Margie Dana

Something for Printers to Think About

I know zero about building homes. Zero. The only home we’ve owned is this one in which I’m sitting. It was built in 1936.

But I’m currently fascinated by two homes going up in my neighborhood.

There’s a transformative renovation going on, just across the street, involving a regal, brick Colonial. Five, sometimes six days a week, an entire crew shows up as early as 7 am. Bit by bit, the house has been gutted, and in its place, a transcendent version of its older, worn-out self is appearing. The builders are always on time. Someone who seems like the general contractor is often there, and very involved. The property’s spotless. It looks as though the site gets swept clean daily. Call this House A.

Just two doors down, House B is going up. This one was a tear-down. These two sites couldn’t be more different. Compared to House A, this second one looks like the work of amateurs. After the existing house was demolished (in fits and starts lasting weeks), the site looked like it had been bombed. Materials in sloppy piles sat untouched for months. There’s litter everywhere. The framing looks catch-as-catch-can. Days go by with nothing happening.

I’m sure the listing prices for both new homes will vary by quite a bit. House A is larger. But if I hadn’t witnessed how different two residential building sites could be, I wouldn’t have known or even thought about it. There seems to be a huge quality difference in materials, in management, in the building process, and possibly in the tradesmen. Everything about House A screams “professional!”

Will this be obvious once the homes are complete?

It got me thinking about printing. Show customers a pile of printed materials, and they can’t tell who’s printed what. They don’t know what went into the work.

Imagine prospective customers who know zero about printing.

Are they likely to judge you only by your finished product? Do they appreciate the quality of your workmanship? Do they even know what goes into your product? It could be the consumables, the equipment, the software systems, or the caliber and overall talent of your team. I think whatever craftsmanship goes into making your printing spectacular ought to be shared – especially if your prices are high.

Think of ways to articulate the true value of your product’s quality, and then communicate that to your market.

Print Buyers & Equipment Lists

Here’s a blog I wrote recently for Printing Impressions – and by all means, check it out on their site if only to read all of the comments I got from print customers. Each person makes an excellent point. I hope it convinces those of you who don’t list your equipment to rethink your position.

The question about print customers and a printer’s equipment list comes up often, as it did last week on the webinar I participated in.

During that event, I brought this up because it’s significant. In the recent study I did with John Zarwan, in which we collected data from 315 professional print buyers, 73% of those surveyed said that a printer’s equipment influences their selection of print partners – at least some of the time.

This was particularly true for more experienced print customers. The less experienced buyers are much less interested in what printers have ‘on the floor.’ This makes sense. Most of them don’t know manufacturing equipment. What they care about is your ability to deliver the goods – a combination of print quality and good service, at the price they agreed to pay, and delivered when promised.

In our study, we didn’t drill down to ask specifically whether customers pay attention to presses, primarily, or if they’re influenced by other equipment – like prepress, finishing, and mailing/fulfillment.

Here’s my take.

The veteran print customers are more likely to know what equipment is needed to handle their jobs. When considering a prospective printer, they’ll go to your web site and check out your list. If they need a provider who can do a ton of variable direct mail work, for example, they’ll see if you can handle it. They’ll look at your digital presses and your mailing capabilities.

Now, will they automatically discount you if they don’t see what they’re looking for? Maybe. It really depends on the person.

Keep in mind that many senior-level print customers have experience in print manufacturing. They are sophisticated and astute businesspeople. For this reason, I always recommend that printers post equipment on their site, and if it’s not the usual laundry list of make-and-model, at least it should be a decent description of what you can do – in terms that satisfy a senior buyer looking at your capabilities. Make sense?

Some printers have told me that they simply don’t want to post their equipment. Maybe it’s sharing too much information that their competition can see and use against them? Not sure.

At any rate, knowing that senior print customers are influenced by your equipment would suggest that you make it available.

I’d love to hear your comments on this.

For the Love of Print (Buyers)

Last week I took part in a fascinating webinar entitled, “Do Modern Print Buyers Have New Expectations of Their Printers?” This live 60-minute event on November 5^th was sponsored by Canon USA. It was offered by Printing Impressions and moderated by Mark Michelson.

