Your Print Business Will Fail (If You Don't Follow These New Rules)

With all the theories about the impact of the digital age on the future of the print shop as a viable business, it's become essential to look to other methods of securing growth and profitability. It takes more than decades of print industry experience, determination, and energy to keep business prospering as the print economy slows.

What it takes is a restructuring: a complete change in your approach to profitably marketing the printed product in a digital future.

Five New Rules for Print Business Success

Today’s print shop owners and managers have to create strong future-focused teams with the freedom to impartially examine unique opportunities and aggressively move business in new directions.

Embrace New Print Products and Technologies

Being open to new products, moving away from old "tried and true" sales techniques, and embracing new marketing tactics will make the difference between growth and profitability and failure.

Hire Tech Savvy Customer Reps

It's no longer sufficient to depend on outside sales reps, inside customer service personnel, or referrals from satisfied customers to create the type of growth necessary to sustain a strong printing business.

As trends are increasingly focused on the internet and social media, it's more important than ever to hire highly skilled and far-sighted customer service advisors who can work with clients over all media to satisfy new needs.

Enhance Your Online Presence

Creating a strong internet marketing presence is also a major factor in encouraging new prospects to contact you. Reaching out to customers over all avenues: phone, email, live chats, video conferencing, webinars, etc., will strengthen your company image within the industry.

Don't Get Too Comfortable

Being prepared to be uncomfortable but still taking the necessary steps to offer more advice, more products, more flexibility to customers will be essential for upward growth.

Don't Be Afraid to Reinvent Your Process

In a recent Printing Industries of America blog post, Joe Gass, owner of Heritage Printing, discussed how a major change of course at his company reinvented their way of doing business. When asked what he thought of the changes made over the last few years, he commented:

“As long as our company and its team members embrace the need to pursue never ending change and avoid getting comfortable, we will continue to see growth and profitability by being an asset to our current and future clientele.”

After all, becoming a trusted asset to the customer is what will really set your company apart from the pack.