SEARCH

In 1821, a Scottish painter named Patrick Syme published a book of color samples called “Werner’s Nomenclature of Colours: Adapted to Zoology, Botany, Chemistry, Minerology, Anatomy, and the Arts.” Syme’s book was based on a classification system devised by the German mineralogist Abraham Gottlob Werner in the late 18th Century, and a book Werner published in 1814. Charles Darwin used Werner’s system for his scientific observations while developing his theory of natural selection. Werner’s system of classification predated systems such as Pantone (which did not arrive until the 1950s), and it still has relevant lessons for us over two hundred years later.  Animal, Vegetable, or Mineral? Syme’s version of Werner’s guide was reprinted by  the Smithsonian not long ago and made available at an affordable price. (Original copies, if you can find one, sell for thousands of dollars.) The book is only about 80 pages long and has 110 color swatches in the following palettes: Whites (1-8), …

Can a quick price drop close the deal? Is there a downside? Let me share why discounts like this can backfire for Production Inkjet print service providers—and what to do instead. Scenario A: We quote $5,000 to a customer for a production inkjet print job—let's say it includes full-color variable data printing on premium coated stock and mailing services. The customer comes back and says they need us at $4,500 to win their business. We agree to discount the deal by $500 but don’t change anything about what we’re delivering—still the same premium stock, same color coverage, same mailing service. In Scenario A, the customer gave up nothing to get a discount. We changed the price without changing the offering, which I call an “unearned discount.” This obviously eats into our profit. But equally importantly, unearned discounts hurt trust. When the customer learns that they can simply ask for a discount and get it—without any adjustment to the scope or materials—they may conclude there was …

Tired of crickets chirping in response to your emails and voicemails? You’re not alone. Prospecting today is a whole different beast. Old-school tactics are fading fast, making it harder than ever to connect with potential clients. Caller ID, voicemail, spam filters — they all act as a formidable moat, keeping us ne’er-do-well sales types at bay. Fortunately, we can now cross the moat by leveraging AI to assist in every aspect of our sales process, from identifying top prospects right through to closing the order.  Using AI as part of your sales strategy enables you to find better prospects, understand their business needs, get in the door, have intelligent, compelling conversations and close deals faster.  To survive and thrive in the new world of sales, you must learn a new way to prospect and sell. Once you learn these new sales strategies, you’ll never want to go back to the old way. Register now to join me and Emma Farquharson, PhD, in the thINK Academy Workshop, “SALES & AI: …

  BOCA RATON, FL., January 16, 2025 – thINK , an independent community of Canon U.S.A. production inkjet customers, is pleased to announce 2025 thINK Board positions, as follows: thINK 2025 Board: Pete Studer –  President 2025 | CEO, Impact Lori Messina – Immediate Past President 2025 | President, Access Direct Chris Wells – Director | 2025 VP/Treasurer | Executive Vice President, DSG | UW Eric Hollingsworth – Director | 2025 Conference Chair | VP of Operations, RevSpring Shelley Hyde – Director | Co-Owner PrintMailPro Fred Van Alstyne – Director | Chief Operating Officer, Cathedral Corporation Tom Ling – Director | Managing Member, Advantage Colorgraphics Francis McMahon – Executive Sponsor | Executive VP, Production Technology & Services, Canon U.S.A. Tonya Powers –  Executive Sponsor | Director, Customer Marketing-Production, Canon U.S.A. Eric Hawkinson – thINK Executive Director Pete Studer, a seasoned leader with a deep-rooted belief in the power of human connection, steps into …