supporting print sales & Marketing executives
October 2010
Say hello to mobile marketing …and Create a Sticky Situation
E-mail: Ally or Adversary? Closing Ranks Monkey See, Monkey Do Rework
Solutions that Meet Changing Market Demands Ricoh’s technology offers all the reliability, flexibility, and speed an in-plant needs to be successful. The best part, however, is that the Ricoh team is very vested in the success of our operation. They’ve been there for us every step of the way. You can’t ask for more than that.”
Strategies that Increase Revenue We now have the color and variable data capabilities that allow us to do complex personalization and versioning, making it possible to offer solution selling.” Pete Glennon President Creative DataProducts
Debbie Pavletich Graphic Services Manager Briggs & Stratton Corporation
A Full Range of Dedicated Services & Support Ricoh is the right fit for us. The solutions are affordable, the color is true, and service is very available. They’re always saying, ‘here’s my number, call me if there are any problems.’ In spite of having to meet new high-capacity needs for production with lots of color, we were able to do it easily with Ricoh’s support.” Amy Dretzka Director of IS Girl Scouts of Wisconsin Southeast
CONNECT WITH RICOH
for performance at every step of production Don’t wait to set the highest standards in your production print environment. At Ricoh, our goal is to satisfy your business requirements by defining, building, implementing, and supporting solutions that meet the demands of your specific applications, all while maximizing efficiency and profitability. Our Production Printing Business Group support team is comprised of production printing veterans that offer an unsurpassed understanding of the unique needs of your business. They will work with you to design custom solutions that meet and exceed your specific production print goals.
SCAN HERE TO CONNECT WITH RICOH PPBG NOW!
Isn’t it time you connected with Ricoh? Call us today at 800-637-4264 or visit us at www.ricoh-usa.com/ppbg to find out the many ways we can help your business grow and profit—every step of the way.
CONNECT WITH RICOH PPBG
www.ricoh-usa.com/ppbg
October 2010
P2
Publisher’s Thoughts Don’t Peek
P4
How Social Media Can Help Your Business P5
The Three Google Mistakes P6
The Corner Office Tech Corner: Emerging Markets and Applications for Inkjet Printing CMO Fact Print in the Mix Fast Facts Leadership Insights
P10
People News Lawton Printers Takes Top Honors Lithographix Installs New Equipment PULP Launches “Street Level” Business Unit J.B. Kenhan Acquires Conley Printing Sappi Fine Paper North America Announces Grant Recipients for the 11th Annual Ideas that Matter Program
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Say hello to mobile marketing …and Create a Sticky Situation
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E-mail: Ally or Adversary Discover how to manage your e-mail more efficiently and boost your sales with these tips.
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Product Spotlight Unisource Partnering with Print Council
Publisher mark potter
Marketing Manager caroline farley
MANAGING EDITOR lorrie bryan
ART DIRECTOR brent cashman
CONTRIBUTORS Linda Bishop, Howie Fenton, Graham Garrison, Brian Sullivan
Editorial board lisa arsenault McArdle Printing Co.
W2Psoftware Introduces New Web-to-Print Storefront Program ROLAND 900, XXL, with Perfector
gary cone Litho Craft, Inc.
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peter douglas Lake County Press
How Printers Can Benefit from … Other Printers
dean petrulakis Rider Dickerson
Monkey See, Monkey Do
ron lanio Geographics, Inc. randy parkes Lithographix, Inc.
Closing Ranks P36
How Your Attitude and Actions Affect Your Customers
P40
Rework
CANVAS magazine for more information: 678.473.6131, 2180 Satellite Blvd., Suite 400, Duluth, Georgia 30097 CANVAS, Volume 4, Issue 5. copyright 2010 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® 30 Dull Cover 80lb/216gsm and Opus 30 Dull Text 80lb/118gsm, an industry leading environmentally responsible paper. Opus 30 contains 30% post consumer waste and FSC chain of custody certification. Correction: Opus 30 contains 30% post consumer waste. CANVAS P1
Don’t Peek
M
My little hockey-playing son provided me with yet another lesson recently. He was in the midst of a practice drill in which he had to quickly maneuver around tires and then skate to the other end of the rink as fast as he could. His course was set up on one side of the rink and a mirror-image course was set up for another skater on the opposite side. The coaches were not encouraging the kids to race—they simply wanted each kid to focus on their
skills and complete the course as best they could. However, the kids didn’t seem to look at it that way; they were going to race each other come hell or high water.
Publisher’s thoughts
As the two boys started off, I could tell Joey had already lost his focus. He started out OK, but as soon
as he made it around the first tire, I saw him take a peek over at the other kid. He was not concentrating on the course or working on his abilities. Soon, he became so completely distracted by what his competitor was doing that he lost his edge and fell to the ice.
Your competitor today may be your partner tomorrow. In the end, you need to forget about what the competition is doing. It is not worth it. You can lose your focus and fall into non-productive obsession. The fact of the matter is that what “they” are doing is not important; focusing on being the best you can be is. Our book recommendation, Rework, devoted an entire chapter to competition and the lack of credence that you should put in traditional mindsets about your enemies. According to authors Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson, focusing on competitors too much will cause you to dilute your own vision. They believe, “Your chances of coming up with something fresh go way down when you keep feeding your brain other people’s ideas. You become reactionary instead of visionary.” In business, vision is the ability to see things where others can’t. In our cover article, Say Hello to Mobile Marketing, we propose that printers should see and seize the opportunities associated with mobile marketing. Print integrates very well with other vehicles, and mobile marketing is a trend that true visionaries must embrace. And speaking of enemies, in our article Closing Ranks, we explore ways that you may be able to partner with your competitors rather than obsessing about beating them. It is a new day and the competitive landscape changes all the time. Your competitor today may be your partner tomorrow. I want to thank our readers and our sponsors for standing out and standing for something. I don’t believe that all of the vehicles in this industry are truly supporting your dreams. I know that CANVAS and our corporate sponsors are focused on elevating you to greater heights. We won’t even waste our time taking a peek. Neither should you! All the best,
Mark Potter Publisher
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CANVAS october 2010
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Social
Getting
How Social Media Can Help Your Business By John Foley The top four social media sites you should focus your time on first are LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. The reason for this is because they each add unique value for your online followers. LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional social networking site and has an incredible amount of features that make it easy for you to show off your work history and expertise. It has the ability to do this by being able to sync up your business blog, Twitter feed, and your e-mail’s calendar. This is a huge help to people with busy schedules, because as soon as you update your blog, Twitter or calendar, LinkedIn automatically updates those features on your LinkedIn profile. You can also John P. Foley, Jr. is the CEO
share past Powerpoint presentations with their Slideshare application, and LinkedIn
and CMO of Grow Socially
makes it easy for you to find any business contact you may have come in contact with
(www.growsocially.com).
via e-mail or mutual contacts.
For more information call
Facebook and Twitter are fantastic sites to share links, articles, pictures, videos, and
John at 800-948-0113 or e-mail
much more with all of your followers. Facebook now has options to build Personal and
him at support@growsocially.com.
