Are You Doing All You Can?

I made a change in my spending. I’m not spending less. I’m spending differently. It has to do with a credit card. Let me explain.

I’ve used the same card since 1976. My benefit has changed a few times but it’s basically the same account. I’ve been upgraded, it’s a different color and my line of credit has grown. But it’s still the same company.

I used this card for everything. It earns me flight miles. I use it for gas, insurance premiums, groceries, home improvement projects, hotel stays, airline tickets and auto service. If the service provider will accept the card I use it. It makes bill paying easier and I don’t have to depend on the post office for invoices.

Recently, I made a change. A different company came along with an offer I like better. They seem to be more in touch with benefits I’ll take advantage of. I moved most of my recurring charges and all of my retail spending to the new card.

It’s thousands each month. A new company has my business. A longtime provider lost it. They didn’t do anything wrong. They just didn’t do as much as their competitor.

Does this ever happen in our industry? Do we decide “silence is golden?” Do we assume that “it ain’t broke so don’t fix it?” In the process, do we let clients we’re taking care of find better solutions someplace else?

I think we do. I know we do. I’ve watched companies and reps do it to themselves. They’re doing everything they’ve been asked to do. So, they’re doing enough. They don’t need to rock the boat with anything new.

I watched a lady fumble a really large soda pop company exactly this way. She never missed a delivery. She never made problems. She never made mistakes, but she lost the work to a better plan someone else served up.

I used to work for a really smart guy. I’ve written about him before. He’s the guy that invested in digital printing back in 1993. You could say he was visionary.

He said, “Bill, today’s innovation is tomorrow’s commodity. To stay ahead we have to keep inventing. We can never stop. Satisfied customers are fickle. We want raving fans.”

He never stopped asking “what if.” Every day was a new adventure. Conversations were all about possibilities. They were, almost never, about problems. They were never about preserving the status quo.

Result? We stole business from everyone. We stole reps too. People wanted to be where the innovation was. Our business doubled in size and ultimately sold to a consolidator for a bunch of money!

Keep this in mind. People do business with you for their own reasons. They have stuff to print. They have promises to keep. You’re the resource (tool) that helps them succeed. You help them do what they are expected to do. You aren’t why they print. You’re where and how they print.

But, you’re vulnerable to innovation. They owe it to their own mission to employ the best solutions. Your position can’t be secure unless you’re the best answer. Never stop inventing.

The card company I left sends me weekly updates. My balance reflects a few, difficult to move, accounts. I’ll let those stay as they are just to keep the card active. Like I shared, I’ve been a “member” since 1976. I’m just a smaller customer.

They didn’t do anything wrong. They just didn’t do as much as the other guy.

The preceding content was provided by a contributor unaffiliated with Printing Impressions. The views expressed within may not directly reflect the thoughts or opinions of the staff of Printing Impressions.