Q&A with Ronnie H. Davis, Ph.D.
Think Positive: First and most important is to have a positive attitude about your firm and your industry.
Think Smart: Printers need to understand print’s emerging economic and industry forces as examined and explained in the book. You, your management team, and key employees need to think smart in order to understand these forces and where they are taking the industry.
Think Forward: Thinking smart is not enough to compete for print’s thriving future. You also have to think forward in order to manage forward. The various forces discussed in the book are emerging forces.
Think Better Not Bigger: As demonstrated in the book, the industry can be characterized as one of constant returns to scale in terms of long-run cost. However, these curves are likely shifting down as a result of technology change. The lesson from this is that printers need to think about investments in technology that reduce cost rather than on getting bigger by chasing sales growth.
Think Strategically: The next key component for competing for print’s thriving future is to think strategically. The book offers a menu of successful industry strategies.
Additionally, you need to think process. A User Guide to Strategy Development in the Printing Industry is contained in the book’s appendix. Thinking “off the top of your head” will not work.
Think Business Model: As demonstrated in Competing for Print’s Thriving Future, business model selection makes a difference in profitability in the printing industry.
Think Like a SuperPrinter: Profit-leading SuperPrinters not only outperform and outthink other printers, but they also outexecute. By this I mean they not only figure out the right thing to do, but they also do things right. And these “right” things are identified in the book.
Think Pricing Power: To compete for print’s thriving future you need to use price as a strategic tool rather than as defensive cover. You need to understand cost, but don’t price solely on cost but also according to demand elasticity.
