About this time last year I posted a release about the new retail sales branch opened by Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey. Horizon was one of the first health insurance companies to take a “retail” approach to selling individual insurance policies under the then newly approved Affordable Care Act.

In May of 212, Forbes reported on the partnership between Aetna and Costco to offer the Costco Personal Health Insurance medical and dental program.  Consumers who buy the Aetna coverage through Costco will get extra discounts when they buy prescriptions through Costco pharmacies. Costo had already developed banking partnerships to allow them to sell mortgages.

This year we are starting to see the life insurance industry, particularly products geared to lower and middle income consumers, pursue retail sales opportunities. MetLife, for example, has set up kiosks in hundreds of Walmart stores. Unlike the Horizon branch which has specially trained staff to answer questions, visitors to a MetLife kiosk pick up their “box of insurance” in the form of a prepaid card and take it to the checkout. They then have to call MetLife’s toll-free number to answer health questions posed by a life agent. If the customer qualifies for coverage, the policy is activated, otherwise the card can be returned for a full refund.

Two key things we can learn from this trend:

1. As more insurance companies start courting retail partners as distribution channels, or opening up direct branches, they will need a new “retail approach” to their communications as well. This opens up new opportunities for graphic arts services like signage, sell sheets, and packaging for direct branches. It should also increase potential for transaction printers to offer statement marketing to highlight approved retail partners. Design services are a potential “foot in the door” as so much new material will need to be developed for the retail audience.

2. Partnerships, particularly distribution partnerships, can be wonderful things. Printers and other business communications professionals may also find value in new distribution channels and regional partnerships. Insurers are able to reach a broader audience that will pay a premium for convenience through retail relationships. Perhaps there are similar opportunities out there for your business.

If retail and insurance are getting married, let’s crash the wedding or at least get some good dating advice.

Elizabeth Gooding is the President of Gooding Communications Group and editor of the Insight Forums blog. She writes and speaks and provides training on trends and opportunities for business communications professionals within regulated vertical industries.

It’s natural to avoid asking for help.

You worry that it makes you appear weak. That it makes you appear ignorant or uninformed. Like you can’t do your job, or are just plain unable to get the job done. Asking for help doesn’t have to be a bad thing. In fact, it can lead to innovative ideas, new collaborations and more. But do you know when it’s time to ask for help?

It’s time to ask for help when:

• You need to think outside the box. You may be a highly creative person, but after a while it’s easy to get in a rut. 
• By not asking for help, you put your company in a bad position. You should never let fear or pride get in the way of doing what is right for your company. If you need help from someone within your department or a different department, just go for it. You know your colleagues. And perhaps one choice is better than another. But don’t forgo help and jeopardize the business (and perhaps your job).
• You need clarification. Sometimes, you may just need something cleared up. A quick question or two may do the trick. If you refuse to ask others for a little clarification, you will be making decisions based on erroneous assumptions. And that makes for bad business.
• You don’t understand what is being asked of you. This can come from inside the company or outside. And this goes hand-in-hand with clarification. If you don’t understand what is being asked, then you obviously won’t understand what your next step to take is.
• You don’t know how to do what is being asked of you. This seems fairly obvious. But it’s easy for someone to get embarrassed or think he / she will come across as looking inept when admitting help is needed. But it’s best to ask and then learn how to do it, rather than attempt to do things when you don’t know how.
• You are totally overextended and crunched by time. Sometimes it feels as if everything falls in your lap at one time. You are only one person. It’s okay to reach out and ask for some help to get things done, especially when deadlines are looming.

So you know you need to ask for help. But how? Here are a few tips on getting professional assistance.

• Ask from a point of strength, not fear. Don’t play dumb and don’t go in asking with your proverbial tail between your legs. Two heads are better than one, right? And the other employees in your company are part of the same team – yours. So ask for help from one team member to another.
• Asking for help, means asking for help – not having another person shoulder the load. If you are late on a deadline and need help closing a deal, then ask for that help. But you should never offload the bulk of your responsibilities onto another.
• Show your appreciation. When you ask for help, make it clear that you are very appreciative if your colleague can provide assistance. After, express your gratitude. Write a personal note. Get your teammate a cup of coffee or offer to treat for lunch. A little appreciation goes a long way and will result in willing helpers later on.

