Bad Printer Branding
Has anyone else noticed how badly most printers are branded? Most seem to claim the position “we can do anything”, which doesn’t help me at all. I want to know where a printer is great. What’s their sweet spot? Are you great with spot color stationery projects? Are you fast and cheap? Are you value-color? Are you best at large projects? Are you spectacular at the difficult-to-print, perfect-color jobs designers seem to love? In fact, are you used to working with designers?
I have a printer I love for 2 or 3 color stationery projects. Their quality is very high and their prices are usually the best I can find for these kinds of jobs. Their 4-color printing is, well, awful.
I have another printer that is a nice mix of good color and good price that is a nice fit for clients on a budget. I don’t think of them for tight-registration, tricky, quality driven projects.
The now defunct Paragon Printing was a well positioned with me. They had a small press, eliminating them from over-sized jobs, and they were more expensive than other printers they bid against. But if I had a tricky job, they were great.
So if you are a printer sales person, be prepared when you call on me. Don’t tell me about your new presses. Tell me what sets you apart from other printers. Tell me what type of project you will print for me better than anyone else.
Of course, isn’t this the challenge we all face in business?
Steve Olsen said:
Peter,
I really appreciate this blog. I have not had many opportunites to talk to designers, as you were quick to point out. You bring up some very good points and this information is extremely helpful. As I mentioned, I have many years of printing experience in production and customer service. I enjoy learning from experts like yourself and this information you have shared is really valuable to someone like myself, who is just starting out in selling printing services.
Regards,
Steve Olsen