Too seldom are we asking, “Why are we here, where are we going and do our actions support our answers? Why aren’t we willing to “put on the table”…. what we are doing or neglecting that should not occur? The answer includes, “Then we’ll know more of the truth and we’ll have even bigger difficulty avoiding…… not acting… on what we know….….!”

An Inside Sales Rep, with immediate, day-to-day staff support --- working at desk, with a computer --- and phone --- just a short distance from her/his Sales Manager --- becomes profitable for the employer…….

Why take a long-term view a strategic view of everything you’re about based on “Value created for target customers”……”Value recognized by target customers”?

In other segments of our economy when an important product does not receive great, reliable performance and especially SERVICE, that product brand name becomes trash…a pariah. It’s true of autos, computers, food companies, appliances and it’s true for commercial print.

In today’s world of increasing technology, “Great Customer Service”…. is the ‘gold standard’… of modest organizations….for winning your war against large, publicly owned, technology-driven organizations… who prove by what they do….that they don’t really care about their customers.

What do you know about what your current customers know and don’t know about your company’s capabilities and how much of their business you are receiving and not receiving? A modest investment can reward you with an incredible ROI and it certainly helps to know who and where and why to focus your time and attention.

“Print Buyers” tend to reward suppliers….who work to: (a) educate and train them in a constructive manner… (b) show them how to accomplish more….and (c) make their jobs --- easier… (i.e… not wasting their time).

What’s it worth to learn which of your customers are only awarding you 11% of their business…? What’s it worth to learn which  three of your top 10 customers are willing to tell you that you aren’t very important to them….?

Your customers do NOT know what your company can produce, they tend to only know what they buy from you. Every “Client Open-House” I’ve ever observed, resulted in “uplifting morale” including but not limited to “first-time” introductions to important customers we’d only heard about or only talked to on the phone or had not personally talked to for...

Most readers of this column have a “Customer Profile” software of some design. That Customer Profile software --- is for supplier’s customer contact personnel --- to learn and record --- “Important Customer Information”  including what each Customer/Buyer wants, needs, and doesn’t want.