This past week, I picked up a book by entitled Blueprint to a Billion: 7 Essentials to Achieve Exponential Growth. In writing this book, bestselling author David Thomson researched all the American companies that went public after 1980 and grew to produce revenues of over $1 billion. This book, which was published in 2006, identified 387 companies out of the 7,454 that qualified and created a blueprint for what these firms did to differentiate themselves. These growth companies are especially defined by their ability to grow through recessionary and recovery periods to become new growth leaders.

The first two essentials in this book relate directly to what we are experiencing in the printing industry. The first basic premise in Thomson's book is that companies need to consistently create a benefits bundle to establish a lasting bond with target customers. After targeting the appropriate customer segment with the right bundle, the next step is effective delivery. Without it, even the most effective benefit bundle will fail to connect with customers.

The first basic premise in Thomson’s book is that companies need to consistently create a benefits bundle to establish a lasting bond with target customers.

The second principle of the book concerns delivering a blueprint. Thomson states, "Blueprint companies deliver more than a product or a service; they delivered breakthrough benefits-the value and meaning that a customer attaches to the company's product or service. These make for benefit frameworks that the company can use to quantify the relationship and value for both functional and emotional needs." Thomson creates a benefits ladder, where he defines functional benefits as those that satisfy basic tangible needs. He also indicates that regardless of whether you are dealing with a B2B or B2C customer, you need to appeal to their emotional needs (which relate to the intangibles of how one feels about your product or service).