well-designed print, impressions stick.

Few people have paid attention to the fact that this recent sharp increase in online advertising is creating huge competition for paid ad word campaigns, causing many common cost-per-click search terms to increase dramatically, which really only benefits Google. All of a sudden, a $2 targeted direct mail unit cost is looking a lot sexier than a $5-per-click digital ad spend.

With this in mind, I’m shocked at how few direct mail pieces have come through my mail slot these past few months, as we now have an audience looking for thoughtful, well designed, tactile stimulation to cut through the digital noise.

Let’s make sure we understand what direct mail is, and better yet, what its potential is.

What is direct mail?

Most people, even many printers, think of ‘direct mail’ as the realtor’s postcard, pizza flyers, restaurant menus or the latest internet service offer that flops through the mail slot. The belief is that ultimately, direct mail is encouraging the reader to visit a website or store, but direct mail is so much more than that.

Work with your client to define who you are targeting:

Target Geography – cover specific geographic areas using specified postal walks, typically created with Canada Post’s Precision targeting tools drawing a defined radius around a business to create broad reach B-C campaigns. Otherwise known as ‘spray and pray’. This works effectively for your local pizza joint, new local businesses in the area, or the latest internet service provider offer.

Target Demographics – we can refine our market audience using 14 demographic categories based on driving distance from your business, household age and income, as well as the type of residence by house, apartment or business. This is great for real estate, senior living services, and home maintenance services.

Target your clients’ Contact Relationship Management (CRM) data – this is free and readily available information to leverage. In a digital first strategy, it’s likely your client has their list finely tuned and can provide it to you. CRMs contain past, current and prospective clients. This can narrow down the search for Business to Business communication. The challenge is ensuring the information is up to date. This can require a little work on your client’s part but honestly, this is their lifeblood and should be well maintained (so should yours!).

Target purchased lists – partner with your local mail shop or list broker to access refined demographic lists targeting your specific prospects. Be sure that you have an appropriate budget and the lists are valid and up to date; you’ll still need to scrub for accuracy. In today’s pandemic environment, even list brokers are scrambling to ensure their information is accurate with so many jobs paused, moved or lost.

Target influencers – Influencer kits are your laser targeted sales tool. These must be designed to appeal to a small audience that holds great social power within a very specific market segment. Who are influencers in your business? They are thought leaders who act as megaphones, spreading brand messages to potential customers. An influencer endorsement means that prospective buyers are more likely to be receptive to your brand message. This is where you show true power in print customization. Playful, exciting and Instagram-worthy, influencer kits present a product like a gift, rather than an envelope.

Here are a few statistics we know about direct mail (according to Canada Post):

• 74 per cent of Canadian consumers always or sometimes notice advertising in direct mail.
• 86 per cent of Canadian consumers open mail that’s personally addressed to them.
• Integrated direct mail and digital campaigns elicit 39 per cent more attention (time spent) than digital campaigns alone.

No doubt, these are difficult times to navigate a business. It is our job as professional communicators to guide our client’s message to market. Do not be excluded from a digital first conversation. Do not let your clients go quiet and disappear. Use your knowledge and know-how to help your clients keep their momentum going, get personal, shift tactics and get noisy.

Scott Gray is vice president of sales and marketing at Mitchell Press in Burnaby, BC. At the forefront of print communication technology through his 30+ year career, Scott is an avid lover of communication design and branding. His efforts have been credited with over twenty Benjamin Franklin Awards for offset and digital print. He has fostered the brand stories of two of Canada’s premier commercial printers, resulting in international recognition and growth in new markets. Scott is a community advocate and mentor for marketing students on the power of print and new media. www.mitchellpress.com

This article was originally published in the October 2020 issue of PrintAction.

The challenge of building sales is the number one issue reported by most printers. While some segments have fared better than others, most commercial printers have experienced a serious decline in sales. One method to grow sales includes acquisition, but challenges increase with reduced access to capital and higher risks of retaining the sales from the acquired company, and the fact that many owners are at a stage of life where they do not want to risk hard earned capital with retirement on the horizon.

Organic growth (Build)

There have been many articles and blogs written on how to build sales organically with many common messages – communicate, differentiate, prospect, diversify and avoid discounting!

The reality is much more complex and difficult. Pre-COVID-19, many companies needed to secure 10 to 20 per cent new sales every year just to remain even, due to issues like not repeating some print projects annually, decreasing quantities and customer churn in today’s market.

Compound this with a recent study by Gartner Inc. of marketing budgets and spending in North America and Europe that indicated that 44 per cent of chief marketing officers will cut budgets in 2020. The transition to ecommerce has accelerated to the extent that McKinsey recently reported that the transition to online channels has experienced 10 years of growth in three months! Remaining marketing spend will continue to shift to digital and shorter runs, especially with the quickly changing messaging due to current uncertainties.

With the onset of COVID-19, many companies were able to quickly adjust their variable costs (labour, consumables, etc.), delay investments and access government support. However, the new reality is that there are fewer print opportunities available, and often the work that replaces work lost is at a lower margin. Printers will need to take decisive action. Here are a few options that you can consider.

Contraction (Purge)

If you have already cut variable costs, now may be the time to reduce fixed costs, which may be far more difficult. Some full-time staff positions can be replaced with part time or contractors. Extra space can be sublet or disposed of, like warehousing or that space you had available for the new press that was put on hold. Sell underutilized equipment and outsource to a trade service when the need arises.

