supporting print sales & Marketing executives
April 2011
Death to Trees? Are Environmental Concerns Truly Relevant? Your Move How to Speed Up a Sale Tweet This! Bury My Heart at Conference Room B
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April 2011
Publisher mark potter
Marketing Manager caroline farley
MANAGING EDITOR lorrie bryan
ART DIRECTOR brent cashman
CONTRIBUTORS al bagocius, linda bishop, paul castain, howie fenton, john foley, jr., graham garrison, ryan sauers, brian sullivan
Editorial board keith bax Research Data mike kyle Pace Litho chris petro GlobalSoft tom moe Daily Printing dean petrulakis Rider Dickerson david bennett Bennett Graphics tony narducci O’Neill Printing CANVAS magazine for more information: 678.473.6131, 2180 Satellite Blvd., Suite 400, Duluth, Georgia 30097 CANVAS, Volume 5, Issue 2. copyright 2011 CANVAS, All rights reserved. CANVAS is published bi-monthly for $39.00 per year by Conduit, Inc., 2180 Satellite Blvd., Suite 400, Duluth, Georgia 30097 Periodicals postage pending at Duluth, GA and additional mailings offices. Periodical Publication 25493. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to CANVAS, 2180 Satellite Blvd., Suite 400, Duluth, Georgia 30097. Please note: The acceptance of advertising or products mentioned by contributing authors does not constitute endorsement by the publisher. Publisher cannot accept responsibility for the correctness of an opinion expressed by contributing authors. CANVAS magazine is dedicated to environmentally and socially responsible operations. We are proud to print this magazine on Sappi Opus® Dull Cover 80lb/216gsm and Opus Dull Text 80lb/118gsm, an industry leading environmentally responsible paper. Opus contains 10% post consumer waste and FSC chain of custody certification.
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Be Real
Sir Speedy of Newark Increasing Efficiency with MMI Solutions
Publisher’s Thoughts
People News
P4
How Social Media Can Add to Your Sales Funnel
Think Patented Recognized for Print Excellence
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Altitude Color Technologies Names Jennifer L. Folk as Vice President, Marketing And Business Development
5 Keys to Powerful Presentations!
Family-Owned Boston Printer Celebrates 60 Years in Business
P6
The Corner Office
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Tech Corner: New Developments Will Catapult QR Code Use
Product Spotlight ROLAND InlineImpress
CMO Facts
Xtreme Coated Cover goes Coast to Coast
Print in the Mix Fast Facts
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Your Move...
Leadership Insights: Great Leaders Share Common Character Traits
Sale-Closing Negotiating Strategies
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Death to Trees?
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Out of the Box Choosing Brokers over Manufacturers for Your Printing/Packaging Needs Packaging Insights
Are Environmental Concerns Truly Relevant?
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How to Speed Up a Sale P44
Tweet This! Social Media Tips From a Regular Sales Guy
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Bury My Heart at Conference Room B
CANVAS P1
Be Real
T
The world can be a pretty overwhelming place these days. Regardless of the financial markets and
their strong performance, the business climate seems strained. With the devastation in Japan, rising gasoline prices, and the continued unrest in the Middle East, the world can feel a little heavy. So, with
a world in constant flux, it would follow that we, as individuals, would be pressed to live our lives based on our values and focus on the gifts we have been given. Stan Slap, author of this month’s book recommendation, “Bury My Heart at Conference Room B,”
Publisher’s thoughts
surveyed 10,000 managers from 70 different countries. The conclusion of his study was both eyeopening and somewhat disturbing. He discovered that the leading core values of these managers were family and integrity. However, he also concluded that they were not living in accordance with their personal values at work. In fact, they were consistently sacrificing these values for someone else’s. Whenever a division exists between who we are and what we do, there is a void. Our core values are what anchor us and sustain us; they provide us motivation as well as security. It seems conflicting—if our values provide us the happiness and security we all covet, then why do we sacrifice them at a place
One could argue that over the past decade or so, we have been so focused on productivity, consumerism and getting ahead that we kind of forgot to be real. where we spend more than half our waking hours? If we are compromising our values, then it seems we would be compromising security. The world has always had “stuff” going on. Your perspective on the stuff is important. If you see doom and gloom and then compound that with doing something that compromises your values, I can’t imagine you are living an impassioned life. However, if you embrace the idea of connecting your work life to your core values, you are truly living. You jump up every morning eager for a brand new day. It is almost like opening up a present—you don’t know what you are going to get, but you are just so happy to have it. One could argue that over the past decade or so, we have been so focused on productivity, consumerism and getting ahead that we kind of forgot to be real. Conversely, being yourself—living an entire life based on your values—and embracing life’s challenges is being real. And being real is what true success is built on. Our industry has been in flux as of late. I know that the CANVAS reader embraces that and can’t wait to open up the next day. I know that the CANVAS reader does what feeds their soul and connects their work life to their core values. I know the CANVAS reader is being real. Being real makes you relevant. Today, we are proud to bring you the April edition of CANVAS as we kick around the ideas of Green’s relevance, the art of negotiation, and real world sales advice. We think these are issues that are relevant to our industry and relevant to your success. In other words, they are relevant to you being real. Enjoy.
Mark Potter Publisher
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CANVAS April 2011
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Social
Getting
How Social Media Can Add to Your Sales Funnel
A
by John Foley
Are you wondering how you can get more leads and prospects into the sales funnel? If you haven’t tried social media, that might be your answer. More and more people are using the Internet these days, and most of them are regular users of social media sites such as Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and YouTube. In fact, Facebook was declared the most visited site on the Internet in 2010. Since so many people are on these social networks, why shouldn’t your business be? Creating social media profiles for your business adds more channels to your multi-
channel marketing plan. We all know that you can’t expect to reach your entire audi-
John P. Foley, Jr. is the CEO and CMO of Grow Socially (www.growsocially.com). For more information call John at 800-948-0113 or e-mail him at support@growsocially.com.
ence by using a few marketing tools, because you have to reach them at different times and places with a variety of information. Social media will give your business the opportunity to do all of those tasks online. Why are social media sites so beneficial to businesses who want to get the word out about what they offer? One reason is because the sites are all free and easily accessible, which is why more and more people join every day. Another benefit is that everyone would have access to every piece of information you publish at all times. Each social media site has a type of “News Feed” that is a live list of postings that are published by your online network. If your online audience isn’t on a social media site during the time you post an announcement, they will still be able to view it hours after the post was published by scrolling through all of the past posts. Social media is also a great way to convey information about your business over a period of time. This is helpful to your audience because they may prefer not to read a large amount of content at one time to learn about a business. Sometimes, it is better to hear tidbits of information in a more leisurely manner. It is better to nurture your audience with information about your business rather than overload them with information that may not be of interest to them. Once you connect with prospects via social media sites, you will have an opportunity to be in front of them on a daily basis. Use social media to remind them about what your business does, why you differ from your competitors, and why they would benefit from your services. The more you share quality information, the better your chances will be of sending them information that could catch their eye and lead to a sale. Get online and get social!
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CANVAS April 2011
A c t i o n
The 5 Keys to Powerful Presentations!
W by Paul Castain
Whether we are addressing a large group of people, a small decision-making committee or even a potential client in a one-on-one presentation, we need to make an impact. Here are five tips to help you cement a lasting impression: 1) Give Your Presentation the “So What” Reality Check: If you can answer “So what?” to any of your selling points . . . you need to go back to the drawing board before your presentation.
2) Make Sure the “Fluff and Substance” Are Balanced: On one hand, if you deliver a
Paul Castain is the vice
presentation that’s entertaining but lacks substance, you create a Red Bull adrenaline rush
president of Sales Development
with the debilitating crash. On the other hand, if you have great ideas, but bore your audi-
for Consolidated Graphics and
ence, you lost them at hello. Make sure you have equal measure of both.
is responsible for creating and delivering sales training content
3) Don’t Just Say It, Prove It: Is it possible, that buyers have a natural, built-in doubt mecha-
as well as mentoring the CGX
nism when it comes to offers made by potential vendors? Consider using evidence such
Sales force. Paul’s career spans
as testimonials, war stories, samples, demonstrations, tours, statistics, facts, analogies and
more than 25 years, during
examples to help erase that doubt. Hint: proving things proactively (i.e. before someone
which he has trained more
asks you to prove it) adds to your credibility.
than 3,000 sales and sales leadership professionals.
