Where do you think the puck is going? What do you think people in the industry can do to score in the game of business? Please feel free to comment on any of Mark’s points.
Mark, that was a great analogy. I agree that we need to try our best to anticipate where the puck is going and the best way to do that is to listen to our clients, our peers, and to industry “veterans” who have seen storms (not quite like this one) in years’ past and gleaned knowledge from those times. As I do that, I realize that, like us, nobody knows what will happen or where things will go. However, one thing I am hearing from both sides is “how do we work together to get through this storm?”. In other words, anyone who publishes print and those who produce it need to find ways to produce product in a cost-effective manner, step outside the box, and create value for both printer and “publisher”. No question or idea is a dumb one, and we need to explore the vast domain that is print to find solutions that will keep this industry afloat. Print will never be the same after this, I agree. Neither will publishing of any kind. That is not a bad thing. What makes it a bad thing is not being ready to work outside the box to create value for printer, publisher, and consumer, and follow the puck to its intended goal.
At this stage in the of evolution in e-communication it would be interesting to know if being exclusively print might now be a viable point of differentiation. Could one part of the market be headed/ing this direction?
Have you already looked at and written about this?
Annmarie:
I’m totally with you. Being prepared for the new landscape comes down to strategy. Do we have one? I believe many big companies have sacrificed the long term by simply focusing on short term shareholder value. Only now that we are in crisis, are we discussing new ideas like new energy sources, etc. I think the most successful companies will take the pain and invest in market research, branding of their company and the education of their people relative to new ideas.
Greg – good question. Clearly, print can be a specialty. However, we may need to be careful that we don’t leave the demand creation of print up to others. In other words, a good portion of print could head towards trade printing, while a select few grab share of other marketing services like advertising, campaign management, and design.
Either way, we might as well treat it like an adventure. thanks so much for your comments.
I agree this is a great analogy. I would love to anticipate where the puck is going. I have actually been online doing research to try and discover its path. I have come up empty in most areas, but I know there is an answer out there. Usually, I am pretty good at being the first one to see it. But even I, in my eternally optimistic self, am becoming concerned – dare I say scared.
I am trying to make my skills, my services and myself open to this changing economy. I am trying to discover new paths in reaching new clients and not just sell them a product but also give them my wisdom and partnership in getting through these tough times.
I have posted more about myself on Linked In to try and connect with more people in my industry and possibly more clients. A year ago I did not need this additional step to connect. Now, I want every tool in my belt I can get. So I can understand the amount of people now utilizing these avenues.
Print will always be strong. I do not fear for the print industry itself, but for the shops who will not be able to ride this wave. I wonder if the larger conglomerates that have the strength and power to lower pricing (and recoup some of their profits) will eat up small town print shops.
My company has chosen NOT to participate in the recession. They are finding new ways to connect with clients and deliver a service that is needed, and relevant, to this changing market. We are encouraged we are in route to the puck. Personally, I hope to touch it again very soon.
I find the discussion here most interesting. Often times you talk about selling marketing solutions. Marketing Solutions is exactly what is needed! Print sales people for the most part do not understand marketing. The answer is not direct mail..the answer is specific strategic direct mail campaign that obtains the desired result for the customer. The sell is not about the equipment, the sell is what the equipment can efficiently produce and how that end product can help the client’s business. Printing sales people need to understand their clients’ and prospects businesses…You can not say “Poof” “I am a marketer”…You must study, study marketing and study your clients’ and prospects’ businesses, then and only then can you make a sound marketing recommendation. Printing sales people and management need to understand marketing before the paradign can change. The multi-media mix of the future is direct mail and the web….and that is a huge opportunity for the printing industry.
Excellent stuff Shenna. I would love to get people’s feedback about LinkedIn and other social networks. I am still trying to get my head around what the long term ramifications of these sites may be. I love the idea of choosing NOT to participate in the recession. I hear that. If it were easy, everybody would do it. Nothing comes without sacrifice and investment. The best will make that investment!
Howard: Good call on the fact that many of us do not know about marketing. Isn’t it ironic, that many companies who suffer, first cut marketing. Then they turn around and say “why is our business down?” In turn, we as an industry want print reps to sell marketing services, yet we have yet to provide the necessary education and experiences for them to do that. I am so in agreement with you that the marketing personalities who sell for or run print shops will win. We just have to take the first step.
