Many of the printers I work with on a daily basis are reporting increased customer activity as schools start around the country. It is always good to hear about a bump in business, but it doesn’t overshadow the news of the demise of other printers. Printers continue to close their doors because they just don’t have enough business. There is still printing to be had out there, but you have to work harder to get it.
One basic task that will help quick printers survive is having sales activities. Customers need to know where you are and what you do. The only way that will happen is if you tell them. Printers have to get on the telephone and out of their offices to ask customers for their printing business.
How many sales calls are you making a day? A printer could increase sales if he would just call customers about reprinting the jobs that the printer already has on file for the customer. Most printers use computerized pricing programs that have a built-in tickler file. When you enter the original order, the CSR puts in an expected repeat date. The printer can then run a weekly or monthly report about what jobs are due to be reprinted. Printers I work with report that almost 20% of their sales volume comes from repeating work from existing customers. The regular call also uncovers things about the customer that the printer needs to know to keep the business. Making regular calls can let a printer find out if a print buyer has changed or if any other changes have happened with the customer. Printers who are sitting back and waiting for the customer to call them are waiting and waiting.
The same thing holds true with estimates and quotes. Printers constantly provide customers and prospects with prices. Successful printers follow up on the estimates and quotes to find out if they have the job. The calls also allow a printer to find out why he didn’t get a job. How many estimates do you have sitting in your computer right now?
Not only are these tasks simple, they give you a reason to call the customer. Study after study shows that most companies lose customers to inattention. If you aren’t reaching out and touching your customers on a regular basis, they may end up taking their business somewhere else. You want to be the first printer a company thinks about when they have a printing job to order.
The computer also has other good sales information. Have you compared your top 25 customers this year to the top 25 customers last year? Have you looked at who is buying more? Have you looked to see who is buying less? This list will show you which customers you need to be talking to and with who you may have to rebuild a relationship.
Printers have a ton of information on their computer that will make them money. The only thing a computer can’t do is make the call to the customer. Owners who make the call are going to be the ones who are still standing when the economy turns around.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Monday, June 14, 2010
Listen before you sell
Quick printers have a lot of technology at their fingertips, but it isn’t worth much unless customers need it. PDF files can automate the workflow, but printers don’t tell customers the benefits or how to use it. Online ordering is easy to provide customers, but how is a customer suppose to learn about it? Printers buy technology because they think it will increase their sales. When it doesn’t, the printer is disappointed and disenchanted with technology.
The problem is that printers aren't listening to their customers. Printers are just telling them about technology and hope the cutomer is interested. They should be trying to find out what their customers need and what they want. The printer must find out the benefits the customer is seeking from a printer.
To be successful, printers are going to have to improve their listening skills. I’ve been helping a number of quick printers dissect their sales call and the recurring problem is that the printer used the first sales call to talk about his company and not find out the needs of the customer. The printer is so afraid that he won’t get the chance to talk to the customer again he hits the customer with everything he has. This leaves the customer confused and the printer looking like, well, just another printer.
Cool technology will get you in the door. Statements such as “we can make your ordering easier using the internet” or “we can help you avoid problems submitting your files” can get you in the door. Once you get there, you need to just listen. Ask questions. Find out what the customer needs. Find out his pain. Asking questions and listening will help you build a solid foundation for the relationship.
The standard practice of many printing sales people is to list what they do and hope the customer has a need. If you will take time to learn about the customer, then you can begin using your experience to solve problems and offer benefits for using your company. Don’t start selling until the second appointment when you know something about the customer and really can help them with their printing needs.
The problem is that printers aren't listening to their customers. Printers are just telling them about technology and hope the cutomer is interested. They should be trying to find out what their customers need and what they want. The printer must find out the benefits the customer is seeking from a printer.
To be successful, printers are going to have to improve their listening skills. I’ve been helping a number of quick printers dissect their sales call and the recurring problem is that the printer used the first sales call to talk about his company and not find out the needs of the customer. The printer is so afraid that he won’t get the chance to talk to the customer again he hits the customer with everything he has. This leaves the customer confused and the printer looking like, well, just another printer.
Cool technology will get you in the door. Statements such as “we can make your ordering easier using the internet” or “we can help you avoid problems submitting your files” can get you in the door. Once you get there, you need to just listen. Ask questions. Find out what the customer needs. Find out his pain. Asking questions and listening will help you build a solid foundation for the relationship.
The standard practice of many printing sales people is to list what they do and hope the customer has a need. If you will take time to learn about the customer, then you can begin using your experience to solve problems and offer benefits for using your company. Don’t start selling until the second appointment when you know something about the customer and really can help them with their printing needs.
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Prospering Only A Mouse Click Away
With all of the doom and gloom, it is nice to work with CPrint International and be with quick printers who are making money and moving forward. You need to click here at www.cprint.org to find out how a printer can prosper in these tough times.