4) Make Your Intangibles Tangible: Let’s say you are meeting with a company that has had quality control issues with a printing vendor. Since your company has an awesome quality control program, you would obviously want to speak about it. This is where that intangible thing comes into play, because what does quality control look like? How do you flesh that out? Instead of just talking about it, perhaps you
Nobody likes a lecture, so make sure you come up for air every two to five minutes by making it interactive.
could show them some internal quality control forms, your ISO manual, a flow chart, or take them on a plant tour to bring the quality control program to life. Make sense? Take a look at all the intangibles you offer and find ways for your prospects to see, feel and experience them. 5) Make It Interactive and Inclusive: Nobody likes a lecture, so make sure you come up for air every two to five minutes by making it interactive. You make it interactive by asking a question, involving the prospect somehow, and turning it into a discussion. While you’re at it, make sure you include all the people on the committee, and not just the ones who are most vocal. Remember, everyone has a story and wants to be heard. Your job as a sales professional is to facilitate that dialogue.
CANVAS P5
Co Th Of rn e fic er e
Tech Corner
New Developments Will Catapult QR Code Use
Q
by Howie Fenton
R Codes allow print on pages, packages, and posters to take advantage of Web access, mobile marketing, and smartphone actions (e.g., open an application). “Quick Response” images consolidate data into a small graphic, which (until recently) required a smartphone and QR code reader. What’s important is that two new developments will accelerate the buzz and adoption of QR codes and help print co-mingle with Web-based and mobile marketing. It’s important to recognize that of all the new value-added
The second recent development is the discount-
services that can be combined with print, QR Codes are one of the
ing of smart phones by cell phone service provid-
few that are free to use. Both the QR code generator and reader
ers to motivate people to move from their dumb-
are free, and the possible applications are limitless. Print a QR
phones to smartphones. Of course, the reason
code on a poster, and the smartphone can map a route to the loca-
behind the push is the upgrade to buy data plans. A
tion. Put the QR code on a business card, and you can automati-
Nielsen survey at the end of 2010 found that nearly
cally load the person’s information into your contact list. Add one
a third of U.S. mobile users had smartphones.
to a newspaper or magazine, and customers can be directed to a website where they can get more information or order a product. While the advantages of QR codes are compelling, there have been
As I write this, Verizon has just started selling the iPhone. T-Mobile has offered free smartphone upgrades to customers whose contracts had expired
issues that have limited their sales growth and adoption: You needed a smartphone to use them, smartphones were expensive, and there were no options if you did not have a smartphone—until now. A new strategy from Scanbuy will allow people who don’t own smartphones to access the information in the QR code. Simply snap the picture with the digital camera on any MMS phone
or were about to expire. As a result,
Simply snap the picture with the digital camera on any MMS phone, and the information is sent back to the phone.
(Multimedia Messaging Service), send it (MMS to 43588 or e-mail scan@scanlife.com), and the information is sent back to the phone. The service also reads Datamatrix, EZcodes, and UPC codes.
AT&T and others also offered steep discounts to customers whose contracts had expired or were about to do so. What does this mean to you? If you’re selling print and print-related services, adding QR Codes to a static or variable-data printing campaign just became much more valuable. Nielson is predicting smart phone growth from 30 to 50 percent during this year. And according to ScanBuy, the Scan & Send system feature will make barcodes read-
able by an additional 190 million U.S. camera phones. Instead of trying to motivate companies to focus on selective markets with higher smart-
The Scan & Send system works today with three of the major
phone adoption (e.g., college students or busi-
carriers: AT&T, Sprint and Verizon Wireless. “Scanbuy’s technology
ness executives), now you can let your customers
now allows a brand, agency, or retailer to reach at least 80 percent
know that these recent developments open the
of today’s camera phone users with industry standard barcodes,”
technology to a larger audience—and using it
says Scanbuy CEO and president Mike Wehrs.
expands their reach significantly.
Howie Fenton is a consultant with NAPL focusing on sales training, resolving production concerns and issues between sales and production staff, and helping companies sell more value-added digital services. To contact Howie, call 800-642-6275, Ext. 6328, or e-mail hfenton@napl.org.
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CANVAS April 2011
www.manroland.us.com www.manroland.ca
Print can
fly to Jupiter.
… 3 – 2 – 1 – zero. Start for the world’s most wonderful children’s program. Lift-off begins on page 1. And the rocket climbs higher with every letter. Past the moon and deep into our solar system. Everything looks just as you imagined it would. Your thoughts drift weightlessly until on the last page the rocket comes in to land. The book is finished. But the story goes on.
Print can do.
Co Th Of rn e fic er e
CMO Council
Fast Facts In TV, commercials make up 25 percent of viewing time; in online video, it’s just 1.6 percent. That suggests that while video has clearly become integral to mainstream Internet usage, the video ad market is still just a whisper of what it’s likely to become.
Forty-two percent of Canadian marketers and 35 percent of American marketers reported “a lot of change” in the composition of their 2010 marketing budget.
Almost a third (30 percent) of marketers claims that video advertising will be their single biggest investment for the year.
Sixty-four percent of Canadian marketers and 47 percent of American marketers expect to increase spending on mobile in 2011.
Print in the Mix Fast Facts Direct Mail Drives Online Giving More than E-mail Appeals
M
ore than twice as many online donors say they were prompted to give an online gift in response to a direct mail appeal compared to when they received an e-mail appeal, according to a 2010 national Dunham+Company study conducted by research firm Campbell Rinker. The survey found that 14 percent said that a direct mail letter prompted them to give online versus 6 percent who said an e-mail request prompted their online gift.
Further
underlining
direct
mail’s
impact to motivate online giving, one in three donors (37 percent) who give online say that when they receive a direct mail appeal from a charity they use the charity’s website to give their donation. The younger the donor, the more likely they are to use a charity’s website to respond to a direct mail appeal. One in two (50 percent) of generation X or Y donors say they give online in response to a direct mail appeal with one in four (26 percent) of boomers turning to online giving when they want to give as a result of receiving a direct mail appeal.
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CANVAS April 2011
14%
surveyed said
that a direct mail letter prompted them to give online versus
6%
who said an e-mail request prompted their online gift.
SUBSTANCE STYLE
A new future in commercial printing. No over-hyped promotional campaigns needed.
Fujifilm Digital Inkjet | Substance over Style
Scan the QR code with your smartphone (free QR readers are available from the app store) or visit www.jpress720.com
Co Th Of rn e fic er e
Leadership Insights
Great Leaders Share Common Character Traits
T
by Ryan T. Sauers
he word leadership is thrown around today in every
Third, is the group that is “mostly” committed to
aspect of life. There are many definitions of leadership,
things. And, the final group is the one that consists
leadership certificates, leadership degrees, leadership
of great leaders who remain completely committed
workshops and much more. The first thing to remember
to whatever they take on. You can always count on
when discussing leadership is that any person that has
them to get the job done. They never give up and
“good intentions” to do things but who exhibits “no actions” in doing
always stay the course.
them is not a leader. It is as simple as that; leadership requires action. Here is an example we can all relate to. Jack Smith (the parent
Great leaders are appreciative. Leaders
of little Johnny Smith on the youth baseball team) constantly
encourage others to accomplish things because
complains about the job Coach Bob is doing. Jack Smith tells
they “want to” not because they “have to” and
anyone who will listen what Coach Bob should be doing, what he
show genuine appreciation for others. They are
should change, what is wrong with the team, etc.
empathetic to other people’s issues in life. In
One day, after hearing enough talk, Coach Bob walks up to Jack Smith and says, “Jack, I hear you have a lot of great ideas— why
addition, they are quick to thank and acknowledge others for their good work.
don’t you join me as a coach to help us improve? Jack quickly replied, “Oh, no, Coach Bob, you do not under-
Great leaders are honest. They do what
stand. I am not a coach. You are the coach. You see, I don’t like to
is right. Period. They operate with the utmost
make the “tough calls” but am indeed quite comfortable sitting
degree of honesty and ethics in how they live their
over here and telling everyone what is wrong.” This story exempli-
lives each and every day. These are the people
fies how “intentions with no actions” equates to no leadership.
you can count on to tell you the truth rather than
So what character traits equate to leadership? What are the
simply what you want to hear.
character traits of great leaders? Here are traits I have witnessed through my professional and academic experiences that will help us have a clearer picture of what great leaders look like.
There are other common characteristics of great leaders that I will cover in future columns. But for now, remember this. Anybody can stand on the
Great leaders are authentic. You know who they are and
sidelines of life and complain. Anyone can cut
what they stand for. They are consistent and transparent. Simply
corners and tell half-truths. Anyone can be some-
stated, they are not “wishy washy” nor do they talk out of “both
what committed to a project. Anyone can fly off
sides of their mouth.” They are true to themselves and others, and
the handle and/or berate someone else. And, yes,
what you see is what you get.
even great leaders do these things sometimes. The difference is that top leaders do not do them as
Great leaders are patient. Patience is a virtue and a seem-
often. And when they do, they quickly learn from
ingly lost art in today’s busy world. The best leaders exhibit a
their mistake to avoid repeating it in the future.
degree of patience that is not often seen in today’s world. The
So, I challenge you with the following home-
by-product of such patience is incredible—leaders tend to get the
work. Have you spent time thinking about the
very best efforts from others.
type of leader you are? Have you spent time thinking about the kinds of people you surround your-
Great leaders are dedicated. You see in life, you have four
self with or the kinds of people who make up your
groups of people. First, is the group that is not committed to much of
organization? If not there is no better time than
anything. Second, are those who are somewhat committed to things.
now to take a look at the subject of leadership.