At the top of the hour, I gave a short presentation of the results of a print buyer study I conducted with John Zarwan. If the 40-page report on this study (available for purchase on my site) is the Book, then this presentation was a Tweet.

I painted a profile of modern print buyers: who they are, where they work, and what they want from the industry. It set the tone for the next part of the hour.

Then two print buyers weighed in. They answered questions posed by Mark Michelson and a few more submitted by webinar attendees. The panelists were Liz Howitt of John Hancock Financial Services and Jeff Dickerson of State Farm Insurance. Both are print buying veterans, and both (coincidentally) have some experience on the ‘other side of the fence.’

What stopped me cold early on in this webinar was something Jeff said: “I want print to thrive.” This is a common sentiment among many print buyers. It’s important that printers are aware of it. The print industry and their customers are on the same side of the table. Doesn’t this mean something? I think it does.

I’m planning on writing some of what I learned from these buyers in future posts. What’s key for today’s post are these facts:

“Print buyer” is a term I use to describe the role of professionals who source print for their employer. It doesn’t traditionally include designers, and we’re not talking about consumers. I use the term to keep it simple. Buyers self identify with this term, regardless of their titles.
Every print buyer is different. Liz Howitt made this point, and it deserves repeating. Yes, there are trends to be acknowledged (that’s my job – to get them out there), but printers still need to know their customers.
Print buyers who are baby boomers are very different from those who are Millennials.
We’re not really sure how Millennials view or feel about the print industry. They’re harder to identify and poll. I’d love to do it.

This event was a valuable experience for buyers, giving them a place to voice their opinions and be heard. It’s clearly valuable for the hundreds of listeners, most of whom, I suspect, were printers.

Here’s to more and more of them.

Your Sales Reps’ Secret Sauce

If you’re hiring a print rep, I imagine you pay special attention to sales numbers and the accounts that a rep would bring to your company.

Print customers don’t care about either of these. They care about other things, including one that you should play up: that special skill a salesperson brings to the table.

Customers don’t buy from companies. They buy from people. They work with people. And they bond with people.

A print rep is the face of your company, and how well a rep gets along with a customer depends on lots of things. But if a prospect learns that a print rep is an expert in an area that really matters to his or her company, well, that might be the winning ticket.

Make sure that print customers and prospects are aware of the particular skills or expertise that your reps have.

What special skills would impress a print customer? Passion and experience in any of these areas would pique my interest:

Paper – File prep – Graphic design – Photography – Mailing – Marketing – Personalization

Years ago I met a print company owner who also serviced client accounts. Her background was in the paper industry, and I remember thinking, “Wow, I’ll bet your designer clients love this about you.” I suggested that she somehow make this known when communicating with prospects.

Having a passion or a developed skill set for anything that relates to your printing business shouldn’t be kept a secret. It could make a big difference to a prospect. Don’t be modest: spread the word!

3 Ways to Be More Attractive to Your Customers

Commercial printing suffers from the “you all look the same to me” syndrome. It’s incredibly difficult for one general commercial printer to look different from others. It’s especially true in the eyes of the inexperienced.

For years I’ve written extensively on how printers can improve their visibility and highlight their special offerings. Today I’m sharing three key ways for you to be more attractive to customers new to the field:

Be prepared for every meeting and phone call. This means you must do your homework about the person, his or her company, and the particular industry. This one thing will make the most difference in how you’re perceived. It stuns me how many calls I get – still – from salesmen who haven’t a clue.
Approach your first conversation as an opportunity to learn. It must be torture to leave your sales hat at home. But please do. Of course your goal is to get a new customer, but you have to first get some comfort and a sort of professional acceptance by a prospect before you go for the jugular. In fact, forget I said ‘jugular.’ Establish yourself as a professional and an expert. Get to know what prospects need. Or be pushy and get shut down.
Always be resourceful. You have solutions and suggestions for all sorts of projects (hopefully). Prospects and customers appreciate knowing how to get something done quicker, more efficiently, or in a more spectacular way. Once you’ve established yourself as this kind of ‘printing architect,’ you’ll be a professional they turn to for answers.

These three simple suggestions for improving your print sales skills will instantly set you apart from other printers. They indicate you’re putting your prospects (and customers) first – not your sales goals.