People want turnkey solutions. They want someone else thinking for them. It is our job to provide painless solutions for them. Using web to print, creating solutions online that include real marketing campaigns at the touch off a button. We talk about not being just a printer or mailer and become a solutions provider, but very few are really taking this approach. Price and lack of knowledge are killing the industry. We need to have educated sales people that are staying up with technology. That requires a sales person to go to seminars, read articles and stay ahead of the puck. Smaller staffs will push the marketing of a company onto a service provider sales person / graphic artist. The sales person better learn print (offset & variable), mailing (data, postage, direct mail tips, Lists), and how to link it to the website (web to print, purls) and tie it into the mail piece. In my opinion too many sales persons have not done their homework. They are not spreading the right wisdom that we need to get through tough times. We complain in tough times a company needs to spend more on advertising, but few do. Sales people need to go and get educated so they can put themselves in postion to be a solutions provider and not a quote and hope provider.
Since we are quoting great ones, Lance Armstong said,”The lead never changes on the flat land, the lead changes on the toughest part of the course.” So let put ourselves in position to win the toughest race we have seen in years.
A few innovative tips: http://www.convertiblesolitions.com great new stimulating turnkey pre-converted products coming out of the ditial press and ready to put into the mail stream.
Another, really learn and put Purls into every direct mail campaign you can.
Dircet smiles creative ways of making font like programing work with eye opening touches to every piece.
Visit and look at websites like PODI.org and read whattheythink.com
I know there are other things out there and some of you have already heard about these items, But lets start learning and practicing what we preach.
In closing good luck to all, we will have to spend alot more time and effort investing in ourselves to get ahead of puck, and in the end those that do will be the ones with the hat tricks. They will have positoned themselves to win alot more games.
Someone responded that direct mail and the internet are the future. I would challenge that response by saying that integrating the web and direct mail is here, today.
I do think there is some merit to the idea that print is a differentiator when there is so much web-based communication. But if everyone is looking to the internet for information and communication channels, then what is going to make people pay attention to print again? Just having everyone in the industry yelling loudly at the same time won’t make it happen…
The industry needs to leverage print as a logical part of any marketing solution. People can opt out of telephone and email. Direct mail is one more way to communicate with those folks who have opted out of the other channels. God help the print industry if/when “do not mail list” legislation becomes law.
Phillip – I agree with you completely. As the market becomes more transparent, education and innovation will be the edge in winning more clients. We saw the need for turnkey solutions many years ago and finished late last year developing a system to combine direct mail, emails, PURLs, and more. Our clients are looking for multi-channel communication ports that will allow them to target a very specific audience, one at time, with personalization. Clients are becoming well versed in marketing methods and new avenues. Keeping ahead of the game will be key!
Phillip and Keith are on the mark. One other thing I would throw out there is that it would make a lot of sense to understand where the largest spend exists. In other words, if print is a big piece of the spend, or the biggest, then we got a shot. We can leverage the largest credit line into new ideas. So, the combination of educating ourselves around marketing and an already high dollar amount invested in print should allow us to talk to customers about doing more. I understand we need to be marketing savvy, but we also need to show them how we are going to save them gobs of money so they don’t have to lay any more people off. Just need to bundle their services with the big spend of print. Meanwhile, the rest of us will try to put out the right marketing literature out in order to propel us to the new day.
I think I might challenge the thought of showing companies how not to lay people off. I believe the challenge is to show a company how to receive the best return on its investment. For example: Why couldn’t a printing company offer to take out the entire printing department at a company. Why not place a person or persons on site at the printer’s expense. Jobs could still be shopped but the printer who placed the person on site could get a second look. This way they can pick and choose the spend that works best with their shop. They would have a lock on the printing and would help the customer save two ways. First by eliminating overhead and second by working design specs to make sure jobs could be printed in the most effcient manner….I think we have to think out of the box. Traditional advertisiers and advertising agencies do not get that web and direct mail are the multi media mix, that is the opportunity for the strategic printer. In addition broadcast is getting more and more difficult to buy and more and more fragmented…so we are really in the beginning of the shift, which means great opportunity for the printer who can think strategically.
