The cost of fuel is on everyone’s minds these days, and printers’ price quotes are beginning to reflect increased energy costs. Yet some print buyers seem to be in a fog about this issue. I was surprised that more print buyers didn’t respond to a recent Print Buyers Online.com Quick Poll where we asked, “Are your print suppliers adding a clause to their estimates that allows them to add a surcharge for energy and fuel costs?” Only 53 print buyers responded to the survey. Why the lack of interest in such an important topic, especially when we are each touched
Earlier this month in a Print Buyer Online.com Quick Poll survey, we asked our print buyer members “How messy is your desk?” It sounds like a silly question, I admit, but if you dig deeper, you will understand the importance of organization with the myriad projects a buyer handles on any given day. Here are the results of the survey:
• 13% of print buyers said, “Messy? Never! I’m super organized and my desk is almost always cleaned off by the end of the day.”
• 52% of print buyers said, “Somewhat cluttered. I vacillate between being super neat and being messy. (Perhaps
The R word is just about on everyone’s lips these days. In April, I spoke at the NPES Print Outlook 08 conference, which was attended by the top printing manufacturers in the industry. Not only did all of the analysts concur that we were either in a recession or one was imminent, but just about every session revolved around the issue. Is this being over-talked? Is all the discussion about a recession actually making one happen? Will it prove to be a self-fulfilling prophesy?
While I don’t negate the work of the experts, let’s gage the concerns
IF IT’S about “sales” or “marketing,” I want to make sure you get it here first. It’s important to me because this column is named “DeWese on Sales.” Sometimes, however, I write about marketing and, like many other people in our printing industry, I am at least semi-confused about the difference between sales and marketing.
It has always been my position that “marketing” is a series of activities, like advertising, public relations, publicity, market research, etc., that includes “selling.” I have always believed and espoused in this column that good marketing is aimed at facilitating the selling function. Furthermore, since many printing companies have no
With just about every printer guaranteeing competitive prices, fast turnaround times and great quality, what makes your company different from everyone else? Now more than ever, it is crucial that you stand out among your competitors. However, according to print buyers, few print suppliers clearly articulate their competitive advantage.
In a recent Quick Poll Survey by Print Buyers Online.com, we learned that 75% of major print buyers say print suppliers are ineffective in communicating meaningful differentiation from their competitors. Our survey respondents were quick to share their thoughts on the subject, many along the lines of the following:
”Print Sales folks seem to all
A few months ago, Print Buyers Online.com asked our major print buyer members in one of our popular Quick Poll surveys, “Before your current role as a print buyer, had you ever worked for a printing company or print supplier?” 61% of the survey respondents said they had worked as a print supplier before becoming a print buyer. Here’s what some of them shared about how this experience helped their careers:
“Working as a CSR/job planner at a high quality commercial printing company gave me a great foundation for my print buying position. There is no substitute for the hands-on experience of learning
MY PUBLISHER, Printing Impressions, has been trying to discipline me for nearly 25 years. I’ve dealt with at least a dozen different staff editors (mean-spirited goons) over that span. The most recent arrival carries the title of Managing Editor, but I’m forced to salute her as “Sarge.”
This hotshot Managing Editor sent me an e-mail recently, and the subject was “Schedule.” The e-mail listed monthly deadlines for the remainder of 2008. It also listed the topics for my columns for the remaining issues this year.
Can you imagine Sarge telling me, the Mañana Man, what to write and when I’m to turn it in? The
In April, Print Buyers Online.com asked our major print buyer members, “How often do you request FSC or SFI certified papers for your print projects?” While the majority (51%) of the respondents said they request certified papers under 20% of the time, I find it interesting that 11% of print buyers said they request FSC or SFI certified papers over 80% of the time, and only 21% said they don’t purchase FSC or SFI certified papers. These numbers have increased significantly since we asked the question just one year ago. Here is a complete breakdown of the print buyers’ survey responses:
51%
In March, our team at Print Buyers Onine.com posed the following question in our popular Quick Poll survey: “In addition to purchasing printing, do you buy ad specialty/promotional items?” Seventy-seven major print buyers participated in the poll and of these, 75% of major print buyers said they purchase promotional items. Here are some thoughts they shared with us:
”Production managers today don’t just purchase printing. I spend more time on the unique purchases in marketing than not. I have purchased oversized banners for the outside of buildings, a countdown clock and glass for an outside monument, just to name a few.”
“It is interesting
BACK DURING the 1990s, I wrote five “how to” books for graphic arts salespeople. I wrote those books because most printing company owners/managers are so busy trying to survive that there is no time to train the salespeople.
