Lifelong Learning Drives Print Revenue

learning

Have you ever thought of the relationship between learning and print revenue for your business?

There is a strong correlation because your customers want to do business with experts in the print industry, not just order takers. Order taking is easy. But customers often want creative thinking and product/service knowledge.

How do you get there?

You commit yourself to a lifetime of learning. That commitment will drive print revenue.

Here are five ways to drive print revenue through lifelong learning:

Create a Learning Attitude

The key to lifelong learning is to have a great attitude about it. When you have a desire to always learn, then you will be curious about your industry and the needs of your customers. You will also see how your knowledge relates to your customers’ needs. Through a learning attitude, you will bring new ideas that demonstrate your creative thinking—all of which leads to more print revenue.

Attend Trade Shows

Many trade shows and conferences have lost their luster. I believe this happens when people either lose the desire to learn or they attend without a real purpose in mind. Ask yourself: Who do you want to meet? What do you want to learn? What suppliers offer potential opportunities to learn? With the right focus, trade shows can take you along the path of learning.

Invite Suppliers to Present

Invite suppliers to participate in your internal sales meetings. Tell them you want them to bring three creative ideas, unique applications, or case studies of their product or service. This creates an opportunity to learn, which you can then apply to your customers.

Read Industry Periodicals

If you take the time to read Print Solutions, Print and Promo, or other print magazines, you will find many ideas, both within the articles and within the supplier ads. Keep your eyes peeled as you review those articles and underline ideas that pertain to your customers. This is a learning opportunity, an opportunity to set yourself apart from others, and in turn, an opportunity to earn more print revenue.

Apply Then Re-apply Customer Experiences

What have you learned from one customer that you can apply to another customer? What has one customer done that others can learn from and apply to their business? If you have the right attitude and keep your eyes and ears open, you will see and hear ideas that can be applied to other customers or even prospects for print.

To grow your print revenue takes a lifelong dedication to learning. As you learn, you can apply that knowledge to your customers, which will help you grow your print revenue.

What other types of learning have worked for you in your print business?

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4 replies
  1. Jim Bonaventura, CDC
    Jim Bonaventura, CDC says:

    Bill,

    Well said.

    I lament the demise of the CFC/CDC program- which I thought was the ultimate continuing education program. I think the reason that most distributors have had such a hard time replacing traditional print orders that are lost to technology or customer consolidation is because they haven’t been curious about alternative options…until it’s too late.

    You refer to it as a learning attitude. I call it curiosity. New ideas born from healthy curiosity allow you to be proactive and drive the end user to solutions that show you are the “go to guy”. It not only preserves and grows print sales, but can also lead to other, non-print revenue opportunities.

    Want to remain relevant? Use that learning attitude to become an expert.. Once you demonstrate that expertise to your customers, more and more opportunities will flow your way.

    • Bill Prettyman
      Bill Prettyman says:

      Jim, it is easy to see why you have been so successful in our industry for so many years. With a sense of healthy curiosity you become the expert for your customers leading to more business…well said, Jim.

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