The sticky customer test
Here’s a quick exercise that you should carry out Pick your top ten customers. And ask these three questions about each one of them: Why do they stay with you? For this question, you can’t answer service, quality or price. Everyone offers good quality and service, these days. And it is easy to find a cheaper price. You have to have a much better reason for them to remain. How easy is it for them to move? Would moving be a slow, painful and expensive process for them? Or could they just send their print jobs elsewhere if their reason…
What are sticky customers and why you need them
Are you losing customers? This is perfectly normal. Google suggest that you will lose 15% of your customers every year. According to the Customer Success Report the average B2B company has a customer churn rate of 6.7%. There are a lot of reasons why you may be losing customers. The competition is constantly trying to poach your clients. Some customers will leave because they feel that they will be better looked after elsewhere. Others follow better prices. And some just stop using print. You need to win a lot of new customers just to stand still. Increasing customer retention rates by just…
AI and the printing industry in 2024
Artificial intelligence is going to affect the printing industry in a big way I wrote about AI in depth a few months ago. You can read about Nine ways Artificial Intelligence will affect the print industry here. I’m not planning to cover the same ground. Instead, here are three other issues about AI that I haven’t yet covered: AI is becoming a search tool (and it’s incorrect) I don’t believe that AI was intended to be used this way, but many people are using it as an alternative to Google. They mistakenly believe that it will give more accurate answers. However,…
How algorithms disadvantage print
Algorithms are biased Most are focused on giving you more of what they think you want to or should see. If you have a favourite team, the algorithm will always tell you more about that team. And it will hide information about other teams. That sounds great in theory, but it prevents us receiving a balanced view of life. So what’s this got to do with print? Whilst the algorithm might help us focus more on our preferred hobbies, it is less helpful in business. If I am a marketer and I see some interesting articles on digital marketing, the…
Experiential marketing changes the conversation print must have with marketing
It’s no longer all about print vs or print plus email/adwords Intelligent marketing is beginning to move away from bombarding us all with endless e-mails and adwords. The cost of online keyword advertising has risen sharply. And audiences are becoming tired of all the endless noise that this creates. In a recent episode of his Marketing Companion podcast, Mark Schaefer covers the Six Pillars Of Our Marketing future. One of the pillars he discusses is the rise of experiential marketing. According to Forbes, 77% of marketers are already using it. What is experiential marketing? Experiential Marketing is all about creating…
UKvUSA: Prospecting Print and New Business in 2024
Want to win new business in 2024? Matthew Parker and Deborah Corn are here to help! 👉 A reminder of how UKvUSA started 👉 2 tips from Matthew and 2 tips from Deborah 👉 Plus the power of mystery shopping There’s even a point where we agree! How do you plan to win sales in 2024? (Scroll down for all the show links and also a transcript) PS If you liked what I had to say, make sure you sign up below for regular updates from me Get your free copy of “10 Common Print Selling Errors And What To Do About Them’…
Single use will become a hot topic – what does it mean for print?
We have all seen the images of an ocean inundated by plastic The images are horrific. Governments are responding. And one of the major movements has been to target single-use plastic. In many areas, the majority of single-use plastic is banned. However, plastic is only the start. The discussions around single use items are set to increase. Single-use print will also be on the radar. People will start to question the use of items such as paper wrap, wrapping paper, flyers and door-drops and even direct mail. Claiming that paper is recyclable is no longer enough Paper has an excellent…
What does carbon measurement mean for the printing industry in 2024?
Carbon footprint is becoming more important than price This is what some major buyers of print for well-known organisations and brands have told me. Their directive is that reducing carbon is so important that their organisations are prepared to spend more to achieve this. Not everyone is thinking this way yet, but the trend is spreading. And it is not just big brands that are looking at this: many smaller companies are investing in reducing their carbon footprint. Printing companies have to reduce their carbon output If you want to be a supplier to these sorts of companies, it is…
5 trends that will affect the printing industry in 2024
How far can you see into the future? I listened to a podcast recently where the presenter said that they used to be happy predicting five-year trends. However, now they struggle with more than six months. I felt it important to share some of the issues that I think printing companies should be thinking about at the start of the year. Will they be the same ones as I recommend at the end of the year? We will have to wait and see! Carbon measurement This is going to become even more important in 2024. Not only is this the…
What do you want to achieve next year?
It’s that time of year again! Yes, it’s when many people start focussing on setting budgets and targets for next year. Most targets centre around figures. But it is good to look at the wider picture as well. Here are some other areas where it is worth thinking about targets: These areas may not be figure-based, but they are all essential parts of creating a good company that achieves its targets. Here’s a guide to creating realistic sales targets Check out “How To Succeed At Print Sales”. You learn all the elements of a successful sales target and the powerful…