My post two weeks ago, What Kind of Printer Gets a Seat at the Marketing Table?, got a lot of great comments, both on my site and on LinkedIn, where I published it.

I wrote that only a certain type of printing professional is likely to be invited to meet with a marketing team in the development of a campaign. Printers who are trusted partners, who’ve demonstrated they’re creative thinkers and well-rounded communications experts, and who are interested in helping clients find the right solutions are the pros most likely to get called into these meetings.

They are not your average print professionals. They are above average.

A comment made by Arlene Carroll, an Account Manager at Concord Direct, brought up a whole different element: How should printers who have a seat at that table present themselves? What’s a printer’s role there?

I was particularly interested in her comment because of who she is. I knew Arlene back when I ran Print Buyers International, and she was the Director of Marketing Operations at Brookstone. Her extensive history as a senior-level print customer adds a key dimension to her advice for printers – she’s been there and done that.

Here’s what she wrote in response to my post:

“…I find printers invited to the table early on need to be prepared to contribute to a complex discussion BEFORE moving to production solutions and estimates. I find the person printers send are under-prepared and often too quick to move to production issues and specs. Marketers at “the table” are considering many factors simultaneously; Analysis, Results, Tests, Audience/Segmentation, Creative/Copy, Channels and Trends to name a few. Printers need a representative experienced and confident to join this conversation and contribute at a high level. When the discussion reaches the right level, switch gears and become the production expert those at the table then need to achieve the goals on budget. I am experiencing this first hand – wonderful stuff!”

How should printers prepare for a conversation with a marketing team?

Are they expected to be active (and equal) participants? What kind of contributions should they strive to make?

What have your experiences been like in these situations, whether you’re a printer or a customer? Please share your stories here – including experiences that may not have gone so well.

Let’s help prepare printers for these meetings.