Getting clear about what you and your team are good at is a great start to figuring out where you can go and what you can take advantage of in this changing digital world.
There is a lot of talk about printers needing to evolve/transition/change/react to the new landscape of digital media. Nothing wrong with the talk – there is a heck of a lot changing under our feet; no doubt it deserves a response.
One thing I would like printers to consider first is; what are you good at? (If you prefer smart sounding business lingo then what’s your core competency?). I know it sounds simple, obvious, no duh – what are we good at?
But you have to agree that it’s a good starting point for determining where/how/what you’re going to evolve into? You can’t simply run off and jump into the marketing services arena if the only expertises you have on your staff are great print manufacturers (excellent press folks, pre-press, etc…). Please don’t kid yourself, there may be some exceptions but the knowledge/expertise transfer from manufacturing to marketing is not common.
Look at your talent, look deeper than your initial impressions, ask more questions than just assuming you know what individuals are good at because they’ve worked for you for years. Do you know how they engage in digital/social media outside of work? Do you know if they have a personal passion for environmental issues? Could the leader of your green initiative or your social marketing strategy already be sitting in your pre-press department?
What are you good at – as a business and as an individual business leader? Maybe a merger makes sense because you know you absolutely love the manufacturing part of your business and absolutely hate the sales and marketing part? Find a partner that loves what you can’t stand.
What I love about getting older (yes, I said that) – I love that I keep getting more and more clear about what I’m good at and what I struggle with. It’s a liberating moment, not sure when it happened for me, later than I hoped it would, when I realized I didn’t have to be good at everything. Find what you’re good at and figure out how that can be leveraged in the new digital media world. Find your niche, trying to be something you’re not is a recipe for business disaster and personal unhappiness.
Jennifer: Good thoughts…
I am a “codger” of 90+ and retired from The Hearst Corp. I was Director of Operations for Hearst and had a wonderful time helping “manage” editors, artists, and production personnel in the transition from Linotype to electronics. Finding what one is “good at” is not easy, but a lot of fun when one gets “lucky”.
Bill Mullin
Bill – what a history you’ve had. You don’t sound like a codger at all. I love getting older and figuring it out. In my 20′s I thought you had to be good at everything, that didn’t work out to well for me or anyone around me ;-)
Jen
I am amazed at the amount of printers that simply try to “re-brand” themselves as website designers, or as marketing experts without really knowing any more about that than they did before.
Why would you go to a quick printer for web design?
Stick with what you know.
James – agreed, we might need to expand our products and services to face new market realities but you have to be realistic about what you’re good at first.
jen
This is so true for all of us, but I really like how you related it to printers.
We talk to printers who say they want to get into web to print, but have no clear goal of what they want to do with it, what services to provide, how to use it grow their business.
Start by looking at what you are good at!
Marion,
Exactly the problem for both printer and vendor. Making a purchase without a clear plan almost never turns out well for either party.
Jen
Hi Jen
I was reading your WEB2PRINT book yesterday and I stopped at this part. It stumped me.
We are a Digital Print on Demand Book Printer. So books make up 90% of our business. We want/will move to an e-commerce platform. I had it in my head the WEB2PRINT was best for commercial stuff like calendards, business cards, T shirts, caps. All commodity items that we could easily give a unit cost for and sell. BUT…thinking about things and hearing what you are saying we just just extened what we are good at, Books, to out digital platform. It makes 100% sense to me. What I need to get my head around is: how that adds value to my client. Are you saying the fact they can transact online, see production progress, even have quotes in a flash. That is enough for now…as we develope and clients needs grow we can use the system to add further value. At least that is the picture I am seeing in my head.
Thanks