Sell the business (Purge)

It is better to sell an operating business than deal with forced closure. A business is like the stock market; is the value going up or down? Can you improve the short-term financial picture with minimal investment? Engaging a third party that sees your business from a different perspective would give an unbiased review of your present value.

Close the business (Purge)

If you own the building, the decision may be easier, as you will likely have access to the funds necessary to avoid personal liability. Few owners who can afford to pay off suppliers and employee severance will choose this option. They would want to capitalize on their investment, which may include unrealized value with their customer base.

Combine businesses (Merge)

The old expression “two heads may be better than one” can also apply to mergers. A company with $10 million in sales may have similar overheads as a company with $20 million! Mergers can spread the fixed costs over greater sales, however the integration will be the key challenge. Many mergers do not achieve the planned benefits because the process is complex and may not be managed well.

Find strategic partners (Merge)

Competitors may not be the enemy and consideration of going to market together could be advantageous if there is an increased product offering to a larger prospect or customer base. Is there a successful print broker or customer who may want to invest in your business in exchange for some equity? Consider increasing some of your product offering with a strategic partner who has a non-competitive product offering. A commercial or digital printer can offer labels from a specialist, especially with digital storefront channels.

Outsource the business (Purge)

In the past, some printers may have increased success by consolidating business offerings under one roof. With current market conditions, expansion may be too risky, so it may be more appropriate to outsource production aspects instead of investing in new equipment.

Change direction (Build)

Many printers believe the fastest way to grow is through acquisition, however another approach is to capitalize and improve your sales effectiveness through education, technology and management support.

Reflect on your current situation and consider these suggestions. The key message is to focus on work that has a sustainable margin.

Bob Dale and Gord Griffiths are partners in Connecting for Results Inc. Their focus is to facilitate mergers and acquisitions that maximize results for all parties, and provide recruitment and consulting services. Both Bob and Gord have many years of experience, with Gord holding positions as the president of Quebecor Canada, and COO of Cenveo. Bob has over 15 years experience offering management consulting services, transition execution and support. Over the past 14 years, he was employed by RBC
 as a specialist to lead national and international efforts for effective print management. They can be contacted at info@connectingforresults.com or visit
https://connectingforresults.com.

This article was originally published in the October 2020 issue of PrintAction.

I was on the buyers’ side for the last 15 years and remember during a competitive bid for a tender, one supplier quoted almost 50 per cent of the current price. As a former printer, I advised our procurement team that this was not possible without any major technology, production or material changes, and actually had to convince the printer that this was not possible. I had the printer prepare an invoice for some specific orders and he realized his mistake and the quote was corrected.

There are not many buyers who would do this, but I needed to ensure my company would have a sustainable supply for this printed product, and I was interested in a long-term relationship, instead of short-term savings.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in less work in some segments, and some printers are getting desperate to get whatever work is available. Desperation pricing will not help; not only does it harm your bottom line, but it also harms your staff, suppliers and the industry! If you are operating a lean organization, selling below cost and not costing the work properly will speed up your demise.

You may win the job, but it does not win the customer

Customers who award the job to you only because you have the lowest price may abandon you when you quote work at true cost or, heaven forbid, try to recover previous losses, because your relationship is based on low cost only. Earn the respect of the client and bring more to the relationship than low prices.

Printers need to focus on value-added services instead of selling on price. This requires a consultative sales approach – understand full supply chain and product life cycle to explore opportunities to reduce costs to win the client! But that discussion is for another day.

For those printers that think that the temporary Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS) program enables printers to lower their prices, that is a quick way to bankruptcy. To be eligible, your company has experienced a defined loss of revenue, which also means your utilization rate has declined. As your utilization rate decreases your true cost increases, since you now need more revenue to cover your fixed costs that are amortized in your Budgeted Hourly Rate (BHR). On paper, accounts would say that you need to increase your BHR, but in today’s competitive market that would be a challenge.

Know your costs!

Understand your cost structure with budgeted hourly rates. There are great tools available through the CPIA/Printing United Alliance. They have several tools and services such as Print-AS Cost Calculator or Cost Rate Advisor subscription.

With the BHR calculations, the final adjustments are for number of shifts the equipment is planned to operate and the estimated utilization rate. The difference between a press operating one shift with low utilization has a true cost rate that can be four times more than the same press operating three shifts with high utilization! Therefore, if your operation pre-COVID was charging $200 per hour based on a high utilization, multi-shift operation, and you now reduce your shifts and decrease your utilization, your true cost can now be $800 per hour for the same piece of equipment.

Is your pricing competitive?

Measure your win/loss ratio. If you have three main competitors, a competitively priced printer should win one of three quotes submitted. If you’re winning more than that ratio, that indicates your prices are too low and you are leaving money on the table. If you are winning less than that ratio, then your prices may be high, or someone else has a more economical way to produce the work.

One final thought: pricing only matters if you are getting paid, so don’t forget credit checks! Reward paying customers with good pricing and service, and add a little for interest and recovery effort for the slow payers.

Bob Dale is Vice President of Connecting for Results Inc. Bob has many years of graphic communication management experience, including over 15 years offering management consulting services, transition execution and support, and has published many columns on effective cost management and management information systems for the graphic arts industry.

This article was originally published in the July/August 2020 issue of PrintAction.

