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Knowledge Gaps of Print Buyers

By Margie Dana

At our PBI Print & Media Midwest in Chicago on May 19, elite buyers Melissa Clemente of Draftfcb and Jeff Dickerson of State Farm Insurance will present together. I selected them not only for their experience and wisdom, but also because they represent two very different industries. Their topic? The Knowledge Gaps of Print Buyers.

I asked them 5 questions to get a sense of what they'll cover. Have a look.

  1. Your presentation at PBI Midwest focuses on the knowledge gaps of print buyers. Without giving it all away, is there one “gap” in particular you'll be addressing?

    Melissa: I will be focusing on how to grow beyond print buying skills so that we remain experts of product and process in a dynamic and demanding marketplace.

    Jeff: Print market intelligence, as in, “do you know that you are buying the right product at the right price from the right supplier?”

  2. Both of you are incredibly experienced. If you could give one piece of advice to print buyers today, what would that be?

    Melissa: Embrace and develop your Intellectual Curiosity. It is the single most important attribute for professional and personal growth, as well as skillful problem solving.

    Jeff: Spend time developing your skills. Covey calls it “sharpening the saw.” An old proverb tells us that you can cut wood with a dull axe but it takes more effort and time than using a sharp ax. You never learn it all because it all changes quickly. Become a lifelong learner.

  3. I'm curious: did each of you recognize a knowledge gap in your own careers at one point? If so, what was it and how did you close it?

    Melissa: Yes. Many, many years ago I took a well-meaning vendor's specification advice based on “how the agency always treats an OE.” What should have been 4/C was proofed as a half-tone per the friendly advice – and the piece looked terrible. Luckily, it was re-specified and reproduced as it was intended. Lesson learned: Be the expert. Be the knowledge repository. Own the specifications.

    Jeff: Most definitely. When our collateral color system was designed (interestingly enough, DRAFT and Melissa's team designed our collateral system including the color), I realized I did not understand color theory and management as I should have. So, I started reading about color management and talking to color professionals. Daniel Dejean directed me to Dr. Ab Sharma's books on color theory. Keeping in mind it is a journey and not a destination, I still have a lot to learn about color, but I can now talk at an advanced level with our print providers. State Farm now has an advanced color measurement tool to ensure collateral color compliance.

  4. How important is a print buyer's expertise in other media?

    Melissa: Media channel silos are a thing of the past. It is a multi-channel, cross-channel world. It is fascinating how other media channels support and enhance print and vice versa. Holistic knowledge of how media play together in the marketing arena is essential.

    Jeff: Print is or should be integrated with other media, and people are asking how do the medias relate and what do we expect from our print providers as it relates to other media.

  5. Will you be speaking about an “ideal” skill set for corporate and agency print buyers during your PBI Midwest session?

    Melissa: Yes. I have a top 10 list – which is likely to skew to ad agency dynamics. Jeff and I are sure to have some very similar entries and probably some divergent ones as well.

    Jeff: Yes, I plan to identify the top 10 skills a buyer should posses, assess where you are on a continuum of knowledge about those skills, and present resources on where to find information about those skills.

Thanks, Melissa and Jeff. I can't wait to hear your presentation in May!

Rare is the opportunity to learn career advice about print buying from practicing experts. Don't miss this chance! Register for PBI Midwest and meet Melissa Clemente and Jeff Dickerson. If you're a print customer, take $10 off your $99 fee with promo code TIPS.

© 2011 Margie Dana. All rights reserved. Your comments are encouraged. You're free to forward this email to friends and colleagues. However, no part of this column may be reprinted without permission from the author.