(This is Part 5 of a five-part series. Read Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, and Part 4.)

Remember the Staples marketing campaign with the “easy button”? I thought that campaign was brilliant because it’s hard to differentiate yourself when you’re selling the exact same thing as two other companies (e.g. OfficeMax and Office Depot). Staples’ whole marketing campaign is “we’re easier to do business with.” Most of us thought of the consumer-focused retail stores, but the real market for office supplies back then was businesses. So the easy button was really targeted at the business-to-business transaction. 

I often ask printers this question: “how easy is it to do business with you?” What I love about this question is what it is not about. It’s not about which presses you own, it’s not about what inline finishing you have. It’s not even about your turn times. The way I define “easy to do business with” is the customer’s experience of your workflow from initial inquiry to paid invoice.