Ryan Sauers is President/CMO of Sauers Consulting Strategies. He has a Masters degree and is pursuing a Doctoral degree in Organizational Leadership. He is both a Certified Meyers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) and a Certified Marketing Executive (CME). Sauers Consulting Strategies is focused on providing its clients unique bottom and top line solutions through our proprietary S3; L3; and M3 systems. For more information, visit www.sauersconsulting.com
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Choosing Brokers over Manufacturers for Your Printing/Packaging Needs by Al Bagocius
T
he two main advantages of seeking a print and packaging broker are experience and versatility. Many times, as a project evolves through the design process, the choice of materials, structure or graphics changes. Often, if working with a single manufacturer, the project can “outgrow” the manufacturer’s expertise or equipment capabilities. An experienced broker can adapt with the evolution of the project and simply access the manufacturer that best suits the project. Longstanding relationships with multiple manufacturers give the broker strength and influence in getting the job done at the right price and within the required timeframe. As an experienced indepen-
of the kinds of business we
dent thinker, a broker will make
wanted to run through our plant.
the customer’s needs the priority,
As a broker, I tended to work with
and if necessary, provide solutions
customers
from a combination of sources to
assistance with their whole pack-
meet those needs. The same solu-
aging program and who tended to
tions are often harder to achieve
want someone who was willing to
from a single manufacturer with
take on some functions that larger
limited capabilities. Using a broker
companies would internalize,” Bob
instead of a manufacturer means
McBride explains.
you are not tied to one specific manufacturing plant or specific methods of production. Brokers or
management
services
companies (a friendlier term) have a distinct advantage in that they can rely on a network of suppliers to fit the application, and not the other way around. “From the perspective of someone who has sold under both scenarios, I would say that as a
Using a broker instead of a manufacturer means you are not tied to one specific manufacturing plant or specific methods of production.
who
needed
more
“When working for the manufacturer, I found that my employer would tend to dictate the amount of time I was allowed to spend providing those kinds of services— not all were overly restrictive in that regard, but some were. As a broker I felt more like I provided a service to customers, whereas working for the manufacturer the emphasis was more on moving as much product as possible. My
broker I wasn’t limited by certain equipment my employer
specific market was small to medium size users. Back
was trying to keep busy. I could focus more on what the
when I was brokering I found that wandering too far out of
customer actually wanted and needed and work with
that market put me at a competitive disadvantage, as pric-
several manufacturers to achieve the desired results.
ing became more of a priority. That seems to be changing
When working directly for the manufacturer, there was
a bit in some regards, as more offshore sources become
more of a tendency to meet certain criteria in terms
available to brokers,” adds McBride.
Al Bagocius is available on LinkedIn at www.linkedincom/in/albagocius and can be contacted at 904-367-9322 and at bagociusar@aol.com. Thanks to Jayne Austin, Steve Main, Pete Guglietta, and Bob McBride for their contributions to this article as found in my blog, “Print/Pack: Broker vs Direct…You Decide @ http://wp.me/pJDn-wd
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Packaging Insights Market Probe: CANVAS asked our readers about packaging and the opportunities in 2011. What does packaging mean to a customer’s brand? Look no further than the Tiffany blue box to find the answer. No matter what is in it, the recipient feels good about it because they know it represents quality and luxury. – Newell Holt, Infiniti Global
How can packaging add to commercial printer’s top line? Value Added! In my opinion there is a very strong
What are the top concerns of customers in the packaging industry?
business opportunity in packaging for commercial
Almost all segments of packaging buyers are most
offset and digital printers. However, I think they
concerned about consistent quality. Whether qual-
first need to find out exactly what market segment
ity is defined as integrity of the package for protec-
they want to target and what products and
tion of a product or graphics quality to convey the
services they need to offer. They also must have
image represented by the brand, it is the deal
the right tools—equipment and skilled people
breaker. Product delivery is also critical. Because
in place. They must seek out the proper graphic
packaging is generally integral to either the
design software and the right digital equipment to
production process or delivery of the customer’s
complete the work with efficiency and quality.
product to their customers, 100 percent reliability of on-time delivery is a requirement.
– David Robinson, Digital Graphic Systems (www.dgs-usa.com)
– Newell Holt, Infinity Global
What is a sustainable package? Here’s how the Sustainable Packaging Coalition (SPC) defines sustainable packaging: • Is beneficial, safe and healthy for individuals and communities throughout its life cycle • Meets market criteria for performance and cost • Is sourced, manufactured, transported, and recycled using renewable energy • Maximizes the use of renewable or recycled source materials • Is manufactured using clean production technologies and best practices • Is made from materials healthy in all probable end-of-life scenarios • Is physically designed to optimize materials and energy • Is effectively recovered and utilized in biological and/or industrial cradle-to-cradle cycles
P14 CANVAS April 2011
What is one thing a print professional should keep in mind when transitioning into the packaging sphere?
Where are the opportunities in packaging?
Packaging plays an integral role in engaging the consumer and
ing techniques bring wider use of holographic images to
communicating the brand story. It is how consumers first inden-
draw the consumer’s eye. QR codes invite connections
tify a product on the shelf. In many cases, however, the packag-
through mobile technology. Digital printing that allows
ing lives in the consumer’s home, and there it must continue to
for short-run customization gives brands one more way
tell a good story through form, function and messaging.
to engage their consumers. Printing techniques that play
There are many opportunities in the packaging industry, particularly in the CPG categories. Advancements in print-
Explore how consumers interact with packaging in the
up tactile elements through different finishes and raised
home. For example, often consumers will transfer food
graphics can encourage the consumer to pick up the prod-
items to their own packaging when the initial design struc-
uct for a closer look.
ture does not include a re-seal feature, or they remove
Color is playing a significant role in helping brands
individually wrapped items from cartons for easier stor-
differentiate products within a line while maintaining
age. Are inner liners or overwraps printed to keep the
brand recognition. Color and finishes (bright vs. muted,
brand visible along with relevant nutrition information or
shiny vs. matte) can also play an important role in how a
instructions for preparation?
product is perceived.
How is a packaging relationship cultivated by a sales rep? Packaging must be valued for its role in the brand story and in the lives of consumers. And packaging changes are slow to come, so be prepared to cultivate a true relationship for the long haul. Business units typically focus on cost and ROI. Marketers typically focus on brand image and message, and they are very protective. If a company utilizes a Packaging Innovation group, go to them with ideas and solutions but only after you can demonstrate that you have done your homework, that you understand their brand message and how their consumers interact with their products and packaging. Some suppliers will either choose to do consumer insights work upfront to demonstrate appeal for their ideas, or perhaps offer to partner with the brand to do the work when there is interest. – Kaylor Hildenbrand, principal consultant for PARK Research Partners LLC, is a qualitative research consultant with more than 15 years experience across a variety of industries. Kaylor is well versed in consumer insights work for packaging and recently launched www.PackageSPEAK.com as a way of encouraging a consumer conversation
Facts:
about packaging. www.PARKresearch.com
• More than 1.7 million trees are planted each day by the Forest Products Industry. That is three new trees for every one harvested. (ppcnet.org) • The first paperboard package was developed in 1839. (PPCnet.org) • Global smart packaging market will grow to $4.8 billion in 2011 and reach $14.1 billion in 2013. (Hot or Not? packagePrinting, April 2007)
CANVAS P15
People News Sir Speedy of Newark Increasing Efficiency with MMI Solutions
Think Patented Recognized for Print Excellence Think Patented is proud to announce it was recently awarded 18 2011 Print Excellence Awards from the Printing Industries of Ohio/N.
