Ralph Irwin, Author at Marketing, content, & technology to help printers sell more printing

Every business owner knows that customer service is critical to staying competitive. But what about communicating expectations? Do you ensure your print buyers know what to expect when doing business with you? Recently, I received an email in response to an order placed by someone in our organization. It impressed me so much that I printed it out and shared it with the team. The message was short but concisely expressed precisely what the customer (me, in this case) could expect in their journey. This got me thinking—how often do we communicate these expectations with our own customers? This email response above created anticipation for the next interaction. It made me want to follow their guidelines even though they weren’t even stated. It eased my mind, knowing that there wasn’t going to be any guessing. Even more important, it makes me want to do that for my customers. It’s simple and didn’t cost a dime. The Benefits of Setting Print Buyer Expectations Upfront Setting expectations upfront is a great way to create trust and credibility with your print buyers. It gives them an idea of how your business operates and helps set up the foundation for a successful relationship between

Every so often, I like to go through the drawers of my tool chest in the barn and take an inventory of things. I’m not talking about an extensive certified public accounting inventory, but just a look around to see what I already have that I might have forgotten existed. I’ll usually find multiples of things that I forgot I had or that I have never used but bought anyway because of my “I might need that someday” syndrome. A tool review accomplishes a couple of things: First, it keeps me on track when I wander into retail la-la land at the home improvement store. Secondly, it reminds me of things I know needed fixing or mending that have been waiting around until I found the perfect tool for finally getting a “round tuit.” A Tool Review of Your Print Business I apply this tool review concept in my print business as well. From digital tools to hardware to equipment, I like to run everything through a series of questions: What do I have that I am not using? What can I use it for? Am I ever going to use it? What was I going to use it for

Improvement is a concept akin to owning a print business or simply being human. We’re all geared toward ways to improve ourselves, improve processes, and become more efficient. Don’t believe me? Check out all of society’s recent advertisements, and you’ll see adjectives like “better,” “greater,” and just about every other “er” you can think of. While striving for improvement is a good thing, it’s our job as leaders to pursue improvement in a way that won’t burn out our teams or make them constantly feel the “burden of better.” How to Start: Start with One How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. A journey of 1,000 miles starts with a single step. You get the cliches. If you want to create a culture of improvement in a healthy and sustainable way, start with one. Pick one process, product, or customer interaction and start there. Creating an improvement culture doesn’t happen overnight. Cultures throughout the world are the product of generations. Stephen Covey stated it well: “To begin with the end in mind means to start with a clear understanding of your destination. It means to know where you’re going so that you better understand where you

I like talking to people to find out what makes them tick. Why? Because people are interesting. When you learn what motivates a person to get up in the morning, what brings them joy or makes them light up, you get to communicate on a whole different level than just simple conversation. This new level of communication is where connections are made, loyalties are formed, and relationships are built. And business is all about relationships. After all, it’s not what you know, it’s who you know, right? While it’s always good to know things, your wealth of knowledge shouldn’t come at the expense of getting to know people – especially the people you want to do business with. In his book, “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People,” Stephen Covey understood the heart behind business relationships when he said, “Seek first to understand and then to be understood.” When you connect with people at this level, they know you care about them more than just a transaction. Relationships Beat Transactions Every Time Transactions happen with institutions; relationships happen with people. There’s a misconception in the business world that the purpose of forming relationships is to sell something. This couldn’t be

As the world continues to feel the climate of change, it reminds me of a story that Zig Ziglar used to tell that I’m sure you’re all familiar with. A man’s wife sent him to the store to buy a ham. The man brings the ham home and his wife instantly notices and comments that he didn’t have the end of the ham cut off. “Why do we want the end of the ham cut off?” the man asks. To which, his wife replies, “I cut the end of the ham off because my mother cut the end of the ham off.” Still baffled, the man goes into the living room and asks his mother-in-law why she had the end of the ham cut off. “I cut the end of the ham off because my mother cut the end of the ham off,” says the mother-in-law. The man decides he must have an answer now and immediately gets on the phone. “Grandma, I just have to know,” he says. “Why did you always cut the end of the ham off?” Grandma pauses for a minute and then replies matter-of-factly, “I cut the end of the ham off because my roaster