I think I might challenge the thought of showing companies how not to lay people off. I believe the challenge is to show a company how to receive the best return on its investment. For example: Why couldn’t a printing company offer to take out the entire printing department at a company. Why not place a person or persons on site at the printer’s expense. Jobs could still be shopped but the printer who placed the person on site could get a second look. This way they can pick and choose the spend that works best with their shop. They would have a lock on the printing and would help the customer save two ways. First by eliminating overhead and second by working design specs to make sure jobs could be printed in the most effcient manner….I think we have to think out of the box. Traditional advertisiers and advertising agencies do not get that web and direct mail are the multi media mix, that is the opportunity for the strategic printer. In addition broadcast is getting more and more difficult to buy and more and more fragmented…so we are really in the beginning of the shift, which means great opportunity for the printer who can think strategically.
I like it. See, I really think we can take control of this thing as opposed to being dictated to. If we can at least have some aggressive conversations, we are sitting in a position to win. I do see that many companies are downsizing and outsourcing their tactical marketing. That is why I tell the suppliers to our industry that printers are still in a position to control their own destiny.
Whether or not the conversation is about ROI or retention of employees, the case that needs to be made is that printers need to get a hold of this thing before others start brokering print as part of their bundle. I think it is pretty easy to outsource design and web campaigns. Imagine the amount of freelancers out there right now. A printer could partner with a couple of them and start putting programs together right now. Heck, we offer design service with ad placement at CANVAS and save people thousands. Printer’s can do it all if they choose too and relaize the only risk is in NOT incubating new ideas!
Mark, One last thing. It takes a committment from management to really make this happen. Spending money for marketing expertise is not something most management people truly believe in, nor is it something in which they want to invest money. You need someone who understands marketing and its impact on a business. Someone who can truly make sound marketing recommendations. When offering solutions you must have credibility. Most printing company management and most printing company sales people do not have the credibility or the ability to sit with c-suite executives and make credible strategic recommendations….They need to partner with someone who can. Change in this economy is inevitable, and that means not only does the printing sales rep need to think differently, so does the boss!
February 9th, 2009 at 10:59 AM
Mark, that was a great analogy. I agree that we need to try our best to anticipate where the puck is going and the best way to do that is to listen to our clients, our peers, and to industry “veterans” who have seen storms (not quite like this one) in years’ past and gleaned knowledge from those times. As I do that, I realize that, like us, nobody knows what will happen or where things will go. However, one thing I am hearing from both sides is “how do we work together to get through this storm?”. In other words, anyone who publishes print and those who produce it need to find ways to produce product in a cost-effective manner, step outside the box, and create value for both printer and “publisher”. No question or idea is a dumb one, and we need to explore the vast domain that is print to find solutions that will keep this industry afloat. Print will never be the same after this, I agree. Neither will publishing of any kind. That is not a bad thing. What makes it a bad thing is not being ready to work outside the box to create value for printer, publisher, and consumer, and follow the puck to its intended goal.
February 9th, 2009 at 11:01 AM
At this stage in the of evolution in e-communication it would be interesting to know if being exclusively print might now be a viable point of differentiation. Could one part of the market be headed/ing this direction?
Have you already looked at and written about this?
February 9th, 2009 at 11:19 AM
Annmarie:
I’m totally with you. Being prepared for the new landscape comes down to strategy. Do we have one? I believe many big companies have sacrificed the long term by simply focusing on short term shareholder value. Only now that we are in crisis, are we discussing new ideas like new energy sources, etc. I think the most successful companies will take the pain and invest in market research, branding of their company and the education of their people relative to new ideas.
Greg – good question. Clearly, print can be a specialty. However, we may need to be careful that we don’t leave the demand creation of print up to others. In other words, a good portion of print could head towards trade printing, while a select few grab share of other marketing services like advertising, campaign management, and design.
Either way, we might as well treat it like an adventure. thanks so much for your comments.
February 9th, 2009 at 11:29 AM
I agree this is a great analogy. I would love to anticipate where the puck is going. I have actually been online doing research to try and discover its path. I have come up empty in most areas, but I know there is an answer out there. Usually, I am pretty good at being the first one to see it. But even I, in my eternally optimistic self, am becoming concerned – dare I say scared.
I am trying to make my skills, my services and myself open to this changing economy. I am trying to discover new paths in reaching new clients and not just sell them a product but also give them my wisdom and partnership in getting through these tough times.
I have posted more about myself on Linked In to try and connect with more people in my industry and possibly more clients. A year ago I did not need this additional step to connect. Now, I want every tool in my belt I can get. So I can understand the amount of people now utilizing these avenues.
