(September 03, 2008) Schools may have been out for summer, but in late August Xerox continued its educational events for members of the company’sPremier Partners program. A thought leadership workshop was held on digital printing followed by a Webinar on how print providers can partner with creatives to increase business. Xerox’s Premier Partners program is a global print network of the world’s leading print providers totaling about 750 members from 48 countries.
 
A thought leadership workshop titled “Open New Opportunities with Digital Printing” was the first event and took place August 20 – 21 in Rochester, N.Y. Attracting nearly 50 Premier Partners from across the U.S, attendees heard from executive coaching duo Nadine Pellegrino and Harry Waldman on how to effectively present the power of digital printing to attract new customers.  
 
“Whether you’re a brand new sales print representative or a seasoned pro, before making a sales call to a prospective print buyer, you have to do your homework,” said Waldman during his opening keynote on day two of the workshop. “Going in with knowledge about your prospect’s market and implementing a compelling presentation is what will make you stand out from the numerous sales pitches your prospect sees each month.”
 
Waldman went on to use a PODi case study to demonstrate how one print provider was able to use the variable options available with digital printing to produce a direct mail piece for a client that resulted in an impressive 11 percent response rate.
 
The following week, on August 27, Bob Wagner, vice president of creative services business and premier partners program, Xerox Corporation, led a Webinar for about 60 Premier Partners titled “26 Billion Reasons to Partner with Creatives.” The session takes its name from an eye-opening statistic reported by Frank Romano, professor emeritus from the school of print media at the Rochester Institute of Technology, stating that creatives buy $26 billion of print per year, but according to Xerox, only 15 percent of digital printers proactively market to creative professionals.
 
“You’ll be leaving money on the table if you don’t work with advertisers, marketers and in-house creatives to grow your business,” said Wagner. “It’s all about opportunity, but you can’t wait for it, you have to create it.”
 
Wagner also emphasized how print providers can use innovative digital print examples to open the door with creatives.
 
These events are two examples of the many educational opportunities Xerox offers annually to its Premier Partners.