Special Report: Print Solutions Conference & Expo, Baltimore

Charm City hosts PSDA education programs aimed at redefining print industry roles.

By Krista Scarlett and Kristin Quinn

Jeffrey Hayzlett recalls sitting on an airplane with a 25-year-old a few years ago when he was on his way to start his new job as chief marketing officer for Eastman Kodak. Hayzlett was thrilled by the challenges he faced. Kodak had missed opportunities to capitalize on new technologies, including digital print and imaging. Profits were falling and customers associated camera film with Kodak’s brand.

The woman beside Hayzlett was chatty, he recalled during his keynote address at the 2010 Print Solutions Conference & Expo in Baltimore last week. When she stopped rambling about herself and finally asked Hayzlett what he did, he was proud to tell her: “I’m the chief marketing officer at Kodak.”

She paused and asked, “What’s Kodak?”

Hayzlett was shocked. “That was when I knew we needed to reinvent ourselves and do something new to keep up with the changing times,” he said. “We needed to change, or the company was going to die.”

The same attitude was present at Print Solutions in Baltimore last week. This year’s show focused on the industry’s need for transformation, from repositioning your distributorship in the marketing services arena, to riding the digital wave by learning about technological advances such as QR codes and social media. More than 180 companies exhibited their product capabilities, with more than 230 booths on the show floor. A total of 1,227 attendees visited Print Solutions with hopes of learning how their companies can adapt in an ever-changing industry.

John Gadd, president and CEO of flozio.com, Cleveland, a web-to-print software company and new PSDA member, attended Print Solutions for the first time this year. “It’s been great to talk to prospective clients and get a better feel for what distributors are looking for,” Gadd said as he walked the show floor. “I’ve received a lot of feedback that will really drive our next phases of development.” Some distributors Gadd met made  suggestions for how flozio’s software could better benefit them. He said, “This real, honest feedback means we will be better suited for the distributor market.”

Director of Value-Added Services at Regency Office Products, Raleigh, N.C., Pete Redondo brought a whopping 33 Regency employees to the show this year. “We used the show as a backdrop for our bi-annual national sales meeting, so we came into town on Sunday and were there until Thursday afternoon,” Redondo said. Both the meeting and the show were very productive for his team. “It was an opportunity for some of our recent hires to get exposed to what being a distributor is all about, to build on existing vendor relationships and hopefully develop some new ones,” he added.

The Next Competitive Edge in Selling is Learning
On Monday, Director of Sales Training Drivers at the American Society of Training and Development Brian Lambert and President of Sales Autopsy Inc. Dan Seidman presented an all-day Sales Certificate Program based on Lambert’s book “10 Steps to Successful Sales” to a crowded room of salespeople. The workshop was lively and interactive. Attendees often worked in groups to address sales issues and reach successful solutions.

Classic Forms & Products Inc. Sales Rep John Worthington has been in the print industry only 18 months, and he attended the show for the first time this year. The sales program was his first formal sales training class. “I really enjoyed the group interaction and being able to talk with other peers throughout the industry,” he said. “Being able to establish relationships and talk to them outside of a professional environment was really enjoyable.  Many have already reached out to help me succeed since I am a beginner in the industry.”

Attendees represented a mix of young and seasoned sales reps; the collective years of sales experience in the room equaled 1,515 years. Joshua White is a support services specialist at Pennsylvania-based distributorship Consolidated Graphic Communications. His company sent 15 of its sales reps to the program. White says seeing the youth and enthusiasm in the session was very encouraging. “It makes me think this industry can grow with youth and new ideas, and effectively use emerging technology,” he said.

Lambert opened the session by saying “the next competitive edge in selling is learning.” The sales session challenged attendees to define their strengths and weaknesses, and learn new techniques to build their sales competencies. While presenting how sales reps should sell value to their clients, Seidman suggested sales reps apply the ‘to and away’ technique, which meant determining whether customers move to new ideas or away from them. Seidman said it’s important to find out which customer you’re dealing with and create a sales plan that focuses on helping the buyer quantify a decision (‘to’ buyers) or focus on problems they want to avoid (‘away’ buyers). “The best thing I took away from the sales program was the fact there are ‘to’ and ‘away’ customers,” White said. “As a salesperson, you must design programs and ask questions for each buyer type.”

