“Price is important because everybody’s got a budget and that magic figure in mind that they want to pay,” says independent print consultant Mark Francis.
But price is far from the be-all and end-all for buyers. Even those that do buy primarily on price need some way to differentiate between suppliers offering similar quotes and this is where printers need to go that extra mile to stand out in order to win work.
“A supplier has got to be competitive and capable of doing a job and that’s when they get the chance to add value,” says Toyota/Lexus buyer Weldon Molony.
It’s not just about quality either, as that is more or less a given these days. A printer consistently delivering shoddy jobs is not going to last long in the industry.
Profitable Print Relationships director Matthew Parker says that, due to the commoditised nature of some print products, the print itself now needs to be just one part of a whole package offered by a printer.
“Although this will vary according to the market sector the printer is in and the type of print that they’re producing,” he acknowledges.
“There’s no one magic value cure but it is about offering more than print and framing it in the right way for the customer. For example, there’s a big difference between asking ‘what can we do to improve your marketing results?’ and ‘would you like some direct mail?’ because the first question can lead to a value-added discussion and the second leads to a commodity discussion.”
Parker adds that printers could differentiate themselves by offering design and web services in-house or catering for specific niche markets.
“If your range of services is much broader then it’s not just about seeing who’s got the cheapest piece of print.
“And if you specialise in a sector you’re more likely to get a higher profit margin because people will value that sector knowledge for the right products. A printer could, for example, create restaurant specific services, not just menus but a whole marketing package for a restaurant’s event.”
Customer focus
A crucial element that most buyers look for when placing work is good customer service, though many see this as a necessity rather than a value add.
“For me customer service is the most important ingredient,” says Npower print services manager Jeff Richards. “I do feel printers have got much better on service because they’ve had to with the attack by print management. People buy off people, it’s all about the ease of the journey, and that’s reflective of companies who can deliver good customer service.
“There are always some that do it that little bit better and those are the ones you know you can rely on.”
Francis adds: “Service is key. When you’re press passing – especially if you’ve got the end-client with you – it’s important that the printer has the facilities to actually accommodate you and the client on site.”
Molony says part of good service is helping to make new concepts clearer.
“When somebody comes to me about something I don’t really know about, I need to be able to rely on my printer to call and ask them how to do it.
“If somebody’s helping you with something you’ve never bought before then realistically they deserve to do the job. The loyalty stays with those go-to people.”
Richards believes that having this sort of collaborative relationship with printers helps them to stand out. “There are always opportunities to learn something new and you lean on relationships with suppliers to add that value.”
Parker agrees and elaborates: “If I think I want direct mail but you then introduce me to some more competitive services and start me on the road to better personalisation or multi-channel print, then I’m busy learning with you and therefore less likely to commodotise the product and buy it on price. I’m trusting you to educate me and take me on the right journey.”
If a buyer requires assistance in picking a suitable or unique substrate for a job then a printer might find it useful to contact its own suppliers for advice first because, as Antalis head of print channel Rob Chandler notes, a poor choice of substrate can make or break a job, regardless of how powerful a design is.
“Substrate specification will have a whole range of impacts, both good and bad, whether it’s poor opacity once the ink is down, causing show-through, or selection of the right coated, uncoated or creative substrate that gives the job a tactile feel to the end-consumer.”
Chandler adds the company is seeing an increasing demand for products that remove the need for further finishing processes such as laminating or die-cutting, which can help a printer to add value by keeping a buyer’s costs, wastage and potentially outsourcing down.
While many buyers do not mind suppliers outsourcing small parts of a job such as special or unusual finishes, most see it as a bonus for a printer to have a comprehensive range of finishing kit at their disposal.
“The more you can cut down the supply chain and keep it all under one roof, the better for quality, consistency of service, cost and time,” says Progressive Content production director Angela Derbyshire.
“I don’t expect a web printer to have foiling in-house but if it’s all under one roof for a short-run job then you’re not transporting things everywhere, you’re shortening your schedule and you have more control.”
Indeed, special finishes and formats are other popular ways of adding value. Francis deals with a lot of corporate communications for FTSE companies, some of which like to experiment with unique effects.
He says: “There’s a project I’m doing at the moment for somebody who wants a lenticular finish to give a 3D effect. For that we use companies that specialise in that sort of thing.”
Richards adds: “Creative formats sometimes score points – marketers are always pushing for those – but for me they have to have the potential for ROI. Formats such as a die-cut or a special finish – something that makes a piece stand out – can be used to target high-value customers.”
Maintaining standards
Another important value-add, most buyers agree, is holding various accreditations and certifications, as it helps them to identify which printers are most likely to be able to handle their jobs, many of which are often for blue-chip clients or brands that have certain credentials to meet.
“When we take a new supplier on board we look at their environmental accreditations such as ISO 14001,” says Molony. “It’s not something we insist on but it’s certainly something that earns brownie points and gets ticks in the right boxes, especially if you’re being compared to another supplier.
“And it’s not just about the fact that they’ve got the accreditation, but also about how they are trying to improve it each year.”
Richards says an important standard for Npower is the ISO 12647 colour management certification.
“To me, working to ISO 12647 is the only way a printer can truly manage colour. I have to see that because otherwise they wouldn’t be able to undertake my brand benchmark test. They have to meet a tighter tolerance because of my colours.”
Some printers offer a no-frills service, which can be fine if buyers know upfront about what they are getting.
“I don’t think it takes a lot to add that extra value for a client but it depends what world you’re in,” says Francis, who notes that adding value can mean different things in different sectors.
“If you’re used to sending PDFs and then getting soft proofs which are then approved and printed then it’s a different world to the world I’m used to where you’re getting wet proofs and scatter proofs.
“It’s about building in that time for comment for getting things correct, whereas if you’re purely geared up for volume and job-in, job-out then it’s a different world.”
Ultimately, it seems that the best way for a printer to add value is to offer a more compelling overall proposition than their competition. Building a good rapport with buyers is essential for printers to become trusted and valued rather than being seen as just another ‘ink on paper’ type business.
And whether that’s achieved by sharing expertise where possible, offering something different from the norm or ensuring consistently high service standards, establishing that strong initial connection is vital and a good working relationship keeps buyers going back.