With that in mind, I want to share some of the strategies we’ve seen being used by our franchise owners and other independent signs businesses across the country. Here are four ways signs and graphics businesses can keep driving recovery in Canada:

Be a goodwill partner with your local business community

It’s no secret that the economic impact of COVID-19 has been vast. Businesses are struggling to pay bills and employees. But even in the middle of these challenges, a local business community survives and thrives together. It might make sense to donate expertise, products or services as a gesture of goodwill to the broader community as part of your recovery readiness. You may be able to leverage tactics that are specific to your local market that neighbouring businesses are finding useful. This kind of giveback shows the values of your business, and it’s a gesture of goodwill that your community will remember long after the current crisis is over.

Prioritize current customers with expert guidance

The reality is that some of your best customers may be unable to buy right now or spend what they typically would. Use this time to strengthen your ties by offering sound advice. Business relationships are built on trust, dependability and fairness. The payout may come a little later than you would like, but it is more likely to manifest in long-term loyalty. The makeup of many businesses’ marketing and allocation of marketing dollars is likely to evolve in the coming months. Be a resource that can adjust, and you will maintain the value you can provide.

Seek out local partnerships

A network of like-minded professionals is invaluable during times of crisis. Many independent signs and graphics companies felt isolated during the beginning of the pandemic and may still feel the strain of going it alone. Our franchise owners have a network to depend on, and independent owners can create their own support systems, made up of professionals in the visual arts as well as other small business owners. Sharing best practices, troubleshooting issues, figuring out together how to best access government resources – these are just a few ways signs businesses can use local partnerships to continue powering one another’s economic recovery. Now is the time to come together as an industry, so we can all thrive together.

Look to the future

There may never be a true “return to normal” in how we conduct business face-to-face. Now is the time to make sure the platforms and technologies you use make doing business with your company as easy – and contact-less – as possible. Do you offer online ordering? There is no time like the present to make your business more valuable by removing barriers to working with you. Diversifying your services to enable cross-selling, like adding promotional or branded visual products, will also allow you to deliver more solutions to your existing and prospective clients.

These are just a few strategies we’ve seen our franchise owners employing during the last several months. There are many other ways for your signs and graphics business to support local businesses that are specific to your community. Together, our industry can be a driver of economic recovery. As the saying goes (and it remains true no matter how many times we hear it): We’re all in this together.

Mike Cline is Vice President of Franchise Development at Alliance Franchise Brands. He works with independent print and sign businesses interested in accessing the many benefits of franchise network participation. He can be contacted by phone at 800-445-5172 or by email at mikec@alliancefranchisebrands.com.

The Irvine, Calif.-based company has named Amado Lara, previously the director of sales for Latin America, as its new sales director for both North and South America.

Amado Lara

In addition, sign and graphics industry veteran Dave Edmondson has joined Roland DGA as director of business development and product management, overseeing product and business development efforts and teams across multiple industries. Edmondson has held positions with Avery Dennison, ENCAD, and most recently, HP.

Dave Edmondson

“These strategic personnel changes will be instrumental in ensuring we achieve our goals in our existing business, while continuing to expand into new markets,” Roland DGA president and CEO Andrew Oransky said in a statement. “We know Amado Lara will do a great job in his new capacity, and we are excited to have Dave Edmondson bring his extensive experience and expertise to the Roland family.”

Many enterprises are burdened with legacy systems and a disjointed customer communications management (CCM) technology infrastructure that prevents them from achieving strategic communications goals. Multiple document composition software solutions and content repositories make simple document change requests time-consuming and complicated. Thanks to advancing technology, consumer expectations for personalized and consistent experiences across any delivery channel have many organizations struggling to keep up. While internal IT resources are focused on timely delivery of communications and staying compliant with changing regulations, lines of business are becoming more frustrated by long lead times for document changes. To be competitive, organizations have made customer experience a top strategic priority to offer better value to customers, maintain their loyalty, and ultimately increase revenue. Unfortunately, for some organizations, their current technology environment has caused them to lag behind their competitors. All of this presents the perfect opportunity for print service providers to offer CCM as a service, helping enterprises to focus less on the day-to-day activities associated with their customer communications and more on customer experience.

The seven components of CCM
Print service providers that wish to offer CCM as a service should consider designing a solution that incorporates all seven components of CCM. These components include data, content and preference management, document composition, omnichannel delivery, archive and dashboard/reporting.
Although each component is critical to managing the end-to-end communication lifecycle, data is the most critical. Data comes from multiple sources and can be structured or unstructured. Many enterprises struggle with collection, aggregation and normalization into a standard data model. This is where service providers can add a lot of value for their clients. Data is used in the document composition process, execution of business rules that drive variable content, personalization of communications with targeted marketing messages, and for analytics and business intelligence.

Content includes all components necessary for the document composition process, such as document templates, business rules, digital images and regulatory text. Content should be stored in a centralized repository with version control to ensure that out of date content is not used. In addition, workflow and approval processes are necessary for when new content is loaded to the repository or when existing content is modified.

Preference management is another input for the composition process and is the collection of customer profile information and delivery preferences. Delivery preference data is used to optimize the composition process to generate the output according to the customer’s preferred channel of choice.

To create the communication, the document composition process combines data and variable content with document templates according to pre-
determined business rules. It is during this process that communications are optimized for the delivery channel.

In addition, an archive copy of the communication should also be generated for storage, future retrieval and re-delivery if needed.

Once the communications have been generated, the final step is delivery. In the CCM industry, the terms multi-channel and omnichannel delivery are often used interchangeably, but there is a notable difference. With both multi-channel and omnichannel delivery, all channels are available to the consumer; however with omnichannel, all channels are integrated together. This is an important distinction as it helps to ensure the customer experience is consistent across all channels.