Print will always be strong. I do not fear for the print industry itself, but for the shops who will not be able to ride this wave. I wonder if the larger conglomerates that have the strength and power to lower pricing (and recoup some of their profits) will eat up small town print shops.
My company has chosen NOT to participate in the recession. They are finding new ways to connect with clients and deliver a service that is needed, and relevant, to this changing market. We are encouraged we are in route to the puck. Personally, I hope to touch it again very soon.
February 9th, 2009 at 11:49 AM
I find the discussion here most interesting. Often times you talk about selling marketing solutions. Marketing Solutions is exactly what is needed! Print sales people for the most part do not understand marketing. The answer is not direct mail..the answer is specific strategic direct mail campaign that obtains the desired result for the customer. The sell is not about the equipment, the sell is what the equipment can efficiently produce and how that end product can help the client’s business. Printing sales people need to understand their clients’ and prospects businesses…You can not say “Poof” “I am a marketer”…You must study, study marketing and study your clients’ and prospects’ businesses, then and only then can you make a sound marketing recommendation. Printing sales people and management need to understand marketing before the paradign can change. The multi-media mix of the future is direct mail and the web….and that is a huge opportunity for the printing industry.
February 9th, 2009 at 11:55 AM
Excellent stuff Shenna. I would love to get people’s feedback about LinkedIn and other social networks. I am still trying to get my head around what the long term ramifications of these sites may be. I love the idea of choosing NOT to participate in the recession. I hear that. If it were easy, everybody would do it. Nothing comes without sacrifice and investment. The best will make that investment!
February 9th, 2009 at 12:03 PM
Howard: Good call on the fact that many of us do not know about marketing. Isn’t it ironic, that many companies who suffer, first cut marketing. Then they turn around and say “why is our business down?” In turn, we as an industry want print reps to sell marketing services, yet we have yet to provide the necessary education and experiences for them to do that. I am so in agreement with you that the marketing personalities who sell for or run print shops will win. We just have to take the first step.
February 9th, 2009 at 12:06 PM
People want turnkey solutions. They want someone else thinking for them. It is our job to provide painless solutions for them. Using web to print, creating solutions online that include real marketing campaigns at the touch off a button. We talk about not being just a printer or mailer and become a solutions provider, but very few are really taking this approach. Price and lack of knowledge are killing the industry. We need to have educated sales people that are staying up with technology. That requires a sales person to go to seminars, read articles and stay ahead of the puck. Smaller staffs will push the marketing of a company onto a service provider sales person / graphic artist. The sales person better learn print (offset & variable), mailing (data, postage, direct mail tips, Lists), and how to link it to the website (web to print, purls) and tie it into the mail piece. In my opinion too many sales persons have not done their homework. They are not spreading the right wisdom that we need to get through tough times. We complain in tough times a company needs to spend more on advertising, but few do. Sales people need to go and get educated so they can put themselves in postion to be a solutions provider and not a quote and hope provider.
Since we are quoting great ones, Lance Armstong said,”The lead never changes on the flat land, the lead changes on the toughest part of the course.” So let put ourselves in position to win the toughest race we have seen in years.
A few innovative tips: http://www.convertiblesolitions.com great new stimulating turnkey pre-converted products coming out of the ditial press and ready to put into the mail stream.
Another, really learn and put Purls into every direct mail campaign you can.
Dircet smiles creative ways of making font like programing work with eye opening touches to every piece.
Visit and look at websites like PODI.org and read whattheythink.com
I know there are other things out there and some of you have already heard about these items, But lets start learning and practicing what we preach.
In closing good luck to all, we will have to spend alot more time and effort investing in ourselves to get ahead of puck, and in the end those that do will be the ones with the hat tricks. They will have positoned themselves to win alot more games.
February 9th, 2009 at 2:16 PM
Someone responded that direct mail and the internet are the future. I would challenge that response by saying that integrating the web and direct mail is here, today.
I do think there is some merit to the idea that print is a differentiator when there is so much web-based communication. But if everyone is looking to the internet for information and communication channels, then what is going to make people pay attention to print again? Just having everyone in the industry yelling loudly at the same time won’t make it happen…
The industry needs to leverage print as a logical part of any marketing solution. People can opt out of telephone and email. Direct mail is one more way to communicate with those folks who have opted out of the other channels. God help the print industry if/when “do not mail list” legislation becomes law.