In a room full of sales reps, rejection is nothing new. As a group, attendees discussed the top objections they hear from prospects: “Your price is too high;” “I’m happy with my current provider;” “I need to discuss this with my boss;” “Send me more information;” and calls going to voicemail. Working in teams, attendees discussed solutions to such problems:

• “You can’t live on low price if your customers are always buying low,” one attendee said. “Decide whether you want to deal with that low price competitor or not, then move on.”

• Refuse to send information because you work on the premise that you help customers based on their specific needs, which means you need to meet to discuss them. “Be professional,” Seidman said. “Assume your time is just as valuable. You’re not begging for business. You’re dealing with a peer.”

• “Leave voicemail messages that say you’re going to stop by at a certain time, and if that’s not a good time, to please call and reschedule,” one attendee said. “This way, the customer will have to see you regardless.” Seidman added, “If someone is not responding, then that’s resistance. I suggest leaving a message with the top three problems you saw for an existing client, then ask which one is that person’s biggest challenge.”

Seidman added that rejection is part of the business, and it’s important not to get hung up on it. “Shame on us if we get shocked by rejection or resistance,” he said. “Instead, we should be prepared.” Before closing the program, Seidman unleashed his last-chance question for the most resistant customer: “It sounds like there is no circumstance under which you’d ever do business with me?” He added, “When nothing else works, the resistant person will disagree with you. And, when they do, ask them how, when and what you can do to make them work with you.”

Transitioning to Marketing Services Provider
Meanwhile, participants in the Owners’ and Executives’ Marketing Services Provider Program, hosted by Peter Winters and Dale Rothenberger of The Winters Group, discussed the role of the CMO and marketing services provider. Winters said marketing services providers create opportunities for the CMO to get closer to his or her customer base by facilitating dialogue with customers, following through on those conversations, synchronizing different media platforms and measuring results for the highest ROI. He added that marketing services providers mix all marketing tools and technology that exist today and present it as a suite. “Collectively, it creates a very different kind of message,” Winters said.

Other topics discussed in the session were the challenges CMOs face and how marketing services providers can get paid for their consultative services. Winters and Rothenberger said each proposal should be tailor-made for the CMO it is presented to and include payment for the strategy created by the marketing services provider. “This is where the industry is headed no matter what,” Winters said. “You have the option to add to your core competency arsenal.”

PEAK Awards Presentation Lunch
Winners of Print Solutions Magazine’s Print Excellence And Knowledge (PEAK) Awards were recognized at a luncheon sponsored by Appleton, e-Quantum and Western States Envelope & Label on Monday. Dave Wandling, CDC, who recently retired from the Flesh Company, received the 2010 President’s Award, which recognizes an individual who has made a significant contribution to the business printing industry. Wandling recounted the highlights of his career, and personally thanked many friends and family members.

Julie Pritchard of DemandBridge received the 2010 Member of the Year Award, presented to a member who has made the most outstanding contribution to the progress of PSDA. Pritchard recalled the day in February when she learned she would be recognized as Member of the Year, as well as what PSDA has offered her since joining then NBFA in 1988. “I always looked for ways to contribute in any way I could,” Pritchard said. “And, through those contributions, I gained more than I ever could have imagined. This association has allowed me to learn so much, make so many enduring friendships and create more business opportunities than I, or my company, could have otherwise.”

Two industry leaders were also recognized in memoriam at the awards ceremony: Royal “Scud” Flesh, 91, a founding member in 1946 of the Independent Business Forms Dealers of America, which later became PSDA; and R. Michael O’Hara, 71, PSDA president in 1986-87, who served on several PSDA Boards of Directors subsequent to his presidential term in 1986-87.

Breakout Sessions
During the conference breakout sessions, Jeff Slutsky, president of Street Fighter Marketing Inc., presented “What’s New in How to Market Your Company” to Owners’ and Executives’ Program participants. Slutsky discussed how the printing industry can break away from being viewed as a commodity and begin selling consulting as a service rather than giving it away for free. He suggested working backwards as a strategy. “People will buy solutions to a problem,” Slutsky said. He recommended getting the client to establish a baseline for success, then outlining how your business can help accomplish the client’s goal. Slutsky demonstrated tactics the audience could use for learning exactly what the customer wishes to accomplish.

Slutsky recommended asking questions to “extract the pain,” or identifying the customer’s fears and concerns. Some techniques he demonstrated were asking open-ended questions, echoing what the customer has to say in order to draw more information and being persistent. He had the audience practice by asking him questions as if on a sales call. Then, he paired participants to practice drawing information from each other in the form of a “hot potato” question and answer game.

