The importance of focusing on added value emerged as a strong theme at PrintWeeks Maximising Margins conference last week.


Several of the speakers, who ranged from printers through to finance experts and a print buyer, advised delegates to think about how they can offer more services to their customers, and charge a premium for them.


"Make sure your sales team generates sales which meet your ideal added-value percentage as a minimum," said Bill Davis, managing director of print training specialist Maximum Impact.


"Get them to recognise the cost implications to the company when work is produced at low added-value percentages," he added.


Hillprint sales and marketing director Ian Smith claimed that understanding added value was an important factor in turning a "dead pup" of a business into a profitable, award-winning one.


"Youve got to stop thinking like a printer and think like someone who knows how to recover the costs of a business," he said.


Hillprint has expanded its services to include direct mail fulfilment and design, and found that it gained more work for the latter when it put its prices up. "Customers perception was they must know what theyre talking about," he said.


Keynote speaker Lee Newbon, AGI Media Packaging Europe chief executive, said anticipating customers future needs and offering them new products was crucial.


"We are a service industry and you have be pro-active and increase your chargeable services," said Newbon.


Representatives from HSBC, RSM Robson Rhodes, Cranfield School of Management, Virgin Projects, Graphic Futures and Direct Image also gave presentations.


Story by Lauretta Roberts