Thad Kubis

Being diligent means to know your market, your market’s needs, and how to talk to your market.

Diligent — not the first word you think of when you think about new business programs, is it? Yet it should be one of the first words that you think and rethink every 45 days. Why 45 days? Based on any number of studies, 45 days is the time frame that you need to promote your business — basically every month and a half, 8.2 times per year, year after year!

From my viewpoint, I see the majority of articles in most print industry-based publications discuss Sales and Marketing. Sales and Marketing seem to be presented as family members — brothers and sisters, or sometimes partners. Is this a correct comparison or connection? I am not sure, are you?

Yes, new business is a simple as 1, 2 and 3. The problem has been for most that the order is often incorrectly applied, or subsets are inserted that deflate the process and invalidate the program. So the simple 1, 2 and 3 becomes, 3, 1 and 2, plus 2a, 3b, 1f, and so on!

Few fully recognize that commercial printers offer one or more of three segments of the bigger business model — these segments are Information (newspapers, magazines etc.,), Product Logistics (packaging, et all), and Marketing, sell, and advertising (self defined). Two out of these three segments are far from dying, and even the definition of death is open to discussion.

A new dawning in the age of printer-based self-promotion has arrived. Printers are brands, not providers, not suppliers and they must begin to act as a brand and market themselves as such! Think of awareness in the same manner as the proverbial onion. Each layer needs to be peeled back (used) to fully benefit from the wonder of this often-misunderstood vegetable. How misunderstood is your firm, the services and products you offer?

You can and should use your print-based tools integrated with online digital tools to make your marketing and communications as interactive as possible. Your selected media needs to be based on the perceived value of the selected media to your demographic

A key component of your future success involves your understanding and accepting those trends that will make you more productive, more profitable, and more attractive to your future prospects. This understanding should be in your DNA.

vertical you are targeting to develop new business.

When considering a new business program, re-branding your current business, or building leads to grow your business, you need to consider many if not all of the IX Mutant Print-for-Profit Muses: (Relevance, Interaction, Integration, Engagement, Dialogue, Content, Context, Metrics, and ROI) as part of your marketing and communication process.

Printing is a game of numbers, a game of metrics. From the very earliest stage — the bid — estimate numbers rule the process.

This month, I will discuss the importance of being relevant as it relates to your sales process and development of new business.

Content is only one part of a self-promotion. Context marketing can amplify the value of your content to your prospects and customers

I personally believe — and have seen the proof in action — that a relationship with limited, shallow, or non-existent dialogue, is a short-term relationship in which there is no winner. Dialogue needs to have a series of supporting and foundational components that include relevance, content and context.

Engagement is more than just dialogue or discussion or conversation. Engagement measures the relationship that the client or consumer has with the brand, via a simple formula. Think of the following: Engagement builds trust via the brand’s messaging, the media used, and the "product or idea" that the brand offers. When engaged to the correct demographics (critical need), you and your brand, as well as your printing facility, will benefit greatly.