Margie Dana, founder of Boston Print Buyers, is a marketing specialist who focuses on improving the printer-buyer relationship. The following is from one of her recent Margie’s Print Tips e-newsletter postings.
When print buyers speak, I pay attention. It’s an honor to run buyer panels, and I love getting their e-mails and phone calls. Often, I get calls from the media and from trade organizations seeking my take on buyer trends. I thought I’d share three of these with you here and now.
1. There are no hard-and-fast print buyer trends.
People who perform this below-the-surface function—working with printers and buying print—are all over the map in every way imaginable. They can’t be easily categorized, although this is my new favorite: new buyers vs. experienced buyers.
This is how I most often distinguish buyers today: Those who have no experience and those who have a lot. If this were a high school, they’d be in separate academic tracks or curricula. It is that simple. Savvy buyers may be into direct paper purchase options, RFP negotiations and perfecting color management issues. New buyers want help with finding and evaluating printers, understanding the language and identifying buyer resources.
Some buyers are gung-ho about green print initiatives, but not everyone. Some buy only locally/regionally; some look overseas. Some buyers bid every job out; others do not. Some want to learn and use every new printing process. I have met others who don’t do any digital printing. It all depends on the buyer and his or her company’s needs and budgets.
2. Buyers are struggling with two things: how to prove their value to their employers and how to add to their skills.
The U.S. printing industry continues to slide, as newer media challenge, and often replace, print as a preferred medium. Printing companies go out of business far too often these days. More closings and mergers can be expected in this unsettling period.
Print buyers are affected by this economy. They’re saddened at the closings of favorite print shops. They wonder about the future role of buyers: will their function morph into something else? (I predict it will.) What skills should they start acquiring? If print is less relevant in their company, what does this say about them? It’s scary.
Most print buyers I know are also asking, “What is a more appropriate, more contemporary job title?” I have no answer yet. Most of them do more than buy print. Actually, most print buyers don’t even have this title; although two out of four people on my print buyer panel two weeks ago did.
Are they business communications experts? Sourcing specialists? Should they be called media buyers? Business media buyers? Should “buyer” disappear altogether? It’s a tough call. Certainly, they want to and need to educate themselves about newer media.
3. Print buyers are fiercely protective of their responsibilities.
This isn’t new, but it’s important to note. When I ask buyers—particularly experienced buyers—about working with print managers or print brokers, they are generally not interested and very vocal about explaining why. There’s a lot of pride in their work. A lot of knowledge and years of experience have made them experts in printing, and they are, to a person, extremely proud of their positions. Even though they work for a firm in this or that industry, I’ll go out on a limb and say that they identify more with the printing industry than their own.
Much of their job responsibility involves being the internal printing expert. So, it only makes sense that professional print buyers are not apt to let go of some of this responsibility to outside resources. Will this change as the print industry continues to shrink? Possibly.
Our daily Roundtable Discussions at our Print Buyer Conference, September 11 and 12 at the Sheraton Boston Hotel in Boston, will address such hot topics. Buyers will convene and share their thoughts. Maybe the Earth won’t move, but I guarantee progress will be made.
By Margie Dana
Comments? Talk to me at mdana@bostonprintbuyers.com.
- People:
- Margie Dana