Slutsky also said it is important for business owners to identify their most profitable customers, determine what kind of customers would be ideal leads and qualify customers accordingly. “You could go after the easy customers first, but that doesn’t always mean they’re the best ones,” he said.

Director of Corporate Training for Ziglar Inc. Bryan Flannagan presented “Questioning Skills for the Sale” to a packed room Tuesday morning. With his Southern charm and wit, Flannagan amused attendees, while offering advice on improving their sales skills. “I’m a big believer that selling is a process,” he said. “It’s a simple process, but we complicate it.” Flannagan asked attendees to list three things they sell on one side of a chart, then what their clients want on the other. After looking at the chart, attendees realized both sides were inconsistent. For example, attendees said they sell print, knowledge and campaigns, but their customers want solutions, good service and high quality. “When selling, you need to move out of your comfort zone and into an effective zone,” Flannagan said. “Talk the customer’s language, not ours.”

Flannagan suggested attendees should spend less time selling features and more time selling values. “Features tell, values sell,” he said. “You’re in a selling mood if you’re using one of these words: values, advantages or benefits. You always make more money solving a customer’s problem than you do selling print. We don’t sell the materials themselves. We sell how the customer will benefit from using or buying them.”

Part of Flannagan’s sales process includes asking the right questions, including a mix of open- and closed-ended questions, and reflective and directive questions. Flannagan introduced the P.O.G.O. model when questioning prospects, which means asking questions about the Person, Organization, their Goals and Obstacles to achieving their goals. “It’s important that you sell by design, not by chance,” Flannagan added. Attendees practiced these questioning skills and learned the importance of first asking customers' needs by role-playing a clothing salesrep trying to sell a suit to Flannagan. First, attendees had to uncover what his needs were by asking questions, then selling the benefits a suit could offer him. “I will always pay for someone to help me reach my goal, and so will your customers,” Flannagan said. He closed with this statement: “People make new decisions only when given new information.”

Expo Pavilions
This year, attendees visited the new Mailing & Fulfillment Pavilion, and saw the first inkjet equipment ever to run on the show floor. PSDA partnered with the Mailing & Fulfillment Service Association (MFSA) to offer this pavilion which included 17 booths. On Tuesday and Wednesday, first-time exhibitor MCS, Gaithersburg, Md., ran its Eagle inkjet system. The Eagle is the first 4.25” inkjet printer of its kind, a drop-on-demand inkjet that starts with a width of 4.25” and can be scaled up to 17”. MCS Mid-Atlantic Sales Rep Jim Ryan said he
was very pleased with the feedback MCS received this year. “We had a great turnout at our booth,” he said. “And, our location was perfect.” Ryan said the company was surrounded by several existing customers who weren’t able to visit the company’s plant. “They finally got to see the equipment run during the show,” he said.

Meanwhile, attendees strolled through the commercial print pavilion, where they saw “cutting” edge technology at Laser Excel’s booth. Division Manager of Paper Kathrine Headrick says this was the first year Laser Excel exhibited at Print Solutions, and she was pleased with the traffic at her booth. The company featured unique sheet-fed, laser cut designs Laser Excel did for various packaging products. The company produces several packaging materials for the entertainment business, and Headrick was busy discussing the company’s capabilities with expo attendees.

Digital Reigns Supreme on the Show Floor
In the last two years, PKA Consulting President Patrick Kelly sold more than $10 million in web-to-print solutions. During the Idea Exchange Center session “Web-to-Print Done Right,” Kelly discussed how attendees could successfully set up web-to-print platforms for their customers. “I’m new to this area,” said Richard LaForce, vice president of Baldwin Business Systems Inc. “And, I have a customer asking for web-to-print.” Kelly suggested first finding the right customers to sell web-to-print. “If you’re going to try to sell it, then sell it to someone with the spending budget,” he said. “The ideal customer has a subsidized amount of money allocated to marketing.” Corporate organizations with multiple offices, such as banks, charity organizations or mortgage brokers, are good targets, Kelly said.

Kelly stressed that web-to-print should always be a paid service, not an add-on for an existing customer. “If you don’t charge for it, your customer will perceive neither value nor obligation for it.” Kelly suggested always selling web-to-print to C-level employees. “Ask what’s keeping them up at night and where you can help them make more money,” he said. “Compare what they’re paying and how much you can save them by using web-to-print.” Kelly concluded, “We’re heading toward people only wanting to buy online. We need to jump on the bandwagon for survival.”