Despite declining volumes, printed communications are still valuable because print is a trusted channel and consumers still open and read their mail. Although many consumers are “digital first,” they are not “digital only” and still value eye-catching, colourful printed communications that are personalized and contain content that is relevant. This is also a great opportunity for print service providers to offer guidance to their clients on the benefits of colour and how redesigning communications to incorporate more colour can improve the customer experience.

The last component of a CCM offering includes a dashboard that has reporting capabilities. A dashboard provides full visibility into the entire production workflow and can be made available to client end-users through a browser-based user interface. Job-level and piece-level tracking provide additional monitoring capabilities and the opportunity to pull and reroute, destroy and redeliver documents as needed. Through the dashboard, standard and custom reports can be generated and made available to end-users.

Navigating the enterprise: Finding the decision-makers
Print service providers that offer CCM as a service will have their share of challenges to navigate when prospecting enterprise clients. For example, who within the organization has responsibility for CCM and its ownership across the business? Many of the enterprise clients we engage with do not have a single owner of CCM, but rather it is shared among the individual lines of business, IT and in some cases, marketing. In situations where there are multiple owners of a particular function, there will be some who do not favour outsourcing CCM. In addition, the concept of outsourcing might give enterprises the feeling that they no longer have control over their customer communications. This perception can be mitigated by providing a user interface that gives business users access to manage content, control messaging and create business rules as needed.

Important considerations for a transition
The success of most projects can be likened to painting a room. The more time spent in the preparation phase, the better the outcome. This too applies to outsourcing CCM to a service provider. The transition process should begin with business requirements and specification gathering, followed by a complete inventory of all document applications, templates, content and business rules. The inventory process provides the opportunity to rationalize and consolidate all document templates and variable content to eliminate duplicates and out-of-date content and load to a single repository.

Outsourcing CCM benefits both enterprises and service providers
By providing CCM as a service, print service providers are able to expand their value proposition and deepen relationships with both existing and prospective clients. When selling this offering, it is important to highlight the fact that outsourcing to a service provider eliminates the need for enterprises to continuously make capital investments in technology and transfers the risks associated with purchasing and installing software to the provider. This allows the enterprise to obtain the full benefits of a CCM as a solution while focusing on other strategic initiatives, such as digital transformation and customer experience. CCM as a service also allows enterprises to benefit from an end-to-end technology solution that meets their communication requirements and offers efficient change control and workflow.

By outsourcing CCM, enterprises can realize a return on investment by shifting from a capital expenditure model (CapEx) to an operational expense model (OpEx) and the resulting customer experience.

Gina Ferrara is Senior Analyst at Madison Advisors. Connect with Madison Advisors at www.madison-advisors.com, on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/madison-advisors or on Twitter @madison_advisor.

This feature was originally published in the January/February 2020 issue of PrintAction, now available online.

ABC engaged a firm that identified the root causes of its problems. After two years, sales and profits dramatically increased. The results came from a seven-step process based on sound principles that put a focus on leveraging internal talent. If you find your business falling behind, try putting these seven steps into practice.

1. Employee alignment
When assigning duties performed by employees that don’t fit their characteristics or core nature, they won’t perform well, like making people with poor detail orientation do work that requires high detail. Training and development, management encouragement and other well-intended efforts will not fix these issues. As management consultant and author Peter Drucker says, “A manager’s task is to make the strengths of people effective and their weaknesses irrelevant.”

2. Create a culture of personal growth and development
Personal growth results in professional growth, creating a greater capacity to handle life challenges, accomplish long-term goals and work well with others. Personal growth and development includes an increased awareness of self and others, the ability to manage one’s ego and emotions, and develop innate talents to maximize productivity and effectiveness.

3. Align employees with your company’s mission and vision
Human beings have an innate need to have meaning and purpose in what they do. For example, take assembly line workers that produce incubators for premature babies. In one scenario, the workers were only told to mechanically perform the prescribed duties. In the other scenario, they were crystal clear about the importance of their work on the survival of infants. Which workers do you think are more motivated? Engagement and performance are directly affected by people’s connection to the outcomes of their work.

4. Align employees with your company’s culture and values
People need to feel like they fit in with their social groups. Employees who are out of sync with an organization’s culture and values will never contribute their best. Being aligned is the point, since diversity of thought and behaviour allow a culture to adapt and thrive. It’s important for leaders to consider whether they should change their culture, like when it’s become toxic or when there is a decreasing number of workers that fit the current culture. Without the ability to attract and retain the needed talent, organizations will fail.

5. Align roles and to strategies and goals
In today’s environment, organizational goals and strategies must change and adapt. Often times, roles and supporting job duties don’t adequately change to align with these shifts. Think of a company that changes its strategy to shift most customer communications from telephone to email, yet the employees’ duties and training still focus on telephone communications.

6. Assess your weaknesses, starting from the top
It’s impossible to have a strength without its vulnerable side. Our ego’s impulse to protect our self-image is normal but also counterproductive. When leaders openly acknowledge challenge areas, this sets an example for employees and demonstrates transparency.

7. Commit to work on your challenges
Studies on human potential and positive change demonstrate that self-awareness is the first step, but it’s not the last. Committing to take baby steps generates positive habits that create lasting positive change. Changes intended to meet the needs of your environment create a flexible, adaptive organization poised to thrive despite unpredictable or unwanted change. Your willingness to acknowledge change that you don’t like, openly discuss it and consistently take the actions required to adapt will strengthen you. At the end of the day, leaders simply making choices that define the present and future of themselves and their organizations. There’s nothing magical about the most effective leaders — they’re just making more effective choices. Equally important choices include their willingness to objectively look at themselves and take actions to grow in areas. They choose to become a more effective version of themselves. Leaders know that what they demonstrate – not what they say – is what has the greatest impact on the entire organization.