Sir Speedy of Newark announces a partnership
Kentucky. Think Patented was also the recipient of the exclusive Best of
with MMI Solutions utilizing the MMI Sales Edge
Southern Region award for the second consecutive year.
to grow revenue and automate the marketing
“Difficult times often bring out the best in people and that was
and sales process. The MMI Sales Edge will be
certainly the case with the 2011 Print Excellence Awards entries. As the
used to support the cross-media and full-service
quality of the entries continues to rise, judging becomes even more
printing needs at the franchise location.
difficult, but our highly experienced and professional panel was great,”
“In the first week of our campaign, out of 500
says the association president, Jim Cunningham. “2011 Print Excellence
targeted suspects, we already have 47 unique
Award winners exemplify the incredibly creative work of our Ohio and
responses, nine of which scored high enough
northern Kentucky printers! The fortunate customers of our members
for a sales follow-up. The combination of rele-
should be proud to display their winning products or pieces.”
vant messaging and drip marketing has identified sales ready prospects and the specific print issues they are concerned with. The MMI Edge will allow our sales force to focus on their best opportunities and lower our cost to acquire new customers,” says Alan Gardner, principal franchisee, Sir Speedy. “MMI Solutions’ knowledge of the printing industry and ability to create industry-specific campaigns for their automated marketing software creates a perfect partnership with leaders such as Sir Speedy,” says Mike Ciaramella, managing partner, MMI Solutions. “We’re proud to work with Sir Speedy of Newark. They have a rich history of success, and understand the importance of automating the marketing process to benefit their customers,” says Steve Amiel, president, MMI Solutions. Sir Speedy Newark provides printing and marketing services designed to help companies grow. Products and services include on
This year member companies submitted nearly 500 printed pieces and three out-of-state expert judges ranked them in a regional competition. Think Patented
demand, personalized digital printing, mailing and fulfillment services as well as value-added
Each year, Printing Industries of Ohio/N. Kentucky holds its print
offerings such as web-to-print solutions, inte-
Excellence Awards Competition to reward Ohio and northern Kentucky
grated direct marketing tools, and creative
printers that demonstrate excellence in 34 categories. This year member
services. Sir Speedy Newark helps companies
companies submitted nearly 500 printed pieces and three out-of-state
meet their business growth objectives from lead
expert judges ranked them in a regional competition.
generation, customer retention and reactivation to brand management and more. Sir Speedy Newark is part of a worldwide network of franchise brands and affiliates that
Each of the gold award winners in the regional competition are entered in an association-wide competition for Best of Category and Best of Show prizes that will be awarded in August 2011 at the Grand Ceremony, being held in Columbus, Ohio .
includes more than 600 locations in 13 countries.
One of the Midwest’s largest privately owned printing and graphic
Based in Newark, DE, Sir Speedy Newark has
communications companies, Think Patented creates marketing commu-
received numerous awards and recognition includ-
nications that deliver a customer’s message to its intended audience
ing the DE Superstars in Business Award, Quick
through the use of direct mail, digital and conventional printing, fulfill-
Printing Top 50, Innovative Application Award,
ment solutions, one-to-one marketing strategies, personalized websites
and FSI’s Frannie of the Year and VIP Awards.
and promotional items. The company was established more than 31 years ago and has 100 employees.
P16 CANVAS April 2011
Altitude Color Technologies Names Jennifer L. Folk as Vice President, Marketing And Business Development Altitude Color Technologies, the leading large and grand format printing company in the West, specializing in upscale printing solutions for the event, convention, fashion and retail industries, announced today the appointment of Jennifer L. Folk as vice president of Marketing and Business Development. As vice president of Marketing and Business Development, Folk will be responsible for strategic planning as well as overseeing the Marketing and Sales teams to analyze Altitude Color Technologies’ target markets, potential clients and competitors. Altitude Color Technologies is one of the most progressive, and forward-thinking large and Jennifer L. Folk
grand format printers in the West. Strategically located in Las Vegas, Nevada, Altitude Color Technologies has customized its services to the cities growing trends such as the event and convention
industry as well as fashion and retail. Altitude Color Technologies is dedicated to providing the highest quality and most unique printing solutions for its local, regional, national and international clientele.
Family-Owned Boston Printer Celebrates 60 Years in Business Shawmut today announced it is cele-
efficiency through automation, which
brating 60 years as one of Boston’s
will monitor the progress of a project
most innovative printers. Since 1951, the
online from start to finish.
family-owned-and-operated company
To commemorate their milestone
has provided customers with high-qual-
anniversary, Shawmut has not only
ity products, unsurpassed customer
launched a new website, but will also
service and today offers a wide-variety
be giving away four iPads through-
of in-house services.
out 2011 to those who register for
Shawmut founder Ted Peluso started
the contest online. The iPad contest
the company as a commercial printer
was created to help build momen-
and distributor of advertising specialties. Today, Peluso’s son and grandchildren, Dom Peluso, Michael Peluso, Dan Peluso and Stacy Peluso-Slaney, have turned the company into a multi-million dollar business. While Shawmut remains an expert in printing, they are also a fullservice vendor offering clients design, printing, mailing and fulfillment. “I’ve personally had the pleasure of working here for over 40 years, and I am proud of the progress we’ve made since 1951, and look forward to the progress
“ When my father founded the company, I don’t think he had any inclination that 60 years later there would be three generations of Peluso’s working for the company.” – Dom Peluso, president of Shawmut
we will make in the next 60 years.” One of the most significant changes Shawmut has made over the years is
tum around the new website and as
their expansion of capabilities and
a way to celebrate the company’s
services related to technology. Today,
60th anniversary. The first winner will
variable data printing, the inclusion of
be selected this month and subse-
Personalized URLs and online nurtur-
quent winners will be chosen in June,
ing campaigns are among the many
September and December.
technology-related services Shawmut provides. Additionally, throughout 2011
To learn more about Shawmut, visit
the company is looking to increase
www.shawmutprinting.com.
CANVAS P17
»» Product Spotlight ROLAND InlineImpress To safeguard their future, printing companies want
Xtreme Coated Cover goes Coast to Coast
to expand their product portfolios, react flexibly to
Xtreme Coated Cover brought to you by Millmar Paper Sales
customer wishes, and produce efficiently. Besides
Inc. is proud to announce that Xtreme has crossed the Rock-
coating applications and cold foil enhancement, inline
ies and recently landed in Spokane, Washington. “Every
embossing is another outstanding tool for adding value,
month demand is building for a premium board grade like
especially in folding carton production. With the Inli-
Xtreme. Customers love the way Xtreme prints on both
neImpress process (patent pending), printers are able
sides and they really love how it finishes. The non-cracking
to enhance their customers’ jobs with three-dimen-
properties of Xtreme give printers and designers peace of
sional effects. Lines, solids, patterns and forms can be
mind—any project will finish flawlessly,” explains Matthew
embossed, differentiating it from standard products.
Feldman, CEO of Millmar Paper.
Embossing with InlineImpress doesn’t require a sepa-
Lawton Printing Services of Spokane, Washington, chose
rate step—everything is done inline. This saves valuable
Xtreme Coated Cover for a corporate presentation folder. The
production time and lots of money as a result. There
selection process included RMB Vivid, a Seattle design firm
is no need for a spoilage allowance caused by a sepa-
who required a unique solution for their client’s project. With
Direct Drive Double Coater rate production step. Expensive embossing dies are not
mill samples of Xtreme Coated Cover in hand, Lawton and
necessary; embossing is done with a special coating
RMB Vivid conceptually applied the unique tactile qualities of
plate. And the simplicity of the process results in faster
Xtreme Coated Cover to the “earthy” design requirements of
job turnaround times.
the project. They presented their solution to the client using
ROLAND InlineImpress uses a special embossing
the silk side of the paper featuring an embossed wood panel
plate mounted in a coating module to apply a structure
with a rich tactile feel. The inside was printed on the gloss side
to the image during the printing process without any
of the sheet with solid black coverage end to end.
deformation of the sheet reverse side. This is possi-
The 16-point Xtreme Coated Cover was offset printed,
ble because, instead of the conventional method of
embossed, die cut and scored with a complex capacity
embossing the substrate itself, the structure is pressed
pocket and spine. Credit for the success of the project
into an embossable UV coating.
belongs to the expert offset press and letterpress people
For flexible, high-quality production in one pass, a
working on the project. “The finished project folded with
press with a double coating module is advantageous, UV
no cracking and performed wonderfully in the post-press
equipment is required, and the substrate must be highly
finishing department,” affirms Brian Jones, sales manager,
voluminous. The license package includes a detailed
Lawton Printing Services. “Thanks also go to the Millmar
description of the process, one day of instruction by a
folks for helping us with samples, ideas and consulting!”
manroland trainer at the user’s premises, a starter kit of ink and coating, and the first embossing plate.
For more information about Xtreme Coated Cover, visit www.xtremecoatedcover.com. For more information about
For more information, visit www.manroland.us.com.
P18 CANVAS April 2011
Lawton Printing Service, visit www.lawtonprinting.com.
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YOUR MOVE...
P20 CANVAS April 2011
Sale-Closing Negotiating Strategies
T
by Graham Garrison
he sales rep never had a chance. He worked for a leasing company negotiating millions of dollars’ worth of technology leases via conference calls with an interna-
tional manufacturer. His livelihood was at stake, and the pressure clearly affected him. On the other end of the line, Mary Redmond, representing the international manufacturer, listened as the sales rep continually interrupted the conversation, spoke so fast his words came out like gibberish, and butchered the pitch in his voice, echoing the inflections of a middle school choir group. “He just had no control over his voice,” says Redmond, an independent lease consultant. “We knew we had him on the ropes, so to speak. My client and I preferred not to deal with him, because he got too emotional.”
