News
Not Just a Number
It seems as though all types of manufacturing are becoming more and more commodity. Do you feel like a number? The printed piece has become more readily available through advancing technologies like the Internet. In turn, it has put pressure on small businesses to adapt and become more creative and specialized. The companies who will rise to the top are the ones who can clearly demonstrate the value of the services and products they bring to the table. More visibility, targeted direct mail pieces, and all the intuitive creativity one can possibly summon is what is needed to catch the attention of potential customers. Logging onto a quick printing website for your print projects has taken a bite out of the local printers. After all, when you buy off the internet you select something that "catches your eye," hit the right keys, and within several days voila! Your business card or whatever, arrive via UPS.
As with any printing or manufacturing company, mistakes can be made. On average, the e-commerce printing companies accept a 12% rejection rate so, you have a 12% chance of a mistake in your printing order. Small businesses like us, DaVinci Graphics, take our customers and their jobs and make sure they are done to the customers satisfaction. We make sure it is done right the first time. While no one is perfect, I have a hard time remembering any final product that the customer has not been satisfied with. If it was the case, we take care of it by reprinting at little to no cost or compromising on what needs to be done. In a tight market, made worse by the recession, its very hard to recover from projects that need to be rerun. In an economy where one is trying to manage costs, a redo of a project can be devastating. There is just no margin for error. Let's say your net profit margin is 5%, after costs. If a job s done wrong and let's say it "costs," $200.00 to redo it. To recoup the $200.00 in profit, you must do $4000.00 in sales. For a small business, it's very hard to absorb this kind of blow.
The main point is "communicate, communicate, communicate." This is how the small businessman can stay one step ahead of the economy. Talk to your customers. Advise them on how to save money while still delivering the piece they want. Lastly, send proofs for everything. Content, color, binding, paper stock, anything that pertains to the project being created. Remember the customer is key. Keep them pleased and clearly demonstrate the value you can add to the job and you will have them forever.
