Distributors find that there's more than one way to sell commercial printing.
While distributors agree that commercial printing is an excellent market, no two have exactly the same philosophy on how to best serve clients. However, rather than being a source of discord, this difference of opinion enables distributors to successfully conduct business in their respective niches. For example, the following four distributors attribute 25 percent to 60 percent of their sales to commercial printing and each have distinct methods of servicing clients. By the fiscal year's end all four companies grossed between $10 million and $70 million in sales last year, proving there's no one way to get the job done.
Take on Design
Source4, Roanoke, Va., offers its clients complete service from end to end, with the latest developments being in design. "Seven years ago we offered typesetting and some layout," said Rodney Jefferson, vice president. "Now we meet with clients, just as an ad agency would, and ask what they want to accomplish and what market they're targeting."
Source4 has expanded its services not only in response to the needs of clients, but also as a means of retaining control over the commercial printing process. "When we bid on jobs we were simply quoting and hoping. But we're a relationship-oriented business, and bidding wasn't our style," said Jefferson.
As such, Source4 now seeks to add value to relationships with clients by providing design, production, mailing and distribution services. The company also has its own Heidelberg presses and personalization and warehousing capabilities. In addition, clients are offered the use of a Web-based procurement solution called Inventory Management and Global Exchange (IMAGE), which allows retail locations to requisition printed products online. Jefferson noted that some potential clients require that the distributor offer these value-added services before they even begin the request for proposal (RFP) process.
"Companies are looking for one-stop shopping and to eliminate the middle man. Unless distributors are adding value, some companies don't want them involved because they're considered an unjustified cost in the process," said Jefferson.
Keep It Smart
At Metrographics Printing, Fairfield, N.J., less is always more. While Metrographics of-fers services like information management, distribution, warehousing and design, Patrick Clare, production manager, considers the real value of the company's commercial printing products to be found in the ability to produce pieces effectively, inexpensively and with high quality.
Since Metrographics relies on others for the availability of a broad spectrum of equipment and technology, sales representatives must have expansive knowledge of those fields in order to keep costs down and ensure that pieces are produced well. "It's essential that distributors pay attention to detail. Customers will occasionally design pieces on a home computer, and when we try to print them professionally, it doesn't always work," said Clare.
Unfortunately, neither knowledge nor materials are inexpensive, and the better the quality of the commercial print piece, the higher the cost. According to Clare, an increasing number of people want to pay less for a better product. "Distributors need to be cognizant of the changing costs of materials and the effects of the economy as well," he said.
Show Them Results
Pinpointing what the customer wants to accomplish is a key component to making a commercial print sale for the Jerome Group, Maryland Heights, Mo. "We put a lot of emphasis on results-based and solutions-based ideas. We don't believe that trying to be the cheapest printer out there will make us that successful," said Andy Kohn, president.
In fact, rather than bidding on jobs, the Jerome Group depends on its results-based approach. "Most of my competitors line up and give bids on the specifications supplied by the customer, but that's not how we choose to operate," said Kohn. "We want to demonstrate results and give business reasons to work with our company."
Since the Jerome Group does not typically engage in bidding, it finds that the majority of its new customers are referred by existing clients or industry professionals that have been satisfied with those results.
In the initial stages of a new project, the company begins by asking clients questions about the desired outcome of what is being printed and what they want to achieve. "We ask whether they've done a similar campaign before and how many leads they got from the previous direct mail pieces or brochures. It would be great if clients were just buying beautiful artwork, but the reality is, most commercial printing is about business results," said Kohn.
Be a Mindful Manager
As a print management company, Webb/Mason, Hunt Valley, Md., has found its niche by solving issues around inventory, distribution and access to materials from field locations.
Doug Traxler, director of sales and marketing, noted that oftentimes a printed piece is just one part of a direct mail campaign or kit containing other printed materials that need to be assembled and fulfilled.
However, printers usually do not want responsibility for the after-print servicing that customers require.
By providing Enterprise Print Management (EPM), an online interface program, Webb/Mason can meet those print-service needs effectively and cost efficiently. The program provides clients with the ability to modify pieces online and have them printed rather than keeping static forms on the shelf. EPM also allows large companies with remote locations to maintain control over their brand.
Once these remote locations have developed their customized pieces, they are sent to marketing for approval and printed in five days or less. "Essentially all material is under one portal, which allows the companies to give their fields access to branded material while maintaining control over it," said Traxler.
Since its clients house much of their printed material on EPM, Webb/Mason is also responsible for the managing of those materials during and after the printing process.
Traxler considers increasingly sophisticated processes and relationships to be primary reasons clients need Webb/Mason's services. "The more complex their issues, the more valuable we are," he concluded.
In sum, it's clear that these companies are responding in different ways to the changing economy and printing environment. And while all agree that surviving this service-oriented climate means adapting by adding value, the best method for accomplishing this will always be up for debate.
By Sarah Lerow
- Companies:
- Heidelberg
- The Jerome Group LLC
- Webb/Mason
- Places:
- Roanoke, Va.