Group pages for yourself and your business, so there are plenty of options to choose from depending on how you would like to utilize the site. Twitter is more of an informational-sharing tool where you can post or re-tweet tweets. If what you are posting can be categorized at all, such as it is a topic for the printing industry, you can add a hashtag to it, such as “#print”. This way, Twitter can be used as an informational search engine, where people can type in hashtags of a specified subject, and all tweets with that hashtag attached would come up in their search. Finally, YouTube is perfect for the creative side of your business. If you have a FlipCam or Digital Camera with video features hanging around, use it to make a 30-second
S
to 2-minute video clip. Company announcements, product promotions, or welcoming a new team member to the company are all great examples of how you could use this site. YouTube is a great way to humanize your brand and to step out of the box when it comes to promoting your business.
Social media adds an enormous amount of value in terms of business
For a concrete example of how social media can help your business, my marketing
networking, establishing expert cred-
management software company, InterlinkONE, began tracking their social media sites
ibility and sharing industry content
since the end of 2008. Here are their results from using social media thus far:
nowadays. Before social media, you
•T witter followers increased from 0 to 10,000+, consisting of corporate and
were pressured to pack a year’s worth of networking, business ideas and proposals into conferences that only
individual accounts •F rom social media sites alone, 15,000+ have clicked on InterlinkONE’s links, downloaded their e-book, and whitepaper
occurred a few times a year. With
• 50+ inquiries/prospects in the lead generation pipeline directly from social media efforts
social media, you can easily promote
• $100,000+ revenue directly associated to online marketing
yourself and your business every day
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to business colleagues without any
Another successful case study comes from Paul Strack, president of the award-winning
stress at all. Social media gives you the
printing company, CustomXM. Strack announced that in 2009, the revenue generated
opportunity to share your portfolio in
from Twitter, for CustomXM, was “in excess of $25,000 over the past 12 months.”
creative ways, it gives you a chance
Overall, as long as you focus on engaging and nurturing ongoing conversations that
to be an industry expert in online
form in social media, you will begin to gain the reputation of an industry expert and
discussions and it helps you become
a quality informational resource for colleagues. Focus on consistently building and
easily approachable for people who
engaging your network, and follow up with tracking and analyzing your social media
are curious to learn more about how
activity. If you follow this advice, your business brand will expand and the benefits of
you can help their business.
social media will begin to flood in.
CANVAS october 2010
Taking
A c t i o n
The Three Google Mistakes
T By Paul Castain
There are three lethal mistakes I see sales professionals make when “Googling” as part of their pre-call planning.
1. “ Googling” the company only and not your contact (and key players) Now, more than ever, individuals are leaving their own, personal online footprint. Taking a moment to research your prospect can help you learn about your prospect’s personal interests, opinions, likes, dislikes. All of which can be used to not only help you connect but help advance the sale. I mentioned key players quite intentionally
Paul Castain is the Vice
because we are seeing more and more decisions on high level projects made by
President of Sales Development
committee. Why limit your understanding to just your contact?
for Consolidated Graphics and
2. “Googling” during the “courtship” and not the “marriage”
is responsible for creating and delivering sales training
Business is moving faster than ever. In fact, just in the short time you’ve spent reading this,
content, as well as mentoring
something has changed somewhere! To that end, it’s reasonable to assume that informa-
the CGX sales force. Paul’s
tion that might only be a week or two old can already be obsolete. How about information
career spans more than 25
that goes back two to three years when you first chased that account? I would suggest
years, during which time
setting up a “Google Alert” on the key accounts you are hunting as well as your book of
he’s trained more than 3,000
business. While you’re at it, set up one for your own company and yourself. The key to
sales and sales leadership
accelerated sales performance is to learn how to listen for clues.
professionals. Prior to joining Consolidated Graphics, Paul
3. Limiting yourself to Google
was the Director of Corporate
Google is an awesome search engine but it has a serious flaw. Because of the way it ranks pages in your search (by back links) it’s not overly quick on grabbing critical Social
Solution Sales at Dale Carnegie and Associates.
Consider using www.socialmention.com and setting up an alert. It’s about as close as I’ve seen to a real-time search without having to lay out serious cash. Media data on your prospects/customers. I’m talking about things like their blog, their Twitter activity, Facebook etc. Again, these not only contain critical “connection” clues, but you’ll find that people can be very open in sharing business information via their blogs, Twitter etc. Consider using www.socialmention.com and setting up an alert. It’s about as close as I’ve seen to a real-time search without having to lay out serious cash. I truly believe that there are sales clues all around us, but the million dollar question still remains . . . Are you listening?
CANVAS P5
Co Th Of rn e fic er e
Tech Corner
Emerging Markets and Applications for Inkjet Printing By Howie Fenton, NAPL Senior Consultant
O
n May 29, 2008, an article appeared in the Wall Street Journal called Inkjet Printers Get Set to Turn the Page. According to author William Buckley, “Inkjet-printing technology that dominates inexpensive desktop printers is about to enter the world of commercial print shops.” The article echoed the sentiments of industry experts who had dubbed the show the “Inkjet
DRUPA.” Both the article and the experts said that the new inkjet presses were disruptive and would start a migration from offset and electrophotographic printers (EPP: iGen, Indigo, Nexpress, Xeikon) to inkjet presses. If you’re wondering what’s important at Graph Expo, it’s not the inkjet technology but the markets and applications for inkjet printing. Let’s start with a somewhat controversial acknowledgement: print-
at CPI, Europe’s leading book manufacturer, and
ing technologies such as offset have a universal appeal across many
Courier Corporation, North America’s third-largest
markets and applications while EPP and inkjet seem to fit better within
book manufacturer.
certain markets and for specific applications. Here are three support-
There are other companies offering inkjet prod-
ing facts: EPP is considered best for shorter runs and variable data
ucts including Agfa, EFI, Kodak, FujiFilm, Impika,
printing (VDP), VDP is most successfully sold into specific vertical markets, and due to high equipment costs, inkjet printing is used most for highvolume applications such as transactional printing (bills and statements) and direct mail. However around the time of the “Inkjet DRUPA,” the quality and paper improved and
MGI, Miyakoshi, Olympus, Ricoh/Info-
But the question is what are the new markets that are next applications best suited for inkjet.
new markets and applications
Print, Riso, Screen and Xerox. But the question is what are the new markets that are next applications best suited for inkjet. The majority of the devices require multimillion investments, meaning they need either broad appeal or high-volume demand (10 million/month). Some companies are targeting a more broad appeal. Companies such as Agfa and HP are using inkjet for industrial applications and label printing while Xerox (Phaser)
started to emerge. Oce started to talk about inkjet presses for newspa-
and Riso have pioneered much more affordable
per applications. Today they point to Madrid-based publisher Imcodavila
devices which are being used in office applications.
that prints 6,000, 80-page broadsheet papers each day, a pilot project
If you go to Graph Expo, look for samples of the
with personalized editions of “The Washington Times Weekly Edition”
improved quality of the inkjet presses, but more
and most recently “niiu,” the world’s first custom newspaper in Germany.
importantly, you should try to learn more about
Last year HP made it clear that they are focusing on the book market.
the emerging markets and applications for inkjet,
On May 5, HP had an open house at O’Neil Data Systems in Los Ange-
because successful sales are linked more to markets
les and talked about how they were targeting books with installations
and applications, then to technology.
Howie Fenton is an author, speaker and consultant with NAPL. For two decades, he has trained sales people to articulate the value of print and print related technologies such as VDP, email marketing, Purls, QR codes and Web-to-print solutions. For more information, call 800-642-6275, ext. 6328, or e-mail Fenton at hfenton@napl.org.