Brad Wolff specializes in workforce and personal optimization. He is a speaker and author of People Problems? How to Create People Solutions for a Competitive Advantage. As managing partner for Atlanta-based PeopleMax, Wolff specializes in helping companies maximize the potential and results of their people to make more money with less stress. His passion is empowering people to create the business success they desire, in a deep and lasting way. For more information, please visit www.PeopleMaximizers.com.

This article was originally published in the December 2019 issue of PrintAction, now available online.

No matter who you are or what your role is in the business, networking is an important skill to have. But while networking comes naturally to some, it can definitely be a challenge for others. Networking skills aren’t just something you’re born with — they’re something you can learn and grow. By developing your networking skills, you can continue to expand your business circle, which provides more resources and opportunities. Here is how to grow your circle.

1. Study before networking
If you’re planning on going to a networking event or situation, the most valuable thing you can do is study. Just like with a test in school, studying will help grow your networking skills. For instance, if you go to an event and are able to obtain the registration list of possible attendees, see what you can study beforehand to feel better prepared. Learn as much as you can about the people attending, the business they represent, and the products or services they provide. Whenever possible, take advantage of as much information you can gain before the networking opportunity arises.

2. Prepare questions
If you are someone who feels awkward or uncomfortable when networking, don’t worry. Something that can combat your nerves is to prepare yourself with questions. Networking revolves around intentional conversation, which includes questions. Instead of worrying about coming up with questions on the spot, prepare some beforehand and keep them top of mind. Then, whenever there is an awkward pause, use your prepared questions to break the ice. The conversation will keep flowing and you will feel confident as a top networker in your circle.

3. Practice active listening
Of course, once you ask a question, then comes the challenging part — listening. No matter who you are, human beings tend to speak first and listen second. When someone talks to us, we spend half the time preparing our own answer in the back of our minds, rather than actually registering what they say. Instead, become a better networker and grow your circle by practicing active listening throughout the conversation. Then once you respond, you can utilize important details from the person’s comment to show them you cared enough to listen and actively engage in the conversation.

4. Offer solutions
What’s the best way to grow your circle of networking relationships? Offer solutions for other people’s problems. Whenever possible throughout the conversation, see how you can offer a solution to help the person you’re talking to. Depending on the business and its products or services, consider collaborating together to help meet each other’s needs. A solution can mean a variety of different things, from emailing a helpful article to someone, to connecting them with another business professional, to even collaborating on an idea or event together. When you offer solutions to others, they will offer solutions in return, helping to enhance your business and grow your networking circle.

5. Don’t forget the followup
As a professional, you probably already know this popular saying: The fortune is in the followup. When it comes to networking, this could not be more true. The most critical step of every networking relationship is to followup with the person you spoke with. For instance, if you offer someone a solution, be sure to actually provide the solution to them in the followup. Even if you have a simple conversation with someone, send an intentional note thanking them for their time and sharing your excitement for the relationship in the future. When you followup, you show that you care about the relationship, and strengthen each connection you make. Networking is one of the most valuable and important skills to have when it comes to promoting your business and expanding your brand. Fortunately, anyone can learn how to network and grow their circle. Use these tips the next time you find yourself in a networking situation, and watch your business grow because of it.

This article was originally published on the Minuteman Press International blog, reprinted with permission, and republished in the October 2019 issue of PrintAction, now available online.

Customer retention should not only be high on your list of priorities, but it should require actual strategies in mind. Fortunately, there are ways to keep your current clients happy, satisfied and coming back for more. Here are six tips for better customer retention.

1. Follow through on your sales pitch
The quickest way to lose a customer is to make a promise in a sale, then not follow through once he or she has signed on. While it might seem simple, many businesses often fall short on following through with their initial sales pitch. Instead, carefully track and deliver what your sales team include in their conversation, so clients never feel deceived.

2. Set realistic expectations
As you walk potential clients through your products or services, set realistic expectations for both yourself and the business. For instance, customers might become upset because they believe the business can deliver on “x” results immediately, when in reality those results could take months. By setting clear and achievable expectations, clients understand exactly what they sign up for.

3. Create perks in the customer experience
Customers love feeling appreciated, so be intentional about creating perks throughout the customer experience. For instance, if a customer buys a set of business cards, the organization could throw in a perk for the customer such as a free card holder. Small gestures like this help to create a positive customer experience.

4. Establish a loyalty program
When in doubt, a customer loyalty program is always a great way to increase retention rates. These programs reward your loyal customers for shopping with you by giving them incentives to keep coming back. Once clients opt into the loyalty program, be sure to give them the royal treatment with special deals, discounts and free prizes.

5. Experiment with email strategies
Email marketing plays a huge role in customer retention, which is why it’s important to consistently experiment with your email strategies and see which ones clients respond to best. Discover which email strategy increases customer engagement so you can better tailor the content and product recommendations to keep customers coming back.

6. Communicate regularly
Finally, be sure to communicate regularly with current clients. Check in to see how they enjoyed the product or service they purchased, and share with them any upcoming deals or opportunities to try new items. Utilize an effective system for tracking and reporting customer metrics, so you can be in consistent communication whenever your customers need it.

Businesses know it is much more cost-effective to keep a current customer happy than it is to acquire a new account. This is where customer retention strategies come in. Keep these best practices in mind for retaining your top customers and see how your business grows because of it.  