On April 3rd, your business can get a little help from Dr. Joe Webb and Wayne Lynn in a free, 60 minute webinar. > > > 

There nearly 1 million insurance agents and brokers employed in the U.S. and you would think that they would be fiercely competitive with each other. You’d be wrong.  In fact, more and more, agencies are merging, consolidating and forming agency networks to compete with the real enemy – Direct Writers. Many large carriers with captive agency forces or who sell insurance directly online or over the phone, “Direct Writers,” spend as much as $200 to $700 million per year on advertising, particularly in the home and auto insurance market. According to estimates from Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America and A.M. Best Co. direct writers dominated the overall personal lines market in 2010 writing over 53 percent of total premium. Independent agents are fighting back and asserting their value to insurance customers.

“Personal touch is what will keep independent agents alive in the future,” says Christopher Misterka, Marketing Coordinator with the Kaplansky Insurance Agency which has offices in 11 locations and has experienced 13% growth in each of the past 2 years. Misterka says that client correspondence used to be primarily letters but, “now it’s primarily email, social media and a monthly online newsletter that offers customer education on timely issues like potential tax scams during tax season.” While Kaplansky has moved most of their personal lines marketing online due to the size of the household audience they want to reach, they continue to prospect for commercial clients using direct mail. To keep content fresh and campaigns timely, Misterka engaged an insurance specialty organization called Agency Revolution with professional writers, an existing library of content and a digital marketing platform that enables quick generation of marketing campaigns.

Angelyn Treutel, President of SouthGroup Insurance agrees that providing educational content is critical in positioning an agency well with customers and that consistency of communication with the customer builds trust. Her organization leverages the Trusted Choice solution available through the IA&B however; their direct marketing is all managed in-house. “We use a multi-channel, multi-touch approach recognizing that it may take 2 or 3 or 4 touches before a customer takes action,” says Treutel. “We need multi-channel because different customers are in all different places,” relative to their acceptance of online versus print communications. SouthGroup has had particular success with personalized direct mail that includes pictures of agents as part of the mailing. Personalization, careful segmentation of campaigns and ensuring that the customer never gets the exact same message twice are important in crafting an effective campaign according to Treutel.

Differentiation between segments of the P&C business such as commercial versus personal lines is one simple method, but many agencies are looking deeper at markets, customers and the communication preferences of individuals. For example, the High-Net-Worth Personal Lines market is more often served by independent agents than direct writers as the agencies give affluent customers the specialized services they have come to expect. In this market, agencies can create campaigns to educate customers on the superior products, pricing, loss prevention services and risk management services that are available through carriers that specialize in the HNW market versus more generic solutions from direct writers. Since many HNW clients are also business owners or senior executives, there are great opportunities to cross sell HNW personal lines insurance to commercial clients and vice versa. Independent agents currently sell the lion’s share of premium in the commercial market and can strengthen that position by building trusted personal relationships with business owners and managers.

Creating innovative communications has historically not been a core competency of insurance agencies but most recognize that this needs to change. As the demand for more effective and consistent customer touches continues to grow, agencies are looking for partners to help them execute regular, cost effective communications programs with their customers. If you are a service provider with a truly robust multi-channel offer and the strategic services to become an agent of change in the P&C industry – opportunities abound. If your offering is not quite as developed, don’t despair, there are still opportunities to pursue business from the “Agency Agencies” that are primarily focused on providing marketing content and digital distribution, but typically outsource printing and mailing services. As agencies cooperate and grow larger, the opportunities to serve them grow larger as well.

Elizabeth Gooding is the President of Gooding Communications Group and editor of the Insight Forums blog. She writes and speaks and provides training on trends and opportunities for business communications professionals within regulated vertical industries.

