canvas magazine | legacy | june 2016

Best practices for building your creative brand

7 sales tips you can use right now

Uncovering the real myths of employee engagement

IN THIS ISSUEEMPOWERING

MARKETINGSERVICE

PROVIDERS

JUNE 2016

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CANVAS P1

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JUNEVOLUME 10 • ISSUE 6 • PRINT EDITION

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Inside this issue| Publisher’s Note

BOILERPLATE

BOILERPLATE

Publisher’s Note: Success has no grandsons

STAT PACK

CORNER OFFICE

5 steps to a culture shift

6 myths of employee engagement

Book rec: Dealstorming

BEHIND THE CURTAIN

Industry news & more!

MSP

Neenah: Your creative inspiration here

06

ALSO INSIDE

24

08

15

12

30WHO YOU GONNA CALL?

Dialing in on what it means to be a printer in

the digital age

16 CREATIVE CORNER: STEPHEN PENNING

On why print still matters

1004

36THE WINNING HAND

Seven easy tips to sell more

1 1

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P4 CANVAS JUNE 2016

BOILERPLATE

Inside this issue| Publisher’s Note

CANVAS, Volume 10, Issue 4. copyright 2016 CANVAS, All rights reserved. CANVAS is published bi-monthly for $39.00 per year by Conduit, Inc., 2180 Satellite Blvd., Suite 400, Duluth, GA 30097 Periodicals postage pending at Duluth, GA and additional mailings offices. Periodical Publication 25493. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to CANVAS, 2180 Satellite Blvd., Suite 400, Duluth, GA 30097. Please note: The acceptance of advertising or products mentioned by contributing authors does not constitute endorsement by the publisher. Publisher cannot accept responsibility for the correctness of an opinion expressed by contributing authors.

CANVAS magazine is dedicated to environmentally and socially responsible operations. We are proud to print this magazine on Opus® Dull Cover 80lb/216gsm and Opus Dull Text 80lb/118gsm, an industry-leading, environmentally responsible paper. Opus contains 10% post consumer waste and SFI and FSC chain of custody certification.

I was once told that in order to become wealthy, you need one of two things to happen. You either need to own something, or you need to inherit the dough. The likelihood of owning something seems a little more possible than having someone leave you a pile of money.

In an unlikely analogy, it is a lot like faith. You see, there are many people who feel that if you grow up in a faith-based household, there is a good chance you will exhibit the same values. Whether it is a faith in God, money, or squatting monkeys, your family has a great influence on how you see the world today. However, the family does not have the ability to bequeath a belief in something.

The reality is that you cannot inherit success either. It simply doesn’t work that way. In order to truly know suc-cess, you must choose it for yourself and not have some-one leave it to you. Independent will is the greatest hu-man gift, and being able to choose how to act, believe, and think sets us apart from the animal kingdom.

Success has no grandsons. Positivity and thought-fulness have no grandsons. In other words, unless you have direct relationships with the things you want to believe in and achieve, then you can never truly know them. Certainly, the idea of leaving a legacy is important and increases the chances of your followers doing well. However those who come after you must discover their own path to know true success.

Oftentimes, I want so much for my kids to achieve something or act a certain way. I want them to have faith in the things that I am telling them. And while my constant bar-rage of insight might help, they could only own those values if they independently choose them for themselves.

Don’t wait for someone or something to provide what you think you need. You must find it and own it for yourselves. Success can only come when you own that goal. In turn, owning any-thing takes great invest-ment and an unrelenting demonstration of your independent will.

We hope you will use your will to read this issue cover to cover. The main feature, “Legacy,” is a great story about how to operate day to day with your clients and how to carry yourself as a successful business person. The second feature, “Designing Business,” offers a neat outlook on the business of design and gives you a perspective on a segment near and dear to all of us.

Enjoy the issue and please consider attending thinkMSP 2016. It will be a blast.

CONTRIBUTORS

@THECANVASMAG 2180 Satellite Blvd., Suite 400Duluth, GA 30097WWW.THECANVASMAG.COM

MANAGING EDITORmichael j. pallerino

CREATIVE DIRECTORbrandon clark

SALES/MARKETINGmark potter

lisa arsenaultMcArdle Solutionsgina dannerNextPagetom moeDaily Printingdean petrulakisRider Dickersondavid bennettBennett Graphics

EDITORIAL BOARD

THE CANVAS TEAM

GET IN TOUCH WITH US

Linda Bishop, President,Thought Transformation

@Linda_Bishop

PUBLISHED BY

SUCCESS HAS NO GRANDSONS

Don’t wait for someone or something to provide what you think you need. You

must find it and own it for yourselves.

Mark Potter, Publisher

@MarkRicePotter

Warmest regards,

Justin Ahrens Founder & Principal, Rule29

@JustinAhrens

Magi GrazianoCEO, Conscious Hiring and Development

@keenmargo

Jamar LasterCANVAS [email protected]

Pete Wiltjer, Owner, PWMG Inc.

@pwiltjer

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STAT PACK

DID YOU KNOW?According to [24]/7’s “2016 US Customer Engagement Index,” anger over poor service has led to 47 percent of consumers saying that they would take their business to a competitor within one day (if price and products are of equal value). In addition, 79 percent say they would do it within one week. The report surveyed 1,200 U.S. consumers across four age groups: Millennials (age 18-30), Generation Xers (age 31-49), Baby Boomers (age 50-69) and members of the Greatest Generation (age 69-plus). Interestingly, members of the Millennial and GenX generations are less patient than previous generations.

– Umang Shah, global director of digital marketing and innovation at Campbell Soup, on why brands should encourage innovation

by mandating failure

The idea behind this is if we don’t know

where the edges are, how do we know if we’re pushing the

boundaries? We want projects that everyone is

going to be looking at five years from now.”

The percent of marketers who are expressing more confidence in fueling a return on investment with social media, according to Salesforce’s “State of Marketing” report. In addition, 67 percent are planning to boost social marketing budgets, the survey found. The report surveyed nearly 4,000 marketers from around the world.

P6 CANVAS JUNE 2016

CANVAS P7

DID YOU GET MY EMAIL?Survey shows just how much we check our messages

Emails aren’t just for work anymore. According to Samanage’s “Email Overload

Survey,” 35.2 percent of U.S. adults check email at least one hour every day outside of

work hours. If you’re looking for some perspective, that adds up to more than 30 days

of extra work per year, or triple the number of vacation days the average U.S. worker

receives every year. The study gauged opinions of 1,500 U.S. adults.

Here’s some other interesting nuggets the survey uncovered:

55.2%25.

6%

24.2%

23% 19.2% 18.9%

Prefer a text message over email,

online chat, intranet or

social media

Keep connected

to stay organized

Need to

stay connected

Check email “very often”

during dinner

Wake up to check work email “very often”

Receive more

than 100 emails

every day

Perspective | Leadership | Insights CORNEROFFICE

5 steps to a culture shift

Justin Ahrens is founder

and principal of Rule29,

an award winning

suburban Chicago-

based strategic creative

firm. He is a frequent

guest blogger, national

speaker and author of “Life Kerning: Creative

Ways to Fine Tune Your Perspective on Career

and Life” (Wiley). Follow him and Rule29 on

Twitter – @justinahrens and @rule29.

n the first two parts of this series on the importance of understanding culture, we took an up-close and personal look at why it is one of the most important components to your company’s success.