This article was originally published on the Minuteman Press International blog. Reprinted with permission.

“I’m not sure what that means. What exactly are you trying to convey?” I wrote back.

He answered, “I don’t want to be seen as someone who is trying to sell something. I want them to know I’m committed to their satisfaction.”

My response: “What’s wrong with being seen as someone who is trying to sell something? You have to sell the idea that you’re committed to their satisfaction! No one will automatically accept that just because you say it. You have to convince them and that, by my definition, is selling.”

False stigma
It’s true there is a stigma attached to selling, but that mostly relates to the overly-aggressive salesperson who will say or do anything to make a sale. That kind of salesperson is a lot more common in transactional selling situations, such as a commodity product or a one-time sale. The printing sale is much more of a relationship sale, and as I have written before, the strongest relationships are based on trust — it takes a leap of faith to place an order with a printing salesperson and a printing company. We sell a custom-manufactured product, and a lot can go wrong between the order and the delivery.

Here’s the challenge in a nutshell. The first time around, you have to convince them to take that leap of faith. It gets easier after that, as long as everything goes well the first time, and the next time, and the next time. Please understand you will not make it easier by disguising the fact that your job is to be a convincer. I would be completely open about that: “I’m a sales representative, and what that means to me is I have to convince you to give me a chance, then I have to do everything that will lead to your long-term satisfaction. Let me apologize in advance if I push too hard while I’m trying to convince you, because I think I’m doing it with your best interests in mind.”

Think about this. If you don’t think your customers are better off because they buy from you – and that your prospects will be better off if they do – you’re in the wrong line of work!

Buyer titles
Ultimately, I don’t think the title of the seller is all that important. I know people who are very successful with titles including junior salesperson, senior sales representative, sales executive, account executive, etc. I could even live with print satisfaction specialist — as long as you accept that you will need to explain exactly what that means.

On the other side of the coin, I think it is very important you know the exact title of every one of your customers and prospects — and I hope you will remember my definition of customer and prospect refers not to companies, but to the individuals within those companies who buy or could be buying from you.

It’s those could-be’s that make this so important. I think you have two main categories of prospects; first are people who buy printing at companies you have never sold to, and second are other people who buy printing at companies you’re already selling to. If you’re getting business from one buyer or even multiple buyers, you still want to get business from all of the buyers, right?

The process of identifying all the buyers can often be reduced to a process of elimination. Let’s say your current customer list includes marketing titles, purchasing titles, human resources titles, business owners and managing directors. If you’re selling to the human resources manager at a company, should you not also be talking to the marketing manager or vice versa? And if you don’t have a passing relationship with the business owner or managing director, should you not try to build one?

In my experience, most printing salespeople don’t work hard enough at account penetration. They work at deepening their relationship with individual buyers — adding a ‘like factor’ to the ‘trust factor’ which still has to be at the heart of the relationship. That ‘like factor’ is important, especially if you need them to give you another chance after an incident strains the trust.

The real winners penetrate their accounts and often use the people they are selling to as their conduit to the others…but that’s a topic for another day!

Dave Fellman is the president of David Fellman & Associates, a graphic arts industry consulting firm based in Raleigh, N.C. He is a popular speaker who has delivered keynotes and seminars at industry events across the United States, Canada, England, Ireland and Australia. He is the author of “Sell More Printing” and “Listen To The Dinosaur.” Visit his website at www.davefellman.com.

This column was originally published in the April 2019 issue of PrintAction, now available online.

Near vision
It has been my experience that most salespeople do not focus very well on what is right in front of them. There is usually some opportunity to gain more value from current customers. Notice that I didn’t say gain more business, but rather gain more value. As I have written before, I believe every current customer provides you with three levels of value: The value of what they are buying from you now, the value of what they could be buying from you, and the value of influence. Working backwards, the value of influence is all about testimonials and referrals. When was the last time you asked one of your customers for a testimonial or a referral? When was the last time you got a real referral out of whatever networking group(s) you belong to?

The value of what they could be buying from you is mostly about the breadth of your product line. Have you talked to every customer about every element of your product line? I am not talking about that one conversation where you blasted out a list of everything you sell. I am also not talking about the time you said, “Think of me for anything that involves printing.” I am talking about having specific conversations about each individual element of your product line. It’s my experience that the more you try to cover in any one conversation, the less likely it is they will hear most of it, let alone all of it.

We also need to talk about protecting the value of what they are buying from you now. The most obvious way to lose a customer is a quality or service failure, but more customers are lost because of something less obvious, even though it should not be. You know your competitors are calling on your customers, right? That means you have to be calling on them too! But more than that, it means you have to be calling on them and bringing value. “Do you need any printing today?” is not a value-based selling strategy.

Far vision
We live in an age of near immediate gratification. As an Amazon Prime member, for example, I can order just about anything from Amazon and have it shipped to me for free within two days. They are even talking about using drones to make same-day deliveries. But while you can buy very quickly, you cannot always sell very quickly, especially when that involves building trust to the point where someone is willing to take the leap of faith and place a custom order with a new supplier. And make no mistake, that is a significant leap of faith.

With better far vision, you might realize it is going to take time to get people to the point where they will seriously consider buying from you. You will also realize that, while there are no shortcuts, there are accelerators. For example, do not just talk about your quality and service — provide some evidence to support your position. And please understand that a handful of hand-picked samples is not going to accelerate the process. But how about supporting the samples with a description of your quality control processes and procedures, and then some testimonials from current customers? Any one of those may have some effect, and any two are almost certainly better, so why not all three?