A Fresh Look at Augmented Reality

Last fall I interviewed Cindy Walas for Augmented Reality – Not Just for Special Effects. She’s the founder of Walas Younger LTD, a Chicago-area print management firm. Though I haven’t met Cindy, I know her to be an AR expert and in general, a seriously skilled print professional.

I wondered about advances in AR, so I contacted Cindy again for her insights. Her colleagues Tony Calo* and Kevin Keane** were also contributors to this post. They’re all knowledgeable print authorities and passionate about this technology.

What I learned surprised me.

MD: Where is AR headed, Cindy?

We’re beginning to think that AR will split into different areas.

First, there’s AR as Immersive Technology (via heads-up displays, glasses, headsets and other wearables.) This AR will be closer to VR (Virtual Reality), more of a cinema effect, possibly becoming more integrated into wearable technology for medical use and other areas.

Dr. Helen Papagiannis*** feels that AR, wearable technology, and the Internet of Things (IoT) are all really about human augmentation. The greater goal, according to Helen, would require seeing beyond just the technology and looking at systems to better enable and serve human needs.

Then, through IR (Image recognition), AR will move towards visual search engines. (An image search is an engine that defines an image. Imagine being able to identify a random flower you come across by pointing your smartphone at it, then getting all sorts of related information about it – all from an image.) It is our contention, expressed respectfully, that visual search in the long run will not foster more print. In fact, one can envision the day when print is largely not relevant. Imagine that the embroidered sports team logo on your baseball cap is a visual search marker. Imagine the same thing with, for example, the metal street sign on a street corner (maybe even the street lamp itself), or actual buildings like the Taj Mahal, the Empire State Building, or St. Paul’s Cathedral.

Right now, print is the most commonly known, most widely available, and most fairly priced trigger, or launch pad, for interactive engagement. But we believe this will change.

As the posting of every single thing we see (images, faces, items, live events) to the cloud moves inexorably forward, we fear that, at some point, print will no longer be the essential launch pad to interactive engagement via AR.

For example, look at how the auto industry is embracing AR. Some companies are using it to create digital showrooms where customers can configure their car, and see and hear it in this augmented space. Others are developing wearables to communicate with their cars. AR can also be quite a useful learning tool for driving instructors and simulators. It’s all really great technology, but none of this is print-related. No manuals, sales literature, or even sales people are involved.

Therefore, we feel that printing companies who are thinking about their future would do well to tread carefully with Image Recognition. And we offer another way, an alternative to IR-based platforms. As Kevin likes to point out, “AR is good for print, #interactiveprint is even better for print for evermore.”

Through Interactive Print (IP), AR will become a more practical way to link print to the digital world (IoT). Tony Calo ran across a quote recently about “joining digital to bricks & mortar.” Very aptly put!

MD: That’s a mouthful of acronyms. Tell us more about IR (Image Recognition) vs. IP (Interactive Print).

There’s been an ongoing discussion recently as to the difference between IR and IP, and the consequences that can arise. Both my recent LI blog “Beware of Geeks Bearing Gifts” and a posting by Kevin Keane in the LinkedIn Disruptive Print group address the differences & “perils” between the two.

Quite a few of the better-known AR platforms are IR-based. Kevin relates a recent story about two professional photographer colleagues who produced some AR work for a client using one of the well-known IR platforms. The client loved it, asked for information about the platform and – you guessed it – decided to go direct to the platform provider and do it himself.

As Kevin points out, “many printing company executives are feeling pressures today – from declining volumes, ever shorter run lengths, the digital denouement and more. They have been exhorted to add value to their printed offerings, and AR seems a logical, digital and exciting way to do that. But if some of the leading AR platforms are just using the print company as a means of getting into bed with the print company’s clients, that’s not terribly ethical and begs our question – should a print company partner with an AR platform provider (most often an IR platform) who is going to cut them out of the client relationship?”

A similar scenario took place between a well-respected print equipment supplier and one of the well-known AR platforms. As Tony Calo says, it’s all about control – by the client, by the software folks, and so on. Clients realize, why go through a printer when you can go direct? But paying less can be expensive. Like DIY websites and the like, you get what you pay for.

With Interactive Print (IP), the process goes through a pre-press system or even through a machine manufacturer. This puts print back in control, as a service offered through the printer, and service should equal ROI.