As technology director and a consultant with the franchise, I get to see the work people are doing every day to make it through these tough economic times. The CPrint affiliates have their financial information in order so they know how they are doing. They have an organization in place so they can easily get the work through the shop. They are developing their selling machine so they can keep pouring leads into their sales funnel and build their business.
Printing is in the middle of an evolution. Print and the Internet are starting to merge as a new communication tool. The types of printing people buy and how they buy it is changing. Only a strong business will be able to evolve into whatever a printer will become in the next few years. CPrint is focusing on helping companies be able to withstand adversity and be ready to take advantage of new opportunities.
I'm just back from a speaking event where a CPrinter was training his customers and market about mobile marketing and the effect it will have on printed materials. I just visited another CPrinter who has married print with web technology that helps his customers get more sales leads. Printing has become more than just putting ink on paper.
If you are a printer you will want to know about CPrint International. You need to visit www.cprint.org and hear what CPrinters have to say about the organization and how it changed their life. You will want to sign up for CPrint Tips, an electronic newsletter that gives printers the information to make it through these tough economic times, at www.cprint.org/features/tips.html. It is free and can give you ideas to help make you money.
CPrint is a great way for an independent printer to join a franchise that provides a business model that works and will help a printer prosper. If you want to be successful and continue to grow, find out more about CPrint today.
As technology director and a consultant with the franchise, I get to see the work people are doing every day to make it through these tough economic times. The CPrint affiliates have their financial information in order so they know how they are doing. They have an organization in place so they can easily get the work through the shop. They are developing their selling machine so they can keep pouring leads into their sales funnel and build their business.
Printing is in the middle of an evolution. Print and the Internet are starting to merge as a new communication tool. The types of printing people buy and how they buy it is changing. Only a strong business will be able to evolve into whatever a printer will become in the next few years. CPrint is focusing on helping companies be able to withstand adversity and be ready to take advantage of new opportunities.
I'm just back from a speaking event where a CPrinter was training his customers and market about mobile marketing and the effect it will have on printed materials. I just visited another CPrinter who has married print with web technology that helps his customers get more sales leads. Printing has become more than just putting ink on paper.
If you are a printer you will want to know about CPrint International. You need to visit www.cprint.org and hear what CPrinters have to say about the organization and how it changed their life. You will want to sign up for CPrint Tips, an electronic newsletter that gives printers the information to make it through these tough economic times, at www.cprint.org/features/tips.html. It is free and can give you ideas to help make you money.
CPrint is a great way for an independent printer to join a franchise that provides a business model that works and will help a printer prosper. If you want to be successful and continue to grow, find out more about CPrint today.
Friday, May 14, 2010
Mobile Marketing Means Printing Dollars
Mobile marketing is the new buzz word for marketing companies and it is one of the first new technologies to actually generate printing. In mobile marketing, a smartphone becomes a “third screen.” It joins a television and computer screen as a primary way for a user to access information. Experts predict that there will be more smartphone users access the Internet in the next 36 months than computer users. Printing will be the way that information is driving to smartphone users.
QR (Quick Response) codes make it easy for smartphone users to get to a particular web site or digital information source. The smartphone user simply scans a printed QR code and his web browser is directed to a web site. QR codes can also be used to send email messages or automatically update contact information. No matter what it is used for, it all starts with a QR code that is printed on something.
Quick printers need to know how to create and print QR codes. Any customer with a web site is a possible user. Since most businesses want more “eyes” on their web site, a business will want to print a QR code on every printed piece a customer might see.
The mobile marketing/QR concept is new to North America, but it is big in Asia and Europe. Printers who can bring this new technology to their customer should at least get to reprint all of the marketing and customer communication pieces a customer might have.
Finally, the Internet has given us a computer whizbang feature that will cause customers to buy more printing.
QR (Quick Response) codes make it easy for smartphone users to get to a particular web site or digital information source. The smartphone user simply scans a printed QR code and his web browser is directed to a web site. QR codes can also be used to send email messages or automatically update contact information. No matter what it is used for, it all starts with a QR code that is printed on something.
Quick printers need to know how to create and print QR codes. Any customer with a web site is a possible user. Since most businesses want more “eyes” on their web site, a business will want to print a QR code on every printed piece a customer might see.
The mobile marketing/QR concept is new to North America, but it is big in Asia and Europe. Printers who can bring this new technology to their customer should at least get to reprint all of the marketing and customer communication pieces a customer might have.
Finally, the Internet has given us a computer whizbang feature that will cause customers to buy more printing.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Quit complaining and sell something
Does anyone have anything positive to say about the quick printing industry? Many of the quick printers I talk to have a negative attitude about quick printing industry. They lament the changes and talk about how their customer base is shrinking. They point fingers at competitors such as Staples and Office Max or FedEx and the UPS stores and say those businesses are taking their customers with cheap copies. They complain about lazy employees who won’t do anything or equipment suppliers who keep the costs high. Everyone is out to get them.
