Why is employee recognition important? It’s one of the most powerful recruiting and retaining tool. The Department of Labor reports that a reason why 64% of employees leave their job is because they are not recognized. So if you want to know the true measure of a company, simply count its number of satisfied employees! More graphic arts companies of all sizes are learning the value of putting their people first. When firms recognize employees for their achievements, their employees: Develop a clearer understanding of company goals. Are more engaged, productive, and motivated. Stay longer with their company. Are you struggling to come up with new ideas for employee incentives, or trying to get your incentive program up and running? We’ve put together this list of 10 inspiring ways to reward your employees that are low cost and low tech, perfect for small- and medium-size firms.  But no matter where you work, when you put your people first, business success follows. Does your company have a great employee incentive strategy? Why not tell your customers and potential employees? Share how your company puts #PeopleFirst. We could choose your response to recognize on www.printing.org/HR along with your company name!  Join the conversation on our Facebook and Twitter pages using #PeopleFirst. Watch the video to learn more! Provide training opportunities—Investing in ongoing employee development programs not only improves job skills and troubleshooting abilities but also contributes to professional and personal advancement (see Tip #2). Plus, cross-training gives employees more job security and your company greater flexibility. Promote from within—With the right skill sets, established and trusted employees can advance and fill other needs within the company. Inside promotions show management’s investment in its people. Reward across the board—When recognizing achievements, don’t just highlight that person who gets the biggest contract. Call out the team player who always lends a helping hand or the take-one-for-the-team player who worked overtime to finish a big project. On that note, Take time to highlight each department like prepress, admin, or customer service reps. The Employee Recognition Program gives special recognition weeks that coincide with industry milestones like Ben Franklin’s birthday (Press Operators, Assistants and Helpers Week in January) and the creation of the U.S. Postal Service (Mailers Week in July). A little “thank you” goes a long way! Incentivize profitable ideas—An idea that generates revenue, saves on costs, or increases safety is valuable. Show your employees that management listens to and encourages their ideas with awards and recognition. Recognize outstanding performance—When an employee goes above and beyond to do something that benefits the company, make a big deal about it. Success is contagious, and people remember the celebration that ensued for their good deed. Celebrate...

In today’s business world, using current sales and marketing strategies can be daunting. This article comes from guest blogger, Kelly Mallozzi, speaker at the 2014 BIA Annual Conference and contributor to the Success.In.Print. blog at PIworld.com. “It always seems impossible until it’s done” –—Nelson Mandela What a spectacularly simple quote from one of the world’s greatest, bravest, and most influential leaders. Viewing something as impossible often has to do with fear. Fear is what keeps us from acting.  There are all kinds of fear—fear of the unknown and fear of rejection are just two. So here are five reasons to motivate you to get beyond your fear and take some action with regard to your sales and marketing efforts today. Your competition is doing it. There is someone out there right now who does what you do and thinks they can do it better than you. And they are telling that story all over town.  In fact, they are telling it to your customers. Please don’t get outsold because you are complacent or comfortable. The world has changed. Technology is not only available; it is the preferred method of communication for entire generations of people. While that may seem scary, it is also a fantastic opportunity. You can use technology to communicate with huge groups of people at once very cost-effectively. Your customers expect it. Websites, blogs, and social media presence are all considered MUST HAVES for any business today. Prospects will notice your absence in the sandbox. It’s not as hard as you think it is. See the quote above—while it’s not exactly a piece of cake, much of social media participation just requires showing up and sharing your knowledge. It is more than worth it. Making sales calls, focusing on your target market, developing a multi-touch communications strategy—these will all pay off for you. I promise. Just go ahead and try to prove me wrong! After 15 years in selling print, Kelly Mallozzi is now a consultant helping printers of all sizes sell more. Kelly joins a lineup of influential speakers at the 2014 BIA Annual Conference. In her session, “Selling the New Technology Economy”, she shows conference attendees how to optimize technology, including social media, to drive sales through case studies, demos, and more. Register For the 2014 BIA Annual Conference at www.printing.org/biaconference, heldMarch 30–April 2, at The Fairmont Dallas Hotel, in Dallas,...