If you think about it, a DIY solution limits you to the choices the system offers. Printers that offer Interactive Print solutions should offer them as part of their print service. The printer needs to demonstrate that his or her service offers the best solutions with good ROI. That’s what the clients are looking for – results.

Image Recognition (IR) is not primarily focused on print, but just sees print as a medium to gain clients. IR is a Trojan horse for print. We need to keep the focus on print.

MD: Is AR still a sleeper technology? Why aren’t more companies utilizing it?

It is a bit perplexing to us as to why it’s not more prevalent. There’s been a lot more coverage recently, but we need to take it beyond the gimmicky, special effects arena. Tony and Stampatech are looking to tie the technology to pragmatic solutions – anti-counterfeiting, authenticity, payments, barcodes, more rapid retail checkout and more, in addition to videos, recipes, manuals et al.

He feels we have to work to create the demand for printers by convincing their end users (their print customers) that they want to buy this, via marketing programs aimed at those customers.

MD: How is AR advancing?

We see it developing in the labeling (via Smart labels) & packaging, CD/DVD replacement in books and the educational sectors, catalogs for viewing and ordering, and pairing with VDP for individualized experiences. Kevin is convinced that the whole logistics print segment (printed labels, printed packaging, etc.) is the sweet spot for the killer application of interactive print.

MD: Any stats about AR usage that you can share?

The explosive growth of mobile is impacting AR. At its core, AR is very visual and immediate in its delivery of enjoyment. We think that mobile devices are perfectly suited to leverage the move to mobile. And they empower some of the best attributions of AR triggered from print – engagement, education, entertainment, and enjoyment. Mobile navigation has progressed even faster than originally projected. By the end of 2014, it was anticipated that mobile navigation would overtake static navigation. In a study by eMarketer, the mobile market’s expected to reach 5.13 billion users globally by 2017. Mobile use is now up to 2/3 of overall usage in some areas. So the potential audience for AR is growing ever faster.

MD: Knock my socks off! What can we expect with AR down the line?

Here are a few AR developments I know about, though a lot of them are still in R&D, so I’ll share more when I can:

-Invisible barcoding

-Economical authentication printing via a combination of digital and VDP, even 3D foil and raised printing, in infinite combinations.

-Textile printing. What better way to authenticate your Armani suit or Louis Vuitton bag as genuine? Point your phone or barcode scanner at the cloth to verify that it is genuine.

I want to thank Cindy as well as Tony Calo and Kevin Keane for their insights about where Augmented Reality is headed, how print is affected, and why we should watch developments in Image Recognition and Interactive Print as well. Your comments are welcome!

* Tony Calo is CEO and Project Director of StampaTech, which offers an interactive print technology to print providers worldwide.

** Kevin Keane is a cyber law attorney and is Director of International Business Development for Retail Packaging Matters, LLC.

***Dr Papagiannis is an augmented reality specialist, speaker, author and consultant.

My suggestion? Connect with them all, including Cindy Walas, on LinkedIn.

( c) Margie Dana 2015

Good Communication Skills Are CRITICAL for Print Reps

Most emails I get from printers are well written. They’re professional, they get to the point fast, and they do a good job of explaining why I’m being contacted.

Today I’m focusing on those ‘cold’ emails from reps who don’t know me. They usually want to sell me something (God bless them, that’s their job) or want me to introduce them to print buyers (can’t do). Often, they want some advice (always happy to help).

Sometimes I get really badly written emails, and the stinkers from younger reps who’ve only been in the field for a short time are particularly horrifying.

If their emails to me are this atrocious, I assume that all of their emails are.

If you’re a print company owner or sales manager, and you hire new reps, I’m begging you to look carefully at their written communication skills. Maybe all of their other sales skills are excellent. They may have wonderful interpersonal skills.

But they will be writing a lot of emails and texts and maybe even letters to prospects. These need to be high-quality messages: well-constructed sentences with no typos and good grammar. The company name should be referenced and also be part of the sender’s email signature. (I know, this sounds obvious, right?)

My latest column for Printing Impressions is on the subject of reps as marketing agents. In it, I give a lot more details about why communication skills matter so much.