We examined the true essence of a good culture, and why it is impor-tant to have a true collective expression of values from every member of

your team to make it work.To note, there is a clear path to healthy culture, and you achieve this one

step at a time. Let’s look at what it takes to get there:

DefineBegin by reflecting on and prioritizing the values your company stands for, and the beliefs you hold about how people work best.

Be strategicWhy these principles? What sort of environment will they construct? What sort of people will thrive in this environment?

Be concreteWhat concrete behaviors are associated with these beliefs? How can you encourage them?

ImplementIn order for culture to be more than lip service, it must be used to guide decision-making and design policy. It is through the implementation of cultural preferences that you create an environment that will retain the people you want to keep.

Implementation also acts as a means of communication, demonstrating the culture by providing a host of daily, action-based reminders of organizational values. Cultural preferences can guide the design of a workplace that caters to the type of employee you want in insightful and unexpected ways.

For example, Exxon Mobil – with a culture that leans toward the extremes of rigidity, formality and systemization – was considering switching from a defined benefits plan to a defined contribution plan (more commonly offered by compa-nies today). They decided against it, concluding, “the security the defined ben-efits plan provides is more in sync with the values of the employees the company hopes to retain.”

Filter for a cultural fitA formal cultural assessment is an invaluable tool – it allows for statistically valid measurements of cultural preferences. Another common practice is re-quiring prospective employees to specifically address your core values during the application and interview process. Asking the applicant’s take on core val-ues (or inviting them to share how they embody these values) gathers relevant

information about cultural fit and sends a clear message about the kind of person who will be successful in your organization.

Filter for passionIn addition to cultural preferences, the in-terview process should assess an individu-al’s passion. Passion motivates individuals to add value to the world and themselves beyond the confines of their daily duties. The subject of one’s passion doesn’t necessar-ily need to be a part of one’s job, but often in creative spheres it can be.

Whenever possible, employees should be empowered to bring their passions into their work in creative ways. People are more engaged when the subject of their passion can be incorporated into professional proj-ects, and this encourages a culture of high involvement and personal ownership.

Assessing your cultureNot sure where you stand? Ask yourself and your team these questions to assess your culture:

• Can you concisely define what you stand for, believe and value? Can your employees?

• What concrete policies are in place to foster these values?

• Are you filtering new hires based on cultural fit?

• Do your workers have opportunities for growth and development?

• Are passion projects optional? Are they encouraged?

• How do you foster a sense of ownership?

• Does everyone in your organization have the same definition of success?

Depending on your answers to the above, you will have an idea of where to add detail or shift. No matter where you land, remem-ber that everyone has a culture preference. If you don’t understand that, you are doomed to frustration.

Remember, if you filter for the culture you need at your company, you’ll be much closer to the successful outcomes you desire.

BY JUSTIN AHRENS

If you filter for the culture you need at your company, you’ll be much closer to the successful outcomes you desire.

Editor’s note: This is the final installment of a three-part series by CANVAS columnist Justin Ahrens on the importance of under-standing culture. Go online at thecanvasmag.com to read the first two pieces in our October 2015 and February 2016 issues.

P8 CANVAS JUNE 2016

CORNER OFFICE

Perspective | Leadership | Insights

Six myths of employee engagementMyth No. 5 – Employees should be satisfied with their current positionHigh-performing people must see a pathway for themselves in the role they own and in the company they work in. Engagement research shows that when people see a pathway for growth and development they provide a higher-level of consistent results. When em-ployees feel a company is invested in their growth, they’re more committed to their role and more connected to how they impact the success of the company.

Myth No. 6 – Your company is enough to keep your employeesWhat has become painfully apparent over the last decade is that people don’t leave compa-nies – they leave managers. When good em-ployees don’t have strong relationships with their managers, no incentive or brand loyalty will keep them fully engaged. People need to feel appreciated, respected, acknowledged and important. They want regular feedback and mentoring.

While all of these perceived solutions are good ideas as components of an effective employee engagement program, alone, they are insufficient means to drive employee con-nection and engagement. A well thought-out, conscious employee engagement program considers who people are as individuals, and allows for customization in the approach to assigning work and giving feedback. Individu-alization is a 21st Century shift from the one size-fits-all management of the ’80s. A main component of a well-built employee engage-ment program includes a highly competent management team that embraces coaching and mentoring their people.

When a manager takes the time to offer professional development opportunities, communicate how the employee’s role con-tributes to the overall organization’s suc-cess, and rewards for great performance, employees feel valued and appreciated and engagement soars.

Magi Graziano is CEO of Conscious Hiring and Development, a speaker, and an expert on employee recruitment and en-gagement. She also is author of “The Wealth

of Talent.” For more information, visit www.KeenAlignment.com.

ith today’s global ability to produce carbon copy technol-ogy and business models, people truly are a company’s only competitive advantage. Businesses that want to accentuate and optimize their competitive talent advantage focus on em-ployee engagement strategies that improve overall workforce

productivity and return on staffing investments.A major disruption to employee engagement is the adverse impact of the un-

happiness epidemic across many companies. When employees are disengaged or disenfranchised, performance plateaus or greatly diminishes. If you know why there is unhappiness at work, you can do something about it.

Studies show that the drivers of employee engagement have everything to do with how an employee feels about work and at work. It begins with feeling connected and invested in the company’s mission and direction, and contin-ues with trusting leadership. The first step in creating and inspiring engage-ment in the workforce is to debunk the pervasive and misleading myths about employee engagement. Here are six myths that disrupt a company’s ability to keep people engaged:

Myth No. 1 – A flexible work environment fosters productivityWhile remote work opportunities reduce the carbon footprint and avert hours wasted in traffic, more often than not, companies do a poor job of looping remote workers into the day-to-day activities of the business. Unfortunately, a typically adverse impact of remote work for the employee is out of sight, out of mind. Research shows that remote workers and workers with flex time schedules receive less coaching and mentoring, and miss out on the institutional knowledge-sharing and socialization that happens in the typical course of a shared workspace.

Myth No. 2 – Strong paychecks equal strong loyaltyNot all people primarily are motivated by money, and more often than not, fair and sustainable pay is not a motivator. It’s a table stake. For years, managements have approached solving the employee retention problem through monetary re-wards and incentives. While this economic motivator works for 20 percent of the population, most organizations find that this alone is insufficient in reversing the turnover trend.

Truth be told, for 80 percent of the working population, money doesn’t cre-ate engagement. Forty percent want workplace rewards in terms of more edu-cational opportunities, rewarding and challenging projects, and the sense that they can further their knowledge and career path as a result of working with a specific company or in a certain role. The other 40 percent want to feel emotion-ally connected to the mission and service of the organization, and to the cus-tomers they serve. Increasing customer-facing opportunities is more rewarding than a few extra bucks in their paycheck or a gift card. If anything, workers use money to create bidding wars between current and future employers.

Myth No. 3 – Employee independence is necessary for performanceOne pervasive myth is that all employees need autonomy and independence, and the more hands-off that management is, the better the employee will perform. The reality is that autonomy and independence are not values everyone shares. To one employee, being left alone can be a true benefit. They may thrive when left to their own devices. To others, it leaves them disconnected, isolated and ignored.