CANVAS P21
Your Move...
Consequently his company dismissed him
Pregame
from future negotiation calls. “He was a runaway
The success or failure of a negotiation is often determined before
train,” Redmond says.
the negotiation even begins. Think of a shopper who awakens with
This sales rep was removed from future
the realization that he needs a car. He jumps out of bed and drives
negotiation calls with one of his biggest clients
in his beat-up sedan to the nearest car dealership. As he’s greeted
because he couldn’t manage the stress and keep
at the door by the dealership’s top salesperson, the buyer confides
his emotions in check. You can avoid this trap if
he absolutely must have a car, because he doesn’t know if the old
you’re willing to invest the time in honing your
one will make it out of the lot. Who holds the advantage? Is your
negotiating skills.
grin as wide as the car dealer’s?
“It’s like playing a game of chess,” affirms author and speaker Greg Williams.
“Number one, the buyer did not do any research as far as pricing on the dealership where they’re going to purchase the car, or the
Redmond and Williams each have conducted
discounts that dealership may offer vs. another,” says Williams. “He
hundreds, perhaps thousands, of negotiations. Here they share their strategies for the board rooms and conference calls that will make or break your sales numbers, so that when it’s your move, you won’t get flustered or lost. You’ll win.
A deal made every day Negotiations aren’t exclusive to smoke-filled boardrooms; they are everyday occurrences, and each transaction is an opportunity to practice your negotiation skills,
“ Once you’re told the price is too high, you start asking questions. You can always use a question to answer a question in order to get more information, without giving additional information, until you’re prepared to do so.” – Greg Williams
says Redmond. After all, “everything is negotiable,” she adds. “For example, I have negotiated for hotel
also exposed the fact he is truly in need. The car dealer knows they
prices and upgrades more than once; first on
have this person in a position where he is desperate for a car, so the
the phone, then at the front desk whenever I
dealer doesn’t have to discount to the degree this buyer is asking,
go to a conference or event,” Redmond says. “I
if he even asks. Therefore, the car dealer may be able to switch that
negotiated at Wal-Mart to save money on flow-
buyer’s perspective into one that suits the dealership.”
ers. I’ve negotiated with specialty stores on using
Compare the car buyer’s haste to your customers’. Were you
coupons that I hadn’t even brought to the store.
more likely to encounter an easy negotiation when a print buyer
I do it in a fun way, with a smile on my face. It
was in a rush for a seasonal marketing campaign? Were the tough
elicits an entirely different reaction than making
nuts the ones with a yearly budget and plan in mind and a checklist
someone feel uncomfortable.”
of competitors? Know what you’re up against.
“You’re always negotiating,” says Williams, author of “Negotiate: Afraid, ‘Know’ More,” an expression
Body language
he’s trademarked on the speaking circuit.
When the negotiation begins, your sales pitch and walk-away point (any deal breakers with price, services or timetable) should be as familiar to you as the Pledge of Allegiance. If you’re unprepared with either of those, you’re sunk, because you won’t be able to observe the clues your counterpart is giving, either through voice or body language. “Salespeople, especially newer ones, are so nervous with their presentation that they are too preoccupied to watch the customer,” Redmond says. “That goes back to preparation and homework.” Once the discussions get underway, observe your counterpart for the following give-aways in body language.
P22 CANVAS April 2011
Eyes: When you ask a customer how much he or she has budgeted for a marketing campaign, watch to see if she is right-handed, and if her eyes go up and to the left, says Redmond. “If so, she is recalling information from her past, and it is likely her budget and plan,” Redmond explains. “However, if her eyes go up and to the right, she is probably making up the answer to your question at that time. If her eye contact has been direct and consistent, and she begins to look away from you as you ask questions, she is uncomfortable. You should slow down and resume building rapport.” Redmond says that in a normal conversation, if you observe that the other party’s pupils are constricted, it is usually a sign of a relaxed, non-threatening mood. If during your exchange of information, her eyes become dilated, you have her interest. She may either be in the mood to challenge your proposal or sign on the dotted line. You must read her body language signals to confirm your observations. Hands: If your customer is supporting her head with her hand, she may be bored. If her hand is resting on her face, she appears to be interested and thinking or at least considering your proposal, Redmond says. “If her hand and index finger are on her lips and chin, she is in thought and is considering your proposal. If the hand covers the entire mouth, the individual usually is in disagreement with your proposition and may be working to restrain herself from speaking out against your ideas.
55%
of information is delivered through non-verbal behavior
38%
is in vocal variety and tone
7%
of information is conveyed through the spoken word
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Your Move...
Negotiator Profiles
Body: If the upper body is leaning forward, you’ve got an engaged customer. If it’s leaning toward the exit or rigid (anything that indicates a physical barrier), you’ve got some work to do. Williams calls these give-aways “micro-expressions.” “These
Mary A. Redmond has negotiated
are expressions that are not filtered by the mind when the act is
contracts in the graphic arts community
committed,” he says. “Therefore, micro-expressions are actions
for over 25 years. She shares her
that truly reflect an emotion.” He lists seven emotions that trigger
negotiation expertise and process in workshops, and at industry conferences.
the expressions—anger, disgust, fear, sadness, happiness, surprise and contempt. A good negotiator knows how to manipulate those emotions,
She is a frequent contributing editor to
if need be. During a TV interview, Williams revealed to the
trade publications and writes a monthly
anchor that he could change the anchor’s mood in a moment’s
column for the Dealer Communicator. In
notice. When the anchor asked how, Williams went silent. The anchor’s eyes widened and he stammered. “Then the anchor
2010, Redmond and Williams created the
said, ‘Are you OK?’ I told him I had just altered his perspective.
negotiation CD “Men and Women do it
‘We’re on the air, and you can’t have dead air,’ I said. ‘I didn’t
differently….Negotiate that is! You can
speak and thus you had to question me quickly to bring me back
reach Mary at 913-515-7779, or
into the conversation.’ With micro-expressions, you can generate all types of mood changes.”
at mary@ReviewYourLease.com
Redmond says that Albert Mehrabian’s communication
Greg Williams is a member of the National Speakers Association and author of the highly acclaimed audio CD sets, How To Negotiate Your Way To Success, and How to Become a Dynamic Interviewer—Developed For The Savvy H.R. Professional. Williams has appeared on numerous TV and radio programs, discussing negotiation tactics and strategies. He is the author of the bestselling book, Negotiate: Afraid, ‘Know’ More. Visit www.themasternegotiator.com to learn more about his speaking services and products.
“I don’t want to lose a sale because I’m running to the airport to catch a flight.”
research regarding interpretation of feelings and attitudes concluded that 55 percent of information is delivered through non-verbal behavior, 38 percent is in vocal variety and tone and 7 percent of information is conveyed through the spoken word. By those numbers, Redmond often loses 55 percent of her advantage, because most of her negotiations are done on conference calls. So she has to hone her listening skills, as well as her delivery. She has a Midwestern accent, but when conducting negotiations, ditches it in favor of an even voice. “The more you can overcome your dialect, accent, and speak middle of the road, the more effective you
– Mary A. Redmond
P24 CANVAS April 2011
can be,” she says.
Deflect pressure points Inevitably, your counterpart will try and get the upper hand. They may try to use: Price: Don’t bite too early on price, Williams says. Look for the reason behind the demand. “Once you’re told the price is too high, you start asking questions,” he says. “You can always use a question to answer a question in order to get more information, without giving additional information, until you’re prepared to do so.” Time: Never let them see you looking at the clock, Redmond says. “I’d rather miss the flight than miss the sale,” she adds. “I don’t want to lose a sale because I’m running to the airport to catch a flight. I spoke at a conference for law firm administrators last year. I
and can recognize buying signs from boredom,
had at least seven or eight people waiting around to ask me ques-
then you’ve got the right mindset. “Think stra-
tions, and I ended up closing projects with two of the people who
tegically,” Williams says. “If X occurs, think
were waiting on me. Had I said ‘Sorry, I’ve got to go,’ I would have
about how you’re going to go down that path.
missed the opportunity to build those relationships. For me, that
If Y occurs, you’ll have to jump to another path,
meant $15,000 in consulting work.”
and think about what you expect to occur from there. It’s like playing a game of chess. Be several
Whatever the point/counterpoint becomes, expect that it will
moves ahead in your mind regarding what you
happen. The rep with the leasing company couldn’t, and it jeopar-
will do when the other negotiator does one thing
dized the deal. Don’t be reactionary. If you put in the preparation
versus another.”
Death to trees?