February 9th, 2009 at 2:39 PM
Phillip – I agree with you completely. As the market becomes more transparent, education and innovation will be the edge in winning more clients. We saw the need for turnkey solutions many years ago and finished late last year developing a system to combine direct mail, emails, PURLs, and more. Our clients are looking for multi-channel communication ports that will allow them to target a very specific audience, one at time, with personalization. Clients are becoming well versed in marketing methods and new avenues. Keeping ahead of the game will be key!
February 9th, 2009 at 3:45 PM
Phillip and Keith are on the mark. One other thing I would throw out there is that it would make a lot of sense to understand where the largest spend exists. In other words, if print is a big piece of the spend, or the biggest, then we got a shot. We can leverage the largest credit line into new ideas. So, the combination of educating ourselves around marketing and an already high dollar amount invested in print should allow us to talk to customers about doing more. I understand we need to be marketing savvy, but we also need to show them how we are going to save them gobs of money so they don’t have to lay any more people off. Just need to bundle their services with the big spend of print. Meanwhile, the rest of us will try to put out the right marketing literature out in order to propel us to the new day.
February 9th, 2009 at 4:36 PM
I think I might challenge the thought of showing companies how not to lay people off. I believe the challenge is to show a company how to receive the best return on its investment. For example: Why couldn’t a printing company offer to take out the entire printing department at a company. Why not place a person or persons on site at the printer’s expense. Jobs could still be shopped but the printer who placed the person on site could get a second look. This way they can pick and choose the spend that works best with their shop. They would have a lock on the printing and would help the customer save two ways. First by eliminating overhead and second by working design specs to make sure jobs could be printed in the most effcient manner….I think we have to think out of the box. Traditional advertisiers and advertising agencies do not get that web and direct mail are the multi media mix, that is the opportunity for the strategic printer. In addition broadcast is getting more and more difficult to buy and more and more fragmented…so we are really in the beginning of the shift, which means great opportunity for the printer who can think strategically.
February 9th, 2009 at 4:36 PM
I think I might challenge the thought of showing companies how not to lay people off. I believe the challenge is to show a company how to receive the best return on its investment. For example: Why couldn’t a printing company offer to take out the entire printing department at a company. Why not place a person or persons on site at the printer’s expense. Jobs could still be shopped but the printer who placed the person on site could get a second look. This way they can pick and choose the spend that works best with their shop. They would have a lock on the printing and would help the customer save two ways. First by eliminating overhead and second by working design specs to make sure jobs could be printed in the most effcient manner….I think we have to think out of the box. Traditional advertisiers and advertising agencies do not get that web and direct mail are the multi media mix, that is the opportunity for the strategic printer. In addition broadcast is getting more and more difficult to buy and more and more fragmented…so we are really in the beginning of the shift, which means great opportunity for the printer who can think strategically.
February 9th, 2009 at 4:54 PM
I like it. See, I really think we can take control of this thing as opposed to being dictated to. If we can at least have some aggressive conversations, we are sitting in a position to win. I do see that many companies are downsizing and outsourcing their tactical marketing. That is why I tell the suppliers to our industry that printers are still in a position to control their own destiny.
Whether or not the conversation is about ROI or retention of employees, the case that needs to be made is that printers need to get a hold of this thing before others start brokering print as part of their bundle. I think it is pretty easy to outsource design and web campaigns. Imagine the amount of freelancers out there right now. A printer could partner with a couple of them and start putting programs together right now. Heck, we offer design service with ad placement at CANVAS and save people thousands. Printer’s can do it all if they choose too and relaize the only risk is in NOT incubating new ideas!
February 9th, 2009 at 10:16 PM
Mark, One last thing. It takes a committment from management to really make this happen. Spending money for marketing expertise is not something most management people truly believe in, nor is it something in which they want to invest money. You need someone who understands marketing and its impact on a business. Someone who can truly make sound marketing recommendations. When offering solutions you must have credibility. Most printing company management and most printing company sales people do not have the credibility or the ability to sit with c-suite executives and make credible strategic recommendations….They need to partner with someone who can. Change in this economy is inevitable, and that means not only does the printing sales rep need to think differently, so does the boss!
March 24th, 2009 at 7:11 PM
This is the way things should be, get off what we are on now