Page 56 - Print21 July-Aug 2018 Magazine

Web2Print
Ali Ridha Jaffar
disruptively long and can be greatly reduced with Web2Print.
To give yourself a fighting chance, have a demo platform to hand. Try to customise it around your client’s needs. It’s a wonderful thing to be able to show off, demonstrating significant effort on your part, and customers love a working example. You can show where the immediate pain-relief will happen. Your solution is now a remedy. Paint a picture of the future, both with and without their existing problems.
Overcoming objections
Clients will have some expectations. Their objections to Web2Print will increase, if you do not manage them. The one I hear the most is, “Our current system isn’t broken, so why fix it?” Easy – to eliminate all that extra work! Adopting Web2Print will ensure any marketing manager will leave behind a legacy system that will give them years of bragging rights! It’s an enhancement of their role, not a redundancy as it still requires a supervisor to oversee the entire process.
Another objection I’ve heard involves job-security – “But now everyone will be able to do my job!” Designers, in particular, fear for their jobs, but it’s unfounded. Instead
of being called upon to perform all the fiddly, annoying, minor changes during the proofing process, those activities can now be performed by anyone. Which is fantastic! It means that the designers are free to focus
on the creative stuff! Besides, the platform will always require templates and I would only trust their creation to a competent designer.
Another objection tends to come from upper-management. “It’s too much work to implement!” It may be, if they require a great deal of customisation and bespoke coding, however, they won’t have to get their hands dirty or stress about timelines.
The hardest thing they will experience is the training to use the platform. 21
Failure is not
an option
This article is the first in a series of three by Ali Ridha Jaffar, vice president of UK-based print and technology Syncoms Group, where he discusses important aspects of the adoption of Web2Print as part of an organisation’s transformation from a traditional printer’s business model, to a more technically-orientated print business.
Whenever I have consulted about Web2Print issues, while the details might differ between clients, the underlying themes remain the same. I hope to dispel some doubts and give the reader a clearer idea about the specifics involved in transitioning from the ‘old’ printer’s business model, to the modern, 21st century way of doing print.
Firstly, when trying to revolutionise your organisation, you may encounter a stick-in-the-mud attitude, resisting change. A reality check will be necessary for, if your organisation does not adopt Web2Print, your competitors definitely will. While print may be experiencing a world- wide boom, the methods of purchase have changed beyond recognition.
Get on board or be left behind.
Internal challenges will arise from all corners, but the loudest complaints might be heard from your sales and design teams. They may fear imminent redundancy, but assure them that this is an opportunity where their skillsets will be needed – that they will be
able to grow and expand their
abilities with the adoption of
this modern technology.
The money talk
This brings me to another
key point: if you are
expecting an immediate
ROI, you will be disappointed! Along with managing your sales and design teams, you
must manage profit expectations.
Ask yourself, “What is this customer worth, if I were to lose them altogether?” That should inform your attitude towards them and subsequent decision-making.
Be flexible and don’t get hung
up on pricing. Of course, if your customer demands six weeks of bespoke customisation, then feel free to charge them, but avoid getting greedy and the sales will flow. The beauty of Web2Print is its plasticity – you can charge per template or offer a minimum-spend commitment. The idea is to create stickiness; after all,
if this customer purchases elsewhere, how much will you lose?
The question is, how do you capture your customers’ attention and win their business? Face-to-face preliminary meetings are crucial.
The personal touch matters and is remembered. Try to anticipate the challenges your clients will face, especially the pitfalls of their existing models – time between ordering
and finalising artwork is usually
Syncoms Group has a range of significant clients, ranging from
government institutions to
NASDAQ and Fortune-500 companies.
www. syncoms. co.uk
56 Print21 JULY/AUGUST 2018