P26 CANVAS April 2011
Are Environmental Concerns Truly Relevant? by Lorrie Bryan
W
hat do you think: should you buy the low-energy compact fluorescent bulbs rather than standard incandescents, even if they contain traces of
mercury? Which salad is more green; the one made with organic mixed greens trucked from thousands of miles away, or the one with lettuce raised on nearby industrial farms? Is it greener to wash dishes by hand or use the dishwasher? Which is worse, paper or e-waste piling up in the landfills? Do Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and Sustainable Forest Initiative (SFI) certifications really mean anything? Will you actually save the planet by not printing your e-mails?
CANVAS P27
Death to Trees?
“ Actually being green has cost our company. Not in the recycling and other non-certified green methods—we have done those for years. But FSC certification, for example, costs real dollars.” – Tony Trego, vice president and co-owner at Greenwell Chisholm and a Certified G7 Professional
The proliferation of “green” noise in the years
Stewardship Council (FSC), Sustainable Forest Initiative (SFI)
since “An Inconvenient Truth” helped unleash
and the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certifica-
a new tide of environmental activism that has
tion (PEFC) show up on most environmental lists of legitimate
even well-intentioned conservationist and envi-
environmental standards and certifications. According to Joshua
ronmental advocates feeling overwhelmed and
Martin, director of the Environmental Paper Network, a coalition
confused about the realities of green. Printers
of more than 100 non-profit organizations committed to accel-
are no exception. Labeled as tree killers and
erate social and environmental transformation in the pulp and
evil destroyers of our planet, the print industry
paper industry, certification is one way that printers are gaining
reacted to the criticism by quietly shoring up
credibility with the public. “Customers still have a budget, but
environmental best practices, promoting recy-
they can no longer afford to print on Indonesian rainforest defor-
cled paper and launching certification processes
estation. If a printer can provide customers with paper with a low
that would ensure that the materials used for
carbon footprint and free of controversial fiber from controver-
paper are sourced responsibly.
sial sources they have a clear competitive advantage. The best
Five years after the launch of “An Inconvenient
way to do so with credibility is to offer and market paper with
Truth,” we sometimes seem no closer to the truth
high post-consumer recycled fiber content and certification from
when it comes to what is best for the environ-
an organization with credibility,” he asserts.
ment, and unfortunately green has become a
According to Martin, the number of acres certified by FSC grew
convenient marketing device that is triggering
by 66 million acres between January 2007 and January 2011. “This
a backlash. “I hate seeing the word green—
represents a doubling of forests managed to the FSC standard and
green this, green that. The whole term has been
a total 131 million acres certified in North America. Globally, FSC
distorted out of proportion; I feel it has turned
has certified almost 328 million acres as of January 1, 2011.”
into the dollar,” says Adam Thompson, a special-
These certification organizations grew in the years before the
ist in large-format graphics and printing. “When
recession, but as printers experienced budget reductions, many
I see it, I wonder if they truly mean it. I would call
say they could no longer justify the expense of certification, and
it responsibility, sustainability, or just plain I care
some say the fees amount to extortion. “Being environmentally
for my earth, my home, I hope to make this world
responsible is important to everyone. Specific green products
cleaner for my children’s children. Green—ugh!”
or papers are available to those who request and are willing to pay for them. Beyond that, the underlying environmental best
What about the FSC, SFI and PEFC?
practices are in place by most people so there is no desire or
Committed to eliminating habitat destruction,
need to be ‘certified’ or pay audit fees. We are doing these things
water pollution, displacement of indigenous
because we feel that they are right for us, our companies and
peoples and violence against people and wild-
our future generations,” says Paul Edwards, president and CEO
life that can accompany logging, the Forest
at FormStore Incorporated.
P28 CANVAS April 2011
Death to Trees?
As consumer demand grows, the availability of products made from recyclable materials is also increasing. “Actually being green has cost our company. Not in the recycling and other non-certified green methods—we have done those for years. But FSC certification, for example, costs real dollars,” explains Tony Trego, vice president and co-owner at Greenwell Chisholm and a Certified G7 Professional. “Now, ask me if I have the ability to charge more for those ‘certified’ products—no. We thought we might be able to when we got into the certification, but it was not to be. In our area, I provide that service just to be able to bid on the work of those who demand it. I certainly cannot up the price for the extra procedures that it takes or the actual certification costs.” As criticism of the effectiveness and high costs of certification has swelled, leadership at one of the certification organizations, SFI, is addressing this. “We’ve typically heard costs for SFI COC can range anywhere from $2,000 - $3,000 per year. We do understand this can be cost prohibitive for some printers, so we are working with an organization to implement a group certification. The concept of the group certification is many companies join a group certificate, thus the overall cost will be reduced. SFI hopes to roll out this group project later this year. In the meantime, printers should have conversations with other local printers in their city and try and coordinate audits with the same auditor. This can also help to reduce costs,” says Jason Metnick, senior director of Market Access and Product Labeling for SFI.
P30 CANVAS April 2011
Recycling It’s likely that the general public and even many printers don’t understand the significance of FSC or SFI and the murky custody chains, and therefore don’t readily support it. In contrast the three Rs (reduce, reuse and recycle) are not complicated—when
“ We can provide virtually any sustainable product imaginable for business communication needs, and we don’t feel we have to be FSC certified in order to do that.” – Jerome Elion, marketing director, Green Books N Binders
people use recycled paper, they know they are making an environmentally friendly choice. According to Martin, using 100 percent recycled copy paper in lieu of copy paper made from virgin tree fiber, on average, reduces total energy consumption by 27.4 percent, reduces net greenhouse gas emissions by 41.8 percent, reduces wastewater by 53.3 percent, reduces solid waste by 37.7 percent, and reduces wood use by 100 percent. (Source: www.papercalculator.org)
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CANVAS P31
Death to Trees?
Americans growing commitment to recycling
award-winning binders. “We can provide virtually any sustain-
has also impacted landfills. “Recent EPA stud-
able product imaginable for business communication needs, and
ies indicate that paper is still one of the larg-
we don’t feel we have to be FSC certified in order to do that,”
est single components of landfills in the U.S.,
says Jerome Elion, marketing director. “We constantly test new
comprising over 16 percent of landfill deposits
paper products and binders to provide customers with a selec-
and equaling 26 million tons annually. But this
tion of recycled or responsibly produced printed material that
is down considerably from 42 million tons in
will provide brightness, smoothness, excellent print quality and
2005,” adds Martin.
durability at a comparable cost to virgin fiber papers and non-
As consumer demand grows, the availability
recycled / recyclable material.”
of products made from recyclable materials is also increasing. Recipient of the 2010 What
Please consider the environment before printing?
They Think Award for Environmental Innova-
There has been a longstanding assumption that the use of paper
tion, Green Books N Binders, is dedicated to
contributes to the deforestation of the planet and therefore using
environmental responsibility and specializes
paper is not the best choice for the environment. But what is the
in the production of their recycled books and
impact of paperless solutions?
The latest EPA statistics show that fewer than 20 percent of computers are recycled in the U.S. and in 2007 alone, an estimated 112,000 computers were thrown away every day. Computers, monitors, servers, applications, and enterprise servers all contribute to electronic communication, and a tremendous amount of raw material and energy is required to produce and deliver all of this hardware and software. Energy consumption does not stop here. The amount of energy used to power, operate, exchange, and protect the information is significant, as is the energy required to archive and back it up in secured areas where server farms manage and process giga, tera and exabytes of information. The vast amount of energy consumed is mostly produced by power plants that unfortunately do not produce energy from clean or renewable resources.
P32 CANVAS April 2011
There also seems to be a lack of environmental friendliness when it comes to the disposal of electronic waste generated by computers that constantly need to be upgraded. Rapid changes in technology, low initial cost, and planned obsolescence have resulted in a fast-growing surplus of electronic waste around the globe. The latest EPA statistics show that fewer than 20 percent of computers are recycled in the U.S. and in 2007 alone, an estimated 112,000 computers were thrown away every day. It’s believed that millions are lurking in closets awaiting disposal. Paper that is largely biodegradable has been replaced by toxic metals (lead, cadmium, beryl-
would die. If we do not use paper, forest lands
lium, mercury) in our country’s landfills.
could be converted to different uses with no
In contrast, when you print a document, you are likely support-
reforestation,” Edwards explains.
ing the ongoing planting and harvesting of trees, the responsible
Should you consider the environment before
sustainable management of forests to produce pulp for paper.
printing? Absolutely, and then perhaps you
Planting and harvesting trees is a continuous cycle that enhances
should print that e-mail, especially if you are
the earth, absorbs carbon dioxide, and creates a strong green
using paper that comes from a managed forest
economic engine.
or recycled paper. If you really care about
“The paper, publishing and printing industries, as a whole, are
the environment, turn off your server tonight.
extremely green, environmentally friendly for decades. We have
Paper is a completely renewable resource.
more trees being planted every day than are being harvested. If
But electricity is largely produced by power
we do not show good stewardship of our raw materials our industry
stations burning nonrenewable fossil fuels.