In today’s business world, using current sales and marketing strategies can be daunting. This article comes from guest blogger, Kelly Mallozzi, speaker at the 2014 BIA Annual Conference and contributor to the Success.In.Print. blog at PIworld.com. “It always seems impossible until it’s done” –—Nelson Mandela What a spectacularly simple quote from one of the world’s greatest, bravest, and most influential leaders. Viewing something as impossible often has to do with fear. Fear is what keeps us from acting.  There are all kinds of fear—fear of the unknown and fear of rejection are just two. So here are five reasons to motivate you to get beyond your fear and take some action with regard to your sales and marketing efforts today. Your competition is doing it. There is someone out there right now who does what you do and thinks they can do it better than you. And they are telling that story all over town.  In fact, they are telling it to your customers. Please don’t get outsold because you are complacent or comfortable. The world has changed. Technology is not only available; it is the preferred method of communication for entire generations of people. While that may seem scary, it is also a fantastic opportunity. You can use technology to communicate with huge groups of people at once very cost-effectively. Your customers expect it. Websites, blogs, and social media presence are all considered MUST HAVES for any business today. Prospects will notice your absence in the sandbox. It’s not as hard as you think it is. See the quote above—while it’s not exactly a piece of cake, much of social media participation just requires showing up and sharing your knowledge. It is more than worth it. Making sales calls, focusing on your target market, developing a multi-touch communications strategy—these will all pay off for you. I promise. Just go ahead and try to prove me wrong! After 15 years in selling print, Kelly Mallozzi is now a consultant helping printers of all sizes sell more. Kelly joins a lineup of influential speakers at the 2014 BIA Annual Conference. In her session, “Selling the New Technology Economy”, she shows conference attendees how to optimize technology, including social media, to drive sales through case studies, demos, and more. Register For the 2014 BIA Annual Conference at www.printing.org/biaconference, heldMarch 30–April 2, at The Fairmont Dallas Hotel, in Dallas,...

In today’s business world, using current sales and marketing strategies can be daunting. This article comes from guest blogger, Kelly Mallozzi, speaker at the 2014 BIA Annual Conference and contributor to the Success.In.Print. blog at PIworld.com. “It always seems impossible until it’s done” –—Nelson Mandela What a spectacularly simple quote from one of the world’s greatest, bravest, and most influential leaders. Viewing something as impossible often has to do with fear. Fear is what keeps us from acting.  There are all kinds of fear—fear of the unknown and fear of rejection are just two. So here are five reasons to motivate you to get beyond your fear and take some action with regard to your sales and marketing efforts today. Your competition is doing it. There is someone out there right now who does what you do and thinks they can do it better than you. And they are telling that story all over town.  In fact, they are telling it to your customers. Please don’t get outsold because you are complacent or comfortable. The world has changed. Technology is not only available; it is the preferred method of communication for entire generations of people. While that may seem scary, it is also a fantastic opportunity. You can use technology to communicate with huge groups of people at once very cost-effectively. Your customers expect it. Websites, blogs, and social media presence are all considered MUST HAVES for any business today. Prospects will notice your absence in the sandbox. It’s not as hard as you think it is. See the quote above—while it’s not exactly a piece of cake, much of social media participation just requires showing up and sharing your knowledge. It is more than worth it. Making sales calls, focusing on your target market, developing a multi-touch communications strategy—these will all pay off for you. I promise. Just go ahead and try to prove me wrong! After 15 years in selling print, Kelly Mallozzi is now a consultant helping printers of all sizes sell more. Kelly joins a lineup of influential speakers at the 2014 BIA Annual Conference. In her session, “Selling the New Technology Economy”, she shows conference attendees how to optimize technology, including social media, to drive sales through case studies, demos, and more. Register For the 2014 BIA Annual Conference at www.printing.org/biaconference, heldMarch 30–April 2, at The Fairmont Dallas Hotel, in Dallas,...