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CANVAS october 2010
e e t us@ tw isource _ UWW Un
Go to unisourcegreen.com Select Paper and Learn About: • Certified & Environmental Papers • Benefits of Our respect™ Printers’ Program • Sustainability & Responsible Buying Choices • The unisourcegreenfinder ® tool • Making Greener Choices
Co Th Of rn e fic er e
CMO Facts
Big Brands Must Embrace Move to Mobile Relationship Marketing Opportunity to Put Interaction in the Hands of 5 Billion Global Mobile Consumers The mobile phone represents the most pervasive channel of communications and targeted engagement on the planet, with more than 5 billion users globally. As smart phones
Smartphone Application Users (U.S.)
Smartphone Browser Users (U.S.)
111% growth
112% growth
already account for more than 30 percent of the market, users are rapidly migrating to smarter devices and increasingly utilizing their phones for social media engagement. There will be some 800 million users of mobile social networking worldwide by 2012, according to eMarketer. The mobile channel is an unprecedented opportunity to reach both developed consumer markets in new an intrusive way, and developing regions that cater to a previously
adult population) do not use any form of formal financial services, yet about 70 percent of all people on the planet use a cell phone.
17,785
18,126
2009
2010
2009
Mobile Market Application Users (U.S.)
28% growth
Mobile Market Browser Users (U.S.)
31% growth 69,639
54,414
2009
2010
Source: comScore
Source: comScore
untapped, unreachable, and unbanked mass of humanity. An estimated 2.5 billion adults (more than half of the world’s
37,577
38,413
72,872 55,503
2010
Source: comScore
2009
2010
Source: comScore
Print in the Mix Fast Facts The Direct Marketing Association’s new Digital Marketing Practices and Trends report, which examines today’s digital and traditional marketing methods and how they are likely to evolve over the next year, shows that the use of digital media is growing rapidly, yet direct mail remains a strong contender.
Key Findings: • Most marketers (71 percent) cite brand building as a main
Some 88 percent of B2B companies and 82 percent of B2C
(including search engine optimization and search engine
companies use social media. The most widely used social
marketing) is predicted to grow to 13 percent from 12,
media for B2B companies are professional social networks
while print advertising will decline to 8 percent from 9.
(69 percent), microblogs (53 percent), and blogs (47 percent).
• Direct mail still represents 17 percent of the overall market-
For B2C companies, the most widely used social media were
ing budget, which is larger than the share held by any other
general social networks, such as Facebook (62 percent),
media—yet e-mail may slightly surpass direct mail in the next
microblogs (54 percent), and blogs (40 percent).
12 months. Catalog is expected to decline from 10 percent
•D iscussing findings from this report, George Orme from
to 9. For B2B marketers, direct mail currently handles the most
David Shepard Associates, who wrote the report on behalf
targeted messages (29 percent), followed by e-mail (22 percent).
of the DMA states, “First, most marketers today are using
• B2C marketers also use direct mail the most (32 percent), followed
P8
•T he most used media platform at this time is social media.
objective of their digital marketing. Online marketing
digital media to both sell and nurture a stronger bond
by e-mail (24 percent). In the next 12 months B2C marketers do
with their customers. But the study also underscored
not expect to change significantly what they are doing in
that very few companies have mastered the analytics and
terms of the media used to target messages. The one excep-
found ways to accurately measure the incremental effect
tion is that catalog usage will drop and mobile ads will increase.
of each media within a multimedia campaign.”
CANVAS october 2010
A
e r Thrnece CoOffi
Leadership Insights
s Nelson Mandela once said, “It is better to lead from behind and to put others in front, especially when you celebrate victory when nice things occur. You take the front line when there is danger. Then people will appreciate your leadership.” As CANVAS has been preaching for years, now is a time when it is even more important to lead and take the front line. We are in a day where criticism is high and people may stand down or stand up. We at CANVAS chose to stand up and face the unknown ahead and challenge
what tomorrow will bring. We have found some leaders in the industry who are standing up alongside CANVAS.
“ I believe that when anyone has a book and can read it, it opens the world to them, and when you strengthen your
“ A leader is one who has the ability to bring out the best in others.”
character, it teaches respect for yourself individually and
– Florinda Colacio, senior account
you gain ownership of your own life. Learning is funda-
executive at ProGraphics
mental; when a person learns they are like a sponge and continue to want to learn more. Finally I believe that actions speak louder than words; I live as I believe and I do as I do.”
“ Leaders are those that lead by example and not solely by their words.”
– Kim Groshek, founder and CEO of Creatively Canny and
– Ron Vanderpool, senior print management/
Groshek Consulting LLC
direct marketing consultant at Curtis 1000
“ At the age of 48, after working 25 years in printing, I lost all of my hearing due to a neurological disorder. Six months prior to this, our company had been purchased from the original owner and much restructuring was going on. I had been the manager of an extensive training department but had done just about everything, including platemaking, ink mixing, preflighting, job estimating and scheduling in those 25 years. The previous management team urged me to stop working and apply for social security disability. I just looked at them and said “I’m deaf not disabled,” and went on to prove to the new owner/the new team that I can do/achieve anything. Currently I provide estimates for offset and digital print work, perform layout and design as needed, preflight incoming files and communicate with our team on any issues which might arise as well as provide online customer support. The only limits are in our minds.” – Donna Maderer, Print Empress at Copycop
People News Lawton Printers Takes Top Honors Lawson Printers received top honors at the 2010 annual Florida
PULP Launches “Street Level” Business Unit
Print Awards, the printing industry’s largest and most presti-
Based on the Street Level Project, created by long-time PULP
gious statewide graphic arts competition. The Printing Asso-
visionary, Robert Carrier, PULP has broken the mold again to begin
ciation of Florida (PAF) presented the awards to elite Florida-
providing its contemporaries with the tools to help them make
based printing and graphic arts companies during a banquet
the transition from print services provider to marketing services
on August 6, 2010. With hundreds of entries from printing and
provider. “With nine print service providers signing up for access in
graphic firms across the state, Lawton Printers received six Best
the first two days of service, this new business unit is quickly show-
of Category Awards, four Awards of Excellence and one Judges
ing its value,” reports PULP’s President, Steven Blankenbeckler.
Awards, plus the prestigious Trophy for Best Process Color Printing and a Trophy for Best of Show Division I.
What began as a single text, designed to make 21st Century Marketing technologies easier to understand for both sales
George Ryan, president and CEO of PAF, added “this
staff and customers, has now grown to several technology
year’s competition was the toughest yet, and Lawton Print-
primers and nearly a dozen vertical market primers through
ers should be very proud of their outstanding accomplish-
the help of a newly formed Street Level Team headed by
ments.” The Florida Print Awards is the printing industry’s
Carrier. In addition, a new Web site (www.fromstreetlevel.com)
largest statewide graphic arts competition. It recognizes
supports this business unit as a delivery vehicle for most of
companies responsible for the production of print communi-
this system. Also included at this Web site are sales processes
cations. The competition promotes excellence in the indus-
and other marketing materials supporting this solution. Blan-
try and recognizes companies and individuals who produce
kenbeckler continues, “Our solution succeeds where all others
the best in print media.
in the industry fail by bringing a cohesive and comprehensive
Lithographix Installs New Equipment
sales and marketing program to print service providers that is granular and drop-dead easy to follow.”
Lithographix Inc., one of the nation’s most complete graphic
The industry agrees. With the backing of industry leaders like
print providers, has expanded and updated its capabilities.
