Business Management - Marketing/Sales

THE PRESENT selling conditions represent the most unusual opportunity in the history of the printing industry—the realistic possibility to acquire, lock down and sustain new market share at unprecedented rates. Today’s printing services companies have the potential to transform from a commoditized print selling environment to one in which they are truly perceived as trusted advisors to clients and prospects—so much so that their competition is somewhat or completely removed from any discussion of the client’s future production requirements. Many service providers have already begun the required makeover, although all indications seem to point to a sales skills maturation level of well under 15

I’M ONLY gonna say this once! Listen carefully! I deny all of the rumors! I know it seemed possible, even likely. I know you will be disappointed. You’ve come to expect so much of me. The whole thing had such a romantic cachet. Here goes. Grab your armrests and hold on tight.

PALO ALTO, CA—February 14, 2007—In response to Domtar’s research with its designer customer base, the company has launched a dedicated website which aims to meet designer’s needs for an inspirational and informative online resource. The Domtar Designer Corner (www.domtardesignercorner.com) has been created by designers for designers, and offers industry news and events, designer profiles, eco-smart design options, and tips for selecting the best paper to bring designs to life. PaperSpecs, an on-line provider of paper knowledge to the design and print industries, and providers of a database that features more than 4,200 papers from over 65 mills and manufacturers, will support the site with

SO YOU’VE trimmed your staff to the essential team and you’ve streamlined your workflow to be überefficient, but your profitability still leaves something to be desired. Next step: get rid of some customers. You heard me. As scary as that may seem, deep down you know it’s the right thing to do. All customers are not equal and chances are that over the years you’ve accumulated some clients that, well, just are not good for your business…like the advertising agency, which pays 90 days after you invoice, whose rush jobs scream through the plant when they come in sporadically, bumping steady customers…and like the

AS GRAPHIC arts establishments transition into full-service communication solutions providers, an interesting marketing dilemma has emerged. Now that most graphic arts companies offer more than just printing services, some have felt a name change is necessary to better portray the full power of the newly offered capabilities. Steven Schnoll, managing director of Schnoll Media Consulting in New Providence, NJ, feels it is a tremendous challenge for a company with the word ‘print,’ ‘graphics,’ or ‘litho’ in its name to remain successful in today’s business climate. “It is simply guilt by name association,” Schnoll observes. “If you call yourself a ‘printer’ you will be

THE MAJORITY of us have faced challenges finding good salespeople. In my darkest days, I once found myself letting my entire sales staff of seven go because not a single one was covering their draw. Fortunately, we were later able to attract, develop and retain a staff of multi-million dollar producers. The underlying difference was that we replaced “transactional” salespeople (who sold strictly on price) with “solutions” salespeople. Solution selling is a mindset, not an ability. Solution sales and solutions salespeople can be created. The essence of solution selling is helping your clients and prospects execute their strategic vision. What is a strategic vision? In its

SOMETIMES, seemingly unrelated elements combine as brush strokes to paint a bigger picture. That certainly seemed the case as we finalized this issue before going to press. Although filled with a range of diverse articles and columns, together they serve as a microcosm of current industry realities and trends. For example, take this month’s cover story profile of Bindery 1, a flourishing trade bindery based in Des Moines, IA, which celebrated its 30th anniversary last year. Founded by Polish immigrants, the company reins have been passed to the second generation—led by daughters Gigi and Renatta and their spouses. A true family affair, Gigi came

ONE OF the things many printers pride themselves on is their knowledge and understanding of color. After all, we spend a lot of time and effort on managing and matching color to meet critical customer expectations. That color expertise can be a great marketing tool as you work to build better and deeper relationships with existing clients and to acquire new ones. Of course, your ability to produce the colors a customer is expecting—accurately and consistently—is the primary way we think about applying our color expertise. But as we transition into this new world we find ourselves in, with competition from all sorts of traditional

THINK A printer in Delhi, India, has different worries than a printer in Dallas? Think again! Although Dallas and Delhi may have different cultures, printers in Delhi have many of the same concerns as their counterparts in Dallas. Interestingly, eagerness to learn varies, not necessarily between Dallas and Delhi, but even within cities in the United States. How do I know this? After more than 30 years as a printer, suffering all of the deadlines, panic and craziness common to this business, I became a consultant. Now I am having fun writing and speaking at seminars all over the U.S. and around the world. The

“DON’T MOVE, or both of us will die,” shouted Wesley Autrey as he pinned a fallen commuter between the subway tracks before an onrushing subway train in Manhattan.

Wesley had been waiting for his train on the station platform with his two young daughters when a young man suffered a seizure and fell about eight feet to the tracks below. Wesley jumped down to the track bed, rolled the man between the tracks and lay on top of him as the train passed over them with two inches to spare.

Wesley is just a 50-year-old construction worker.

He is just a good father who