noelward
Well-known member
Your Turn
So Tell Me….
By Noel Ward, Editor@Large
I’ve been visiting and talking with printers for a long time. On a good day I have a somewhat decent understanding of the inner workings of the printing business. It is definitely not the easiest way to make a living. It’s time to write about some of the challenges and I need your help. I would like to roll your answers to some questions into a couple of articles. To do that I need first-hand input from people running or managing a printing business. You can answer whichever of the following questions you wish and I will turn the collective responses into an article or two. Think of it as a virtual focus group. I may have to reach out for more detail, and if you are open to this please let me know.
Being anonymous
Your answers are very important, but as we said in my days of market research, it is qualitative data that is not representative of a larger audience. It does not matter who you are or where you are located: you are simply providing useful input. Whatever you say is totally anonymous and you will not be identified in any way. Your insights may be useful or important to others and play a part in the content Print Planet provides in the future. On the other hand, if you do want to be quoted, just tell me.
I have created a unique email address for your responses so I won’t miss your mail note. Just send any answers to [email protected]. I need as many responses as possible by November 1st.
As noted above, answer whichever questions you wish and I will turn the collective responses into an article. I know most people will not answer every question—no worries. If it’s easier for you, it’s fine to answer questions a few at a time. I’ll do the sorting as I go along.
Here's what I’d like to hear about. Answer as few or many as you wish.
So Tell Me….
By Noel Ward, Editor@Large
I’ve been visiting and talking with printers for a long time. On a good day I have a somewhat decent understanding of the inner workings of the printing business. It is definitely not the easiest way to make a living. It’s time to write about some of the challenges and I need your help. I would like to roll your answers to some questions into a couple of articles. To do that I need first-hand input from people running or managing a printing business. You can answer whichever of the following questions you wish and I will turn the collective responses into an article or two. Think of it as a virtual focus group. I may have to reach out for more detail, and if you are open to this please let me know.
Being anonymous
Your answers are very important, but as we said in my days of market research, it is qualitative data that is not representative of a larger audience. It does not matter who you are or where you are located: you are simply providing useful input. Whatever you say is totally anonymous and you will not be identified in any way. Your insights may be useful or important to others and play a part in the content Print Planet provides in the future. On the other hand, if you do want to be quoted, just tell me.
I have created a unique email address for your responses so I won’t miss your mail note. Just send any answers to [email protected]. I need as many responses as possible by November 1st.
As noted above, answer whichever questions you wish and I will turn the collective responses into an article. I know most people will not answer every question—no worries. If it’s easier for you, it’s fine to answer questions a few at a time. I’ll do the sorting as I go along.
Here's what I’d like to hear about. Answer as few or many as you wish.
- In what ways has your business changed since you started it or took it over from your predecessor?
- What do you know now that you wish you knew when you started your business or took it over?
- What are the three top business challenges you face today?
- To what extent do equipment and software vendors understand the practical realities of your business?
- How skeptical are you about the claims and promises of vendors?
- What can win you over when you are skeptical?
- We know finding good employees is a problem for many business owners. In what ways is this impacting your business?
- Who or what are the most important parts of your team?
- What formal or informal ways of sharing challenges or ideas do you have with other printers?
- In what ways are any of the supporting technologies of printing becoming too complex and sophisticated for customer needs?
- Are there any capabilities you don’t have now that you would you like to see in presses or prepress technologies
- Some printers say they are seeking new lines of revenue. If you are one of them, what are you doing to expand your business and its offerings?
- How do you communicate what you do to your target audience?
- To what extent do you use the internet to promote your business? How?
- Which technologies offered by equipment and software provide the most value for your business?
- What kinds of articles should we have more of or less of on PrintPlanet?
- These are pretty basic questions, so what am I not asking that you think I should?