Canvas Magazine, Presswise, Mindfire, EasyPurl, and Hewlett
In their Sheet-fed Division, they are installing a brand-new
Packard, the Street Level Project is destined to become one of
Mitsubishi 40-inch, eight-color, sheet-fed press which will
the most successful new products in PULP’s history.
J.B. Kenhan Acquires Conley Printing J.B. Kenehan LLC (Waukesha, Wisconsin) is pleased to announce the acquisition of Conley Printing (Beaver Dam, Wisconsin). J. B. Kenehan has been providing customers with the finest prepress, printing and finishing technology for 25 years. For the past six years both companies have worked together utilizing each other’s manufacturing capabilities and technical expertise. That close working relationship identified several benefits of bringing the companies together. This acquisition also include the capability to print with U.V. inks. At the same
enhances core competencies of both facilities. The combina-
time, they are retrofitting their other new 40-inch, eight-
tion of the two companies allows for further growth in the
color, sheet-fed press with the same U.V. equipment, giving
industry and provides an impressive variety of services as well
them two 40-inch, eight-color presses with U.V. capabilities
as a vast pool of talent and expertise in printing.
and five 40-inch, eight-color, sheet-fed presses total.
Conley is a high quality heatset and non-heatset Web
In their Grand Format Division, they recently installed two
printer specializing in standard and tabloid-sized publications,
brand-new 6/C Durst Rho 800 U.V. Flatbed (High Speed)
inserts, and catalogs. Their 172,000 square-foot facility houses
Printers (8 foot). These super-sharp, high-speed printers
three Web presses, saddle stitching, perfect binding, in-line
complement their existing two QS 3200 Vutek Flatbed U.V.
and offline mailing, polybagging, tipping and fulfillment.
printers. Also, in the Grand Format Division, they are install-
J.B. Kenehan is a high quality sheetfed and Web printer
ing two brand-new Durst Rho 500R Superwide (16 feet) Digi-
specializing in digest, slim-jim, standard and custom-sized
tal U.V. printers. The 2009 DPI Product of the Year is the first
books, catalogs, inserts and components. Their 80,000
5 meter, roll-to-roll inkjet printer that combines POP quality
square-foot plant houses two Web presses, sheet-fed press,
with billboard speed and versatility, These two installations
saddle stitching, specialty cutting, scoring, folding, drilling,
complement the four existing Vutek Digital 16-foot printers.
shrink wrap, and fulfillment.
Lithographix is one of the nations’ most complete graphic
In this current economic climate, J. B. Kenehan is proud
and print providers, servicing ad agencies, automotive,
to have the ability to enhance the variety of services
entertainment and corporate clients.
they will now be able to provide to all current and new
P10 CANVAS october 2010
customers. Their main goals remain the same—they
will
in grants to designers around the globe, who are perform-
strive to continue producing superior product, while provid-
ing pro bono work for a nonprofit organization. Out of
ing unmatched customer service, and years of skill and expe-
the $1 million that is annually awarded on a global level,
rience to customers.
a total of $400,000 in grants will be awarded in North
Sappi Fine Paper North America Announces Grant Recipients for the 11th Annual Ideas that Matter Program
America this year. “Grants from Sappi’s Ideas that Matter program help fund the unique not-for-profit work of designers in North America. These designers have dedicated their talent, vision and energy to a range of community-based causes across the
Sappi Fine Paper North America today announced the 27
country, and we are honored to support their work in these
grant recipients for its 11th Ideas that Matter—an annual,
challenged economic times,” said Jennifer Miller, Executive
innovative grant program that transforms the creative ideas
Vice President of Marketing and Communications, Sappi
of designers into a powerful force for social good. Through
Fine Paper North America.
Ideas that Matter, each designer’s project will support the
A list of the 2010 Ideas that Matter grant recipients
mission and public awareness campaigns of a nonprofit orga-
can
be
found
nization of their choosing. The winning projects represent a
news/2010-09-09.
online
at
www.na.sappi.com/aboutus/
vast array of social, cultural, and environmental issues and
“I think what makes Ideas that Matter unique is the notion
were selected based on their creativity, potential impact and
that design can be a catalyst for change and not only
practicality of the implementation plan, and were selected
through formal, traditional design solutions. The really excit-
by an independent panel of judges.
ing proposals were those in which the designer worked in
The winning proposals and funding for each proj-
tandem with a partner- an organization, a foundation, some
ect were determined by a judging panel of top graphic
cultural or social institution- and found a way for visual think-
designers from throughout the U.S.: Casey Caplowe of
ing to make a leap that other kinds of thinking cannot,” said
GOOD, Jessica Helfand of Winterhouse, Doug Powell of
Jessica Helfand, Partner, Winterhouse. “That’s what was
Schwartz Powell, Matt Rollins of Iconologic, and Armin
really exciting to see.”
Vit of UnderConsideration. Since 1999, Sappi’s Ideas that FS Digital Printing Ad_canvas_halfpage3.pdf 9/15/2010 4:35:55 PM Matter program has awarded over $10 million worldwide
Sappi’s 2010 Ideas that Matter grant recipients will complete their projects by March 31, 2011.
Say hello to mobile marketing …and Create a Sticky Situation
A
woman sits at home in her comfortable club chair perusing the latest issue of her favorite magazine. She sees a recipe she’d like to prepare for her family, and instead of tearing out the page
and throwing it in a drawer, she whips out her always
by Lorrie Bryan
handy cell phone and snaps a shot of the QR code on the page. Immediately, the recipe with a list of ingredi-
ents is downloaded to her phone where she can easily retrieve it when she’s shopping at the grocery store. If this sounds like a science fiction scenario to you, than perhaps you are not among the 89 percent of this country’s 270 million cell phone users who use their phone for text and data in addition to phone service.
P12 CANVAS october 2010
“The mobile phone is the device that is with the consumer for the most time each day—far more than a single computer or TV. Creative mobile marketing builds an instant and meaningful bridge to interactivity, and facilitates the leap from the page to the hand,” explains longtime mobile marketing specialist Carol Glennon, CEO of Renu Mobile. “Creating interactivity within the print medium extends shelf-life as well as value by offering readers layers of experience beyond the printed page. Using text messaging or mobile codes begins a consumer interaction with the brand or editorial utilizing the device that is consistently nearby the reader. The possibilities are infinite. A text message call-to-action can lead to existing Web content that has been optimized for mobile. A mobile barcode within an advertisement can kick off an interesting video on the mobile phone,” Glennon adds.
CANVAS P13
Say Hello to Mobile Marketing
As part of a multimedia marketing campaign, print projects almost always include a Web address where additional information and special incentives can be found and downloaded, but mobile marketing enhances this experience by making interaction easier, more immediate and more rewarding.
Mobile barcodes (QR, 2D and data matrix),
surprisingly, many innovative printers are continuing to evolve
popular in Japan and Europe for more than
and maintain viability by adding mobile marketing features to
a decade, are increasingly showing up in the
their repertoire of print services and solutions, according to
print world of mainstream America on signs,
mobile marketing consultant Tim Doegler. “I encourage my print
business cards, packaging, bills, and advertise-
clients to routinely promote mobile marketing as part of the
ments. The September issue of “O, The Oprah
sales process. They are discovering the benefits of always offer-
Magazine” (circulation 2.6 million) includes 10
ing clients the opportunity to upgrade to interactive by includ-
advertisements sporting the trendy codes.
ing a QR code or SMS call to action. Never before has the adver-
Most of the ads are featured on a two-page
tiser had an option for direct engagement via mobile phone. For
spread that includes directions for uploading a free barcodereader application. And if past trending patterns are any indication, where Oprah goes, millions follow.
