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I have kind of an odd question for you: Who’s the biggest jerk in your sphere of influence right now? Does your mind immediately picture a recent bad-tempered customer or an unrelenting vendor? Or maybe it’s an employee, neighbor, or that “blast from your past” on social media? As I pondered this question myself recently, I came to an eye-opening realization. The biggest jerk in my sphere of influence is ME! Surprised? Trust me. I was too. But, let me explain how I came to that conclusion and some valuable things I learned, particularly one word that is changing everything. Don’t You See What I See? I’ve had a series of marketing consult calls lately with some printing business owners. All of these conversations have included statements from incredible men and women that sounded similar to this: “I know this marketing stuff is important, but I’m just not good at marketing.” “I really see a need from my print buyers for _____, but we don’t sell _____.” “We just put up a new website, but no one is coming to it.” On each of these calls, I listened to these printers adamantly express what they weren’t good at, what they

If you were to ask small business owners what they want to be known for, most of them wouldn’t say what their business does. Well, at least not completely. Instead, there’s a good chance that you’d hear them say things like: “Integrity… and being the best dentist in town.” “Honesty… and the fastest free shipping company.” “Commitment… and one-to-one consulting services.” Have you ever wondered why that is? Because just about every human being on the planet (including small business and print owners) wants to leave their mark on the world and be known for more than what they “do.” Instead, most want to focus on the attributes that highlight the “who” of their company to build their legacy on. And that’s where Core Values come into play. Core values will help show the world that you’re bigger than what you do. Building the Heart of Your Print Company Your core values make up the foundation on which your business is built and represent the very heart of your company. Done right, your core values will be a handful of rules or principles that act as your compass, or better yet, your mirror, to show you exactly who your business

Pop quiz! Which of these two statements is true? Your print buyers prefer to do business with: A company they already trust and have a relationship with. A company they’ve never done business with. It seems like an easy enough question, right? But, then why is it that when businesses look to increase their sales, they focus on selling to new prospects instead of their existing customers? Keep in mind that the probability of selling to a new prospect is only 5-20%, while focusing your efforts on existing customers brings that probability up to 60-70%! Cross-selling and upselling is a great way to maximize your sales efforts and increase your revenue. And, these tactics don’t just benefit your sales numbers. Cross-selling and upselling helps breed customer happiness and deepen relationships because you’re ultimately delivering more value. What is Cross-Selling? Cross-selling can be summed up by asking yourself one question: What additions can you provide to what your print buyers have already purchased? The “Golden Arches” (a.k.a. McDonald’s) are known for one of the most famous examples of cross-selling of all time with their familiar question, “Do you want fries with that?” That innocuous question was a subtle yet ingenious marketing

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,

Is your printing business customer-focused? Becoming a print-buyer-focused printing firm means focusing on how every interaction helps your print buyer, rather than how it helps your business. While it sounds simple enough in theory, you’d be surprised at the number of business decisions that fail to consider the customer. What is a Print-Buyer-Focused Business? A print-buyer-focused printing firm puts its print buyers at the heart of everything it does, knowing that it will not only help customers but will also help build better relationships, increase loyalty, and ensure overall satisfaction with your business. So, how can you make your printing business more focused on your print buyers? Try these tips to get started. Tips to Make Your Print Business More Print-Buyer Focused 1. Seek to Understand Your Print Buyers’ Perspective The best place to understand someone else’s perspective is to spend some time in their shoes. Empathy is a tremendous gift in business. It will give you insight into the heart of your buyers like nothing else will. And, it doesn’t have to be complicated. You can practice this skill of empathy by simply asking yourself questions as if you’re the print buyer in various circumstances. For example: If a

In my last contributor blog, I wrote about my battle with Trigeminal Neuralgia and the 3 Lessons I Learned from Brain Surgery that Could Benefit Your Print Business. Now, you’d think I’d only get to share a story like that once in my lifetime. But, at the time of this writing, I’ve been home for three days after a 13-day stint in the hospital battling COVID pneumonia. Nine of those thirteen days were spent in the COVID isolation unit. I couldn’t see anyone except for the medical staff that looked like they walked off the set of Contagion or The Martian in their clean suits. While in the hospital, four more of the MI4P staff were also battling COVID, and although they didn’t get hit as hard, they’re still facing the lingering effects head-on. As I walked into the emergency room that Sunday afternoon, I had no idea my world would be turned upside down over the next two weeks. And, therein, lies my point. Have you ever considered how you’ll handle the unexpected at your business? Are you ready for it? While it’s impossible to lay out a contingency plan for every possible scenario, there is one thing I’m

It was a long year last week at Marketing Ideas For Printers. Our whole leadership team (including myself) plus one other team member tested positive for COVID. I’m thankful we did the hard work ahead of time to be able to survive such an interruption. Well-Defined Processes “Well-defined” doesn’t mean “lots of words.” It means others have a clear roadmap on how to keep things moving when “the regulars” can’t. Build a Team That’s not adding more people to your payroll, it’s training the people already on your payroll to operate as an efficient team working towards the same goal. Team-Focused is one of our core values. What a beautiful feeling of peace knowing that someone’s got your back! Focus on Your Vision You’re going to face distractions and interruptions, but as long as you have a clearly defined vision, a True North, you have a path to get back on track. The journey may look different than you expected, but the destination won’t change. Hard Work Worth Doing You don’t want to do the hard work when everything else around you is hard, you want to do the hard work when you’re not distracted by emergencies. Do the hard

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

Bless your heart! February’s content is filled with heart-filled articles ready for you to spread to your magnificent customers. Created with love to help you grow your business, every package below is a superb option to save you time and effort in attracting customers and contracts. National Direct Mail Go big this month and show your customers the benefits of living larger than life with posters and banners. Large size prints are perfect for spring marketing campaigns, and the February issue of National Direct Mail puts the power of large print on display. National Direct Mail can get your printing firm’s name in the hands of potential buyers across the entire country with no zip code restrictions and included direct mail and social media marketing. This versatile mailer is poised to capture a wider audience and help you expand your market. The sky’s the limit. Printer’s Press This compact newsletter is designed to grab your customers’ attention! With print ideas, customer care articles, and a little light-hearted fun thrown in (such as trivia and “Can You Guess the Year?”), the Printer’s Press newsletter is the perfect combination to stay in touch with your buyers. Get February’s Printer’s Press package today,

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