I did a presentation on variable data printing (VDP) last week for the Direct Marketing Association in Denver (RMDMA). I was afraid nobody would show up because it was the first presentation at 9 AM and it was raining in Denver again. When I sat down in the front row with my back to the audience 10 minutes before the presentation time, I was sure it would be a small audience because only about 8 people were in the room. After introductions, I turned around and found the room was packed and there were people still entering. It never ceases to amaze me the delta or gap between the high interest in VDP and the relatively low percentage of use. Based on my experience, it is one of the most popular subjects at printing shows and its appeal has not diminished since it came onto the commercial printer radar screen in 1995. It was at Drupa 95 that the first equipment offering color printing at production speeds were seen with the Agfa Chromapress, Indigo and Xiekon presses. It took a long time before the quality and reliability of the color digital devices gained mass market acceptance, but it seems like variable data printing may never achieve mass market acceptance. The obvious question is why? Why is there so much interest in the promise of VDP and so little market acceptance. The first reason most people come up with is that it's too expensive. This is a very common objection heard in sales of all products. However, more in-depth surveys show that more people use that excuse than actually mean it because it’s easier than voicing their real objections. On the other hand, if you look across the board at all the digital presses, the cost of maintenance and consumables has come down. But with all things considered, the total cost of operation is higher for a VDP job than a static job. And it should be. It takes time to work with databases, VDP software and run tests to confirm everything is working. But anyone who sells VDP can tell you – you don’t sell the cost / piece but you sell the cost per response. Another common objection is that it’s too hard. Yes, without a doubt, sending a printed piece through the mail stream that is a more targeted and relevant piece to someone is harder. Taking the time to learn more about your customer’s prospects or your customers’ customers or their purchasing habits or demographics and using that information in a meaningful way to help sell something is harder. But there is a line from a movie that my friend Bill Farquharson loves to quote from the movie “A League of Their Own” with Geena Davis and Tom Hanks. It’s at the end of the season and Geena Davis’ character, who is the star of the all woman’s softball team, decides to quit due to the fact that her husband has returned from the war. Walking to the bus Davis’ character tells Hanks, “I quit. It just got too hard.” I used to read Bill’s stuff everyday because we both blogged on the Graphic Arts Monthly home page and I remember what Bill wrote, “Hanks delivers three lines that serve as the perfect commentary to the challenge of sales these days. He says, “‘It’s supposed to be hard. If it wasn’t hard, everyone would do it. The ‘Hard’ is what makes it great.’” So the two reasons I can offer is that it costs more or that it’s too hard. Do you hear other objections when trying to sell VDP? Howard Fenton is a Senior Consultant at NAPL. Howie advises commercial printers, in-plants, and manufacturers on workflow management, operations, digital services, and customer research.