The sales department is humming. Reps coming in and out of the office, phones are ringing, emails are chiming, and the estimating department is backed up with many quotes to do – but the question I’ve got to ask is: are they busy with transactions and jobs, or are...
For years now, Michael Porter has reminded all business leaders that their performance is shaped by forces largely outside of their control. Well, in the print world, those forces are alive and well, and at times more intense than ever. None of this is new...
What will you stop doing this year? I don’t mean having that extra scoop of ice cream on a Wednesday night, I’m talking about the things you need to stop doing so that you’ll have time to do the things that are most important to you and your business. These are the...
Every year, printing companies create a sales budget. After much tweaking, negotiating, and some wishful thinking, the numbers are finalized, the goal is clear, and everyone says, “Let’s do this!” However, the simple truth is a budget is just a number. It doesn’t tell...
“Structural change rewrites the rules. And structural change redefines our industry.” That statement was oh so relevant in the 2007 NAPL State of the Industry report. Nearly two decades later, that statement hasn’t aged – it’s matured. The opportunity...
It’s easy to get caught up in the mindset of being a train conductor. Your daily objectives are to keep the engines gassed up, and the schedules tight. With additional goals of keeping the day-to-day operations gliding along without going off the rails, especially in...