Running a hospital or healthcare practice is already labor and capital intensive, highly regulated and impenetrably complex. The Affordable Care Act and the growing trend toward consumerism has added constant change to the list of industry challenges. While the ACA itself is the law of the land and implementation is moving forward, the foundational elements to be implemented are as firm as warm Jell-O. Change is the new normal:

• States may or may not expand their Medicaid programs;
• Health Insurance Exchanges (HIX) may be set up by states or by the Federal government in certain states, and the Federal HIX implementation structure is not fully defined;
• Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) are being formed and tested in near real-time;
• Definitions of Essential Health Benefits (EHBs) can vary by state and guidance is required;
• The “standard” 8 pages format for the newly mandated Summary of Benefits & Coverage (SBC) can now be any length determined necessary by insurance companies (Note: the purpose of this new, somewhat redundant, document was to provide a standardized plan comparison for consumers.)

Provider’s biggest concern may be potential changes and interpretations surrounding “Necessary Care.” According to the Journal of the American Medical Association, “care that did not show a proven health benefit, and where a less costly alternative was not used,” accounted for between $158 billion and $226 billion in 2011. Proposed regulation around necessary care shifts financial risk to doctors and hospitals and this, along with other regulations and stricter Medicare compliance requirements, will require investment in Electronic Health Records (EHR) and other major infrastructure upgrades that smaller providers are not equipped to fund.

The combination of independent providers’ flight from risk, a need to dramatically reduce costs and increased capital requirements is driving the next big source of change: Mergers and Acquisitions.

Market consolidation

The pace of consolidation is mind boggling: the annualized number of hospital acquisitions or mergers nearly doubled between 2009 and 2012. Plus, physicians are merging with health plans and hospitals, hospitals are merging with hospitals and long-term care providers, health insurers are investing in hospitals and physician practices. Not to mention non-provider consolidation in biotech and pharmaceutical manufacturers, disease management companies and all along the healthcare supply chain. In an interview with The Huffington Post, Robert Laszewski,  president of Health Policy and Strategy Associates referred to the M&A climate in healthcare as an arms race in which the players are merging into bigger entities in hopes of restraining their own costs and grabbing larger shares of the markets.

According to PWC’s Healthcare Executive Agenda consolidation is not a panacea and even small healthcare mergers carry a lot of risk. We’ve seen the same thing in the merger-prone print industry – nearly two-thirds of deals do not meet pre-merger expectations. This lack of stellar success is not likely to stem the tide of mergers; however, it does present many opportunities for print service providers and industry consultants to make these newly consolidated entities more successful. Here are a few thoughts:

• While individual providers and provider groups have low volumes of communications, larger merged-entities have volumes that are more attractive for outsourcing.
• Newly formed entities have redundant documents and systems that need to be unified or eliminated in order to gain the sought-after costs savings from the merger. Consultants and Outsourcers can help to meet those needs more quickly.
• The ability to consolidate volumes, processes and technology allows outsources to deliver immediate savings from house holding, postal optimization, white paper processing and electronic services such as electronic payment and presentment.

What needs to happen after a merger? Plenty of situations where service providers can add value:

• Determine brand strategy. Research demonstrates that capital markets respond more favorably to brand strategies that involve combining elements of the two companies than strategies that replace one entirely or leave both untouched. This requires an analysis of the strength of both companies.
• In parallel with re-branding considerations, a business communications audit needs to be performed to identify the people, processes and technology used for generating business documents. This audit should generate documentation on current processes and recommendations for leveraging the best practices within each firm, the combined volumes of the merged firms and eliminating redundancies.
• New branding (and likely new regulatory language) will need to be incorporated in the systems that are proposed to be maintained going forward. Efficient implementation will typically require an additional analysis and redesign step to create document standards and streamline implementation.

The newly merged company will likely also be evaluating their supply chain; eliminating vendors or “right-sizing” with vendors that fit their new status as a larger organization. The ability to support these firms with the analysis and streamlining processes makes it more likely that you will be considered for additional outsourcing opportunities rather than dropped from the vendor list.

While it would be prudent for these companies to go through a detailed pre-merger fit and synergy analysis from both a financial and a customer perspective – most often the customer and customer communications strategy is in that “warm Jell-O” mentioned earlier. The opportunity to help companies evaluate these issues pre-merger or immediately post-merger can be of huge benefit in achieving the hoped-for cost savings and also maintaining market share by communicating effectively with customers and making sure the bills get paid amidst the merger madness. Let’s call that preventative care.

