Clay’s recruiting and strategic consulting efforts over the past 20 years have provided firms in the printing and communications industries the talent and perspective that has enabled them to navigate the constant change they’ve faced. His current company, the bleedingEDGE, provides digital printing firms with 1:1 marketing solutions that enable their small- and medium-sized clients to compete with larger competitors using a cooperative strategy and production model. In addition to the normal 1:1 marketing techniques of personalization and customization, the bleedingEDGE incorporates timing strategies, generational analysis and sociological factors in producing results well above the norm.
Why is it most companies only concentrate on making sure things run perfectly without event—hoping nothing bad ever happens? That, unfortunately, won’t create any good memories either; just no memories at all. We remember the out-of-the-ordinary experiences—whether good or bad.
Your customers—and especially your prospects—don’t care about you. They don’t care about the products you’re selling, and they don’t care about your company. People don't buy features, they don’t really even buy ROI. What they buy is what that ROI will do for them.
Here’s an idea. Be different by being “old school.” But you have to show clients why they should take a step back rather than two forward. It’s all about the applications and uses for print; uses they forgot about.
Over the last few weeks, I've read several reports on the state of the printing industry and the outlook for 2011. I’ve been surprised. Most of them project sales, especially in the direct marketing sector, to be up.
Groupon is a one night stand for businesses. Now I know I shouldn't feel sorry for the lemmings out there masquerading as business owners—but I kind of do. How can you not be mesmerized by the all attention and media fawning Groupon's been getting.
Isn’t there a way of presenting our value to the world other than just through the money we make and our consumption habits? In light of the sky-high valuations of Facebook, Groupon and Twitter, this matter seems to be especially relevant.