I can’t agree. Most of these complainers are business owners who are in charge of their own destinies. They just fail to do the basic business functions any business needs to do to survive. They don’t maintain adequate financial records to know how they are doing. They don’t make sales calls. They think making a delivery of a completed job and asking if there is any other printing is a sales activity. They don’t train their employees. They don’t take advantage of the technology they have.
You can still make money in quick printing and there are printers doing just that. Those printers get out and talk to customers and prospects. They use the technology they have available. They make it easier for customers to buy printing. The successful printers are proactive and get in front of customers with ideas and solutions that can be provided by a printed piece.
If you are a quick printer, I have one question: how many sales calls have you made this week? If you aren’t out asking for new business then you will probably be one of those people who is complaining about the printing industry. If you are talking to customers and learning what they need, you are going to have a better attitude because you will find out there are businesses buying printing. You just have to ask for make a sales call and ask for their business.
I can’t agree. Most of these complainers are business owners who are in charge of their own destinies. They just fail to do the basic business functions any business needs to do to survive. They don’t maintain adequate financial records to know how they are doing. They don’t make sales calls. They think making a delivery of a completed job and asking if there is any other printing is a sales activity. They don’t train their employees. They don’t take advantage of the technology they have.
You can still make money in quick printing and there are printers doing just that. Those printers get out and talk to customers and prospects. They use the technology they have available. They make it easier for customers to buy printing. The successful printers are proactive and get in front of customers with ideas and solutions that can be provided by a printed piece.
If you are a quick printer, I have one question: how many sales calls have you made this week? If you aren’t out asking for new business then you will probably be one of those people who is complaining about the printing industry. If you are talking to customers and learning what they need, you are going to have a better attitude because you will find out there are businesses buying printing. You just have to ask for make a sales call and ask for their business.
Monday, April 19, 2010
Print Industry Still Here
Quick Printing Editor Bob Hall recent comments about offset being at the crossroads are correct. Printing is changing and the equipment used to produce the equipment is changing. But just because the amount of offset sales dropped doesn’t mean the end for the printing industry.
Many quick printers build their business on providing convenience printing for the printed material needed to run a business. The desktop computing revolution has eliminated that work. No longer does a business stop by to get copies. Almost anyone who owns a computer has a printer attached that can take care of those needs.
There is still money to be made in printing serving the small business customer. The printing shift is from functional forms to sales material. Printing is still the most powerful and cost effective way for small businesses to reach customers. With the new technology, especially in color, printers can produce high quality work that can be used to help a business sell something to someone.
I’m not talking about developing a marketing and advertising program for a business. I’m talking about reproducing the basic sales material customers need to sell their products and services. It doesn’t require a marketing degree or advertising savvy. All it requires is a printer talking to a customer and letting the customer know what a printer can do to help his business.
The printers who are going to success and grow their businesses are the ones who actually get out and talk to customers about printing and stop waiting for customers to call them because they mailed out a postcard a couple of months ago.
Many quick printers build their business on providing convenience printing for the printed material needed to run a business. The desktop computing revolution has eliminated that work. No longer does a business stop by to get copies. Almost anyone who owns a computer has a printer attached that can take care of those needs.
There is still money to be made in printing serving the small business customer. The printing shift is from functional forms to sales material. Printing is still the most powerful and cost effective way for small businesses to reach customers. With the new technology, especially in color, printers can produce high quality work that can be used to help a business sell something to someone.
I’m not talking about developing a marketing and advertising program for a business. I’m talking about reproducing the basic sales material customers need to sell their products and services. It doesn’t require a marketing degree or advertising savvy. All it requires is a printer talking to a customer and letting the customer know what a printer can do to help his business.
The printers who are going to success and grow their businesses are the ones who actually get out and talk to customers about printing and stop waiting for customers to call them because they mailed out a postcard a couple of months ago.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Why Print?
Sometimes printers have a hard time trying to think about what to talk to customers about instead of "you don't need any printing today do you" sales calls. Printing is still one of the most effective and economical ways to reach customers, and if your customer sells something to someone, then they should be using print to touch their customers.
If you are looking for reasons print is important, look no further than the “Why Print” brochure available free from the Print Council. The Print Council produced a 24-page marketing brochure demonstrating the extraordinary value and effectiveness of print communications. Entitled "Why Print?, The Top Ten Ways Print Helps You Prosper", the full-color brochure is the first in a series of materials The Print Council makes available to printers to influence media decision makers' appreciation of the value of print.
Printers are encouraged to download and use any or all of the materials provided in their own marketing materials to underscore the power of print communications.
The Print Council is a business development alliance formed by leaders in the graphic arts industry whose goal is to influence and promote the greater use of print media. Download the artwork for the brochure at the Print Council's web site.