Myth No. 4 – A job is just a jobToday’s workers are more evolved and present to work-life fulfillment than ever before. They fundamentally want and need more than a job for a paycheck. A striking majority of workers say they want purpose and meaning in the work they do, and that they are happier at work when they know that what they do matters to the success of the organization.

Today’s workers are more evolved and present to work-life fulfillment than ever before. They fundamentally want and need more than a job for a paycheck.

BY MAGI GRAZIANO

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CANVAS P11

Perspective | Technology | Insights CORNEROFFICE

THE CX FACTORSurvey shows what touch points are central

to customer experiencesToday’s customers no longer follow the almighty dol-lar when choosing which brand is right for them. To-day, it’s all about the experience. According to “The CX Challenge” report by Econsultancy and Adobe, 73 percent of consumers prefer to do business with brands that use personal information to make their shopping experiences more relevant. The findings

are forcing marketers to implement strategies to cre-ate the best experiences possible for their custom-ers. The report was based on a survey of 2,252 mar-keting, digital and e-commerce professionals. Here’s how marketers ranked the following touchpoints as

the most important focus for optimizing CX:

BOOK REC

You know it happens – despite your team’s best efforts, some deals inevitably go awry. And too often, it’s the deal that you want or need the most. “Dealstorming” is Tim Sanders’ term for a structured, scalable, repeatable process that can break through any sales deadlock.

Sanders calls the strategy the Swiss Army knife for today’s toughest sales challenges – one that can fix the broken parts of the brainstorming process and reinvigorate account management for today’s increasingly complicated sales environment.

Dealstorming drives sales innovation by combining the wisdom and creativity of everyone who has a stake in the sale. In his seven-step Dealstorming process, Sanders shows how it has helped drive results for companies as diverse as Yahoo!, CareerBuilder, Regus and Condé Nast. The process, based on Sanders’ years as a sales executive and consultant, has led to a stunning 70 percent average closing ratio for teams across all major industries, leading to game-changing deals and long-term B2B relationships.

In today’s ever-competitive landscape, CANVAS believes that we all could use a little Dealstorming to reach the goals we set to get ahead.

Dealstorming:The Secret Weapon That Can Solve Your Toughest Sales ChallengesBy Tim Sanders

THE CONTENT GENERATORSIntuition versus research? When it comes

to developing content ideas, 88 percent of marketers say they use intuition in regular group

meetings, according to Rundown’s “2016 Content Report.” The report also shows that 76 percent say

ideas are developed during dedicated brainstorming sessions, while 60 percent say content ideas are

generated by individual staff members. Interestingly, 52 percent admit that they don’t have a clear

understanding of what content works and why. The report was based on data from a survey of 330

self-identified U.S. content marketers.

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BEHINDTHE CURTAIN

Personnel Moves

GPA has promoted Mary Ann Geers

to the new position of VP of corporate

strategy. Geers will serve as the driving

force behind GPA’s marketing, prod-

uct, research, and development and

technical teams.

R. R. Donnelley & Sons Co. has appointed the board leader-

ship and CEOs of its spinoff companies – LSC Communications Inc., Donnelley Financial Solutions Inc. and R. R. Donnelley &

Sons Co. The spinoffs are expected to be completed by Octo-

ber 2016. Thomas J. Quinlan III will be chairman and CEO of

LSC, while Judith H. Hamilton will head the board of directors.

Daniel N. Leib will be CEO of Donnelley Financial Solutions,

while Richard L. Crandall will serve as chairman of the board.

In addition, Daniel L. Knotts will be CEO of RRD, while John

C. Pope will be chairman of the board. Until the spinoff trans-

actions are complete, the management structure of RRD will

remain in place.

Roland DG Corp. has made a number of key changes within its

sales organization. Tony Miller, previously director of sales, stra-

tegic accounts, has been promoted to oversee all of Roland’s

regional sales managers for the U.S. region. Miller and his team

will support all of Roland’s U.S. product lines, including digital

printers, dental products and 3D devices, as well as managing

the channel partners that sell those products. In addition, Grant

Davis, formerly national accounts manager, has been promoted

to national sales manager. He will lead a newly-formed business

development team focusing on existing national accounts and

new business throughout the United States. Matt Owens and

Daryl Chaffins, previously business development managers for

the product line, also have been promoted to national account

managers. Both will report to Davis.

Roland DG also has made several changes and additions to its

board of directors. Among the appointments, Hidenori Fujioka,

previously director and executive VP of Roland DG, was named

representative director, president of the company, and Masahiro

Tomioka, previously representative director, chairman and presi-

dent, has stepped aside as president, but continues as represen-

tative director and chairman. In addition, David Goward, previ-

ously company director, was promoted to executive VP, director;

Product News

Canon Solutions America Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of

Canon U.S.A., Inc., has announced that DMM Inc., a

leading transactional print and direct mail solutions provider, has

expanded its industry-leading document print production

capabilities to support continued growth with the installation of

two Océ VarioStream 8000 Twin continuous feed printers at its

Scarborough, Maine headquarters. The company’s most recent

investment increases DMM’s data driven transactional print and

direct mail production capabilities and capacity for its customers

who utilize high volume, business-critical, and time-sensitive print

and direct mail pieces.

Idealliance, a leading industry association for print and digital me-

dia best practices, has named Fujifilm’s J Press 720S the indus-

try’s first inkjet production printing solution to achieve Digital Press

System Certification. The certification verifies a system’s ability to

meet or exceed established industry expectations for excellence.

Idealliance certifies the capabilities of commercial production xe-

rographic and inkjet devices to meet GRACoL 2013 specifications

and other specific print standards. The Digital Press System pro-

gram evaluates the entire press system, including the digital front

end, print engine, and paper for testing and certification in areas of

color, print properties and print production. The J Press 720S was

the first system to be certified to the new GRACoL 2013 specifica-

tion, the industry’s latest benchmark for high-quality print.

Katsuhiro Endo was named outside director; Mitsuhiro Honda was

appointed external audit and supervisory board member; and Rob-

ert Curtis, previously director, vice chairman, has retired.

Personnel moves & Product news

CANVAS P13

Around the industry & Awards/Recognition

Around the industry

Roland DGA Corp. has opened its new East Coast Imagination

Center in Wilmington, Mass., near Boston. The 3,500-square-foot

facility will serve as product demonstration and application display

venue, as well as a training and sample production site for Roland

resellers, customers and prospective customers. In addition, the

Imagination Center will be open to the public. Like many of Ro-

land’s business divisions around the world, the facility boasts a

Creative Center gallery that showcases a wide variety of products

made by Roland DG customers and technologies. Visitors can see

actual examples of creative output and get a feel for what these

amazing machines can do.

For the ninth year in a row, Heidelberg USA hosted the annual

SkillsUSA Georgia Competition in Advertising Design and Graphic

Communications at Print Media Center in Atlanta. The Printing and

Imaging Association of Georgia (PIAG) partnered with Heidelberg

to sponsor the event. Heidelberg loaned a number of offset press-

es and, for the first time, sponsored the digital printing portion

of the competition. Heidelberg representatives were on hand to

conduct training and assessment using a Linoprint CP digital press.

