As to how the current economy is affecting the industry, O’Connell said it can be either an opportunity or a threat, depending on where you are standing, how you market yourself and what kind of business person you are. “It’s certainly a threat if your largest customer is a mortgage company that has gone out of business, costing you 20 percent of your sales. And, in a bad economy, customers tend to pull back, especially in marketing departments which will postpone projects not considered necessary,” he said. “But, companies are also moving away from having people on staff who are technically competent in the world of print, so there is a greater need for outsourcing. [A customer] who sends out a hundred thousand pieces of mail every month isn’t going to want to do so in a bad economy—the postage alone is enormous. If I’m in front of [that] customer, I’m talking to [him or her] about one-to-one marketing and saving a lot of money while getting the same or likely even better results.”
- People:
- Bob O Connell