A 24-page brochure may be overkill, but the information is invaluable. You will find facts and ideas to support your blogging efforts, articles for your company newsletter, post cards and much more. You don't need to give all the information away at once. Each of the 10 reasons can be a separate discussion. The information in the "Why Print?" brochure should become part of the list of benefits you tell you customers about during a sales call.
If you are looking for reasons print is important, look no further than the “Why Print” brochure available free from the Print Council. The Print Council produced a 24-page marketing brochure demonstrating the extraordinary value and effectiveness of print communications. Entitled "Why Print?, The Top Ten Ways Print Helps You Prosper", the full-color brochure is the first in a series of materials The Print Council makes available to printers to influence media decision makers' appreciation of the value of print.
Printers are encouraged to download and use any or all of the materials provided in their own marketing materials to underscore the power of print communications.
The Print Council is a business development alliance formed by leaders in the graphic arts industry whose goal is to influence and promote the greater use of print media. Download the artwork for the brochure at the Print Council's web site.
A 24-page brochure may be overkill, but the information is invaluable. You will find facts and ideas to support your blogging efforts, articles for your company newsletter, post cards and much more. You don't need to give all the information away at once. Each of the 10 reasons can be a separate discussion. The information in the "Why Print?" brochure should become part of the list of benefits you tell you customers about during a sales call.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Will QuarkPromote.com Help Printers?
Quark has launched QuarkPromote.com (www.quarkpromote.com), a new online web-to-print service that hopes to send online customers to local printers. The special web-to-print service is aimed at small businesses so they can create their own marketing materials that can be picked up at a nearby neighborhood printer or received by mail in just a few days.
Customers go online and use a special online application to create the file. The customer’s order then goes to a commercial printer. Quark is saied to be partnering with franchises such as well as independent printers.
Quark isn't doing the printing and hopes to help printers get more business. The local printers can select to be either a "print by mail" or a "pick up at a neighborhood printer" provider. In both cases, the output provider is determined by the zip code the customer has provided.
According to Quark, if the customer wants the order delivered by mail, the zip code is used behind the scenes to find a prints-by-mail provider in the region. The customer is not provided the opportunity to choose the printer and there is no relationship between the provider and the customer. Packages are shipped blind to the customer.
In the case of neighborhood printing, the zip code is used to display a list of printers near the customer. Matching shops are displayed on a Bing map and in a list. The customer chooses a shop and then completes a typical online ordering process. Prices, included shipping, are set by Quark. The customer also has the option of choosing a printer at a location other than their own if it is more convenient.
Quark offers a webcast for output providers on how the Quark Promote programs work. Send an email request to enrollments@quarkalliance.com to see the webcast.
Is this a good program for printers? It is if you are a printer who doesn't want to don't want to talk to customers or try to sell anything. Pricing is controlled by Quark and orders by mail is transparent to the customer. The only real selling opportunity will come if the printer elects to pick up the job locally.
The program is still new, but I haven't seen any money being poured into marketing the program to consumers. Until that happens, it will just be a feel-good program to make printers think they are really part of the web2print world.
My advice is for printers to get out and actually talk to customers and be proactive in selling. Don't wait for a customer to go to a website to pick out templates. Get out there and find out the customers' printing needs.
I do recommend that you take advantage of the QuarkAlliance.com program. Former Adobe ASN members can get a free copy of QuarkXpress 8 when they sign up. The offer is good through June 2010.
Customers go online and use a special online application to create the file. The customer’s order then goes to a commercial printer. Quark is saied to be partnering with franchises such as well as independent printers.
Quark isn't doing the printing and hopes to help printers get more business. The local printers can select to be either a "print by mail" or a "pick up at a neighborhood printer" provider. In both cases, the output provider is determined by the zip code the customer has provided.
According to Quark, if the customer wants the order delivered by mail, the zip code is used behind the scenes to find a prints-by-mail provider in the region. The customer is not provided the opportunity to choose the printer and there is no relationship between the provider and the customer. Packages are shipped blind to the customer.
In the case of neighborhood printing, the zip code is used to display a list of printers near the customer. Matching shops are displayed on a Bing map and in a list. The customer chooses a shop and then completes a typical online ordering process. Prices, included shipping, are set by Quark. The customer also has the option of choosing a printer at a location other than their own if it is more convenient.
Quark offers a webcast for output providers on how the Quark Promote programs work. Send an email request to enrollments@quarkalliance.com to see the webcast.
Is this a good program for printers? It is if you are a printer who doesn't want to don't want to talk to customers or try to sell anything. Pricing is controlled by Quark and orders by mail is transparent to the customer. The only real selling opportunity will come if the printer elects to pick up the job locally.
The program is still new, but I haven't seen any money being poured into marketing the program to consumers. Until that happens, it will just be a feel-good program to make printers think they are really part of the web2print world.
