Published Articles

A Business Development Strategy For Companies Pursuing Control Over Their Destiny

Published in: Georgia Printer, Winter 2000

If you think of your company as a printer, you may be in serious trouble. I've personally become convinced over the last few years that though a company may have outstanding cost controls, image reproduction, productivity, and even terrific advertising campaigns (read that as calendars and giveaways), if we haven't developed the capacity to develop customers and new business, we are guaranteed to eventually suffer – and fail.

Published in: Printing Industries of America, Inc., Sales & Marketing Advisory, May 2000

Last month, Sid discussed the need for basing business decisions on the requirements of the customer. This is the second article in a series of two.

Introduction 

Our ability to successfully generate new business and customer development – through elevation of our company's differentiation – ultimately depends on customization of our product and service programs for select customers. This customization is not merely acceptable images at competitive prices, delivered on time. That's a given, and it's expected. What might this customization of product and service programs to select customers look like – as it's practiced?

Published in: Printing Industries of America, Inc., Sales & Marketing Advisory, April 2000

Graphic arts companies have generally measured customers' value by profitability and volume -- in dollars. Customers are also measured by an invisible but recognizable "difficulty factor." Almost everyone in a printer's organization knew each customer's rating by this invisible "grief barometer."

It's been said that roughly 15 percent of the largest 500 graphic arts companies during 1989 are no longer in business or are unrecognizable as a result of mergers. Ironically, this trend should be encouraging to the balance of our industry's firms. After all, it's a small but growing testimony that company size or iron-on-the-floor don't, in themselves, ensure a company's prosperity or success.

Published in: American Printer, February 1993

The causes of performance results companies experience are systemic. It's the rare management, regardless of a company's size, that is tracking and internally promoting what it does right. Too often the emphasis is on reviewing what is wrong. A company's success, particularly in a competitive environment, is dependent on having ongoing and detailed organizational feedback and direction, sometimes in great detail.

Published in: American Printer, October 1992

An organization's structure impacts its performance, positively or negatively, including its return on investments in employee education and training.

Published in: American Printer, April 1992

For reasons that are as varied as individuals are different, too many business people "just don't get it." Most still do not accept the fact that there has been a radical change in how the business world works. Not only do they refuse to acknowledge the essence of the issues, but with competitive market pressures mounting, they instead frantically search for "more facts" to support the old paradigms.

Published in: American Printer, September 1991

How do you know whether or not you've performed well this week, month or year? That's a question I'm commonly asked in my line of work. Employees answer in a variety of ways.