An optimistic view
I read a study recently which noted that optimists tend to be more successful than pessimists. I hear a lot of pessimism from printing salespeople, though. Now maybe this is coloured by the fact that most of my business involves working with underachievers, but I am hearing a lot more about what is not working than what is.

Here is a fact. There are people doing very well in printing sales, even in highly competitive markets in a difficult economy. Why? I think better vision – near and far – is probably a big part of it.

Are you experiencing the kind of success I’m talking about? If not, could the problem be that you need a new pair of glasses?

Dave Fellman is the president of David Fellman & Associates, a graphic arts industry consulting firm based in Raleigh, N.C. He is a popular speaker who has delivered keynotes and seminars at industry events across the United States, Canada, England, Ireland and Australia. He is the author of “Sell More Printing” and “Listen To The Dinosaur.” Visit his website at www.davefellman.com.

This column was originally published in the March 2019 issue of PrintAction, now available online.

Sadly, I’ve seen too many salespeople talk themselves out of a sale through blind persistence, which I define as ongoing contact that adds nothing to a relationship.

On the other hand, I have seen many salespeople succeed through creative persistence. This is an important difference. You do not want to be the pushy salesperson who calls and e-mails to the point where your message is deleted the very second you are identified — you need to be the salesperson who engages through creativity and differentiation.

Read more
Part 1: Are you guilty of committing this cardinal selling sin?
Part 2: A reason to respond
Part 3: Pitching versus storytelling
Part 4: Do you make it all about price?

Selling yourself
As you surely know, it’s difficult to get prospects to even return your calls and/or emails, but why is that? I think it’s mostly because you don’t give them very good reasons to respond. In fact, I think most salespeople are focusing on the wrong goal at this stage of the process. I frequently get e-mails from salespeople who focus on why I should buy from them. The real question in my mind, at this stage, is why should I even respond to their messages? Think of it this way — you have to get me to engage and communicate with you before you can expect me to buy from you so do not, as we say, put your cart before your horse.

Instead of e-mails and phone messages that tout your company’s equipment or capabilities, consider something like this: “If I were you, I would be wondering if there is anything that makes this salesperson different from all the others who call on me. Here is how I would answer that question. I have 15 years of experience, and I think it’s fair to say I know just about everything that can go wrong with a print project. With me watching over your projects, you get to benefit from everything I have learned, and all the mistakes I made when I was a rookie many years ago. If that would be of value to you, we should at least talk.”

This may not be your message, especially if you are short on experience, but part of the point I want to make is that this is a differentiating strategy. It is not the same “please call me because I can save you money on your printing” strategy most salespeople seem to favour.

By the way, if you are short on experience, try this: “I think you should call me back because I have been working in printing sales for six months. That may not sound like something to be bragging about, but here is what I think it might mean to you. At this stage of my career, I have a very keen knowledge of how hard I must work to earn and keep someone’s business. If you do not think your current print salesperson is working that hard for you, we should at least talk.”

Creativity persistence
On a recent sales call with one of my clients, a prospect introduced me to the term drip marketing.
 
“We know we have a long sales cycle,” she said, “and we know it typically builds slowly, from recognition to mild interest to real interest. We have developed the strategy of telling just a little bit of our story with each communication. That way, we have something fresh to say every time, and we find this works a lot better than shooting off all our big guns at the first opportunity.”

In printing, we have a long sales cycle too, and I think drip marketing allows for an opportunity to be different. What if you design a program consisting of eight touchpoints over a 12-week period? Start with the overall story you want to tell and break it down into eight parts. For example, you could deliver three of these touches through e-mail, two by direct mail and three by phone. I would actually start this program with a call at an odd hour, in hopes of getting voicemail so I could leave a message: “My name is Dave Fellman. I am a printing salesperson and I would like to be your printer. I’d like to tell you a few things about myself and my company, but I don’t want to do it all in one sitting. Please keep an eye out for a series of communications from me. Hopefully I will convince you a little bit at a time that I am worth considering.”

Bottom line: Persistence is important but blind persistence will likely do you more harm than good. Creative persistence though, is a much different story.

Dave Fellman is the president of David Fellman & Associates, a graphic arts industry consulting firm based in Raleigh, N.C. He is a popular speaker who has delivered keynotes and seminars at industry events across the United States, Canada, England, Ireland and Australia. He is the author of “Sell More Printing” and “Listen To The Dinosaur.” Visit his website at www.davefellman.com.

This column was originally published in the January/February 2019 issue of PrintAction, now available online.

The race to the bottom
Seth Godin has written 12 best-selling business books that have been translated into 33 languages. He has also posted thousands of blog entries and delivered hundreds of keynotes. I was privileged to be on the same program with him some years ago, and I got a front-row seat for his presentation. He talked about marketing and selling that day, and even about the printing industry specifically, even though this was not a print conference. I sat in embarrassment as he used us as an example of bad selling strategy.

“I buy a lot of printing,” he said, “and the printing industry seems determined to convince me that I should always buy their product from whoever offers me the lowest price.” He said that everyone who called on him had the same initial strategy and follow-up strategy. First, they asked for the opportunity to bid on his printing. Then, they called to see how their prices compared. He recalled always telling them that their price was competitive, but not the lowest he was being offered. And then they always, he said, asked for the opportunity to “sharpen their pencil” and re-submit their bid.

I am not sure I believe the “always” part, but I know this is a very common strategy. Godin calls it “the race to the bottom” and I have to ask you, what good does it do you to win that race?

