Business Management - Marketing/Sales

By Noelle Skodzinski It's not likely a big surprise that Quebecor World held fast to its No. 1 spot among the Top Book Manufacturers—ranked by book manufacturing revenues—in the United States and Canada. With a $36 million lead over RR Donnelley, and a $273 million lead over third-ranked Von Hoffmann Corp., Quebecor World isn't likely to lose its position anytime soon. Both top seeds, however, saw book sales drop in 2003. In fact, revenues for three of the top five sank by a total of nearly $130 million. Arvato Print USA (a division of Bertelsmann) and Von Hoffmann were the only two in

Whither lies the future of the franchise printer? Well, while most observers agree that the bountiful years of the 1980s will likely never return, there is ample opportunity to enjoy growth for those who buy into a particular franchisor's mantra. Sure, there's been a lot of fireworks on the quick printer side in the past year.

All I had to do was hint that I might run for president in my June column and, you guessed it, there was an enormous groundswell of support. So far, I have $123.86 in my "Mañana Man for President" campaign fund. This is enough for a bus ticket to Manhattan where I will be making speeches on various high-traffic corners to capture all of New York state's electoral votes. I'm counting on this for a domino effect throughout the other 49 states. Enough of that. I have a better money-making scheme. It's the "Mañana Man Merger Diet!" I have lost 62 pounds since August of

I don't know what's wrong with me. I've written three of these columns in the past six days. I'm usually late with each column and here I am more than 60 days early with this column. I know! I'm inspired! Nothing worse than an inspired columnist. Topics just keep jumping in my head. Topics are the hardest part of this column-writing job.

There is some considerable confusion over the pronunciation of Mañana Man. The "Man" part is easy. It's the "Mañana" that befuddles many of you readers. Many people rhyme their pronunciation with "banana," the long yellow fruit grown in the tropics that we peel before we eat. That pronunciation is incorrect. I will help correct your pronunciation with a phonetic explanation. Follow along with this exercise. First, say "mawn" and pronounce it with a Jamaican accent so it comes out as in "Hey Mon, let's have some rum when we've beaten our sales objectives by 20 percent." Got it? First syllable is "Mawn." Next syllable. It's "yah." As

Valentine's Day just passed. I'm a hopeless romantic and I went a little nuts with gifts for all the women in my life; one wife, three daughters and four granddaughters. Some people have said that I'm a "man's man." But, I'm confessin' that as I grow older, I'm getting more and more in touch with what some experts refer to as my "feminine side." It's got something to do with men's testosterone leaking out or evaporating or something. Whew! I'm glad to get that little tidbit off my chest. I have to be careful with the rest of this so as not to be

BY MARK SMITH Technology Editor It's hard to fault any conventional print sales rep for being hesitant to embrace digital services, be they static or variable data production capabilities. Change is never easy, and digital printing presents a different selling proposition. Static jobs are almost by definition shorter runs done on-demand. This means a lot more effort is required to reach sales volumes comparable to offset work. Variable data work can bring larger volumes, albeit generally produced in smaller lots, and it tends to support higher margins. The problem is, additional expertise is required to sell and produce personalized marketing programs. Also, sell cycles

In my December 2003 column, I offered to send you readers "400 Sales Tips for Printing Sales Professionals." I concocted this offer at 3 a.m. on the morning of Attila the Editor's stupid deadline whilst I was stoned on a caffeine high. Coffee is about all I have left now that I'm on this stupid South Beach diet and working out with a personal trainer. So far, my 61-year-old biceps are up to 18˝, I'm begging my neighbors to let me redecorate their homes and I can bench press about twice my IQ. The 400 tips idea was a gratuitous, self-serving act. I

The worst may be over. According to data in "Print Buying 2003: Demographic Analysis of Print End-User Markets," published annually by C. Barnes & Co., U.S. demand for print, which minimally grew from 2001 to 2002 (just over 1 percent), grew to $92.5 billion in 2003 (nearly 4 percent). But the bigger story for printers is in the regional and industry segment demand changes. "Print Buying 2003" ranks the U.S. print demand by state and metropolitan area, giving printers the detailed regional information they need to project their future success. By state, the largest states take the top three spots. California ranks number one

What was I thinking when I offered to send you readers my list of the Top 400 Sales Tips? I didn't think anyone would take me seriously. But hundreds of you e-mailed me to request the list! This forced me to write 400 sales tips. I'm pretty sure I missed Christmas and New Years. I typed until I wore through these silly mittens that they make me wear. I actually thought about announcing my retirement and heading for Key West. My business partner, Gabe Nagy, announced his retirement this past December. That's Gabe Nagy, Esquire of Princeton, Cum Laude 1959 and Harvard Law School 1964.