When I was younger, I coined the phrase: “If you ain’t living on the edge, you’ve got too much room!” Now that I have matured a bit, I prefer a little more cushion or “wiggle room,” if you will. But that being said, if I don’t stretch myself from time to time, I become inelastic… if that’s a word (my spellcheck didn’t put any wavy lines under it, so I am going with it being an actual word). When I’m inelastic, I become set in my ways, and rigor-mortis takes hold over the different aspects of my life. The other day I was talking with an occupational therapist and inquiring about what they do exactly. The best I could gather, they help people stretch an injured (and then repaired) part of their body to build up strength in it again and make it more usable — the way it was created to be. You can apply this simple wisdom of remaining stretchable in your personal and business life, as well as your physical life, in a lot of different ways, including: Do something you haven’t done in a while or something new. Purchase a little something for your significant other,

The new year brings with it a chance to start again. It’s a time to let go of the previous year and look forward to a fresh start. For me, cleaning and organizing are an annual goal of mine at the beginning of each year. Sometimes the goal is obvious to others (and they can tell the OCD fairy has arrived); other times, not so much. Uncovering a Print Treasure This year in my organizing, I uncovered something that my dad had produced for a customer roughly 35 or 40 years ago. My dad had liked the end product so much he produced a bunch more to use himself. What was it? A simple, classic thank you note. Produced on an 80# Classic Laid Baronial Ivory Cover, this type of printing project was a staple in most shops in the ’80s, especially for raised letter business cards. To produce this modest note, we used a Heidelberg Windmill press, and a blind embossing technique using a brass die with a counter die. Back then, we didn’t have the luxury of a heated platen, so we used dry gum built up in layers to make the counter die. It was softer and

While some of us may feel like we’re on the backside of the v*rus shutdown, many of us may still be in the throes of the turmoil, wondering how we are going to make it. If you’re still wondering, “What in the world is going on here?!!”, let me assure you that you are not alone. Wherever you may find yourself, it’s always a good time to pause, reflect, and learn from the events happening in our world. A great way to do that is by taking some time out of your crazy days to ask yourself some important questions. Here are a few questions I have been asking myself lately. Some may sound fatalistic, but I choose to ask them with the intent of uncovering the opportunities within the answers. What have I learned to live without? How have my customers’ requirements changed? Are their needs smaller, different, temporary, or gone away for good? What is the best thing I have done in the past three months that has lessened any damaging impact for both my customers and my team? What is the worst thing I have done that has made it worse than it was? Is my team

I was asked the other day what my most valuable asset was. A question like that definitely makes one think long and hard. What is the one thing that you would not want to be without? After some pondering (no, pondering doesn’t do a question like this justice), after some soul searching, I came to the conclusion that if I woke with nothing left except my family and health, the one thing I would want above anything else is: Integrity. Who are You When No One is Looking? Integrity, in my definition, is much more than a person’s reputation. Reputation is like paint on a house. It can look pretty, or it can look ugly, but it’s what’s underneath that matters. It’s the very structure holding everything else up that makes the difference. Without that structure in place, a strong wind, such as we’ve been experiencing lately, can blow the whole thing down. Integrity gets a person up in the morning to go and provide for their family and employees. It ensures that our customers, vendors, and all other parties to our business are taken care of. Here are a few more examples of what integrity is: Integrity is more

Chart showing print buyer rebound after COVID-19

Has your world recently been filled with clichés like these: “Tough times don’t last, tough people do.” “This, too, shall pass.” “Every cloud has a silver lining.” I don’t know about you, but I don’t need clichés right now. I need some real breakthroughs. As Harry Truman once said, “The only thing new in the world is the history we don’t know.” Tough times have been happening from the beginning of time, and you know what? They all come to an end eventually and a new season begins. Instead of tossing around clichés, how about anticipating, dreaming, and planning for that new season that is coming? How about inspiring your print buyers to do the same? Now is the time that you can be a leader for them and help guide them to success through your messaging. Below are three examples of recent email messages I’ve sent to my clients during this time of COVID-19 that I hope you can use and personalize for your clients as well. I want all print buyers to be ready for the next season, waiting in anticipation for the word GO! Email: A New (Better) “V” Word Isn’t it interesting the language that is