Related: Part 3: Pitching versus storytelling

Other variables
Here are two stories from my own print-buying experience. When I was ready to print my Sell more printing book, I gave three local printers the specifications. The first one told me it would be cheaper to use a lighter paper than I had originally selected. He never asked me what look or feel I was going for, he just assumed a lower price would be better. He committed another selling sin by using the word cheaper. Think about the connotation of that word. When I hear cheap, I hear the opposite of quality. I think of corners being cut on craft and materials to come up with a lower price. If you mean to say less expensive or more cost-effective, either of those is a better term than cheap.

Some years ago, I asked another salesperson for a price on 800 postcard mailers. He told me I should buy at least 1,000 to get a better price and that each one would be even cheaper if I ordered 5,000. Now, the reason I asked for a price on 800 was that I had a mailing list of 765. What service was he doing me by telling me to order more? It would have been one thing if he asked about the quantity and learned I would probably be ordering similar quantities again. But instead, he simply made the assumption that price was the most important factor in my buying decision.

Voicemail strategy
Another complaint I hear regularly from salespeople is about people hiding behind their voicemail. I completely reject the idea that they are hiding, they are simply taking advantage of technology to make themselves more efficient. I use my own voicemail to screen calls and I return the ones I want to return.
Now ask yourself why you want to return some and not others. It mostly boils down to whether the caller gives me a compelling reason to call back. The reason I hear most often is, “I think I can save you some money on your…”

Obviously it is not just printing salespeople who are guilty of this selling sin, but I care less about all the rest than I do about you. I hope you can give me a better reason for me to call you back. For example: “I’d like to talk about every aspect of your use of print to see if I can help you to improve on it.”

Please understand I have nothing against saving money and if it turns out you can help me do that, I will certainly appreciate it. The point I’m trying to make is that I want you to lead with something else. Be the last to talk about price, not the first. Let someone else win the race to the bottom.  

Dave Fellman is the president of David Fellman & Associates, a graphic arts industry consulting firm based in Raleigh, N.C. He is a popular speaker who has delivered keynotes and seminars at industry events across the United States, Canada, England, Ireland and Australia. He is the author of “Sell More Printing” and “Listen To The Dinosaur.” Visit his website at www.davefellman.com.

This column was originally published in the December 2018 issue of PrintAction, now available online.

Consultative style
Most salespeople employ a presentation style as opposed to a consultative style. What is the difference? In a presentation style, the seller tells the buyer all about the products, services or capabilities. In a consultative style, the seller asks the buyer about their wants and needs. In a presentation style, the seller is saying, “Here is what I think you need to know, now please make a decision.” In a consultative style, the seller is saying, “By asking the right questions and providing you with specific answers, I think I can help you make the best possible decision.” Which of these selling styles would you rather be on the buying side of?

There is more to this than just style. The more one person talks in any selling conversation, the less the other person is likely to listen. Think back on the last time your customer dominated any part of the conversation. Did you really listen to everything that was said, or were you thinking more about what you wanted to say?

The need for storytelling
I had a salesperson call me just this morning. The phone on my desk has a timer, and when it got to 60 seconds, I could remember thinking only eight words. Rather than listening, I was thinking, “Is this guy ever going to shut up?”

OK, I know I covered this issue in the first instalment, Too much talk, not enough listen, but it is important enough that I think it needs repeating.

Even in a consultative style, there comes a point where the seller must present a proposal. There is a difference though, between starting with a presentation and finishing with one.

In a consultative style, the tailored presentation comes after the needs analysis: “Based on what you’ve told me about your wants and needs, this is what I think you should do.”

Here is where the storytelling comes in. With all due respect to the Star Trek franchise, very few humans really want to go where no one has gone before. We do not want to take chances, we prefer the tried and true. I will grant you that many of us will take chances personally in search of recreation or entertainment, which can be anything from trying out a new restaurant to skydiving. I hope you will grant me, though, that buying printing has very little thrill potential attached to it. Print buyers want to make safe choices.

So how do you convince a buyer that you and your company are a safe choice? The salesperson who called me this morning told me his company has been in business for 35 years. He also told me they invest heavily in new manufacturing technology. He then hit several more bullet points before asking me if I would meet with him.

Let me suggest an alternate strategy: “Mr. Fellman, I have a story I would like to tell you. John Smith founded this company almost 35 years ago on a shoestring, like a lot of other small businesses. He was undercapitalized and underequipped and because of that, he had to do pretty much everything the hard way, but he always paid attention to what was going on in the industry. When he started getting a little bit ahead, he started investing in technology that would let him do things the right way, with greater efficiency, producing better quality. He also likes to say he made every possible mistake during those early years, but he thinks he learned how not to make them again. So, I guess I am asking you, do we sound like the kind of company you would like to work with? And if so, would you agree to meet with me?”

Yes, ultimately this is a sales pitch — a set of words used by a salesperson to get someone to buy something. So maybe the question is this, does the storytelling element make it a better pitch, one more likely to get the desired result? Obviously I think so, and I hope you will start thinking about incorporating storytelling into your own selling.  

Dave Fellman is the president of David Fellman & Associates, a graphic arts industry consulting firm based in Raleigh, N.C. He is a popular speaker who has delivered keynotes and seminars at industry events across the United States, Canada, England, Ireland and Australia. He is the author of “Sell More Printing” and “Listen To The Dinosaur.” Visit his website at www.davefellman.com.

This column was originally published in the November 2018 issue of PrintAction, now available online.