“Today’s
media-savvy
reader has an expectation for mobile interactivity. Increasingly, she enjoys using her smart phone while reading to act on ideas and brands she reads about,” affirms Glennon. “In the near future, most of America will share that expectation.
Mobile
marketing
will
become the new standard.” Mobile marketing is not a departure from Internet marketing; it’s the next evolution-
example, a print ad may simply say “Text COUPON to 55432 right now from your mobile phone to receive an instant coupon.”
ary step. As part of a multimedia marketing
Doegler says that not only does adding an interactive element
campaign, print projects almost always include
add value to print, it can become an extended revenue branch
a Web address where additional informa-
for printers. “It’s costly and time-consuming for individual clients
tion and special incentives can be found and
to actually get all the shortcodes and keywords set up and
downloaded, but mobile marketing enhances
managed, but printers can offer this service ready-to-go at an
this experience by making interaction easier,
affordable price.” According to Doegler, the biggest obstacle to
more immediate and more rewarding. Not
selling an interactive option is explaining the value proposition.
P14 CANVAS october 2010
The
’s of Mobile Marketing
Mobile marketing is meant to describe marketing on or with a cell phone (or other mobile device). CSC (Common Short Code) is a short numeric sequence (4-6 digits) to which text messages can be sent from a mobile phone. Subscribers send text messages to CSC’s with relevant keywords to access mobile content or act upon a call-to-action. SMS (Short Message Service) is used as a synonym for all types of short text messaging, as well as the user activity itself, in many parts of the world. SMS text messaging is the most widely used data application on the planet, with 2.4 billion active users. MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service) is a standard way to send messages that include multimedia content to and from mobile phones. It extends the core SMS capability which only allowed exchange of text messages up to 160 characters in length. The most popular use is to send photographs from camera-equipped handsets, although it is also popular as a method of delivering news and entertainment content including videos, pictures, text pages and ringtones. MO, MOM (Mobile Originated Message) is an SMS/MMS message received by a mobile device.
QR Code (Quick Response Code) is a matrix barcode or two dimensional code readable by a QR scanner, mobile phones with a camera, and smart phones. The code consists of black modules arranged in a square pattern on white background. The information encoded can be text, URL or other data. WAP (Wireless Application Protocol) is an open international standard for the presentation and delivery of wireless information and telephony services on mobile devices. The most common use of WAP is accessing the Web from a mobile phone or PDA (Personal Digital Assistant). Review case studies where print is integrated with mobile marketing, sign up for a free newsletter, and review best practice guidelines at the Mobile Marketing Association Web site (www.mmaglobal.com) and at the Direct Marketing Association Web site (www.thedma.org).
Say Hello to Mobile Marketing
Mobile Facts & Forecasts There are 4.6 billion mobile phone users worldwide Mobile coupon redemption rates are ten times higher than coupons distributed by mail or newspapers Social networking is now the fastestgrowing application on mobile phones with 800 million users expected by 2012 Studies show mobile phone users are more apt to advocate, refer and engage in social networking than desktop computer users. (From www.planetoi.net)
“ Stickiness is important because it keeps the consumer or demographic target interacting with brand or product longer than an ad in a magazine or newspaper.” – Kitty Dunning, senior vice president at Don Jagoda Associates
“It can be hard to understand the value propo-
ways. ‘We do not know if a customer prefers e-mail, Web or print-
sition, but there are numerous case studies that
based communication, so when we market to them we offer them
illustrate this. The percentage of people partici-
multiple ways to respond. TVP offers five ways to make print inter-
pating may be low, but it is better than zero.
active but SMS codes and QR codes are the quickest and least
There is no option for engagement without an
expensive way to add stickiness to print-based marketing and
interactive element. And often the people who
make it more relevant and actionable.”
do engage are going to be your
Ravi notes that the maximum response rate
champions—people who are
is achieved when there is high brand value
going to spread the word.”
and a strong enticement factor. “Special
The ability of a marketing piece
discounts on recognized brands, a chance to
to capture the recipient’s attention
win a big prize or a chance to vote on some-
and engage them is frequently
thing relevant offer instant gratification and
referred to as stickiness. “Sticki-
elicit an immediate response.” A variety of
ness is important because it keeps
case studies illustrating the creative integra-
the consumer or demographic
tion of print with mobile marketing are avail-
target interacting with brand or
able for review at the Mobile Marketing Asso-
product longer than an ad in a
ciation Web site (www.mmaglobal.com).
magazine or newspaper, explains
Like the early days of Internet marketing,
Kitty Dunning, senior vice presi-
some companies are slow to launch mobile
dent at Don Jagoda Associates,
campaigns while others are already ahead of
a full service promotions agency.
the game. The consensus among marketing
“Advertisers want their brands’ images, slogans,
consultants is that cell phones will become increasingly integral
experiences etched into the consumers’ minds
to consumers’ lives and advertisers will increasingly integrate
to create trust, emotion, loyalty etc. and the more
mobile marketing into existing multimedia campaigns. “Adver-
impressions or favorable experiences a consumer
tisers will find creative ways to engage consumers and keep
has with a product or brand, the stronger the loyalty
them on their site via special access, loyalty programs, sweeps,
and the greater potential for increased sales.”
contests, games etc. The possibilities are endless. Companies
Sudhir Ravi, partner at ThinkVariable.com (TVP), explains that stickiness can be achieved in several
P16 CANVAS october 2010
will have to make room for mobile in their overall marketing budget or they will eventually be left behind,” Dunning says.
CANVAS P17
Ally or Discover how to manage your e-mail more efficiently and boost your sales with these tips. by Linda Bishop
P18 CANVAS october 2010
Adversary?
D
eb looked up from her computer monitor when she heard a knock on her door. It was her friend, Scott. Like Deb, he was an account executive at Busy Print Press. “Do you want to get some lunch?” he said.
Deb shook her head. “Sorry, I can’t. I have too much to do.” Just one day before, Deb had complained that her business was slow.
Scott asked, “Do you have some new orders in the works?” “No, I wish that was the case, but it’s not new projects keeping me busy.” Deb pointed at her computer screen. “It’s all the e-mails I get. Even when my sales are down, I still get 50 to 100 messages in my inbox daily, and it’s sucking the life out of me.” Scott nodded sympathetically. “I know what you mean. Sometimes customers send 20 messages relating to one simple project, or copy me on information I don’t really need to know.” Deb slumped in her chair. “It’s really starting to get to me. I know I need new customers, but I never have enough time in the day. I must do something different, but what?”
CANVAS P19
E-mail: Ally or Adversary?
“Six months ago, I was in the same spot as you,” Scott said. “Then I lost my biggest customer.”
Mr. Robinson made some interesting points—and some scary ones. For example, the typical office employee checks e-mail 50
“I remember,” Deb said. “But you turned that situation around so quickly. Everyone on the sales team was impressed.”
times a day, according to RescueTime, a firm that develops Time management software. That’s what I used to do. When it came to e-mails, I was
“Losing my most important client forced me
like Pavlov’s dog. Every time a new e-mail arrived in the inbox,
to make changes. I have a family to feed, so I
I salivated to open it. This conditioned response interrupted
couldn’t sit around hoping things would improve on their own. Something had to be done, and it had to be done fast. I examined my selling process under a microscope and realized I spent three hours of every day dealing with e-mails.” Scott raised his eyebrows. “That added up to fifteen hours a week, almost two full days.” Deb gulped. “What did you do?” “I completely rethought my approach. Now I spend half the time handling e-mails and get twice as much done. My new strategy freed me up to spend more time selling and helped me give clients better service as well.”
thinking, interfered with workflow
You can increase productivity without significantly reducing service levels by limiting e-mail checks to four times a day, or once every two hours.
