Selling Print is Never Going Back to Normal
Sales is never going back to normal. The pandemic didn’t create anything new—it simply accelerated what was already happening. Evolve your sales team now; donuts and face to face meetings aren’t coming back.
Around the Web: Candy Cruise. Academic Apparel. Novel Notions. Susceptible Satellites. Listing Letters. Sustainable Sandwiches.
Candy chutes for social-distanced trick or treating. The International Library for Fashion Research set to open in Oslo. Clever but strange inventions from the early 20th century. What would we do without GPS? A new book traces the history of alphabetical order. (No, really.) Burger King tries out reusable packaging. RIP Ed Benguiat. All that and more in WhatTheyThink’s weekly track-and-tracing miscellany.
Reducing Costs through Cybersecurity
A sudden shift to digital workflows has created opportunity for cybercriminals to exploit unprepared businesses. This article puts forward three low-investment tips to help print companies prevent data breaches in 2020 and beyond.
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Industry News
- DuPont Image Solutions Announces Withdrawal from drupa 2021
- Koenig & Bauer Durst Announces Innovations for Delta SPC 130 FlexLine Automatic
- Gerber Technology Redefines Mass Production with Launch of Revolutionary, Next-Generation Cutting Room
- HYBRID Software Releases PACKZ 6.0
- Roland DGA to Showcase its Latest Eco-Solvent, UV and Direct-to-Garment Printing Technologies in Upcoming PRINTING United Digital Experience
- Konica Minolta to Ignite Print Possibilities as Exhibitor at PRINTING United Insight Days
- Keypoint Intelligence Announces New Study Addressing the Demand and Need for Going Beyond CMYK
- Over 69,000 Visitors at Successful All In Print China 2020
- AATCC and Runway of Dreams Foundation Announce the 2021 “Fashion for All” Student Design Competition
- The Boxmaker to Acquire Tango Press
- Milestone for Autonomous Print Finishing
- Free Workpack on How to Make the Most of a Web-To-Print System
- WWP Beauty Welcomes William Jiang as Its Asia Pacific Managing Director
- Can Manufacturers Institute, Ardagh Group and Crown Holdings Offer 2021 Grants for Aluminum Can Recycling
- Nano-Film, Meeting the COVID-19 Protective Mask Demands, While Saving Our Planet
- Schreiner ProTech Develops RFID Component Tracking Labeling Solution for World’s Largest Automotive Safety Supplier
- The Comexi Technological Center in Brazil Expands Its Services to Give Added Value to Customers
- Quad to Host Investors and Analysts Call to Discuss Third Quarter 2020 Results
- Nanotextile Market Data, Price Trends, and Competitive Market Share 2028
- Textile Floorings Market Trends and Forecast, 2020-2028
A Passion for Fashion: Meet Class of 2020 Graduate Amelia Hughes
It’s always exciting and rewarding to view the launch of new careers in fashion design. In this week’s article, we share the story of recent graduate Amelia Hughes and her hopes for the future in an interview conducted by textiles expert and WhatTheyThink contributor Debbie McKeegan.
The Question Print Sales People Must Be Prepared to Answer
A seasoned print buyer offers insight into what newly minted print salespeople often do wrong and what they need to do right instead.
Talking Textiles: The Supply Chain, Sustainability, and the Impact of Digital Technologies
The COVID-19 crisis has upended the fashion industry, but it has also given the industry an unprecedented opportunity to reinvent itself for the better. Texintel CEO Debbie McKeegan discusses the supply chain, sustainability, and the impact of digital technologies on textile production.
Corrugated Growth and Challenges Part 2: Design Opportunities and Cost Challenges
Growth projections from the pre-COVID forecast for digital print for packaging are just slightly below the initial 2019 forecast in the short term, while a longer-term forecast looks much more encouraging. However, moving from analog to digital production brings some challenges.
Smart Photo Books: An Interview with Michal Czaicki, CEO of Printbox
Smart photo books are the next major trend in the photo products market. In this article, sponsored by Enterprise Photo Product Software provider Printbox, CEO Michal Czaicki talks about this new product area, and Printbox’s new Smart Creation photo book designer.
A moment of levity. View Today's Dilbert
Dilbert is brought to you by the hiring pros at PrintLink. PrintLink is the industry leader in Executive Search & Professional Placement.
Industry Data
Paperboard Container Manufacturing Establishments—2010–2018
In 2010, there were 2,205 establishments in NAICS 32221 (Paperboard Container Manufacturing). By 2018, that number had declined -11% to 1,961. In macro news, the American Institute of Architects’ Architecture Billings Index (ABI) score was up in September. This is a leading indicator for the economy in general, but also for the signage market in particular. Full Analysis
European Print Industry Snapshot: Belgium
According to the Eurostat production index, the printing industry in Belgium did fairly well in 2019 and even during the COVID-19 crisis in 2020, despite the country being hit hard by the virus. Although production volumes in 2019 were down compared to 2015, Belgium did better than the European Union average in the production index for printing and recorded media. Full Analysis
August Printing Shipments—The Rebound Continues
In August 2020, printing shipments rose to $6.90 billion—the third straight month of increasing shipments—and while it’s still well below August 2019’s $7.52 billion, given where we came from, that ain’t bad. Full Analysis
Recent Discussion
Robert Lindgren on Selling Print is Never Going Back to Normal
Jennifer says: "Imagine competing against a printer who has become experts at the medium (online meetings, video conferencing, demonstrations, collaboration). The optimization of this medium gives you a lot of options when it comes to team selling." … Full comment Reply
Robert Lindgren on The Question Print Sales People Must Be Prepared to Answer
Isn't the starting point in the conversation, the customer's own objectives and their accomplishment? While there may be situations where reducing the cost of doing exactly the same thing as they're doing now is the starting point, it's usually prefe… Full comment Reply
Dave Hultin on Selling Print is Never Going Back to Normal
Change is scary. Staying the same is scarier. Reply
Heidi Tolliver-Walker on The Question Print Sales People Must Be Prepared to Answer
Agreed. I think the buyer's point was not that the salesperson be limited to his or her company's sweet spot, but that if you don't even know that sweet spot, there isn't really a starting point for a productive conversation. Reply
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WhatTheyThink Magazine is the resource for the Commercial Printing, Visual and Graphic Arts Industries. Industry experts share their ideas and technical knowledge on ways to improve operations.
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PARTNER SITE
- Print Production and Applications in Europe During and After Lockdown
- Lane Changers and Game Changers
- Welcome to the Greatest Virtual Show on Earth!
- Xeikon Announces 7-color Label Press
- Full Circle with Toppan Merrill
- Inkjet Solutions from Collaboration
- In-Plant Managers: Assess, Adapt and Grow
- Dynamics of Digital Label Printing
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Robert Godwin on Selling Print is Never Going Back to Normal
Jen, Much of what you describe in regard to sales skills speaks to the culture of the company. If the shop has customers that communicate through online interactions then the shop has the skills you are discussing. If they don't have that customer… Full comment Reply