On May 28th, Panaprint celebrated 50 years in business as a successful Commercial Printer specializing in the production of a wide range of publications, general commercial work, and Wide-Format. Here are my observations on their Value System.

It’s almost instinctive and expected today that we want things better, faster, and cheaper. But shortcuts don’t guarantee success. Quite the reverse, in fact. When we take shortcuts, we tend to be careless and place more emphasis on efficiency than on quality! Is it worth the risk?

Production and sales staffs knew for possibly the 1st time in their careers they had a leader who would not wait for the phone to ring. This leader recognized the value of relentless, relevant education for the whole team. Are you that leader?

After talking with a group of owners, it's my observation that too many commercial print companies operate much like those companies, mediocrity at its best. Read what you can do to change it.

A little walk down memory lane. I’m still passionate, are you? Can your customers tell you are? Passion is a gift – a strong liking or desire and devotion to some activity, object, or concept. Remember, customers will choose passion over transactional every time.

When was the last time you wrote a "Thank You Note" to a customer or a supplier? I had my client's team do this for two weeks. Upon my return, I could practically taste their excitement to share their stories and emotions about what happened.

Here it is the promised update regarding my ‘Wow, Are You Obtaining Other Bids Now?’ article in February. So, did we win the 20 Full-Wrap Fleet Graphic Project? Read to see ‘how’ we consider we won!

Forbes interviewed former print industry analyst Matt Swain about leveraging customer experience (CX) for a competitive edge in the current economic environment. Swain shares that the bills, statements, letters, notices, and marketing, informational, and regulatory materials are critical to how clients perceive a company’s CX and innovation. 

Know your numbers and estimate appropriately for a specific project -- do not allow customers to devalue your value! Customers may have a number in their heads that have no bearing or likeness to the actual project. Stand tall and do not give in to their belief that the project should be cheaper (how the heck do they know)?

Working closely and openly with suppliers allows us to understand their products and how they can affect the outcome of our projects. We don’t need order takers; we need knowledgeable suppliers who are “motivated” to inform us of the best use of materials and new materials coming to market.