I developed a smarter strategy and found more time in the day. You can do the same with by following three steps.
Step One: Control Interruptions. In 2005, a team of researchers at Oklahoma State University made a presentation at a conference. This presentation was titled How Often Should We Check Our E-mail? The topic explored finding the right balance between e-mail interruptions and effective response.
“What’s your secret?” Deb leaned forward in her chair, eager to learn.
and chipped away at productivity.
The research defined interruptions as “externally generated,
Scott grinned at her. “Buy me lunch and I’ll tell you.”
randomly occurring, discrete events that break continuity of cogni-
Deb grabbed her purse and stood. “Let’s go!”
tive focus on a primary task.”
In March 2010, I read an article in Entrepreneur
For salespeople, e-mails are a lot like lottery tickets. Since they
magazine. The name of the article was “E-mail
could hold new opportunities to make more sales, we’re motivated
is Making You Stupid,” by Joe Robinson. The
to check them out. The problem is when we’re reacting to 50 inter-
insights he shared made me stop and think about
ruptions every day, our productivity plummets, and we’re swept up
how managing e-mails impacts sales productivity.
in this time-sucking cycle.
P20 CANVAS october 2010
You’re focused on a task. A new e-mail arrives in the inbox. You interrupt yourself and shift focus. Productivity drops. You read the new e-mail, decide it can wait and go back to the task. You begin the task again but it takes a minute (or several) to refocus. Another new e-mail arrives. You stop what you’re doing and productivity drops—again. When this is your e-mail response system, even simple tasks like writing up estimate requests take longer to finish, causing anxiety and stress. Cycles like the one above help explain why the average worker at a desk loses 2.1 hours of productivity every day to interruptions and distractions, according to Joe Robinson’s article in Entrepreneur. Yikes! That’s a big block of unproductive time. To recapture it, I looked deeper into the research done at Oklahoma State University. For workers who deal with e-mail for approximately three hours a day (salespeople and customer service qualify) the research team concluded you would increase productivity without significantly reducing service levels by limiting e-mail checks to four times a day, or once every two hours.
CANVAS P21
E-mail: Ally or Adversary?
Too often e-mail plays out like a game of ping-pong where messages rapidly bounce back and forth without much thinking beyond the next move. If you think this is a great idea, have superhuman willpower and can simply ignore any
The other 80 percent are made up of: spam, information with no requirement to act and requests with no timeframe involved.
e-mails that arrive in your box between desig-
If you open an e-mail and decide it is spam, take a few seconds
nated check-in times, good for you. I’m not that
and unsubscribe. For the rest, let your e-mail management tool act
focused.
as your personal assistant by assigning rules to help you sort and
Since I use Outlook, I rescheduled how often
categorize incoming e-mails.
e-mails get delivered to my in-box by following these easy steps.
In Outlook, this is easy. Open an e-mail. Look for a box along the top ribbon that says, Create Rule. Click on it and follow instructions.
• Open Tools. • Click Send/Receive. • Click Send/Receive Settings. • Click Define Send/Receive Groups. • Look for a box with a check in it that says, Schedule an automatic send/receive every _______ minutes. • Change the number in the box to 120. • Close. New e-mails will now arrive every two hours and productivity will increase—if you put your smart phone out of sight and don’t cheat by sneaking a look at incoming e-mails there.
Step Two: Sort
One of my rules relates to my LinkedIn account. I regard these
Some e-mails are more important or more urgent
incoming messages as coffee- break e-mails. They’re interesting
then others. The sender or the subject could get
but not a priority. I divert them into a folder titled, Look at Later,
priority, or there is a time requirement for action
because I don’t want them to snag my attention and stop me from
involved, or both. According to the study at Okla-
getting more important tasks done.
homa State University, approximately 20 percent of incoming e-mails fit this profile.
P22 CANVAS october 2010
Set up your own Look at Later file. Divert social media alerts, news and information into it and read them when you need a break.
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E-mail: Ally or Adversary?
Step Three: Communicate Smarter
be shared. Hurriedly, you write an e-mail and push send. Seconds
Talk to your customers. Discuss how you handle
later, you think of something related to your first thought. You write
e-mails and find out how you can do a better job
another e-mail and push send. A moment later, a response comes
for them.
to your first e-mail. Before you finish reading it, it’s followed by
– Do they want you to acknowledge the
a response to your second e-mail. A few seconds later, there is
receipt of an e-mail? – Are you giving them too much information—or too little? – Do they feel your e-mails reflect courtesy and respect?
Another common scenario is this: You remember information to
a third e-mail relating to both previous e-mails, requiring another response from you. You answer. As soon as the e-mail vanishes, you recognize you need to share one more piece of important information. So you write another e-mail and send it. Too often e-mail plays out like a game of ping-pong where
– If you responded to an e-mail request
messages rapidly bounce back and forth without much thinking
within two hours, is that acceptable?
beyond the next move. These stream-of-consciousness communi-
– If they sent you a priority message, do they
cations waste a lot of time when every message sent requires addi-
mind calling to alert you as well?
tional information before the recipient can act.
These conversations offer you the opportu-
E-mail isn’t going away, so you need a strategy to increase your productivity. In the future, you’ll have to cope with texting and instant messages, too.
nity to better understand your client’s expectations and improve their buying experience. Many of them struggle to be more productive and manage time more efficiently, just like you. For those folks, there is extra value in the conversation and providing value builds stronger relationships.
There are times when you would save time by treating e-mail like a chess match where you think strategically and anticipate the other player’s next move. If you’re asking a question, do you need to provide more contextual information so the respondent understands? People skim. Will relevant points stand out? Are you sending the e-mail only to people who need to receive it? If the subject is complex, using e-mail to sort it out wastes time. Pick up the phone and discuss it. Summarize the body copy in the subject line instead of describing content. Instead of saying, “Shipping Information,” say, “Widget catalog needs to ship on Thursday, the 10th” E-mail isn’t going away, so you need a strategy to increase your productivity. In the future, you’ll have to cope with texting and instant messages, too. When it comes to managing time, technology can be your ally or your adversary. The choice is yours.
Linda Bishop has spent over 20 years in sales and marketing. She was previously vice president of marketing for IPD printing, presently owned by RR Donnelly. In 2005, she started Thought Transformation, a national firm dedicated to helping clients add sales dollars by developing an educated and professional sales force.
