Derek Brooks, Author at Marketing, content, & technology to help printers sell more printing

Have you ever gone on a road trip without a plan? I’m talking no destination, no starting place, no clothes for any particular climate… really, no plan at all. The kind of road trip where you get in the car and start driving, figuring out which direction to head as you go. Unless you are a true “free spirit,” I

Objects in mirror are closer than they appear… I remember staring out the car window at that message a lot when I was a child. I couldn’t understand how something could possibly look closer to me than it actually was. I considered myself a logical person, so something was either there or it wasn’t right? Was the object closer to

It seems like it’s been a year since I was in a room with more than ten people. More recently, I’m hearing this a lot: “We’ve ramped up our direct mail and digital marketing to reach our market, but I really miss interacting with people. I’m ready to start “networking” again!” The word “networking” used to be confusing to me.

A long time ago (back when my dad and I were the only “employees” of our family printshop), it wasn’t hard to figure out that if we wanted to make the money, we had to do the work. However, as any successful business grows, there is only so much you can do with your own two hands and feet, and

Recently, I met a lady at a Chamber of Commerce event, and we hit it off. A while later, I saw her again, and she mentioned that she saw my banner on a fence at a local high school near her house. I asked her if she drives by the school often, and she let me know that she passes

printers, marketing ideas for printers, small business, passion

Have you ever been called a “People Pleaser”? I have. Early in my career in the printing industry, I had aspirations of my company being the largest printing establishment in the Universe! To accomplish this monumental task, I had the mindset that I would never use the word no when a customer or prospect asked if we could produce their

Have you ever heard the saying, “Never do business with friends.”? Maybe you’ve even said it yourself, or it’s a rule that you live by. No matter the case, for some reason doing business with friends can feel like we are giving more than we are getting. Because of that feeling, it can tend to put a strain on the

Do you remember when you first started in the printing business? I do. It All Started When… It was 1985, and it was my dad’s hobby in our basement. He had a beat up, old A.B.Dick 360 press with a chute delivery. I was ten years old and loved hanging out with my dad while he was learning the craft

“Does my print shop really need a Print MIS Solution?” The short answer to that question is: Yes! And here’s why… Print MIS Explained MIS is an abbreviation for “Management Information System.” Like most manufacturing businesses, the printing industry requires juggling a lot of information to function profitably. An MIS solution helps you with the juggling, and therefore, the profits!

Recently, I was having a conversation with a fellow print shop owner, and the topic of customer service came up. I mentioned that I thought customer service was more important than it ever has been in my 30-year career in the printing industry. He disagreed. “As long as I deliver a quality product in a timely manner everything works out