My advice is for printers to get out and actually talk to customers and be proactive in selling. Don't wait for a customer to go to a website to pick out templates. Get out there and find out the customers' printing needs.
I do recommend that you take advantage of the QuarkAlliance.com program. Former Adobe ASN members can get a free copy of QuarkXpress 8 when they sign up. The offer is good through June 2010.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
QR Codes Next Big Thing
A bar code called Quick Response or QR Code is expected to begin having an impact on business information in the coming year and printers will have to know how to print it properly on customer’s material.
Printers already print bar codes. The new QR Code (or 2D Code) contains information in both the vertical and horizontal directions, where a bar code contains data in one direction only. QR Code holds a considerably greater volume of information than a bar code. In Japan, most current Japanese mobile phones can read this code with their camera and access additional information about the product. Initially used for tracking parts in vehicle manufacturing, QR Codes are now used in a much broader context, including both commercial tracking applications and convenience-oriented applications aimed at mobile phone users (known as mobile tagging).
QR Codes storing addresses and URLs (web addresses) are expected to start appearing in magazines, on signs, buses, business cards or just about any object that users might need information about. Users with a camera phone equipped with the correct reader software can scan the image of the QR Code causing the phone's browser to launch and redirect to the programmed URL. This act of linking from physical world objects is known as a hardlink or physical world hyperlinks.
For instance, a menu may include a QR code that links to a page with nutritional information. A business card may include a QR code that links to a web-site, blog or social networking site. The ability to direct a consumer to specific information will tie printed material closer to the Internet.
The QR codes are expected to start popping up in North America in the coming year as mobile phone companies add the software to their cameras. Printers should expect to get inquiries from customers soon.
Printers already print bar codes. The new QR Code (or 2D Code) contains information in both the vertical and horizontal directions, where a bar code contains data in one direction only. QR Code holds a considerably greater volume of information than a bar code. In Japan, most current Japanese mobile phones can read this code with their camera and access additional information about the product. Initially used for tracking parts in vehicle manufacturing, QR Codes are now used in a much broader context, including both commercial tracking applications and convenience-oriented applications aimed at mobile phone users (known as mobile tagging).
QR Codes storing addresses and URLs (web addresses) are expected to start appearing in magazines, on signs, buses, business cards or just about any object that users might need information about. Users with a camera phone equipped with the correct reader software can scan the image of the QR Code causing the phone's browser to launch and redirect to the programmed URL. This act of linking from physical world objects is known as a hardlink or physical world hyperlinks.
For instance, a menu may include a QR code that links to a page with nutritional information. A business card may include a QR code that links to a web-site, blog or social networking site. The ability to direct a consumer to specific information will tie printed material closer to the Internet.
The QR codes are expected to start popping up in North America in the coming year as mobile phone companies add the software to their cameras. Printers should expect to get inquiries from customers soon.
Monday, November 30, 2009
Automation Requires Standards
It is impossible to automate any task without standards. In the printing industry, many smaller printers have been trapped in thinking they had to be a job shop and take any job that came in the door, no matter what. This type of thinking has allowed web-based printers such as Vistaprint and Printingforless to carve out a good business because their business model is built around standardization for automation.
The printing industry has a number of standards already in place, but it is up to individual companies to use the standards and require their customers to follow them. Two of the most important standards are GRACoL 7 and G7. These are standards that many printers are implementing to make sure that the printing meets the requirements of customer and the printing quality is consistent.
One good overview of the subject can be found at:
More specific information can be found at:
GRACoL: http://www.gracol.org
G7 Process: http://www.gracol.org
SWOP: http://www.swop.org
IDEAlliance: http://www.idealliance.org
ISO: http://www.iso.org
In addition to those standards, you also need to be aware of the PDF and JDF standards. The standards set by the Ghent Workflow Group (www.gwg.org/) are what are used by GRACoL and G7.
Interestingly, the GRACoL standards at basically the same standards relating to customer files and PDF files that CPrint® International (www.cprint.org) has been promoting for years. The “big” printers and those who work with high end color for agencies have been promoting these standards to customers for a number of years.
Printers who institute standards and then require their customers to follow them will be able to automate in the coming years and see their sales per employee rise dramatically.
The printing industry has a number of standards already in place, but it is up to individual companies to use the standards and require their customers to follow them. Two of the most important standards are GRACoL 7 and G7. These are standards that many printers are implementing to make sure that the printing meets the requirements of customer and the printing quality is consistent.
One good overview of the subject can be found at:
More specific information can be found at:
GRACoL: http://www.gracol.org
G7 Process: http://www.gracol.org
SWOP: http://www.swop.org
IDEAlliance: http://www.idealliance.org
ISO: http://www.iso.org
In addition to those standards, you also need to be aware of the PDF and JDF standards. The standards set by the Ghent Workflow Group (www.gwg.org/) are what are used by GRACoL and G7.