Additionally, Baumfolder loaned a Baum 714 Tabletop folder for

the finishing area of the contest. PIAG’s Educational Foundation

awarded $2,000 in scholarships to the first place winners, who

along with their advisors, advance to the national SkillsUSA com-

petition, June 20-24, in Louisville, Ky. For the national competition,

Heidelberg USA donates the use of three presses, as well as staff

to train and conduct the competition.

Awards & Recognition

Canon U.S.A. Inc., has been to the Forbes “America’s Best

Employers” list for another year. The company placed among

the top 250 employers in the mid-size category, based on the

results of a survey of more than 30,000 professionals at mid-size

and large U.S. companies, nonprofit institutions such as hospitals,

government agencies and U.S. divisions of multinationals.

HP, in partnership with Dscoop, has named the inaugural winners

of the “HP Inkspiration Awards for the Americas,” which recognizes

the most innovative work produced with HP digital printing tech-

nology, and the Rod Key Marketing Excellence Award recipients,

which recognizes companies with the most creative marketing

campaigns to promote their own businesses. Winners included:

General Commercial PrintingAlternative Printing Methods: Clearstory

Best in Show: GLS / NEXT Precision Marketing

Brand Identification: Arizona State University Print and Imaging Lab

Brand Identification: Hemlock Printers Ltd.

Brochures: Oregon Printing Communications

Brochures: The World Bank

Calendar: GSB Digital

Catalogs: Duggal Visual Solutions

Direct Mail: The Standard Group

Invitations: Corrugated Synergies International LLC

Invitations: GLS / NEXT Precision Marketing

Photo Applications: Hatteras

Publishing: Mohawk

Rod Key Marketing Excellence Award: The Standard Group

Labels & PackagingAlcoholic Beverage: CMC Group doing business as Century Label

Beauty: Digital Label Solutions, Inc.

Flexible Packaging: Groupo Ercus

Folding Cartons: Tap Packaging Solutions

Food: Summit Print Corporation

Other: Digital Label Solutions, Inc.

Rod Key Marketing Excellence Award:

Innovative Labeling Solutions (ILS)

Wine and Spirits Labels: ILSLarge Format Banner: Britten Studios

POS Signage: GSB Digital

POS Signage: Blooming Color

Décor Wallpaper: Conestoga DPI LLC


BEHINDTHE CURTAIN

Awards & Around the industry | Mergers & Acquisitions

GETYOURNEWSHERE.

WHAT’SGOINGON?LET USKNOW!

People news. New products. Trends shaping the way our industry does business. If you have a news item, CANVAS wants to hear about it. All you have to do is email us the information and a photograph, and we’ll do the rest. Send your information to [email protected].

Calling allcompanies PIA looking for Best Workplaces

Printing Industries of America (PIA) wants your workforce. Nominations currently are being sought for the “2016 Best Workplace in the Americas (BWA)” competition, the graphic communication industry’s only program to recognize companies committed to their workforce through sound hu-man relations practices.

The competition evaluates a company’s success in eight key areas, including management practices, work environment, training and development, fi-nancial security, work-life balance, recognition and rewards, health and wellness programs, and work-place health and safety. Winning workforces also will receive:

• National and local media promotion• Logo provided to display on websites

and promotional materials• Opportunity for increasing employee

recruiting and retention• A custom plaque commemorating

the achievement

To enter, download the 2016 Entry Form or contact Jim Kyger, PIA’s assistant VP, Human Relations, at [email protected]. Deadline to enter is Sept. 30, 2016.

CANVAS P15

MSP PRODUCTSPOTLIGHTS

Download the MSP Resource Guide app

Products and resources just a tap away

Your creative inspiration hereNeenah’s latest comprehensive swatchbook for The Design Collection features 15 grades and more than 100 premium papers

If you’re looking to add that “extra something” to your print collateral and specialty packaging projects, your search ends now. Neenah’s new, comprehensive swatch-book for The Design Collection is the mother of all swatchbooks, with more than 100 gorgeous premium pa-pers — everything you could possibly want when it comes to colors, textures, finishes and weights.

This all-encompassing book replaces the previous 1.0 and 1.1 swatchbooks, housing all 15 specialty grades that make up this fashion inspired portfolio of premium papers for luxury packaging and high-end print collateral. Take a look inside and see how the STARDREAM® Papers match the Pantone’s Color of the Year and color pairings.

The Collection new book also features seven print samples, which showcase a variety of papers and print demonstrations, from Opaque White and metallic inks, to foil stamping and embossing. A blind embossed sheet of PLIKE, Orange features an amazingly small line of gold foil stamped type, placed on top of the emboss.

Also included in the new lineup is the ASTROKING® Papers, which feature a hint of shimmer and a plush satin finish that can add opulence to any project. The ASTROKING Papers are available in one white and four rich colors, including Snow White, Desert Sand, Moss Green Brown Stone and Plum Tree.

You’ve got to open this book to understand the expanse of this beautiful collection.

Oh, and in case you missed it earlier this year, there is an accompanying print sampler, The Design Collection Sampler 2.0, with 22 pages of idea-generating designs and production techniques available. Together, these two must-have tools offer a look at the limitless creative solutions for luxury projects.

EDUCATIONALMATERIALS

>> To get a free copy of The Design Collection 2.0 Sampler, visit: http://www.neenahpaper.com/resources/findadistributor

Neenah’s new swatchbook for The Design Collection and its

accompanying print sample deck show off the beauty of creativity

combined with specialty papers.


CREATIVE CORNER

Why is print still one of the best mediums for telling a brand’s story? The customers we’re trying to reach spend most of their time in front of a screen consuming content. Their atten-tion is often limited to a few seconds, where they decide whether or not they want to continue to engage. Print is great because it allows you to reward those who want to engage with some-thing tangible. For example, take the work we did for the Georgia Campus of Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. One of the most impactful print pieces was an acceptance packet. The pride and prestige of getting ac-cepted into medical school is ampli-fied with a branded packet contain-ing strong messaging and imagery. It’s much more meaningful than an email congratulating them.

When American Eagle Outfitters (AEO) was looking to se-cure its top slot in the highly competitive lifestyle retail market among Millennials, the $3.1 billion brand turned to 160over90 for creative collaboration. These are the situations that Stephen Pen-ning lives for. As executive creative director and principal at 160over90, he oversees all the creative for its Philadelphia and Gainesville, Fla. offices.

Utilizing the all-American collegiate image that defines the AEO brand, he oversaw the design and packaging that helped capture the imagination of the ever-fickle, yet highly coveted, consumer group. In addition, 160over90 helped rotate seasonal point-of-purchase displays, national print ad cam-paigns, hangtag design, and on-product and in-store graphics. It even as-sisted in the creation of the company’s annual shareholder report.

The art of the design is in the diversity. American Eagle. Godiva choco-lates. The Miami Dolphins. MIT. Over the past 12 years, Penning has had touch points in the creative endeavors of these brands, and many more. We sat down with him to get his take on where print fits into the mix for today’s creative firms.

on why print still matters

Stephen PenningCreative director

Print is great because it allows you to reward those who want to engage with something tangible.