Here’s the thing: print customers pay attention to spelling and grammar. Mistakes jump out at us. We form impressions based on this stuff.

So check out the quality of communications your new reps send out. There’s no excuse for bad writing. It reflects directly on you. Make sure it’s up to your standards.

An earlier version of this blog appeared on PIworld.com.

The One Time a Direct Mailer Let Me Down

The conference postcards we’d produced to attract attendance that year meant everything to us.

They were expensive to print and more expensive to mail. This was before social media took hold. We counted on direct mail plus email marketing to promote our event.

I presumed my mail person at the printer’s knew her stuff in ways that would not only keep my postage costs down, but also get the thousands of pieces delivered fast.

On this postcard, we offered an Early Bird rate for the conference. The deadline for this discount was approaching. We mailed the postcards First Class Presort.

What happened when the postcards were dropped into the mail stream? They went nowhere fast. We’d seeded our list as always. I remember sweating it out, frustrated for days, stretching into weeks, when we didn’t receive our postcards.

I had to dig to find out where the hold-up was. Someone at the USPS told me that because of the way the cards had been mailed, the post office had X number of days to get them in the mail stream. It was too close for comfort and caused us tremendous stress.

Direct mail campaigns require a subject matter expert – someone who knows the USPS regulations cold, or at least knows enough to find out key information for the customer.

We customers assume the pieces will be delivered with no undue delays, unless, of course, we’re aware of what’s allowable by the USPS. I think this is a reasonable expectation.

When that mailing issue surfaced, I felt blindsided. I didn’t get the advice I needed.

Today, I’m fortunate to know mailing experts like Christine J. Erna, Senior Postal Solutions Architect for Novitex Enterprise Solutions. I asked her how customers can better ensure that their direct mail provider is covering all the bases.

First, she pointed out certain sections on the USPS web site, like the one detailing the USPS Service Standards in 2015. Updated quarterly, these are officially defined as “A stated goal for service achievement for each mail class.” She also shared a link that allows you to enter the zip code of origin and the class of mail. It will show you a map of the service standards based upon these elements. Check it out.

Christine taught me more about “Intelligent Mail. “The USPS has worked hard to gain visibility of all of the mail in their operations. With the advent of the Intelligent Mail Barcode and Full Service Intelligent Mail, you can actually see the scan data of the intelligent mail barcode on your individual mailpieces, and for customers that present their mail as Full Service Intelligent Mail, this data is FREE. Full Service Intelligent mail requires the mail preparer to create a unique serial number for each mailpiece and upload an electronic data transmission of their mailing utilizing a mail.dat file. Industry software generates this and enables the visibility of mailpieces while they’re being scanned throughout the USPS network of mailing equipment.”

Finally, she suggested we ask our service partner questions like these:

Are you a Full-Service Intelligent Mail preparer?
Do you offer IMb Tracing Service with reporting?
Where do you present the mail to the US Postal Service?

What else can customers do? Contact the USPS Mailpiece Design Help Desk. They can review your mailpiece and explain the service standards early in the process. Here’s that number: 1-. Or email them at .

In today’s mailing environment, wrote Christine, you should never have to wonder where your mail is.

Dear Young Print Sales Rep

Dear young print sales rep…

You and I haven’t met, but I wanted to give you a few pointers as you start your new career selling print.

I’ve been around the industry for years, always as a print customer. Hopefully, my suggestions will provide some guidance. I really want to help steer you in a direction that will bring you success and many happy customers.

Presumably, you have a sales manager and maybe even your own mentor. That would be terrific! I have no clue as to whether they discuss print customers with you, at least in the way I speak about them. I’ve never sold print. My comments are all based on the customer’s P.O.V.

Always be honest and forthright. Customers and prospects value integrity in their print reps, above all other qualities. If you fail at this one thing, they’ll never give you a second chance. Put yourself in their shoes as you meet with them, speak with them, and build relationships. Treat them as you like to be treated.

Do your homework. You’re a digital native, so use those skills to do simple research on a prospect before you call or visit. I suggest LinkedIn for starters. There you can find out if a person’s been working with printers forever or if she’s fairly new, like you. This makes a huge difference. Be sensitive to each customer’s knowledge level. And find out whatever you can about a person’s company and industry before contacting them. It means you’re a professional who’s prepared.