For answers to your questions about salads, light bulbs and other environmental issues, visit www.simplesteps.org. For environmental issues affecting printers visit www.greenpressinitiative.org, www.canopyplanet.org and www.nrdc.org/paper. And if you are one of the millions of people with obsolete electronics in your closet, visit www.epa.gov/osw/conserve/materials/ ecycling/donate.htm or www.electronicsrecycling.org to find out about recycling options.
Death to Trees?
More on Certification and Sustainability by Jason Metnick
Many products are appearing in stores these days bearing a variety of eco-labels. In the world of print and paper, you are likely seeing labels from third-party forest certification standards such as the Sustainable Forestry Initiative® (SFI®) and Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). When you think about it, this makes sense. We all have a greater awareness of the impact of our buying decisions—and we want to know we are making responsible decisions. Certified products are a great choice when it comes to paper and packaging. Market research supports this view. In a series of focus tests, consumers in the United States said that clear and tangible forest certification standards backed by strong accountability make it easier for them to choose products. A Harris/Decima poll found that nine out of 10 women in American households say buying certified wood and paper products helps them feel they are contributing to protecting the environment. Standards like SFI can meet these high expectations by requiring that forest operations reforest harvested areas promptly, obey all laws, maintain wildlife habitat and biological diversity, protect water quality, and a lot more. SFI program participants buying fiber from regions outside North America need to take measures to procure all fiber from known and legal sources. We’re fortunate that when just 10 percent of the world’s forests are certified, more than half of those certified forests are right here in North America. At SFI, we manage the single largest forest certification standard in the world, with more than 181 million acres of certified lands, all in the United States and Canada. And the number of chain-of-custody certificates is increasing rapidly—five years
ago, we were seeing about five new SFI labels a year come through our office; now we review and approve 20 a day. A lot of printers are offering their customers more choices by certifying operations to all three of the globally recognized certification programs used in North America—SFI, FSC and the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC). It doesn’t cost a lot of time or money because most independent certification bodies can deliver tri-certification either directly or through partnerships. Forest certification is recognized by many respected organizations. One example is TerraChoice’s 2010 Sins of Greenwashing, which includes SFI, FSC and PEFC on a limited list of “legitimate” environmental standards and certifications along with EcoLogo, ENERGY STAR, and GREENGUARD. It’s the second time TerraChoice included SFI and FSC as trusted eco-labels. In 2009, both were identified as among the most widely recognized eco-labels that met the key criteria of being third-party certified, having a publicly available standard and having a transparent standard development process. At SFI, we want buyers to support all credible certification standards and we want to expand the reach of third-party forest certification. After all, sustainability is not a competition; it’s a goal we will arrive at much sooner by working together.
Jason Metnick is the senior director, Market Access and Label Use, SFI Inc. For more information about third-party forest certification or the SFI program, visit www.sfiprogram.org or contact Jason.Metnick@sfiprogram.org.
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w o H
o t
p u
e l a S a
by Linda Bishop
M
y idea of sellingNirvana is closing the deal in one call. In the
one-call close, timing works in your favor and it’s a “right place, right time” scenario. You have established enough rapport and trust, and have said all the right things necessary to motivate the client to buy… today! It’s a wonderful moment, but the one-call close doesn’t happen often. Most sales cycles require multiple calls—three, four, five calls or more when you’re selling new and untried solutions or negotiating with a large buying group. Long complex sales can net big returns when they finally close. But in the meantime, you still have to eat. To more effectively generate revenue today, I’m always looking for
new ways to close deals quicker. Here are nine effective tactics that can speed up the sales cycle and help you make money faster.
P36 CANVAS April 2011
How to Speed Up a Sale
One: Don’t waste time trying to climb over insurmountable barriers.
decision. To identify single decision-maker situations, seek out
Here’s an exercise.
•T he person has purchased your solution in the past.
• List all your customers you could sell more to.
•T hey own the budget and are authorized to spend it.
• List all your prospects.
•T he cost of your solution is small compared to the decision-
• Next to each name, list any barriers blocking
the following:
maker’s total spending authority.
the sale. • If the barrier is high, scratch them off this “short-cycle opportunities” list • Call everyone who is left and
Committees slow things down. They ask more questions and consider more alternatives. When you’re looking for a fast sale, focus on situations where you only have to convince one person to buy.
make appointments. Some barriers aren’t just high—they’re insur-
Three: Look for prospects who know they need a solution to solve their problem.
mountable. The best sales professionals recog-
Today, there are buyers in your marketplace shopping for your
nize these barriers and move on quickly.
solution. They’re researching on the Internet and dialing the phone
The average salesperson only sees the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow and ignores the
searching for a new vendor. They know they have a problem, and they’re willing to spend money to solve it.
ten-mile high wall directly in front of them. They
Other buyers are ignoring the pain you could eliminate.
spend a lot of time banging their head against
They’re covering their ears so they can’t hear the time bomb
that wall because they won’t admit they’re
ticking away down the hall. Or, they’ve gotten used to living
wasting time.
with the pain and have accepted it. Yes, these buyers represent
Do you want to sell more? Know when to walk away and find greener pastures.
opportunities—but these deals won’t close quickly because the buyer isn’t searching for a solution to the problem. Some prospects are interested in learning. Others are interested
Two: Look for selling situations where you’re dealing with a single decision maker.
in buying. By spending time on buyers who are actively looking for your solution, you manage time efficiently and increase sales.
Some buying decisions are made by commit-
Four: Eliminate risks.
tee, and others are made by individuals. You
Two types of objections stop you from making a sale. Stated objec-
close deals faster when one person makes the
tions are spoken aloud by the buyer. The buyer tells you why they
P38 CANVAS April 2011
Too often we ask the same old questions we’ve asked one hundred times before. And worse yet, we don’t sound like we’re genuinely interested in knowing more. don’t want to buy. Armed with this knowledge, you might overcome the objection by discussing it further. Unstated objections exist in the buyer’s head, but they aren’t shared. So you may not recognize the existence of the obstacle and have the necessary discussions to overcome them. Many unstated objections revolve around worries about risks. Is the price high? Does the supplier have the right expertise? Is this salesperson competent? Will the solution really do what is promised? Does the buyer know everything they need to know? Will the buyer look good to their boss?
How to Speed Up a Sale
Unstated objections related to risk derail sales.
what the buyer’s problem is, how they have tried to fix it, and
Take action to eliminate them by taking the
whether they are willing to spend money to make the problem
following steps.
go away. It’s hard to gather all that information with only two or
• Write down a list of potential buying concerns.
three questions.
• Write down how you address them. • Take a proactive approach. Bring up possible
Six: Ask great questions.
concerns in calls. Address them before they
I can always tell when I ask a prospect a great question. Great ques-
solidify into objections.
tions engage people and activate thinking. They ignite interest,
I ask questions to learn about the customer’s problem. I present the benefits of my solution and ask more questions to determine if the customer wants them. Then I talk about the cost of my solution. Five: Ask enough questions to fully understand the buyer’s situation.
elicit emotions and encourage potential customers to see the world in a new way.
I have a rule. Before I jump in and start telling
Too often we ask the same old questions we’ve asked one hundred times
the buyer they’ll benefit from my solution, I
before. And worse yet, we don’t sound like we’re genuinely interested in
ask at least five questions to understand the
knowing more. We sound like we’re reciting these questions out of habit.
buyer’s situation. Asking more questions helps sales professionals.
To shorten sales cycles, ask great questions and fully understanding the prospect’s situation.
First, rapport is built through conversation. Second, when you dig deeper, the buyer’s
Seven: Talk about price.
thinking is engaged at a deeper level as well.
For most of my printing career, I didn’t talk much about price until
And third, to make a sale, you need to know
I was quoting on a project. Today, my approach is different. I ask
P40 CANVAS April 2011
How to Speed Up a Sale
When you’re selling, it’s not just about persuading people to buy. It’s about persuading them to change, and change requires motivation. I present the benefits of my solution and ask more
Eight: Narrow your focus and shower viable prospects with quality attention.
questions to determine if the customer wants
Sometimes the best way to spend time to generate income is
them. Then I talk about the cost of my solution.
by focusing on fewer opportunities and devoting more time to
questions to learn about the customer’s problem.
each of them. Quality time means: When I am talking about pricing, my goal is
• Planning better sales calls with more value for prospects.
to understand:
• Between calls, providing useful information to help prospects
• I f the customer thinks my solution has enough value to warrant the price.
evaluate your solution. • Staying top of mind with meaningful touches.
•W hat benefits the customer is willing to pay for. • I f the customer is willing to spend money to solve the problem.
The narrow focus approach helps you close deals faster—as long as you don’t ignore the insurmountable barriers mentioned in tip one.