CANVAS P17

What are some of the more popular ways print is being used? Engaging with digital content is often transactional. Print affords you the opportunity to serve up something that a customer can touch and feel. To that end, we see production techniques that can enhance an experience frequently used.

What is the real keyto using print?It’s understanding what the customers’ expectations are, and then crafting an experience from cover to cover that exceeds them.

What defines the perfect print piece? A visually interesting piece that commu-nicates a clear message and entices the audience to take action. Tangible com-munication affords you the opportunity to create a memorable experience and something that someone can hold on to.

Are the best marketers the ones who find ways to marry the worlds of print and digital? Yes, it’s important to find balance. Complementing digital pieces of com-munication with print pieces shows how the legs of a brand can flex and evolve with an audience and the audience’s needs for receiving various messages.


PERSPECTIVE

CANVAS P19 CANVAS P19

Cover Story

By Michael J. Pallerino

“You’ve got to start with the customer experience and work back toward the

technology – not the other way around.”

– Steve Jobs

int is the master of all things financial. The personal budgeting app makes managing your personal

finances a cinch by automatically pulling all of your financial information into one place. Everything right in front of you – on any device.But breaking into the wide, wide world of apps

can be a daunting task – for established brands and newcomers alike. So the Mint brain trust had an idea. Why not brand the effectiveness and efficiency of the Mint app on Instagram? Through its “My Mint Moment” contest, the company encouraged the Instagram community to share photos of moments where their lives and finances aligned to make dreams come true – those “#MyMintMoment”s.


Legacy

With a $1,000 prize as the carrot, Mint users were asked to stop, re-

flect and celebrate their life-altering moments, whether it was paying

off a loan, saving for a dream vacation or knocking an item off their

bucket lists. And the photos rolled in – weddings, new homes, ex-

otic vacations, etc. The #MyMintMoment initiative’s ability to inspire

user-generated content drove curiosity and demand for the app by

appealing to the one thing every customer shares – emotions.

Photo essays. Online reviews. Social media posts. Blogs. The

strategy around user-generated content quickly is becoming one

of the most enterprising tactics used by today’s brands. Accord-

ing to Forrester Research’s “User-Generated Content’s Impact On

Brand Building” study, consumers continue to embrace ratings and

reviews as key factors in their decision-making process. The study

shows that 71 percent say customer ratings and reviews are impor-

tant, while 76 percent are more likely to purchase a product if they

see enough positive reviews.

Today’s consumers are high-tech, highly informed and intently

curious creatures. They want what they want and they want it now.

And they’re not shy about seeking opinions or sharing their experi-

ences with anybody and everybody who will listen.

Holly Mason believes that consumers have always wanted to in-

teract with the brands they have emotional connections with. They

just didn’t have the means – until now. “We have more opportuni-

ties and tools to interact and connect with brands more directly

(social media, apps, blogs, websites, etc.),” says Mason, owner and

president of MasonBaronet, a Dallas-based integrated marketing

communications firm with a strong focus on branding. “Technology

has given consumers not only direct access to have a relationship

with a brand, but access to more information.”

With geography no longer a barrier when shopping for new

products and services, today’s consumers have everything at their

fingertips. “I think this is why consumers want a connection

with brands and why it’s so important for brands to

create a genuine connection with their cus-

tomers,” Mason says. “It’s morecompeti-

tive than ever, and takes more

to stand out and break

“The more people feel like they are in the know, have knowledge and even a hand in the business, the more they will feel inspired to spread the word.”

– Joe Curcillo, Adjunct Professor, Widener University School of Law


Legacy

through the clutter. When there is no emotional connection, con-

sumers are easily swayed to other companies, products or services.

But, when you capture their hearts and minds, they become brand

ambassadors – rallying on your behalf.”

The equation is pretty simple – if you have happy customers

that love your brand and are willing to be vocal ambassadors

and tell their friends and family – there’s nothing more powerful.

In today’s digitally-centric world, having your customers promote

your brand is priceless.

“We see our customers as invited guests to a party, and we are the hosts. It’s our job everyday to make every important aspect of the customer experience a little bit better.”– Jeff Bezos

To help celebrate “Shark Week”

last year, Discovery partnered with

Dunkin’ Donuts to launch a multi-

channel photo sweepstake cam-

paign, “Take a Bite, Take a Pic.”

Shark fans from around the world

were instructed to take a picture of

themselves sinking their teeth into

a shark-inspired donut, and then

share it via Twitter or Instagram us-

ing the hashtag #DDSharkWeek.

For even more incentive, the

best photos were featured on Discovery Channel’s “Shark

After Dark” program. Viewers were encouraged to visit

www.SharkWeek.com/Dunkin, to enter, and then vote

for their favorite shark-inspired photo. The winning shots

also were featured on a Dunkin’ Donuts digital billboard

in Times Square.

The key to user-generated success lies in the tools you

provide your audience. One of the best ways to engage

them is to ensure your social channels, websites and blogs are

enriching their lives and providing content that’s relevant and fo-

cused on their needs. “The current generation of consumers has

grown up in an interactive society,” says Joe Curcillo, a speaker,

lawyer and communications expert, who also is an adjunct profes-

sor at Widener University School of Law.

With the world at their fingertips, they feel like they have the

power to control the universe. Once you give them the ability to

contribute and interact with your product and/or service, they

will be loyal. “When someone feels like they are part of a solu-

tion, they feel good,” Cur-

cillo says. “If they feel their

concerns were addressed,

they are more likely to post

positive comments on Face-

book or Twitter. Those posts

will reach out to all of their

friends, and your business or

product will become desired

by all the cool kids.”

Curcillo says public opin-

ion is the best gauge of

where the next demand will

be found. Years ago, com-

panies utilized futurists to

determine where they would

need to be in the new mar-

ketplace. Today it is a very

democratized approach that

allows future projections to be on the mark.

“People today can find anything on the internet,” he says.

“This creates a need for information that fosters a demand for

transparency. Secret formulas and guarded recipes are no longer

acceptable. People want to know what they’re eating. They also

want to know exactly what they’re buying, and how many other

people are happy with that product. The ability to search and sort

by customer reviews is certainly not an accident. The more peo-

ple feel like they are in the know, have knowledge and even a

hand in the business, the more they will feel inspired to spread

the word. Good or bad.”

According to Reevo’s recent “The Pursuit of Happiness: The

Road to Customer Advocacy” report, 70 percent of consumers

place peer recommendations and reviews above professionally

written content. “When brands deliver entertainment and en-

richment, they are rewarded with brand advocacy and loyalty,”

Mason says. “Not only will your story go viral, but you’ll be more

credible in the eyes of your potential customers and people will

be more likely to give you a try.”

According to Reevo’s “The Pursuit of Happiness:

The Road to Customer Advocacy” report,

70 percent of consumers place peer

recommendations and reviews above professionally

written content.

thinkMSP2016.com

Early bird registrationnow open!

thinkMSP 2016October 17-19 · Atlanta, GA


BUSINESS

CANVAS P25

Feature Story

DESIGNINGBUSINESSBest practices for building your creative brand

By Jamar Laster

ainting. Photography. Gardening. Hunting. How about raising

honeybees? There’s no one answer to how designers can best stir their creative juices and stoke their inspirational fires.