The bottom line is that if constant change is the new normal for health care providers, there will be constant opportunities for companies who can help them deal with those changes.

Editor’s Note: Additional information on changes in the Health care industry is available from our sponsor, Canon Solutions America. See the PressGo! Industry Guide to Healthcare.

Elizabeth Gooding is the president of Gooding Communications Group and the editor of InsightForums.com helping clients in highly regulated industries—and the service providers they depend on— to optimize the designs, processes and production technology used for multi-channel communications.

What is your organization doing to improve its value for the shareholders and stakeholders? Companies in general, and specifically those in the print and communication industry, have been working hard to improve profits and increase EBITDA as the economy continues to be depressed. Our industry not only has the economy to deal with, we are also contending with increased communication options and new technologies. Companies have downsized, right-sized, consolidated, and merged. This has helped maintain profits and EBITDA in the short run, but at what cost to the stakeholders – our customers and staff?

It seems to me it is time for a change from the old method of headcount reduction, restructuring, and lowering prices, to an approach that establishes long term stability, acceleratesidentifying and making the right changes for your business, and results in improved profitability. The tools for this new direction exist in Business Process Improvement (BPI) methodologies. By stepping back to look at the whole business,not just one function or production area, and applying the disciplines of BPI, companies can learn how to do more with existing resources in several ways. By eliminating overlappingor redundant efforts that have crept in silently over time,resources are released from non-value-add tasks to be re-allocated to projects like new technology, or products andservices to meet new client requirements. End to end process evaluation also bridges company silos to assure issues are not just pushed from one area to another, and identifies where there are communication and information gaps or delays which canresult in extra efforts and cost to meet client deliveries.

When is the last time you did a detailed review of your process and workflow across the organization?

Hard numbers and real-life cases exist to show that even after significant labor and cost reductions have been made, a structured BPI approach can increase EBITDA, cash flows, and shareholder/stakeholder value.

Becky Graninger, a professional colleague with whom I’ve worked for years and whom I admire a great deal, recently went to work at Barton-Cotton. With a website tagline that says “momentum makes it happen,” Barton-Cotton is busy executing its “reversal of fortune.” To that end, Becky is part of a group of seasoned direct marketers who are coming on board to keep the momentum flowing. Becky’s title at Barton-Cotton is “strategist.”

First of all, I think “strategist” is a great position — one that deserves a spot in any contemporary marketing department. The title implies researching, noodling, and innovating — in short, “thinking.” In this era of direct marketing confusion, the ability to think isn’t a luxury. As it turns out, somebody has written an ebook on this very topic.

In October, I downloaded a pdf from square2marketing.com. Titled Strategy Before Tactics, this guide for agencies explores “how a killer marketing strategy dramatically improves the performance of inbound marketing.”

The first page of the eBook says, “Recent studies have shown that U.S. consumers are exposed to 3,000 advertisements a day. We are so numb to this constant bombardment that the old outbound marketing model is no longer effective. This is especially for smaller firms who don’t have the advertising budgets of McDonald’s or Apple. There has to be a better way, right? There is.”

Key points from the report:

1. Buyer behavior has changed. Most people don’t want to deal with a traditional salesperson. The most important emotion for marketers to target is safety. Marketers accomplish that by helping customers get to know, like, and trust products and services.

2. The old marketing model (advertising = sales) is broken. Today, advertising, PR, and referrals are used to provide free resources, which in turn build the marketing machine database .. which, in turn, = sales.

3. An effective marketing campaign requires careful planing, research, and a step-by-step approach. In other words, a strategy. “The point is: There are a lot of questions that need to be asked, answered, and discussed before you start any tactical marketing campaign.” Moreover, each solution needs to be “remarkable” [see below].

4. Every marketing strategy must be goal-oriented, quantifiable, able to deliver return on marketing investment, and be unique (remarkable) enough to blow the competition out of the running.

5. Being remarkable translates into interesting stories. “Features, benefits and specifications are complicated and easy to forget. Our brains don’t retain complex details nearly as well as they do a good story. This is the new marketing.”

I couldn’t agree more. I’m pretty sure Becky Graninger and other marketing strategists are looking, right now, for more ways to tell their story. Write on!

p.s. Download the ebook here.

