More from the UK

After I did the last post, I started to poke around at The Print Business - available in the Cloud, home base in the UK - and found lots of neat stuff. Here's one sample
from CEO Interviews - CEO Interviews - The Print Business

"The success he has enjoyed in IT seems at odds with wanting to take on a business in the printing industry, albeit one in digital printing. But according to Claxson, the data-centric focus of DP Direct’s business has a lot in common with the IT business, not least that both businesses are talking to corporate procurement people.

. . . Instead of having to print at least 100,000 with an identical message, we think that we can print a short run of 4,000 to check the response rates: if these are good, then fine; but if not we can vary the offer or the message in order to maximise the response the client gets.”"

What a novel idea, first test then invest the big bucks. it's just common sense, systematically applied. And just two more,

“We can talk to clients about doing more of their print. If we can get them into our workflows, we have captured them. We understand the issues around workflow because of our ICT background.”

Notice, "get them into our workflows", not market to them or tell them that you want to be their "trusted communication partner." But you have to have a standards based workflow and real expertise in IT to really make that work.

I don’t need it to be the biggest, I want to have the people here busy and I want to be dealing with technologies that keep us all interested; and the clients will be coming to discuss ideas they have for a mailing. That’s the bit that is interesting.

”Interesting" is why I fell in love with Print in the first place.

Network or stagnate Part 1
Network or stagnate Part 2