On the last day of the expo, Steve Antkowiak, business development manager of Piedmont Graphics Inc., led an engaging Idea Exchange Center session on QR codes and the power of mobile marketing. “QR codes are embraced because they bring life to print,” he said. “But, the technology still isn’t quite there yet.” Antkowiak said the biggest issue with QR codes is there are several different readers for various codes. “Until we get to the point where readers can read every type of QR code across various platforms, there will always be inoperability among codes,” he said.

Instead, Antkowiak said his company went the mobile marketing initiative route, offering universities BlackBerry applications with branded banners on landing pages. Antkowiak said he also sees opportunity with SMS (short message or text) and MMS (multimedia messaging), where distributors and manufacturers can establish mobile clubs or coupons for local businesses via MMS messaging. Antkowiak gave attendees an example of an urgent message system where a distributor established a SMS campaign for a physician’s office to manage appointment reminders for clients.

Everything surrounding such campaigns is manageable, Antkowiak said, including the timing with which hits are sent to end users and whether the client is charged fees for management. Antkowiak suggested reading about the technologies and investing time in educating your company and your customers. “Mobile marketing is all about buzz,” he added, “telling people we’re here, we’re up-to-date and we have the technology that will help them better achieve their goals.”

More than 20 attendees gathered for an Idea Exchange Center session on “Using Social Media” hosted by T.J. Tedesco, president of Grow Sales Inc. Tedesco says when it comes to social media sites, it’s important to market yourself as an individual, as well as market your company as a whole. “People want to interact with people,” Tedesco said. “They don’t want to interact with a logo.” Participants discussed their varying corporate strategies and experiences with social media, and compared the medium to past technological resistance with computers and email. Tedesco said monetization of social media is coming. In the meantime, he added, “How do you put a price on loyalty or a deeper relationship with your customers?”

Jeffrey Hayzlett, keynote speaker at Print Solutions and former CMO of Eastman Kodak as of May 28, said he doesn’t understand why more companies aren’t jumping into social media. “Your competitors are glad you’re not,” Hayzlett said. Today, Kodak is known for its social media marketing initiatives and for adding unique positions such as chief blogger and chief listening officer. Hayzlett says social media should accomplish the four E’s: engage, educate, execute and evangelize. He added, “Changing the human fabric of relationships takes time.”

Hayzlett Ends Print Solutions with a Bang
Hayzlett closed a successful Print Solutions with an energetic, entertaining and informative keynote address that pleased attendees. “PSDA’s selection of Jeffrey Hayzlett as keynote speaker was a peach,” Antkowiak wrote on the PSDA Listserv. Hayzlett had announced his resignation from Kodak a few weeks prior to his speech, and  attendees were anxious to hear what he had to say. “You think you have it tough. We [Kodak] sells to you and sells film,” Hayzlett joked.

Hayzlett explained how he helped transform Kodak from a company on the verge of failure, to one of the greatest turnarounds in financial history, according to the Financial Times. This included re-evaluating the company’s focus, accountability, simplicity and trust, Hayzlett said. “When businesses get back to their core, that’s when they succeed.” Hayzlett said the simplest things, such as redesigning Kodak’s former stiff homepage to a simple, sleek and attractive one, helped carry the message the company wanted. “If you want to be cool, don’t dress like Elmer Fudd,” he said.

Recently, the company planned to introduce the Kodak Prosper at Drupa. Hayzlett says the press was one of the fastest and highest quality, yet it was encased in a boring gray box. “Basically, a tree went in one end, and paper came out the other,” Hayzlett quipped. “It was one of the fastest machines on the market. It should have looked like a Maserati or a Ferrari.” Hayzlett made the company redesign the look of the machine until it matched the product’s capabilities. “That’s what good leaders do,” Hayzlett said. “They look for what needs changed and do what it takes to make those changes.”

Hayzlett ended his presentation by telling the audience what made Kodak’s transformation so successful. “At Kodak, we don’t sell cameras or printers,” he said. “We’re in the business of selling moments. If moments aren’t shared, they lose their power.” Hayzlett added that this same concept is true of everyone in the print industry. They don’t sell products; they sell the vision behind the product, a reflection of what they do and who they are. “Print is the most effective medium in the world today,” he said. “We need to be the greatest ambassadors to print since Gutenberg.”