50 Years … Gone!

Photo by Matt Crawford.

Fifty years ago, today, I arrived at a new job. It was my first day in print. I was the Graphics Manager for a door company north of Atlanta.

I had two bachelors degrees. One was in Journalism. The second was Sociology. I knew almost nothing about printing.

I got hired because a pal of mine got fired. His departing words were "you should hire Bill Gillespie as my replacement." I got the call and ultimately the job. It was October 27, 1975.

I had no idea what I’d signed up for. I learned how to run a duplicator and bought the printing we couldn’t do internally. Anything with a halftone or second color was a buyout.

I went to work for a supplier three years later. I accepted a job in sales because it was the easiest way to get hired. I expected to transfer to estimating or purchasing down the road. It never happened.

Nothing could have prepared me for the road ahead. Sales was a fit. I earned a seat at the table with some of the world’s largest brands. The decision to sell printing changed my life forever.

I’ve learned so many things along the way. It would be impossible for me to hit them all in the space available but I would like to touch on a few. Perhaps you’ll see something of value.

Nothing is off of the table until you abandon it yourself. You can do anything you want. Your equipment doesn’t matter. Your employer doesn’t matter. Your company size doesn’t matter. The only thing that matters is what you decide your limits are.

Is it impossible or inconvenient? Learning to ask this question changed everything for me and my numbers. Some of my coworkers hated the question but learned to dig in and get busy. Delivering on promises that had no right to happen separated me from others. Clients called me when the work was hard. I was a partner not a vendor. My value, client portfolio and earnings reflected the distinction.

Technology won’t put you out of business but fearing it might. The world was coming to an end when computers started to appear in prepress departments. I heard the same thing when digital presses were new.

It wasn’t so in either case. Prepress experts that embraced the digital age jumped to the top of their departments. The same can be said of printing craftsmen that saw digital presses as tools rather than the enemy. Those that resisted these evolutionary realities are mostly gone.

You can’t be too expensive but you can be too cheap. I’m glad I learned this one early. I was 20% low on a huge project. I convinced my boss to lowball the bid.

My client decided I didn’t understand what was expected. He hired the other guy. He had more confidence in the higher price than he did me. Price only matters when value isn’t apparent. If your client is challenging your numbers demonstrate why you’re worth it.

Nothing is too big for you if you’re prepared to do the work. Big clients value the same things as small clients. There might be more layers but the selling is the same.

If you’re prepared to do the work you can win a seat at the table with any brand you want. Don’t let anyone convince you that this isn’t so. Those that say “you can’t do it” are talking about themselves … not you. Big brands buy plenty and they’re more loyal.

There is so much more I would like to share but space doesn’t allow. I’ve said enough anyway.

So today marks 50 years for me in print. I’m not planning to quit completely but it is time to make some changes. I’m going to throttle back and chase a different set of goals. I’ll be writing less and playing more. It’s time.

Printing Industry, thank you for the ride of a lifetime. Printing Impressions, thank you for allowing me to share ideas. Printing People, you’re the best of the best. What you do is awesome. Stand tall and knock 'em dead.

Gillespie … out!

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. Artificial Intelligence may have been used in part to create or edit this content.