Where can business leaders find a blueprint for transforming their company through continuous improvement? As Executive Director of one of the most prestigious Lean awards in the country, The Shingo Prize for Operational Excellence, Robert Miller has seen leaders build lasting cultures on the valuable concepts of The Shingo Model. We asked him for advice he would give business leaders within the graphic arts industry on beginning a continuous improvement program. Of course, like anything worth accomplishing, building a successful program comes with intrinsic challenges. Robert also offers some tips on how you can focus and prepare for these challenges and get on your way to creating a prosperous Lean organization. …Or maybe even receiving the next Shingo Prize? Q: What is the first thing that leaders need to start doing in order to build a culture of excellence?   Robert Miller: First, leaders must make it very clear in their own minds, and in the collective minds of the leadership team, what excellence looks like. This cannot be a description of the tools people will be using or the programs that must be implemented. Rather excellence requires a clear description of the results expected and an equally clear focus on the behaviorsthat must be demonstrated by both the senior team and management teams in addition to all of the associates in the organization. With a clear picture of what excellence must look like, organization leaders must then be able to see the realities of where they currently are relative to this new standard of excellence. Q: What guiding principles should leaders focus on?  RM: All of the principles identified in the Shingo Model are critical in the creation of enterprise excellence, but in reality most organizations are in different places relative to these principles.  The best place to start is to identify the business outcomes that are in greatest need of improvement then determine which of the ten guiding principles will have the greatest impact on those outcomes.  Q: What are the telltale signs that continuous improvement is not yet ingrained in a company’s culture?  RM:  There are several issues that would signal that a company is still vulnerable: If you are still thinking in any way that building a culture of enterprise excellence is something that can largely be delegated down or out to HR or to a department for continuous improvement, you are still vulnerable.  Look around, and if you measure your progress in terms of “events” or “projects” completed … you are still vulnerable.  If senior leaders or managers or front line supervisors use words that suggest in any way that they are too busy doing to pay attention to the improvement … you are...

Where can business leaders find a blueprint for transforming their company through continuous improvement? As Executive Director of one of the most prestigious Lean awards in the country, The Shingo Prize for Operational Excellence, Robert Miller has seen leaders build lasting cultures on the valuable concepts of The Shingo Model. We asked him for advice he would give business leaders within the graphic arts industry on beginning a continuous improvement program. Of course, like anything worth accomplishing, building a successful program comes with intrinsic challenges. Robert also offers some tips on how you can focus and prepare for these challenges and get on your way to creating a prosperous Lean organization. …Or maybe even receiving the next Shingo Prize? Q: What is the first thing that leaders need to start doing in order to build a culture of excellence?   Robert Miller: First, leaders must make it very clear in their own minds, and in the collective minds of the leadership team, what excellence looks like. This cannot be a description of the tools people will be using or the programs that must be implemented. Rather excellence requires a clear description of the results expected and an equally clear focus on the behaviorsthat must be demonstrated by both the senior team and management teams in addition to all of the associates in the organization. With a clear picture of what excellence must look like, organization leaders must then be able to see the realities of where they currently are relative to this new standard of excellence. Q: What guiding principles should leaders focus on?  RM: All of the principles identified in the Shingo Model are critical in the creation of enterprise excellence, but in reality most organizations are in different places relative to these principles.  The best place to start is to identify the business outcomes that are in greatest need of improvement then determine which of the ten guiding principles will have the greatest impact on those outcomes.  Q: What are the telltale signs that continuous improvement is not yet ingrained in a company’s culture?  RM:  There are several issues that would signal that a company is still vulnerable: If you are still thinking in any way that building a culture of enterprise excellence is something that can largely be delegated down or out to HR or to a department for continuous improvement, you are still vulnerable.  Look around, and if you measure your progress in terms of “events” or “projects” completed … you are still vulnerable.  If senior leaders or managers or front line supervisors use words that suggest in any way that they are too busy doing to pay attention to the improvement … you are...