One of the major challenges faced by a printer that wants to offer marketing services involves changing their sales strategies and tactics.  There really is a big transition from commodity-based sales to solution sales. In my book Business Tranformation: A New Path to Profit for the Printing Industry, you will not find a how-to-guide on how to sell. Rather, you will find a chapter that focuses on the changes that you may need to make to your sales process.

Identifying Other Opportunities

One of the biggest changes will involve taking the time to investigate what other sales opportunities may be available. Let’s think of the the example of a seminar.

A seminar requires promotional planning, production, and follow-up. Registering attendees, mail and email notifications, collection of registration fees via e-commerce, creating informational items, and much more, are all a part of putting on an event of this sort. In the past, your business may have only received a small portion of the work involved in those items; perhaps you were printing the postcards that invited people to the seminar. But as a marketing services provider, you will absolutely want to find ways to get more of that business.

How can you go about doing this? One thing that may help is to simply ask more questions. Find out how the company plans to promote their seminar besides the printed piece that you are doing. Also, share tips and advice with them to position yourself as a partner. Suggest that they can improve the success of their registration efforts with personalized URLs or QR Codes. Share statistics that demonstrate the lift some campaigns get by including emails and social networks in their promotions. Then, find ways to demonstrate how you can help them with those items too.

Formalize Your Sales Process

If your company has had the same sales reps for many years, there may be some folks that are used to doing the majority of their work on their own. However, the transformation into a marketing services provider requires a team approach.

To get everyone on board, you may need to put forth efforts to standardize your sales process, to hold weekly meetings to share ideas, problems, concerns, and successes, and to develop that tools that will help people forecast sales opportunities.

Find Ways to Automate!

Next, let’s look at sales force automation. SFA records all of the stages in a sales process. It also allows you to track all of your contacts. SFA systems are also capable of sales lead tracking systems, sales forecasting, order management and product knowledge. This creates a streamlined, productive environment for your sales reps.

This is not limited to your sales reps, however. Your marketing department will also benefit from SFA. As your customer database grows, your marketing department can do a few things with this. For example, they may be able to identify who your most profitable customers are. There are obvious benefits to this. This will enable them create a market of similar companies to target.

Also, SFA will help in understanding the competition. Any lost sales opportunities should be documented in the system. Marketers can examine trends and cycles among sales reps and help develop a stronger competitive strategy. Also, this helps marketers and sales reps work in tandem. If you are conducting a self-promotional campaign, that information should be included in the SFA system, including who was contacted and what their responses were.

There is also marketing automation. This allows you to send out consistent and relevant messages efficiently. Marketing automation enables you to automate marketing functions, including campaign creation, market segmentation, and response analysis. Simply the gathering of data that can be used to target your audience in a valued way.

Technology is your friend. Use it to make your sales and marketing processes more efficient and effective. You will see results.

Next week, we will look at social media, and where it fits in with your new business.

To learn more about my book, “Business Transformation: A New Path to Profit for the Printing Industry”, visit  my book’s website.

When do two seemingly similar-sounding service offerings present completely different business models? When comparing Managed Print Services to Print Management Services. These sound the same, and in a certain situations can be used interchangeably, however the industry definitions are quite distinct and different.

Managed Print Services (aka; MPS), Managed Document Services, Enterprise Printing Services, or any other variation on this theme refers to the active management of fleets or groups of hardcopy output devices and by extension the digital output, capture and/or dissemination of data and/or images which are a by-product of such technology, all of which should be a strategic component of an organization’s (enterprise) document management strategy.

Of the many goals this service represents, that of cost-effectively controlling how, when and where organizationally necessary enterprise printing is accomplished rises to the top of the heap. This is closely followed by operational efficiency, productivity, storage, retrieval and security.

Depending on the model employed, this can either be a boon or a disaster waiting to happen for an organization with a widely distributed fleet of desktop laser or inkjet printers, faxes, scanners and small-to medium MFPs (or MFDs) where the task at hand is deemed unmanageable.