That’s because regardless of the com-

mon vocation they share, designers still

are individuals, says Kristian Andersen,

partner of Indianapolis-based High Alpha,

a company that conceives, launches and

scales next-generation enterprise cloud

companies through the application of

business strategy, world-class design and

product development.

“What I might find restorative and

inspiring might put others to sleep,”

Andersen admits.

But Andersen and other designers tend

to agree that one of the best ways to in-

spire creativity is to do something outside

of their day jobs that they can learn from,

integrate into their work and also feed

their creative centers.

“You have to be culturally aware of

what’s happening around you so that

you’re absorbing other creativity,” says

Brian Manley, owner of Atlanta-based Fun

With Robots Design Co. “Take time to

sketch and doodle, because that may un-

lock something. Just do something that’s

not a paid job, but something to unlock

your brain and push you to the next level.”

But to talk about inspiring creativity

is sort of like putting the cart before the

horse. The fact is there are two avenues

that creative-minded people could ex-

plore to make a living in graphic design:

Work for an established industry agency

or firm, or work for themselves. And it’s

when the latter option is chosen that the

challenges of building a business and

brand – and how to overcome them – can

be explored in earnest.

Designing business

Stepping out on a limbManley’s Fun With Robots is a one-man

operation that, coincidentally, was started

as a therapeutic outlet to counteract the

daily grind of a 9-to-5 job. So he knows

first hand about building a business and

brand, having amassed a clientele list that

includes non-profits, churches, restaurants

and music festivals. His advice for suc-

cessfully launching – and sustaining – a

graphic design business comes down to

one word – hustle.

“Never stop hustling,” Manley says.

“The only way you’re going to make mon-

ey is to [take on as much work] as you can.”

Saxon Campbell, a part-time professor

at New York’s Shillington University, as

well as founder and CEO of Saxon Camp-

bell LLC, a Brooklyn, N.Y.-based creative

design agency, has experience on both

sides of the figurative coin, having worked

at agencies and building his own busi-

ness. The latter, he says, gives designers

the room to be as creative and financially

successful as they choose, with an inher-

ent degree of sacrifice.

“The reality of making a living in the de-

sign business is just like starting any other

business,” Campbell says. “It takes risks.

You never know when new work opportuni-

ties will become available to you, and it re-

ally depends on what you’re willing to sac-

rifice to feel comfortable in your career.”

J’net Smith, owner and president of

All Art Licensing, says there are further

options for designers to explore after

going out on a limb into the business world.

“One [route] is corporate business and the

other is creatively designing products,”

she says. “You can either manufacture

[the products] yourself or license

them yourself.”

Smith has more than 25 years in the mar-

keting, publishing and licensing industries,

and is best known for taking the Dilbert

brand from its infancy to being a global

corporate icon. All Art Licensing is a coach-

ing, training and consulting agency that

encourages graphic designers to explore

the licensing route. “I think a lot ofdesign-

ers don’t realize what a great avenue that

is,” she says.

“Never stop hustling. The only way you’re going to make money is to [take on as much work] as

you can.”

– Brian Manley, Owner,

Fun With Robots Design Co.

MISS AN ISSUE?CHECK OUT THE

ONLINE ARCHIVES.

WWW.THECANVASMAG.COM


Designing business

Your business blueprintIn general, the same principles that apply for most successful busi-

nesses apply for long-term sustainability in graphic design. Primar-

ily, you must prove yourself and your business to be trustworthy

and honest.

“You have to prove that you’re not taking advantage of [your

clients] and that you can come through with the job,” Manley

says. “I’ve found that a lot of the work I’ve received over time

– and those people who have become long-term clients – have

come from another designer who dropped the ball.”

There’s also something to be said for perseverance and forti-

tude. After all, when things go wrong – as they most assuredly

will – success often can be predicated on whether you’re able to

respond to the adversity, Andersen says, and be the figurative

glue that holds things together.

Also, because your company is only as good as its weakest link,

it’s important to acquire quality staff – when it’s fiscally feasible –

to fortify the business. “There is no substitute for cultivating your

own talent and hiring the very best,” Andersen says. “All things

being equal, building a great team is the single most important

aspect of building a successful design practice.”

Having the aforementioned bases covered is crucial, but there’s

one entrepreneurial skill that, when ignored, can lead to certain

failure. “Marketing your business should be what you spend half

your time on,” Smith says. “If you know how to do business but

don’t market it, then you won’t have a business. So getting those

skills if you don’t have them is absolutely critical. And we’re lucky

today because there are a lot of opportunities to learn entrepre-

neurial skills – marketing being the most important one.”

What customers wantToday’s graphic designers need more than just a skill set

defined by creativity. To most customers, that may even be a given.

A sometimes intangible skill that must be thoroughly honed to

ensure business success is the ability to effectively work with

clients and communicate.

“If you can’t work with clients, then you won’t even get to the

creative thinking and all the skill sets that the graphic designer has,”

Smith says. “Customers look for the artistic skills and the technical

skills and all that, but they also need to be able to work with the

designer, understand the target audience and problem solve.”

Manley and Campbell both agree that, to a certain extent, clients

want problem solvers. “Customers are looking for you to solve the

problem of their design needs, and most people are asking for it to

be super cool, hip and relevant,” Manley says.

For Campbell, problem solving is the crux of the overall cus-

tomer experience that could lead to sustainable, repeat busi-

ness. “They seek guidance in not only design, but in starting their

brand,” he says. “This is where the ‘solving the problem’ part of

design we learned really comes into play. In total, the more you

can offer the client, the better. If you’re proficient in more than

what you were hired for, let the client know and you might find

yourself working on something you might have never expected.”

Andersen says designers must take a big-picture approach to

solving their clients’ needs – one that canvasses all aspects of

their business. “If you’re hired to design a logo and you stop

there, you’re missing a big opportunity to add exponential value

to your customer’s business,” he says. “For example, it’s quite

possible that in the process of researching a visual identity, you

may uncover an entirely unmet customer need. Be bold; bring

that to the attention of your client, offer to help them ‘design’ an

offering that addresses the unmet need. Look for ways to extend

the value of design across the entire value continuum.”

Market opportunitiesManley says the digital sector continues to generate more op-

portunities for graphic designers. “Social media is so huge,” he

says. “We’re getting more and more tech advanced, so if you

have a big presence on the internet and social media, there’s a

big opportunity to spur business.”

Campbell’s company focuses primarily on the luxury and

lifestyle market segments, saying the competitive landscapes

present numerous opportunities. “This includes luxury brands,

consumer products and blogs,” he says. “Lifestyle bloggers are

competing with luxury consumer and fashion brands, and there’s

a big need for graphic design services to boost the effectiveness

of their marketing materials.”

Andersen says the best way to identify opportunities for business

is to determine the areas in which designers must become more

fluent to remain competitive. Such areas include business and tech-

nology. “It’s no longer acceptable for a designer to just swim in his

or her lane,” he says. “They need to be conversant in the languages

of tech and business. Designers that can do this well will be well-

positioned to serve customers in any industry.”