Polish your communications skills. I’m a writer, so of course written skills matter a lot to me. But they do to your customers and prospects as well. Pay attention to your grammar and spelling. Whether you’re dashing off a quick email or writing your first sales letter, do it carefully. You’ll be judged by the quality of your communications. When you prepare to meet with prospects, know how much time you’ll have and who’ll be in that meeting. Have materials to leave behind that showcase your company’s specialty. Be your friendliest and professional ‘best’ in the meeting, and listen more than you speak. Find out what the person’s needs and challenges are. Don’t bulldoze through a meeting with a scripted spiel or slide presentation.

Be a student of all media. Since you’re young, this point is probably moot. You already know what your competition is, media-wise. The great part about this is that you can help customers figure out how to integrate print campaigns with digital elements. Go for it! Be creative.

Understand you have tremendous competition from other printers. Know your local and regional competitors. Find out who else is bidding on the jobs you’re asked about. Study competitors’ web sites to see how you compare with what they’re offering. Try and clearly articulate what makes your employer different from – and better than – your competition.

Keep up with the industry and more. Stay abreast of changes in the print industry. This will prepare you to serve your employer as well as your customers. Visit sites including www.piworld.com (Printing Impressions) and www.whattheythink.com (WhatTheyThink) daily. Pay attention to new technologies that improve or enhance printed materials. Question if and how these affect you and your customers. Also pay attention to marketing trends, because it’s most often marketers who decide what their campaigns should entail: digital, social, print-based, mobile? When it comes to choosing print, marketers are extremely influential. Check out your local direct marketing association. Make a case to your employer for why you should be a member.

Sorry to have gone on this long. I do want you to succeed and be thrilled with your career choice. Don’t lose sight of the people you serve or the stresses they’re under. Be hungry for more knowledge every single day. Have fun – and get in touch if I can help.

Margie Dana

Don’t Kiss Off Social Media for Your Print Company Until You Read This

Printers challenge me about social media from time to time. Why should they participate? What’s in it for them? Some have tried it – and abandoned it – after months, because they didn’t see results. I take it they meant sales.

I think they’re missing the bigger picture. For printers, social isn’t a sales tool, though it could have a positive impact on your business if done well.

Social media is key for printers for several reasons:

It expands your reach and grows your community. “Social is the most powerful marketing channel because it is a vast, connected, and even sometimes intimate network.” Good content spreads beyond first-generation engagement (your Twitter or YouTube followers, your FB friends, your LinkedIn followers). Social’s shareable nature makes it unique.

It breathes personality into your company. Think of social media as casual Friday – every day. Leave your buttoned-down self at home. You’re encouraged to be interesting and funny on social media. Your posts and comments will paint a picture of who you really are. Your community gets to know you one post, video, image or tweet at a time. The more interesting you are, the more people want to connect with you and read more from you.

It gives you a platform to create and share attention-grabbing visuals and content. Printers are in the “visuals” business: there’s no excuse not to include images in your social conversations. Share latest projects. Show off specialty finishes, papers, folds, inks, and formats. Start a series of intriguing tools-of-the-trade to spark conversations. Turn it into a contest. Feature customers. Feature employees. Bring the outside world into your company with visuals.

You’ll learn things. You’ll come across news stories and other posts that apply to your business. You may come across a potential employee, speaker, or partner. You’ll hear about new technologies, trends and events that you might not hear about elsewhere. It’s educational and inspirational.

Just last week, an article in the Boston Sunday Globe nailed this whole “why do social media” issue. The article is an excerpt from a larger piece by Jay I. Sinha, Associate Professor of Marketing at Temple University’s business school.

The author suggests that social media gives brands an emotional identity. Many companies have become disengaged from customers and their audience. Thanks to social media, we can counter that dehumanization by talking to and with customers, sharing a bit more of our personalities, and in a real sense, softening our brand’s image.

On social media, companies can make personal connections with customers and prospects, using “upbeat, light-hearted posts, direct replies and witty remarks.”

When you think about social media, don’t get hung up on hard sales numbers. Social pays off in different ways. When it’s done correctly, your community will grow. Community members will reach out to you when they need your expertise. By that time, they’ll feel like you’re an old friend.

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