Dana on Marketing Messages: What Is 'Value' To Print Buyers?

Some business terms are so overused that we become immune to their meaning. Near the top of this list is the phrase "value-added services." I struggle to come up with a replacement, yet I'm so-o-o tired of it.

Part of the issue lies in the fact that the little word "value" is so nebulous. What it means to you may be totally different from what it signifies to me. It's a lot like "service" in the context of a printing company, but that's a term to tackle another day.

Do printers know what makes them more—or less—valuable to customers? Following a blog post I wrote recently, I heard from Dean Petrulakis of Rider Dickerson. He wanted to chat about the concept of value. We had a great phone conversation, which gave me the idea for this column.

I decided to ask a few industry professionals to weigh in on the subject. How would print customers define "value"? And how closely would those definitions jibe with a printer's definition?

Customers who truly value a printer want to maintain a long-term relationship with that printer. They'll sing the printer's praises to their managers and refer them to others. It's the sort of WOM (Word of Mouth) marketing that all businesses want.

So I wrote to a few buyers and printers to get more insight as to what value really means.

First, here's my take. "Value" means getting more than what I'm paying for. In the world of printing, I would value a print rep who's a creative genius and who makes suggestions that enhance my jobs. I'd value someone who lets me know my best interest came first. I'd worry less knowing this printer would do the worrying for me. A valued printer would always do what I expected—and then some. I attach a lot of comfort and confidence to the term "value" in printing. Maybe that's just me.

What might print customers think?

I heard from these three buyers: Jeff Dickerson, C.P.M., with State Farm Insurance. Jeff's been a print customer for many years and is someone whose business wisdom I count on. I also asked Diane Dragoff, the purchasing and facilities manager at United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack Valley. Diane's long career started on the print side (what a coup for her employer!), and she's another pro whose comments I respect. And there's Sal Giliberto, production manager at Christian Science Publishing Society (CSPS). Sal started his career as a graphic designer, and he's as straight talking a print customer as I've ever known.

"Value is directly proportional to the amount of time and effort I have to apply AFTER I receive a request for a quote or send files to print," Dickerson wrote. For added value, he notes if the quote offers alternate cost-savings options.

Dickerson also measures a printer's value by how the jobs are processed in specific ways, including:

• Did the proof arrive on time, and was there an electronic proof option for simple jobs?
• Did the proof match the press sheet?
• Was the press check area comfortable and calibrated to the press? (Extra points for having food ready for a long press OK; added value if the press operators are congenial.)
• Was the job completed correctly…on the right paper?
• Was the correct quantity delivered on time?
• Was the invoice correct?

He had interesting comments on the relationship between value and cost. "I know [our trusted group of print providers] can deliver a quality product, on time, at a reasonable cost. However, we constantly verify cost and quality. We reward that value and cost structure when we keep our commitment to pay invoices on time.

"It is near impossible for a 'new' or cold call print provider to become a valued supplier because we are loyal to our current suppliers who have, over time, helped us reduce cost, trim production times, provide value-added services and meet short turn projects…they have performed to our expectations and have never taken advantage of our relationship.

"At the end of the day, we work to achieve a symbiotic, amenable relationship that grows in trust and value over time," said Dickerson.

Likewise, the United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack Valley's Diane Dragoff speaks about partnership. "Value is tied to the words 'relationship' and 'integrity.' " She went on to list specific expectations, such as:

n While I know that my rep works for another company, I expect that he or she is entrepreneurial and wants to retain my account no matter where he or she might work.

n I expect that he or she will learn the players at my company so that any of us can feel comfortable calling or e-mailing with a question.

• I expect [to work with] someone who is as committed to results as I am.
• I expect the best price on the first quote, and that the printer will make sure we hit plant schedules.
• If there is a problem, I expect notice ASAP and suggestions on how to correct it.
• I expect that we will talk even when nothing is in the works.
• I expect that if the job belongs elsewhere, a printer will give me suggestions of who to call.
• The rep will make sure that others in the plant know who we are, the work we do and what we expect.

To Sal Giliberto of CSPS, "Value includes quality and service, but wraps them up in cost." Value is getting what you pay for, but there's really more to it than that. It's a two-way street. "Value only works if it's mutual: I'm very likely to value a printer because they value me and vice-versa.

"I may be inclined to go with a higher bid on a job if I know it's more suited to that particular printer, and they're reliable enough to give me confidence they will do a good job. Of course, a good relationship ties into it, as well. If I get a great price from a printer I've never used before, I still may weigh it less than an average price from a printer I've been working with for years. Trust is a valuable part of a relationship," Giliberto added.

"Reliability is a big part of it…but it is also their ability to do the job with a lot of knowledge, attention, and care and very little handholding from me—but enough modesty to ask for the right amount of handholding should they need it. That's valuable.

"I know I'm not and never will be the biggest fish in the pond, but that doesn't mean my jobs are any less important...Our customers value the products we make, and we value the customers who buy them. Therefore, I need to value the vendors who supply us with them, and, for that, they need to value me as a customer."

I wondered how printers define "value." I sought input from Dean Petrulakis and Joe Wagner. Dean's the senior vice president of business development for Rider Dickerson in Chicago. Joe's the manager of business development for HBP Inc., a communications company in Hagerstown, MD. When I think of these two, I think of intelligence and talent, marketing expertise and relationship building. They're influencers and extremely active.

"The value of a business relationship stems from trust, confidence and the interaction within the relationship contributing to reputation," offered Wagner. "I've often said that 'I don't sleep, so you can' to my clients. My customers and clients know that is when trust becomes a value."

Focusing on how a printer provides his clients with real value is an interesting exercise. Value is about "doing what you say you are going to do, being on time, going the extra step to assure that their job is easier," Wagner noted. "I can't be the least expensive supplier, but I can justify my pricing when my service and quality of product are the best. My job is simple: make my client look the best and feel confident their project is done correctly, on time and something they will be proud of."

"I think in any industry, value is different by customer," contended Petrulakis. "The key is knowing the customer inside and out, asking the right questions and listening. Get to know the customers' needs and objectives so you can add the value…Ultimately, value lies in the eye of the customer."

Are value and cost connected? "I think they're tightly connected," he wrote. "…if clients see no discernible difference between me and the competition, and no additional value in me, my company and my solution, they'll defer to low price." It's his job to create perceived value, which is in the eye of the client. When clients perceive a greater value in his solution, they're willing to spend more to work with him.

Value is neither tangible nor measurable, but "an emotional thing," Petrulakis said. "You feel it and you sense it. When the value is there, the client just knows it in their gut. They know that the project is in the right hands."

It's worthwhile for printers to discuss with their teams how clients might perceive them in terms of value. Providing value is a philosophy first, and then an ongoing commitment that's evident in customer relationships.

Though it may have different shades of meaning to every client, it's clear that each customer attaches great significance to a printer's value. PI

About the Author

Long regarded as a print buyer expert and trade writer, Margie Dana launched a new business as a marketing communications strategist with a specialty in printing and print buying. She's as comfortable working in social media as she is in traditional media, and now she's on a mission to help clients build customer communities through carefully crafted content. Dana was the producer of the annual Print & Media Conference. Although she's exited the event business, she is still publishing her Print Tips newsletter each week. For more details and to sign up for her newsletter and marketing blog, visit www.margiedana.com.