Interestingly, the GRACoL standards at basically the same standards relating to customer files and PDF files that CPrint® International (www.cprint.org) has been promoting for years. The “big” printers and those who work with high end color for agencies have been promoting these standards to customers for a number of years.
Printers who institute standards and then require their customers to follow them will be able to automate in the coming years and see their sales per employee rise dramatically.
Monday, November 16, 2009
Find Customers and Build a Brand with Search Engines
Everyone is talking about having a "brand" for their company. A brand is the collective consumer perception of a company, product or service that is uniquely your own. This brand is shaped through the brand identity and its marketing execution as well as by personal or corporate experiences with the brand, by word of mouth and by the media.
The general public can get an impression of your company from a number of places. One area that many printers overlook is the Map areas of many search engines when they are branding their companies.
Successful quick printers use the various mapping programs provided by the different Internet search engines to find more customers. For example, you can go to www.maps.google.com and enter your address. Then use the Search Nearby to seek out businesses that need printing. Type in "Associations" and see how many are close to you. How about marketing companies? Training companies? Any type of business that might buy printing? You’ll get a list of businesses and can easily get contact information. There isn’t any excuse for a printer so say, “I don’t know who to call on.”
Your customers are also using the same search engine maps to find out information about you. You will also want to make sure you visit Google.com, Yahoo.com, Bing.com and others to post information about your business. For instance, Google gives businesses a free listing on Google Maps to make it easy for customers to find you. Any business can use the Local Business Center to create a free listing. When potential customers search Maps for local information, they'll find your business: your address, hours of operation, even photos of your storefront or products. It's easy, free, and you don't need a website of your own. Go to www.maps.google.com to sign up. Bing, Yahoo and other search engines offer a similar service.
But don’t forget to check the reviews for your business online to help protect your brand. Google, Yahoo and Bing allow visitors to post comments and reviews about local businesses online. You might be surprised what customers are saying about you online. Sadly it is usually a customer who had a problem who takes the time to post a poor review. You might want to suggest to your better customers that they can post a review for you at the different search sites. It might offset any bad reviews.
The Internet can give customers a perception of your company. You want to make sure the face you are showing to the world is the face you want them to see and you don't have people talking behind your back.
The general public can get an impression of your company from a number of places. One area that many printers overlook is the Map areas of many search engines when they are branding their companies.
Successful quick printers use the various mapping programs provided by the different Internet search engines to find more customers. For example, you can go to www.maps.google.com and enter your address. Then use the Search Nearby to seek out businesses that need printing. Type in "Associations" and see how many are close to you. How about marketing companies? Training companies? Any type of business that might buy printing? You’ll get a list of businesses and can easily get contact information. There isn’t any excuse for a printer so say, “I don’t know who to call on.”
Your customers are also using the same search engine maps to find out information about you. You will also want to make sure you visit Google.com, Yahoo.com, Bing.com and others to post information about your business. For instance, Google gives businesses a free listing on Google Maps to make it easy for customers to find you. Any business can use the Local Business Center to create a free listing. When potential customers search Maps for local information, they'll find your business: your address, hours of operation, even photos of your storefront or products. It's easy, free, and you don't need a website of your own. Go to www.maps.google.com to sign up. Bing, Yahoo and other search engines offer a similar service.
But don’t forget to check the reviews for your business online to help protect your brand. Google, Yahoo and Bing allow visitors to post comments and reviews about local businesses online. You might be surprised what customers are saying about you online. Sadly it is usually a customer who had a problem who takes the time to post a poor review. You might want to suggest to your better customers that they can post a review for you at the different search sites. It might offset any bad reviews.
The Internet can give customers a perception of your company. You want to make sure the face you are showing to the world is the face you want them to see and you don't have people talking behind your back.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
DO PRINTERS PRICE GOUGE?
During several of my recent visits to printing companies, the issue of prepress pricing came up. Several CSRs were concerned about the prices they had to charge for design and prepress services. They believed the prices were too high and that the customer was being “gouged.” When I reviewed the prices I found them to be either good or below market value. I never found a job that had been priced "too high." The CSR just didn't know what the value was and was having "sticker shock." They had never sold printing before and they didn't know what went into creating the job.
Owners need to review the value of prepress services with their CSRs. If the CSR isn’t comfortable with the prepress price, he will tend to lower the price. Most prepress prices are arbitrary in most shops and sometimes CSRs will skip the charge in hopes of just getting the job.
Owners need to explain the value of prepress. Equipment costs and software applications are very expensive. Most customers don’t have the knowledge to properly prepare a file for print nor do they have the ability to design work with a professional look. This type of service is only available from a printer or graphic designer. Using the equipment and software is more than just typing. CSRs should remember the printing problems and additional costs caused by amateur designers submitting files. The customer is paying for professional help to assure the file is created properly.