The premise of MPS is that through an initial discovery phase, an entity, either internal or external to the organization can root out every localized ineffective, underutilized or overutilized print culprit, assess their individual efficiencies or inefficiencies, and implement wholesale positive change in the way the organization manages how they print on an enterprise level. This is accomplished through mandates, decommission and installation of appropriate devices, actively monitoring usage, and in some cases, outsourcing or shifting higher-quantity work to devices or outsourced facilities utilizing appropriate cost and time-effective technology.

That’s the simple explanation and it sounds great in theory, however in practice the promise may not ring so true. Just about every OEM and/or their regional resellers offer one flavor or another of this kind of service. They all tout amazing savings with the ability for the organization to concentrate on their core business activities without having to worry about managing documents. Their profit motive should be seriously considered with a cost-benefit analysis. Quite frankly in some cases it makes sense.

For the organization that does not consider enterprise document management to be strategic to their core mission, the out-of-sight, out-of-mind approach MPS provides may seem perfect. After all, the provider of this service will always do what’s in the best interest of the organization, right?

This wholesale technology alignment/replacement strategy can even extend to in-house services where “copy” centers are present organizationally or departmentally. An adept MPS provider can be very convincing, again where enterprise document management is not considered mission-critical, with reasons why they should outsource this service.

Quite frankly, this may be true where an organization doesn’t have (or anecdotally doesn’t believe they have) the economy of scale to dedicate staff to research, identify, negotiate and implement the best solution for the best interests of the enterprise, or where little or no fiscal oversight or responsibility is required or deemed to be necessary for this segment of the organization’s business for whatever reason. What a perfect customer to have! On the other hand, a well managed operation will always know where their true, fully budgeted costs are for all facets of their hard-copy output needs, and this extends to knowing what is best printed when, and where.

Depending on the complexity of the enterprise this could be all encompassing enough to include micro-run desktop-applicable printing (both monochrome and color) where local office printers or MFPs are appropriate technologies, to medium-to-large production runs (also either monochrome and/or color) where CRDs (central reproduction departments aka copy centers) are more appropriate for given run lengths, to print runs which have no business being run locally and are outsourced by the individual department or the enterprise to either an in-plant possessing the appropriate technology or to an appropriate outsourced facility.

This is where Print Management Services (which for some reason I’ve never seen the complete acronym used for, so we’ll just call it PM Services) comes in to the picture. Now not only does the enterprise have the opportunity to “control” costs through either internal or external service providers for their enterprise document needs, but they can extend this process, again either internally or externally to encompass all printed material including digital printing, offset printing, wide format, apparel, specialty, novelty, etc.

PM Services, like MPS, can be implemented by an external service provider who purports to have the resources necessary to answer any need within a certain scope of work, or by an internal (in-plant) resource, without the organization necessarily having the ability to produce everything in-house while keeping the faith to serve the organization’s core mission.

In either case the PM Services provided for should be in the best interests of the organization. Not based on the service the provider has available. The question then comes down to how the enterprise decides what is best for their needs. It is only in rare cases that an outsource vendor can provide all of the services most medium-to-large enterprises require, so multiple service providers are the usual order of the day.

The best approach however is to integrate all the document needs of the organization under one roof, even if it means outsourcing some services while retaining others. True MPS on the one hand, which can include printer and MFP fleets, CRDs and print centers, and PM Services which can encompass high-speed digital, conventional sheet-fed and web offset, and all of the other print-mediums out there, in a perfect world should be centrally controlled from a cost-and-operational efficiency procurement standpoint with capable internal enterprise-level oversight and expertise in place.

It is only then that the organization, whether we’re talking about you specifically, or your customer, can effectively manage (or have you help manage with integrity and trust) what arguably should be considered a strategic, core, mission-critical business activity.

Note: This is Part 5 of a 9-Part series based on the book “Business Transformation: A New Path to Profit for the Printing Industry”

When you take the plunge into transforming your business, you owe it to yourself to give it your all. The transformation to a marketing services provider is not always easy. There have been a lot of printers who have started going down the path, but then changed course when things did not go as smoothly as they may have hoped.

In chapter 5 of my book, Business Transformation: A New Path to Profit for the Printing Industry, I have outlined five simple steps to help you successfully make the transformation into a marketing services provider.