P24 CANVAS october 2010
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ROLAND 900, XXL, with Perfector Large format printing has become an accepted tool in the packaging and commercial printing markets. The equipment to support these presses has matured to perform reliably and with speed to match. With advanced control systems for color and registration, operators can quickly get up to speed and maintain a high level of productivity as they push to deliver more value. The leading press in this category is the manroland ROLAND 900, XXL with perfector. Designed to provide a new level of productivity, the ROLAND 900 was introduced in 1995. Since then it has been installed in commercial and packaging printers worldwide. This year, manroland introduced a breakthrough - a size 8 machine with a perfector. This option brings together the benefits of large format printing with the time savings features of perfecting. The key benefit of the ROLAND 900, XXL with perfector is “One Pass Productivity.” Currently about 30% of printing is perfected or printed on both sides in one pass. Most perfectors are longer presses to accommodate the demand for additional colors in the printed piece. One Pass Productivity means: time savings, cost savings, smaller production space and better color management. Press runs are actually shorter due to the larger volume of pages per sheet. This saves cost in running labor and in makeready times as well. With finished product delivered by the press, less space is need to store work-in-process. Printing conditions are more consistent with one pass, so there is a superior color match from side to side. manroland has incorporated technological innovations with the ROLAND 900, XXL with perfector. Inline ColorPilot for color control can reduce the number of sheets measured on the offline table. The press can handle substrates from 0.06mm to 0.40mm. The Inline Slitter, located in the delivery, allows the press to deliver two perfect piles of printed product that can feed two finishing machines or separate operations. In straight printing mode, the ROLAND 900, XXL with perfector runs at 11,000 sheets per hour. When using the slitter, this press can produce up to 22,000 40” sheets - the fastest 3B machine in the world! For more information on the ROLAND 900, XXL with perfector or any of manroland’s line of print solutions, contact manroland at marketing@manroland.us.
CANVAS P27
[Closing Ranks] How Printers Can Benefit from ‌ Other Printers
by Graham Garrison
P28 CANVAS october 2010
N
eighborhoods change. For Robert Carrier, a sales professional for Bristol, Tenn.-based PULP, the print neighborhood of the ’80s was a lively one. It seemed like anyone who could buy a print press did so. With newer equipment, Carrier watched as these newfangled print companies sent customers’ heads spinning with cheaper quotes and saturated local markets. Traditional printers built walls around their customer base to stave off a surge in competition from down the street, across town and from nearby cities. It’s a different feel now, according to Carrier. “The capacity is dropping,” he says. “You’ve got a survival-of-thefittest thing, where the weakest are just literally going out of business, dying on the vine.”
CANVAS P29
Closing Ranks
Partnering—It’s Mutually Beneficial Steve Harney, president of Anderson, Ind.-based Quality Printing, says there is strength in numbers. He is part of a peer group of seven like-minded printers called the Santa Fe Pen Group. Sales strategies, marketing services best practices—it all on the table to discuss and share. He says being able to share information with other printers has been invaluable, and not just for the more established members of the group. New members often find instant benefits for their bottom line. “I’ve been involved with a peer group for over five years,” Harney says, “and have seen new members after the initial meeting go back to their shops and implement a couple of ideas from the group that will save them $10,000+ after the first couple of meetings. It’s usually easy items that we overlook in our own shops because ‘we’ve always done it that way.’ The other big one is in sharing Cost of Goods (COG) prices.” From an individual perspective, the group offers Harney a glimpse into marketplace conditions both inside and outside of his territory. More than that, the printers in his group are a good sounding board, source of encouragement and a place to get constructive criticisms of business plans. “These are folks that you can lean
Finding the right mix can be a challenge. So is finding the right balance of educating versus receiving. Yes, there’s still competition. Carrier says he
on during difficult times,” he says. “Like sharing ideas and dilem-
isn’t inclined to share anything with the printer
mas when no other resource can provide you with the answers and
down the street, considering they’re both
experience—not your banker, accountant or your wife. Only having
competing for “each other’s lunch,” but he
been there and dealt with that can you get great wisdom from
sees a definite resurgence in neighborly rela-
those who are in most cases not emotionally invested in your situa-
tions among printers on a regional and national
tion to give you unbiased feedback.”
basis. Part of it is necessity. Printers aren’t so much building walls anymore as hoping to close
What’s the Holdup?
ranks against the threat of losing business to new
Not all peer group models and partnerships are created equal,
media. “As we enter a larger sense of neighbor-
however. A great many can go from startup to shutdown in months,
hood, where people in Atlanta or Florida are
even weeks. Patrick Whelan, president, Great Reach Communica-
not necessarily considered my competition, the
tions Inc., works with hundreds of offset and digital print provid-
technology exists for us to work together without
ers across the country, providing them with marketing solutions. A
competing,” Carrier says. “That’s something that
large portion of these printers, he says, participate or have partici-
we need to look at … If you have something that
pated in a peer group, so he’s got a good sampling size of what
can help the industry be better than it is, why
works and what doesn’t.
would you not share it with your contemporaries, at least when they’re not in your backyard?”
P30 CANVAS october 2010
“For these groups to be effective, they have to be well coordinated,” Whelan says. “They have to have value in them if they’re
Closing Ranks
Collectively, you can learn from best practices to improve your financial position if you are open to sharing what you’ve learned and be open to listening to your peers’ input on improvement.
going to require people to drop what they’re doing for maybe four times a year.”
Harney says there is often a fear of vulnerability; namely printers don’t want peers to know weaknesses and any holes in prod-
Whelan says a challenge for printers is finding
uct offerings. “This is another great benefit for us in groups,” he
like-minded companies, that are non-competing,
says. “Because the reality is no one knows it all. We have guys in
that can get together and share information. A
our group whose fortes are sales, then guys who are more into
local shop that deals in offset won’t have a whole
production, banking and leadership. Having a CEO that is an
lot in common with a regional player in signage.
expert in production is a real blessing to the CEO who is a sales
Finding the right mix can be a challenge. So is
guy, and vice versa.”
finding the right balance of educating versus
Cost has to be taken into consideration. Not all budgets for
receiving. Oftentimes the group leaders can feel
education and networking are created equal. Some of the larger
like the one’s getting the least out of the collabo-
peer groups in the industry are able to consolidate funds and hire
ration. “If a printer is going to share information,
someone fulltime to manage content, speakers and meetings. But
they want to be getting information in return,”
smaller printers may be wary of the investment.
Whelan says. “A lot of times in groups, one or two printers feel like they are doing the educating and not receiving in return.”
Delicate Subjects Certain printers may not be willing to share stories or numbers. Finances are a touchy topic for any company. Indeed, for this article, opinions varied on what’s considered off limits. Carrier says financial statements would probably be off limits, and “I wouldn’t give out our customer list.” Understandably, and Harney says he’s seen that hesitation from potential peer group members. He says some printers his group has tried to recruit are afraid to “open up the hood and let you see what’s inside,” he says. “Most groups require full disclosure of your financials and balance sheet. What they don’t know in many cases is there are a lot of us struggling right now. Collectively, you can learn from best practices to improve your financial position if you are open to sharing what you’ve learned and be open to listening to your peers’ input on improvement.”
P32 CANVAS october 2010
CANVAS P33
Closing Ranks
There are many things that can go wrong in
of next year to have upwards of 100 printer partners,” he says. “It’s
them that they constantly suffer from attrition,”
marketing-technologies based, but it’s really sales training. A step-
Whelan says. “Travel expenses. Thousands of
by-step sales process complete with CRM in one instance. It’s also
dollars in affair hotel meals, speaking costs …
marketing assistance. We provide access to marketing technolo-
For smaller printers, that’s not sustainable.”
gies. Print service providers can answer questions like, ‘OK, I have
There are ways around the traditional struc-
the technology, how do I apply it in this particular instance?’
ture. “If cost is a concern, maybe reconfigure how
“As we develop this community, there will be things that we learn,
they meet and exchange information,” Whelan
that will become part of street level that will benefit the group all
says, such as Webcasts, conference calls or chat
told,” says Carrier. “The Street Level is not a static element—it’s
forums online. Meetings could be bundled to
a living thing that’ll have things added to it. If it’s going to be
coincide with an industry event such as Dscoop
relevant, it has to. Everything that we learn, PULP and Street Level
or Graph Expo. The group could also engage
team, from other printers, will feed back into the ecosystem for the
consultants as a group rather than individually.
rest of the community to learn.”