The sales cycle goes a lot faster when the
Nine: Provide buyers with motivation to act now.
customer believes value justifies price. They want
When you’re selling, it’s not just about persuading people
the benefits and are willing to spend money to
to buy. It’s about persuading them to change, and change
solve the problem. So why not try to collect that
requires motivation.
information in the first or second call? Motivation is a physical and psychological process that pushes us to take action toward certain goals. Psychologists David McClellan and John Atkinson studied people in work situations. Their research uncovered that all people have three motivational characteristics. • A need for affiliation. • A need to achieve. • A need for power.
P42 CANVAS April 2011
When you’re sitting across the table from a buyer, pay attention to their words and behavior. Look for signals to determine their motivation, and respond accordingly. • Does the buyer want you to like them? They are likely to be motivated by affiliation. Show the buyer testimonials. Offer “social proof” to demonstrate others bought and liked your solution, and ignite interest in becoming part of this smart group. • If the buyer gets right to the point and focuses on the bottom line, they are achievers. Show them your solution makes them look good to their boss. •W hen buyers are motivated by power, they usually like to negotiate. Give them the opportunity to do so, but don’t be a wimp. If you cave on every point when pressed, the buyer respects you less and questions the value of your solution more. Motivated buyers take action. Always be looking for ways to provide prospects and clients the right personal incentive to buy today. What else can you add to this list to speed up the sales cycle and sell more? How can you more quickly identify potential leads who want to buy? If you stopped visiting “dry wells” how much more time would you have to find new sources of income? Sales professionals ask these questions and use these nine tips to shorten sales cycles, exceed goals and generate more income. Good selling. Linda Bishop has spent more than 20 years in sales and marketing. In 2005, she started Thought Transformation, a national firm dedicated to helping clients add sales dollars by developing an educated and professional sales force
Tweet This! Social Media Tips From a Regular Sales Guy
S
by Brian Sullivan
o are you sick of hearing about it yet…social media, social networking, Web 3.0? Can’t we just leave that stuff up to the marketing guys and let us just do our job? Like many, my early thoughts about this new “connected”
world ranged from skepticism to trashing, but I realized that if I was to effectively “diss” it, I would at least have to better understand what the buzz was all about. I am now only several weeks into my social experiment, and I must report…I’m beginning to break. Trust me; I’m not happy about it. I mean, what am I going to say now to all my fellow “regular sales guys” at the next sales meeting cocktail party while they all sit around mocking all those nerdy “tweeterers.” What am I becoming? For now, my intention is to lay low. But this doesn’t mean I can’t share my schooling with you.
P44 CANVAS April 2011
Tweet This!
So here are the early results. Let’s first start with
to humility in sales? I am not a self-promoter. My performance will do
my original concerns about social networking:
the talking.
Before: Tweeting, Linkedin and Facebooking (I
After: Get over it! Self-promotion is a good thing. But only if you
think that’s a verb now) is a time waste. Do people
want to, well, get promoted in your career or business. If your
really care that what the hell I just ate for lunch? Do
competition is getting more attention because they are more visi-
they really need to know that it’s a gloomy day in
ble, then your humility is doing nothing to advance your business.
Kansas City? That the color yellow makes me sad? Before: I don’t want my competition to know what I am up to. I am After: They may not care about meals, weather
“stealthy” and I like it that way.
and colors, but they do care about something I just learned that can make them more effective
After: Yea, you’re so “stealthy” that your customers and marketplace
at work or at home. Perhaps by posting cutting-
don’t even know you exist. So let the world know how hard you are
edge industry trends, changes
working at making your customers’ lives better.
in the marketplace or a quicker way to do something, they may actually look forward to hearing from me. They may even get used to it—perhaps miss me when I’m not there! Before: It’s a company’s job to spread the corporate image and deliver product information to the marketplace. After: With so many products and services looking, performing
and
priced
the
same,
perhaps one of the only differentiators in the sale is…you. So maybe we need to begin marketing ourselves with these tools. Isn’t Facebook and Linkedin just a personal webpage that
tells
people
(including
prospects and customers), what we are all about? So why don’t I turn it into a living brochure that informs others just how smart I am and how I am not like the other sales guys. Before: Do people really care what I think? What ever happened
P46 CANVAS April 2011
Hide nothing. Share your thoughts—an idea
I can’t believe this. I just did an Advanced Keyword Search which allowed me to identify the perfect prospects. Hundreds fit my criteria and a bunch of them are connected to people I know.
that saved a customer time, an example of how your company made somebody’s life easier, etc. Before: If I get into this stuff, I might lose focus and be “social networking” every five minutes. After: Maybe I am not as weak as I thought. By setting aside specific times each day to post something valuable, I am actually touching more customers than I would with a cold call. And it is not making me less productive. Before: I communicate enough with my customers and fully understand how they feel about me and my company. After: Wrong. In fact, while working with a recent corporate client we did a search of their company name on Twitter. The CEO was shocked when he saw an unhappy customer had posted to his list of over 1000 followers just how bad their service was. We also learned about a website called Groubal.com that allows unhappy customers share their service horrors. Does that CEO still think Twitter is worthless? He immediately signed up for an account and offered to make things right with the customer. By tweeting, he not only made things right, but the customer was amazed the CEO cared so much. Bingo!
Before: There are enough research tools for me to understand my
After: I can’t believe this. I just did an Advanced
customers and industry. This stuff is overkill.
Keyword Search which allowed me to identify the perfect prospects. Hundreds fit my criteria and a
After: By doing a Twitter keyword search on any topic including the
bunch of them are connected to people I know.
name of a hospital you will get up to date information that comes
I sent an e-mail to four of them saying I know
not only from the PR department but from some fellow Tweeters in
the mutual friend, and now have four meetings
the building. That’s what you call intelligence.
set up. How long would it have taken me to find those people (if ever) without Linkedin?
Before: Don’t people have to sign up to follow you? It’s going to take three years before I have enough followers to make my tips and knowledge worth spreading.
So that’s what I have so far. And there is so much more I can share, but I’ve run out of time. While typing away with this article, five new followers
After: I now use software that allows me to target specific pros-
joined my Twitter account and three prospects
pects. For instance, I just typed in “physician,” and the software
just accepted my Linkedin invite. (No exaggera-
found 2517 physicians who I can “follow.” Good news is, when we
tion!) It would be rude of me not to share with
follow people, they often follow us back. We now have a captive
them some tip that they would find value in. Oh,
and targeted audience to share our message with. (If you want to
and if they like what I have to say, they just might
know more about the software, drop me an e-mail at bsullivan@
like me enough to issue a purchase order or flash
preciseselling.com and I will give you the secret. It’s pretty cool.)
a credit card for the products and services that I don’t give away. And if that’s what social market-
Before: I keep accepting invites to Linkedin but I don’t see how it
ing means to a regular sales guy, count me in. I
can get me an appointment with a key decision-maker.
can hardly wait to tell the fellas.
For commission-building tips on sales, negotiations and social marketing, follow the Regular Sales Guy, Brian Sullivan on Twitter, Facebook and Linkedin @preciseselling.com.
Book Recommendation
Bury My Heart at Conference Room B »» Author Stan Slap
A
ccording to Stan Slap, “The personal values that an overwhelming number of managers in every position in every country reported as being most important are family and integrity. The personal values that those same manag-
ers reported as the most under pressure to compromise in order to do their jobs successfully are family and integrity.” Stan Slap is a “tell it like it is” kind of guy. Recently, we had the pleasure of seeing him speak and found his presentation so refreshing and compelling that we had to pick up his book. His best-selling book, “Bury My Heart at Conference Room B,” drives home one of the most significant trends in business today. Simply stated, “Be human first, a manager second.” Traditional business books detail management processes and tactics to drive short-term results. Slap’s book is anything but traditional. With a good hard look at your intrinsic values, “Bury My Heart” underscores the idea that work must tie in to the core of who you are. Slap cuts to the chase and asks why, with the majority of our waking hours devoted to work, would we pursue something so vigorously without it being directly related to our values? His book offers the true ingredient for being or having happy and successful managers. Slap is able to tap into the recipe for creating a culture that is focused on passion, trust and family. Stan Slap’s book is
Slap shares the techniques he’s used over several decades to transform the performance of some of the world’s most renowned companies. not only game changing, it is life changing. Read it, have your team read it...focus on getting yourself and your team to that “better place.” The best part is that you and your team get to shape, define and live that “better place.” “There is more mythology, misdirection, superstition, and generalized academic babble about leadership than any other business subject,” says management consultant Slap in a mustread for anyone who cares about organizational success. Slap shares the techniques he’s used over several decades to transform the performance of some of the world’s most renowned companies. CANVAS highly recommends “Bury My Heart at Conference Room B” for anyone who craves true organizational success.
P48 CANVAS April 2011
he ave te h e w can pes go th i str r way? othe
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Watch the ink hit the fan!
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