1. Stay well-read and educated. 

There is a lot of material out there. New technologies are constantly being rolled out. The world of marketing is being changed every day by mobile platforms, social networks, and more — look at how quickly the tablet is changing our daily activities! While you may not feel that easy an every new technology will have an impact on your business, it is worth it to at least have a handle on these things. For example, your customers will perhaps think of you as more than a printer when they start discussing those channels and technologies with you. Being able to have a knowledgeable conversation across a variety of marketing and technology topics with your customers will bring benefits.

2. Be forward-thinking.

It’s one thing to read about the latest trends. It’s another to apply what you learn. We should all constantly be thinking about how we can incorporate your new findings into our business. When consuming new information, aggressively take notes. Mark down what you think is interesting or potentially useful. Mark down topics that you do not understand! Having an open mind can lead to the spark of innovation that will lead your company to greater success.

3. Be aggressive.

Once you have made the transformation, your natural ambition has to take over. Always be actively thinking about how you can further your business. Constantly find ways to attract new clients. Be determined to continually find new ways to impress customers with your service. By getting your entire staff on board with putting in the work, the transformation will certainly go a lot smoother.

4. Be prepared.

I mention in the book that “you need to prepare for the day when you truly become a one-stop marketing services shop.” In order for this to happen, you need to be prepared. As time goes on, you will need to offer more services. You cannot exist on providing personalized URLs  alone or QR Codes for that matter. In a sense, you are preparing for a necessary expansion.

5. “Walk the talk.”

You will need to certainly be willing to bring your very best Sales skills to get clients on board with your new venture. Promising quality service and helpful products is part of the game, but you need to make sure that your service and products really are as good as you say. Also, you should be able to prove that the marketing channels you are selling have worked for you and your company.  Not only will that help you to sell your expanded services, but it should also make it easier for your staff to implement them for clients.

Next week, we will be examining how to promote the heck out of your new business.

To learn more about my book, “Business Transformation: A New Path to Profit for the Printing Industry”, visit  my book’s website.

Note: This is Part 4 of a 9-Part series based on the book “Business Transformation: A New Path to Profit for the Printing Industry“

We have gone over the strategy you need to make your transformation to a marketing services provider work. There are steps in place, a marketing and a business plan, now you need to fill in the puzzle. And the only way to do that is with the right people. The most well thought out plan will not succeed if it is not executed by capable and eager employees.  When transitioning your business, it is very important to pick people who can fill in your roster and get the job done.

The Marketing Pro

It has already been mentioned, but it is worth repetition.  Having a bona fide marketing professional on your team is completely necessary. Having someone who understands the ins and outs of your new industry is just too valuable to neglect.

Your Sales Team

Next, your sales team needs to be attended to. Selling your new product is an animal you have never really dealt with. Selling a solution is entirely different from any product or service you have ever sold. However, it is also wise to keep your print salesman on board. They have valuable contacts that will certainly be mined. Sustainability cannot be overlooked. But a new solutions salesman will be tasked with calling marketing personnel at new accounts. There is a certain level of expertise required by these salesmen, and you may need to bring in new blood for this.

The Folks in IT

Also, with the increasing speed of technology and software, your new company will need an IT department. IT professionals are highly important, on numerous fronts. They can be very helpful on sales calls, offering a quick solution to a problem that a traditional salesman may not be able to answer. And in this business, almost every customer will have unique needs and issues they need fixed. A savvy, experienced information technology pro can navigate these problems. And just as a rule, you will have plenty of networks and systems that you need to have maintained and tuned up. All of this falls under the umbrella of IT.

And Do Not Forget These

Then we come more to normal business functions, such as HR, accounting, and others. Finally, there are a group of folks I call “bench people.” Much like in sports, you need a strong bench to round out your team. I consider these people to be talented, and able to be groomed for future positions. Normally, these people will probably be in the form of interns, or recent graduates.

Finding the right people to bring your company into its new role is crucial for the success of your transformation into a marketing services provider.

To learn more about my book, “Business Transformation: A New Path to Profit for the Printing Industry”, visit my book’s website.