VITAL TRAITS EVERY GRAPHIC DESIGNER MUST HAVE

1. CURIOSITY

“Great designers are relentlessly curious – always learning, exploring and teaching themselves new truths (and challenging their existing beliefs).” — Kristian Andersen, partner, High Alpha

2. COMMUNICATION

“No matter how talented you are, if you can’t string together a sentence and tell someone why you’re doing what you’re doing, or deal with someone in a meeting or on a first-time client visit, you’re going to fail miserably.” – Brian Manley, owner, Fun With Robots

3. SALESMANSHIP

“Half of design is convincing others that your solution is the right one. The best design solution in the world will fail if others don’t get behind it.” – Kristian Andersen, partner, High Alpha

THE FIRST AND ONLY RESOURCE GUIDE APPFOR THE MARKETING SERVICES INDUSTRY

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• Contact information of regional & local reps

• Keeps you tapped in to the pulse of

the industry through CANVAS

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MARKETING SERVICEPROVIDERS

• Expose your products to our community

• Directly introduce your sales staff

• Invite people to know more about your

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PERSPECTIVE

CANVAS P31 CANVAS P31

Feature Story

By Pete Wiltjer

But printers have long understood the joke, even though it still

is a popular sport in the media today to report on print’s decline,

in terms of audience, impact and value. It doesn’t matter that there

are 20 percent more trees in the U.S. today than on the first Earth

Day in 1970. Or that modern printers have embraced a multitude

of sustainable practices.

Let’s face it – some jokes just won’t die. In the past few months

alone, the Boston Globe, HuffingtonPost.com, Money, USA

Today and WIRED all have run articles debating whether or not

print is dead.

But to paraphrase Mark Twain (like we so often are prone to

do), reports of print’s death are greatly exaggerated. Because not

only has the printing industry figured out how to embrace sustain-

ability, many printers are thriving by promoting print as a strategic

component to effective marketing campaigns.

Jason Tews, VP of marketing at Kelmscott Communications in

Aurora, Ill., says his company began providing digital marketing

services in 2007. Tracing its roots to designing, printing and bind-

ing work since 1936, Kelmscott’s evolution to a multi-channel mar-

keting services provider has been rapid.

Tews says the changes happened dramatically. “We went from de-

sign with direct mail, including personalized websites (PURLs) and

emails, to complete strategic solutions that involve SFDC (Salesforce

Dot Com) and marketing automation support.”

While the shift away from being a pure printing vendor required

Tews’ team to change the way they approach business opportuni-

ties, the company does not talk with customers about marrying

print and digital marketing.

WHO YOU GONNA CALL?Dialing in on what it means

to be a printer in the digital age

n one famous scene from the 1984 blockbuster “Ghostbusters,” Harold Ramis’ character, Egon, declared to his flirtatious secretary that “print is dead.” The joke worked because Egon was

such a nerd, who then proudly announced to the woman who was hitting on him that he collected molds and spores as a hobby.

“Unless your sales representatives are engaging their clients in meaningful marketing strategy discussions, they won’t uncover new opportunities.”

– Rick Aberle, CEO, Propago


Who you gonna call?

“Instead, we address client problems with solutions,” Tews

says. “We do not go into an engagement trying to figure out how

this will lead to a print job, (because) it may never be seen in print.

However, I know that print works, and if it can fit into the cam-

paign, and it is appropriate, then we will present it as an option

to our clients.”

What do your customers want, really?Rick Aberle, CEO of Austin, Texas-based marketing software

company Propago, spent 17 years in the commercial printing

industry before founding Propago. He developed the product

specifically to serve printers, agencies and marketers, and says

his software platform enables commercial printers to manage

their print, large format, apparel and marketing output in an au-

tomated way.

Aberle says the best way for printers to grow their business

today is to move away from selling print jobs, and instead spend

time gaining a deeper understanding of what their customers’

marketing strategy and growth objectives are.

“Printers that focus on pushing jobs are going to lose in

the long run, even if they have the top end digital printing

technology, because selling print jobs are just table stakes,”

Aberle says. “Because no printer can compete with Vistaprint

on price, right? So talking about services in terms of print price,

print quality and turnaround are no longer advantages.”

“When we found printers that understood how to talk with their

customers about the marketing pipeline and marketing strategy,”

Aberle says, “we also found printers that were able to get their own

sales and operations teams excited about positioning print as a key

element of the marketing strategy.”

The facts back this up. There are many opportunities for

leveraging print in the digital age.

• An International Communications Research survey found

that 73 percent of consumers prefer mail for receiving

new product announcements from companies they do

business with, as opposed to 18 percent from email.

• Thirty percent more dollars are spent by multimedia

shoppers than single-medium shoppers (data from

USPS Mail).

• The MPA (Association of Magazine Media) tracks the

number of active magazines published every year and

documented that the number of active consumer print

magazines grew in 2014, many of these via digital brands.

An International Communications Research survey found that 73 percent of consumers

prefer mail for receiving new product announcements from companies they

do business with.

CANVAS P33

CONDUIT, INC.MAKES IT HARDERFOR YOUR CLIENTS

TO DROP YOU.DON’T GET DROPPED.

WWW.CONDUIT-INC.COM


Who you gonna call?

Pete Wiltjer is an inbound marketing and PR consultant, and the owner of PWMG Inc. in Aurora, Ill. For more information, please visit pwmginc.com.

Yes, you read that correctly. Digital brands like Angie’s List,

Net-A-Porter, Politico and Uber all have launched print maga-

zines to extend the influence of their products.

Tews says his clients still value print as part of their

broader marketing strategy. “Print is substantial and has a longer

shelf life.”

Kelmscott sees clients using print in several ways:

• Support their electronic messages which are typically

through email and remarketing efforts

• Use data analytics to target their message to the statisti-

cally best audience

• Use different levels of direct mail based on the segments

within their data; postcards, self-mailers and dimensional

mail (i.e., door busters)

• Use of variable data and imagery to create a relevant

experience for their recipient

Kelmscott’s suite of marketing solutions, which include strat-

egy, data management, design and demand generation, are the

fastest growing service at the company today. But the switch to

digital marketing solutions wasn’t seamless or immediate.

The company’s customers with heavy print strategies gradually

moved to data to enhance print through segmentation and cus-

tomization, and then they seemed to go directly into a lot of email.

“Now what we are seeing is that they are coming back to

print and doing a good job of balancing their mix and type

of outreach with budgets based on the data and ROI for each

segment,” Tews says.

One Kelmscott client segmented its list into three groups;

Email Only, Postcard with Email and Dimensional Mail with

Email. Each linked back to a personalized resource portal.

Tews says another Kelmscott client is mixing the technology

into the front end for a global campaign. “In that instance, we

created several types of outreach, and the marketing managers

can self-select their desired executions based on their audience

and budget.”

The melting potMagazine publishers also continue to wrestle with the issue of

how to blend their established print products with digital chan-

nels. Last month, Abe Peck, a senior director at Medill’s Media

Management Center at Northwestern University, spoke to a

large gathering of business-to-business editors at the Ameri-

can Society of Business Publication Editors’ Chicago Chapter

Spring Bootcamp.

Peck shed light on how the revenue model of B2B magazines

has shifted, and how journalists and other creatives can embrace

the changes to find continued success. One of the key messages

from his presentation was that even though the B2B publishing

industry has evolved into a marketing and event management

industry, the core product, print magazines, still is growing.