The value of the work particularly increases when original design is involved. Part of the charge to the customer will include the value of getting something no one else has. It is an original creation that the printer is selling to the customer. Check the difference between the cost of an original work of art and a copy. The original is always going to cost a lot more.
The prices can also be compared to other sources. Check the online printing sites and see what they charge for typesetting and design. Talk to freelancing graphic designers and ad agencies and see what they charge for their work.
Of course, work that is just replicated and reproduced does have a lower value than an original design, but it still has value. In many cases where the CSR feels the prepress prices are too high, there is no base line of pricing. Every year, the Crouser Estimating Guide includes the John Giles DTP Pricelist that can give a CSR the value price for many of the types of work sold by printers.
Customers will pay when they feel like they are getting value for their money. If you sell printing and apologize for the price, then the customer will feel like they are getting over charged. You need to be proud of your work and the services you provide. It costs what it costs. Price gougers won't survive, but neither will printers who give away their work.
Owners need to review the value of prepress services with their CSRs. If the CSR isn’t comfortable with the prepress price, he will tend to lower the price. Most prepress prices are arbitrary in most shops and sometimes CSRs will skip the charge in hopes of just getting the job.
Owners need to explain the value of prepress. Equipment costs and software applications are very expensive. Most customers don’t have the knowledge to properly prepare a file for print nor do they have the ability to design work with a professional look. This type of service is only available from a printer or graphic designer. Using the equipment and software is more than just typing. CSRs should remember the printing problems and additional costs caused by amateur designers submitting files. The customer is paying for professional help to assure the file is created properly.
The value of the work particularly increases when original design is involved. Part of the charge to the customer will include the value of getting something no one else has. It is an original creation that the printer is selling to the customer. Check the difference between the cost of an original work of art and a copy. The original is always going to cost a lot more.
The prices can also be compared to other sources. Check the online printing sites and see what they charge for typesetting and design. Talk to freelancing graphic designers and ad agencies and see what they charge for their work.
Of course, work that is just replicated and reproduced does have a lower value than an original design, but it still has value. In many cases where the CSR feels the prepress prices are too high, there is no base line of pricing. Every year, the Crouser Estimating Guide includes the John Giles DTP Pricelist that can give a CSR the value price for many of the types of work sold by printers.
Customers will pay when they feel like they are getting value for their money. If you sell printing and apologize for the price, then the customer will feel like they are getting over charged. You need to be proud of your work and the services you provide. It costs what it costs. Price gougers won't survive, but neither will printers who give away their work.
Monday, October 5, 2009
Color More Important to Quick Printers
It use to that all a quick printer needed to worry about was black ink. As a quick printer matured, he might get fancy and be able to add a second color. Today almost every quick printer can produce digital color prints and some can print 4-color offset work. At the least, a quick printer has partnered with an outside vendor to do full color work for him.
To be competitive today, a quick printer must be able to understand and produce color correctly over a variety of output devices. Digital color printers have gotten good and it has become easier to control the color output. It is easier to control the color among different output devices. Print professionals want to ensure that the digital files they use produce the expected color results, so artwork is prepared using CMYK values intended for a specific output device. This approach ensures that CMYK color numbers specified anywhere in the workflow arrive unchanged at the final output device.
There are a number of resources on the Web that will help a printer understand the science of color. Adobe offers a very good tutorial on Color Workflow online at http://tinyurl.com/ydulgr4. It explains the industry standards as well as the steps used to assure color is consistent. It also provides information as to why Adobe Bridge, a special program used to manage digital assets, is important when bringing together assets created from a number of different sources.
Want to learn more about Adobe Bridge? Be sure to check out Epicedits’ blog for a complete guide to Adobe Bridge. Visit the site at http://blog.epicedits.com/2008/05/07/your-complete-guide-to-adobe-bridge/
CPrint® International affiliates are attacking the issues with color so they can maintain a competitive edge. The subject will be studied in detail at the upcoming Production Conference in Jacksonville in November. To find out more about CPrint, visit http://www.cprint.org.
To be competitive today, a quick printer must be able to understand and produce color correctly over a variety of output devices. Digital color printers have gotten good and it has become easier to control the color output. It is easier to control the color among different output devices. Print professionals want to ensure that the digital files they use produce the expected color results, so artwork is prepared using CMYK values intended for a specific output device. This approach ensures that CMYK color numbers specified anywhere in the workflow arrive unchanged at the final output device.
There are a number of resources on the Web that will help a printer understand the science of color. Adobe offers a very good tutorial on Color Workflow online at http://tinyurl.com/ydulgr4. It explains the industry standards as well as the steps used to assure color is consistent. It also provides information as to why Adobe Bridge, a special program used to manage digital assets, is important when bringing together assets created from a number of different sources.