In this crucial section of the book, we really jump into the nuts and bolts of how to change a printer into a marketing service provider. And we start with a thorough business plan. A business plan is important for a couple of reasons. Primarily, it offers direction and guidance, something that is of the utmost importance when you are essentially creating a new business entirely. It is easy to get lost in your own shuffle, having a structured plan on paper will keep you on the right track. Additionally, having a professional, thoughtful business plan can be useful when trying to acquire funding from a bank or venture capitalists.

After it’s written down, you need to do some soul searching. Are you the right one to lead the transformation? Understand your strengths and weaknesses. Maybe you would be better suited staying on the printing side of the business while some new blood spearheads the marketing efforts. As long as you are comfortable in your role and confident that you are the best at what you do, then you are doing the right thing.

In my time in this industry, I have seen some businesses with no business plan. Many printers have been family run shops passed down through generations. And many printers are inherently local. There was no need for a business plan. The market was small, and people understood what they offered. Marketing was a simple task. Of course, this is no longer a functional method. The times have changed. A business plan is now essential to survival.

In the chapter, I offer a step-by-step breakdown on the transformation. Here is a brief outline.

1. Make the decision.
2. Evaluate the current clientele.
3. Determine exactly what services you plan to offer.
4. Write your business plan.
5. Look for integration.
6. Look for accessibility and support.
7. Hop on board the learning train!
8. Practice what you preach.

You can receive more information on these topics at my website, www.NewPathToProfit.com.

There are a wide range of services you can now provide as a marketing services provider. You can offer consulting services, creative services, campaign deployment, personalized URL’s, QR codes, and much more. And then you need to price all of these out.

All of this needs to have a home in your business plan. A market analysis is very important. Find out what vertical markets or specific industries you will pursue with your marketing services. You also need a section on marketing goals and strategies as well as a competitive analysis.

There is much more that needs to be in your business plan, but you have a good start and you are on the right path. It is tiresome, hard work and can be frustrating. And that’s okay. But staying focused here is absolutely fundamental if you want to have a successful metamorphosis.

Next week, we will take a look into your corporate infrastructure. You will be like the general manager of a baseball team, assembling your roster to create a winning team.

To learn more about my book, “Business Transformation: A New Path to Profit for the Printing Industry”, visit my book’s website.

If you’ve visited this blog before, you’ve likely noticed the advertisement on the top right inviting you to “Watch an Océ Press Go! Webinar”… at least the marketing department at Océ is hoping you’ve noticed it. But what exactly are these webinars and are they worth your time? I asked myself that very question and this is what I concluded…

Let’s examine the facts.

According to www.MyPressGo.com, the Océ Press Go! Business Development Program is not only created specifically for printers, but it was also created by printers. Upon doing more research, I learned that Press Go! originated from intense focus groups comprised of various print-shop owners. One point for Press Go!

I started to poke around the site to see what it had to offer. To my delight, the site was easy to navigate and I found the schedule for upcoming webinars and links to past webinars in about eight seconds. I’m not the most patient of peoples, so being able to find these items quickly and easily is a huge plus for me. Two points for Press Go!

Finally, I watched a webinar. I watched “The Social Scene for Digital Printers,” as social media is a topic very near and dear to my heart. Paul England, a member of the Océ business development team, and Bob Boucher, of Cole Creative, a marketing a creative services agency led the webinar. It began with a brief introduction to what social media is, including an interesting myth vs. fact discussion. Bob then highlighted how other well-know digital print providers have integrated social media into their marketing plans. Thirty-eight minutes later, I concluded the webinar with some info I already knew, but even more tips and ideas that I am eager to integrate into my own social media initiatives.

Three things I liked most about these webinars are that (1) they are led by an industry expert outside of Océ – this adds a level of credibility as each consecutive webinar is hosted by a different expert. (2) Paul ends each webinar with a Q&A session, so if you get to the end and have a question, you can ask it! And finally, (3) each webinar is archived, so if you miss one, you can always catch up. I’m adding another 3 points to my tally.

At the end of my investigation into the Press Go! Webinars, I’ve concluded that with a whopping 5 points (on my arbitrary scale!) the webinars are a worthwhile source of information. So take advantage of these webinars airing on the first Tuesday of every month.