Over the past couple years, printers have been struggling in a world of economic gloom. During what has been one of the worst recessions in over 60 years, what can companies do to avoid becoming another sad headline? A number of service providers have used these challenging times to effectively reposition their businesses with value propositions that resonate in today's market. Historically, print service providers have generally not spent too much time positioning - much less re-positioning - their firms. In a prolonged recession, business approaches that were effective during healthy economies will often become ineffective. When this happens, it becomes necessary for a firm to change its positioning. Repositioning a printing company involves more than addressing a marketing challenge. It involves making hard decisions about how the printing market is shifting to new and different media, developing the right product and services, and effectively communicating the transformation to both customers and prospects.

Once the hard decisions have been made about products and services, positioning is how you differentiate your offerings in the minds of prospects. It's not your perception or your organization's perception that matters - it is the prospect's perception. A good market positioning statement tells customers and prospects what makes you unique and clearly outlines the benefits of your products and services.

Positioning is important because you are competing for attention amidst all of the noise out there. If you can find a way to stand out with a unique benefit, you have a chance of attracting the attention of prospects. Positioning is the fight for the customer's mind. When consumers are purchasing products or services related to your portfolio, you want to be the first organization that they think about.