Building a Community So what do these peer groups, or partnerships, look like? For PULP, it’s centered on a “street level” view that it created for its sales reps a number of years ago. Its Street Level program was designed to help sales reps think on a granular level, rather than the “30,000 foot view,” applying practical strategies to help close sales with marketing technologies. Carrier says PULP is in the final stages of cutting a product that it can offer to other printers based off of the Street Level model, for both sales strategies and marketing services solutions. “There are a few things we’re offering to help build relationships with printers, and we hope by the end
“As we develop this community, there will be things that we learn, that will become part of street level that will benefit the group all told.” – Robert Carrier, a sales professional for Bristol, Tenn.-based PULP
Harney says each group will have its own makeup and discussion points. “We have a very tight group that has covered some really touchy topics,” he says. “Everything from nepotism to shutting down your business. It’s only limited to the group’s commitment to support one another and do your part to share. As that progresses, there are very few things we can’t tackle.” The experts agree, though, that the benefits of partnering with other printers and creating these groups, exchanging ideas and solutions, far outweighs any perceived loss of an edge in the marketplace even if your peers do business a little too close to home. “It will be one of the best business decisions you will ever make.”
P34 CANVAS october 2010
Monkey See,
Monkey Do P36 CANVAS october 2010
M
any sales books talk about the importance of being able to read body language during a sales call, and this is no doubt an important part of selling. However, you, as a salesperson, have some control over what body language your customer is speaking. Several years ago I was in Barcelona, Spain, doing some sightseeing, and my friend and I decided to go to the zoo. Now I am not too sure what your favorite part of the animal kingdom is, but for me it is the primate section. Monkeys and apes crack me up, and this day was no exception. While my friend was off at the restroom, I casually strolled over to the area where the monkeys were. I know nothing about monkeys and apes, but if you have ever been to the zoo, you know that monkeys are like salespeople. You have your lazy mopes that just lay around picking bugs out of their hair. You have others that run from tree to tree indiscriminately (time management problems) with no focus. You have the ones that seem generally but will occasional pick up a stick and smack something around. And then you have those that are masters at “relationship building,� who want to do nothing but please the customer.
How Your Attitude and Actions Affect Your Customers by Brian Sullivan
Monkey See, Monkey Do
If you show little excitement about your product or service, your customer will show little excitement.
This day was no different. As I pressed my
This little exercise continued for about two minutes until I grew
face up against the glass to get a better look, a
uncomfortable with where my new monkey friend began scratch-
“funny” monkey approached the glass from his
ing himself. Had I followed his lead, I no doubt would have been
side and looked right into my eyes. I looked over
spending my evening trying to explain to the Barcelona police
my shoulder to see if anybody was watching.
that I was not a sexual predator. Just as I turned around, there
They weren’t, so I turned back around and gave
was an elderly woman that had obviously been watching me and
the monkey a comical face. (You know—the kind
my monkey friend do our thing, and what a moment that was. I
of face you sometimes
not only felt embarrassed about
make in the hotel mirror
what I was doing, I felt like my
for no apparent reason.)
grandmother just caught me
After I curled my lips up
playing with the neighborhood
and stuck my tongue out,
problem child.
I watched as the monkey
What is my point? We proj-
not only did what I did,
ect our body language and
he topped me. Let me
facial expressions onto our
tell you, Jim Carey had
customer. While I do not feel
nothing on that monkey.
comfortable comparing your
He could do things with
customers to monkeys, I will.
his face that I had never
If you find yourself eye to eye
seen. The monkey had
with the monkey, be aware
talent! I then curled my
that the language your body
arms into a Hulk-like pose
and mouth are speaking will
and continued to scratch my armpits while blurt-
have an affect on how that monkey reacts. If you show little
ing out the traditional monkey call…. EEE, EEE,
excitement about your product or service, your customer will
EEE. Now I had never actually seen a monkey do
show little excitement. If your lip curls up and your eyebrows
this, but I know as a kid I did it all the time, so
drop down because you are confused about your product,
I had to have picked it up from some credible
your customer will appear confused. If you shrug your shoul-
source. Well, this monkey followed my lead and
ders because you cannot answer your customer’s question,
began scratching under his armpits. We were
your customer will shrug her shoulders when you ask for the
having a blast playing our game of “monkey see,
order. Project positive body and facial language and your
monkey do.”
customer will follow.
P38 CANVAS october 2010
In short, don’t always mirror your customer. Sometimes you need to set the tone. Which means if a mildly depressed customer is telling you they are cutting their spending budget because of this “awful, downtrodden and depressed” economy, don’t feel the need to agree that all is bad. Because mirroring negativity will almost never help you close the sale. Remember, customers are looking for business partners who will take them out of their misery, not confirm that their negative thinking is correct. This same principle applies to your internal customers. While everybody around you finds fulfillment in expressing what’s “so stinking wrong,” don’t get sucked in. Make it your job to be the one who sees opportunity where others see obstacles. Because when its time to place an order, or deliver that next promotion, it will be your upbeat attitude they will remember. And it will be that attitude that will make you the King of the Business Jungle (sorry, I couldn’t help myself).
Remember, customers are looking for business partners who will take them out of their misery, not confirm that their negative thinking is correct.
Sales Coach and Business Consultant Brian Sullivan, CSP is the author of the book, 20 Days to the TOP – How the PRECISE Selling Formula Will Make You Your Company’s Top Sales Performer in 20 Days or Less. President of Kansas City-based PRECISE Selling, he delivers seminars and internet training programs on sales, customer service, leadership and presentation skills to companies of all sizes. He also hosts the radio talk show Entrepreneurial Moments, a show dedicated to personal and business development. To find out more, visit him at www.preciseselling.com or email Brian at bsullivan@preciseselling.com.
CANVAS P39
Book Recommendation
Rework By Fried & David Heinemeier Hansson
Learning from your mistakes is overrated. Planning is just guessing. Fire the workaholics. Under do the competition. Emulate drug dealers. Does any of this sound like your traditional business book? Well, Rework is anything but traditional. It is a real punch to the gut of tradition. The ideas in this best-selling book are refreshing, straightforward, and can be a bit difficult to grasp. However, if you are a CANVAS reader and truly interested in succeeding in business, then you better pick up a copy today. Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson are the cofounders of 37signals, a trailblazing software company that produces
Rework is one of those books that does not take itself too seriously. products used by millions of people around the world. They have been known as disruptive leaders and inspirational thought leaders. Now, they have written a “smack in your face” book that runs completely against the grain and challenges age-old advice and traditions. According to Fried and Hansson, “Rework is a book for hardcore entrepreneurs, small business owners, and people stuck in day jobs that they hate.” Rework is one of those books that does not take itself too seriously. It is a quick read, yet a jolt to the system of meaningless meetings, conference calls, and policies that dominate our corporate world. Our new economy demands new leadership and a break from the mundane. Rework is different, and it will make you think differently. CANVAS highly recommends Rework because it provides a decent antidote to all the demotivating processes and bureaucracy that plagues business.
P40 CANVAS october 2010
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