Want to learn more about Adobe Bridge? Be sure to check out Epicedits’ blog for a complete guide to Adobe Bridge. Visit the site at http://blog.epicedits.com/2008/05/07/your-complete-guide-to-adobe-bridge/
CPrint® International affiliates are attacking the issues with color so they can maintain a competitive edge. The subject will be studied in detail at the upcoming Production Conference in Jacksonville in November. To find out more about CPrint, visit http://www.cprint.org.
Monday, September 21, 2009
Online Graphic Help Free
There is no excuse for not learning how to use a graphic application properly. The Internet is providing thousands of sources for teaching people to use software program and to fix problems they run into during normal daily production. MacFixIt, an online source of information on Mac-related repair and troubleshooting advice is now available free to Internet users. CNET recently purchased MacFixIt and plan to expand the information available at the site. Mac users should bookmark this page because it will help them with upgrade issues for the new Mac OS. The URL for the new MacFixIt site is http://reviews.cnet.com/macfixit/.
And if you don't like to read there are always online videos. Enfocus has set up a whole range of helpful product movies, from quick overviews to short feature movies. Find an answer to those problems you face as a print professional every day. The videos deal with such topics as how to detect trim marks, how to use Profiles and Action Lists, how to detect and fix objects without bleeds, how to outline problem text, how to find unwanted spot colors, how to apply Pantone colors and more. To find out more visit Enfocus.com or http://tinyurl.com/mqegqp.
You will also want to check out www.youtube.com and search for InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator and other applications. You will usually find a number of short "how to" videos that can make you even more productive.
Print shop owners and production managers need to carve out time in the production schedule to let the prepress staff take advantage of these resources. The skills learned will help the printer profit, so most of the training should be done during the workday. Most prepress staffers want to be more productive, but getting jobs out gets in the way. Management needs to make sure that the prepress people get time to train.
And if you don't like to read there are always online videos. Enfocus has set up a whole range of helpful product movies, from quick overviews to short feature movies. Find an answer to those problems you face as a print professional every day. The videos deal with such topics as how to detect trim marks, how to use Profiles and Action Lists, how to detect and fix objects without bleeds, how to outline problem text, how to find unwanted spot colors, how to apply Pantone colors and more. To find out more visit Enfocus.com or http://tinyurl.com/mqegqp.
You will also want to check out www.youtube.com and search for InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator and other applications. You will usually find a number of short "how to" videos that can make you even more productive.
Print shop owners and production managers need to carve out time in the production schedule to let the prepress staff take advantage of these resources. The skills learned will help the printer profit, so most of the training should be done during the workday. Most prepress staffers want to be more productive, but getting jobs out gets in the way. Management needs to make sure that the prepress people get time to train.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
What To Say To Printing Customers?
Ever wonder what you should be saying to a printing customer? How do you start a dialog without sounding dry and boring? Are you tired of asking, "You don't have any printing today do you?"
Questions should generate conversation that is a two way street. You want to find out what your customer does and the customer wants to find out what you do. A good question to use would be "What printed material do you use to communicate to your customers?" That question would be quickly followed with "May I see samples?"
As the customer outlines what he uses to communicate, a printer will see what printing is done, how often it is done, and find out how effective it is. A savvy printer should be able to identify what printed communication products might be missing, how the current printed products can be improved, and how the printed products can be coordinated to provide a bigger impact on the customer.
What? No newsletter? That might be something that would help the customer sell more. All the customer's products described in one brochure? Perhaps a brochure should be created for single products so the reader is less confused and the product can be more targeted.
At the same time, the printer can be demonstrating his expertise. The printer should be able to provide the customer samples with what the printer is using to communicate with his customers. The printer can lead by example. If a printer is going to talk about printing marketing pieces for a customer, he should have his own marketing materials to use as examples.
Successful printers get out in front of their customers and drill down to get the information they need to make sales easier. It isn't a stilted speech. The information is found with a conversation that lets the customer know he is dealing with a profession.
Questions should generate conversation that is a two way street. You want to find out what your customer does and the customer wants to find out what you do. A good question to use would be "What printed material do you use to communicate to your customers?" That question would be quickly followed with "May I see samples?"
As the customer outlines what he uses to communicate, a printer will see what printing is done, how often it is done, and find out how effective it is. A savvy printer should be able to identify what printed communication products might be missing, how the current printed products can be improved, and how the printed products can be coordinated to provide a bigger impact on the customer.
What? No newsletter? That might be something that would help the customer sell more. All the customer's products described in one brochure? Perhaps a brochure should be created for single products so the reader is less confused and the product can be more targeted.
At the same time, the printer can be demonstrating his expertise. The printer should be able to provide the customer samples with what the printer is using to communicate with his customers. The printer can lead by example. If a printer is going to talk about printing marketing pieces for a customer, he should have his own marketing materials to use as examples.
Successful printers get out in front of their customers and drill down to get the information they need to make sales easier. It isn't a stilted speech. The information is found with a conversation that lets the customer know he is dealing with a profession.
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