Aberle says a printer’s ability to leverage an existing business re-

lationship always will have value, but won’t often lead you to a busi-

ness growth opportunity, because print on its own is a commodity.

“But training field sales representatives to find out what the

marketing pipeline and marketing strategy is opens up oppor-

tunities to serving your clients in new ways,” Aberle says. “This

client could need apparel or large format. Large format still has

40-50 percent mark-ups in it. Unless your sales representatives are

engaging their clients in meaningful marketing strategy discus-

sions, they won’t uncover new opportunities.”

Aberle says that before his team evolved into Propago and

still was a print organization, only about 15 percent of its sales

reps understood this. “Most of them had a book of business

and just wanted to pitch print jobs. But when your clients have

an issue, you are able to help them when you ask questions.”

“I know that print works, and if it can fit into the campaign, and it is appropriate, then we will present it as an option to our clients.”

– Jason Tews, VP, Marketing, Kelmscott Communications

11.25 in

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SALES

Seven easy tips to sell more

CANVAS P37

Feature Story

By Linda Bishop

ometimes, reaching the next level of

success is easier than you think. All

you need is to tweak a tactic, make

a small adjustment or try a new

approach. Small actions can have

a big impact, so find a tip that fits and start

using it in the next 24 hours. Here are seven

tips that can help get you going:

No. 1 – Expect to be busyIs this situation familiar to you? You make a call on a prospect. It

goes well, but there isn’t any immediate need you can fulfill. The

prospect says, “I’m glad we met. Stay in touch.” You nod, smile and

agree. The next day, you’re buried under an avalanche of new proj-

ects. Before you know it, six weeks have passed and you haven’t

done a darn thing to stay in contact with the prospect. When you

finally get around to calling, the promising lead doesn’t immediately

return your call. You can’t help but wonder if a lack of follow-up cost

you a new sale.

Instead of assuming you’ll have time to follow up, plan three fol-

low-up steps right after you leave the meeting. Decide when to send

a PDF of a case study in an email, drop a sample in the mail, and ask

for another meeting. Set up reminders in your calendar. When a re-

minder pops up, add the follow-up item to your daily to-do list. Even

if you’re busy, do it to get new clients.

No. 2 – Don’t ignore the clockJoe Straka, president of Priority Press, says, “Time kills all deals.”

He’s right. Someone can be interested in buying from you today, but

when too much time passes without forward movement, people start

to question, wonder and reconsider. When a buyer says, “We are go-

ing to buy,” but can’t close the order today, beware. If too much time

passes, he may decide never to buy at all.

No. 3 – Be fun to deal withNever forget that customers who buy from you are shopping. Some-

times it’s fun to shop, and other times it’s miserable. What are you

doing to make your customer’s purchasing experience enjoyable,

interesting and fun? Do you talk about topics that interest them? Use

show and tell techniques to engage them? Bring donuts? Fun helps

you sell, so don’t underestimate it.

Many salespeopleare adaptingto cope withthese changes.The better strategyis to adapt to win.


The winning hand

No. 4 – Identify all the barriersThere always are obstacles in every sales cycle. Start identifying

barriers in the first call. Write them down on a list. Develop a plan

to overcome them. After every meeting, review the list. Assess

whether you’re gaining ground or if you need a new plan.

No. 5 – Set an objective for every callEvery time you’re face-to-face or on the phone with a client for

a planned meeting, you should have a clear objective. What do

you want to accomplish? How will accomplishing the objective

help you move forward in the sales cycle? Clarity of purpose has

power for creating new sales.

No. 6 – Improve your motivational writing skills to get more meetingsEmail is the No. 1 way we communicate in business today. The

majority of our requests to meet are sent via this channel. In order

to get meetings, you must present the benefits of the meeting

so that your customer is motivated to meet you.

No. 7 – To improve your email writing skills, try this five-minute exerciseSelect an email written to request a meeting where the person

either didn’t respond or declined your request. Print out the

email. Grab a highlighter. Highlight everything in the email talk-

ing about the benefit of meeting with you. Find a way to improve

the “What’s in it for me” factor for your intended recipient.

Consider this introductory email from a sales rep named Eddie

Oldschool to a new prospect:

Hi Bob Buyer, I represent Big Printer. We’re a commercial printer in your town that has been in business for 50 years. We can print 6-colors, plus coating on sheet sizes up to 28 inches x 40 inches. We also do 4-color digital printing. We provide great quality and service. I would appreciate the opportunity to learn more about your business. Can we meet next week? I’d love to show you samples. Thank you,Eddie Oldschool

In Eddie’s email, the only statement that qualifies as a presen-

tation of benefits is, “We provide great quality and service.” The

others provide information. They tell Bob Buyer what Big Printer

does, how they do it, where they do it, how long they’ve been

doing it, and how long Eddie has worked in the printing industry.

Buyers skim emails. They will not invest mental energy in decod-

ing information statements to identify benefits. They care about

benefits. They do not care about interpreting information to decide

if there is a compelling reason to meet with a salesperson.

Listening isa learned skill.

No matter howgood you are

at it, there isalways room

for improvement.

CANVAS P39

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The winning hand

Linda Bishop, a longtime veteran of the commercial printing industry, is the founder of Thought Transformation Inc. (www.thoughttransformation.com), which trains and consults companies and sales professionals on how to sell more and reach their full potential. You can reach her at [email protected].

Meetings lead to sales. Getting more meetings is simpler than

you think if you use this easy highlighter method: Print your email.

Highlight the benefits. Determine if those benefits provide enough

motivation to meet.

No. 7 – Don’t do all the talking during sales calls A good friend of mine and a fellow sales professional named Fred

Sternberg once told me that if he wrote a book for salespeople, it

would be called, “Listen or Go Broke.” While we both laughed, we

also acknowledged the truth in the statement.

Listening is a learned skill. No matter how good you are at it,

there always is room for improvement. To determine what must be

improved is easy. All you have to do is download one of the thou-

sands of free recording apps and record an upcoming meeting.

Later that day, while the meeting is fresh in your mind, play the

recording. Listen to see who talked more. You or the client? Did you

interrupt? Did you abruptly change the direction of the conversation

at any time, possibly making the client feel like you were not inter-

ested in what he had to say?

Creating this feedback loop lets you self-correct. You can compare

what actually happened to your model for the ideal salesperson –

the superior listener.

Adapting to winJ. Paul Getty once said, “In times of rapid change, experience could

be your worst enemy.”

There are a lot of changes going on in the customer’s world and

your world. Many salespeople are adapting to cope with these

changes. The better strategy is to adapt to win.

Winners continually look at ways to improve. You’re a winner, but

the clock is ticking. Choose one of these tips and use it to take your

skills to the next level.

Good selling.

There always are obstacles in every sales cycle. Start identifying barriers

in the first call.

TOUCH ISTHE FINE LINE BETWEEN

read &

There’s a reason the smartest brands choose paper for important messages. Because holding something in our hands can shape how we feel. What we know. And, critically for marketers, what we buy.

See how brilliant brands use haptics—the science of how things we touch shape the way we feel— to create deeper connections with their customers. Visit sappi.com/haptics to learn more and request your own copy of “A Communicators Guide to the Neuroscience of Touch.”

remembered

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canvas magazine | legacy | june 2016

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