Letters to loved ones overseas, a box of your favorite treats, tickets to the big game—what do these all have in common? They’re a few of the paper and packaging products that bring tangible, memorable substance to our lives. And they’re the subject of a new national public awareness campaign supporting the value of print, Paper and Packaging—How Life UnfoldsTM. Released July 8 by the Paper and Packaging Board (P+PB), the campaign follows the model of other popular industry check-offs like “Got Milk?,” “Pork. The Other White Meat,” and “Beef. It’s What’s for Dinner,” which are produced through government-sanctioned fees collected from the respective industries. Print, commercial spots, Web, and social media make up the integrated marketing mix designed by campaign creators, Cramer-Krasselt. The How Life Unfolds campaign celebrates paper and packaging products through relatable and sometimes emotional storytelling. Messaging focuses on the lasting experiences paper and packaging help us create every day in ways we may not even realize. But the purpose of the campaign is not just to tug at our heartstrings. It also shows, like PIA’s Value of Print campaign, that these products are a viable part our market and an environmentally friendly resource. “We think it’s important for us to get the message out about the sustainability of paper, the importance of paper within our overall economy, and ultimately how paper can drive value for our customers,” said Vice President, Marketing Services and eComerce, Verso, Aaron Haas in a video from P+PB. Tips and Resources from How Life Unfolds To help you spread the value of print to your customers, we found lots of great resources on the How Life Unfolds campaign website. It includes articles, reports, videos, and other free tools. Some of our picks include: Back-to-School Report: How Paper Gives You a Leg Up on Learning Infographic: The Many Lives of Paper 100 Unconventional Reasons to Send a Card “Letters to Dad” How Life Unfolds YouTube Channel What does It Mean for the Industry? The $20 million ad campaign is planned to run for six months. It’s too soon to say if it will have the same effect on consumers’ pocket books as it does on their emotions—or if the fitting tagline will have the pop-culture impact that still has us saying, “Got Milk?” (Just nod if you’ve ever said that line with milk on our upper lip.) But we can say that this campaign is a long-awaited step in the right direction, printing a relatable face on the print and packaging industry that has come under fire in recent years for being environmentally damaging and obsolete. Matthew Van Vleet, Vice President, Public Affairs and Government Relations, Clearwater Paper Organization said, “[The campaign]...

Letters to loved ones overseas, a box of your favorite treats, tickets to the big game—what do these all have in common? They’re a few of the paper and packaging products that bring tangible, memorable substance to our lives. And they’re the subject of a new national public awareness campaign supporting the value of print, Paper and Packaging—How Life UnfoldsTM. Released July 8 by the Paper and Packaging Board (P+PB), the campaign follows the model of other popular industry check-offs like “Got Milk?,” “Pork. The Other White Meat,” and “Beef. It’s What’s for Dinner,” which are produced through government-sanctioned fees collected from the respective industries. Print, commercial spots, Web, and social media make up the integrated marketing mix designed by campaign creators, Cramer-Krasselt. The How Life Unfolds campaign celebrates paper and packaging products through relatable and sometimes emotional storytelling. Messaging focuses on the lasting experiences paper and packaging help us create every day in ways we may not even realize. But the purpose of the campaign is not just to tug at our heartstrings. It also shows, like PIA’s Value of Print campaign, that these products are a viable part our market and an environmentally friendly resource. “We think it’s important for us to get the message out about the sustainability of paper, the importance of paper within our overall economy, and ultimately how paper can drive value for our customers,” said Vice President, Marketing Services and eComerce, Verso, Aaron Haas in a video from P+PB. Tips and Resources from How Life Unfolds To help you spread the value of print to your customers, we found lots of great resources on the How Life Unfolds campaign website. It includes articles, reports, videos, and other free tools. Some of our picks include: Back-to-School Report: How Paper Gives You a Leg Up on Learning Infographic: The Many Lives of Paper 100 Unconventional Reasons to Send a Card “Letters to Dad” How Life Unfolds YouTube Channel What does It Mean for the Industry? The $20 million ad campaign is planned to run for six months. It’s too soon to say if it will have the same effect on consumers’ pocket books as it does on their emotions—or if the fitting tagline will have the pop-culture impact that still has us saying, “Got Milk?” (Just nod if you’ve ever said that line with milk on our upper lip.) But we can say that this campaign is a long-awaited step in the right direction, printing a relatable face on the print and packaging industry that has come under fire in recent years for being environmentally damaging and obsolete. Matthew Van Vleet, Vice President, Public Affairs and Government Relations, Clearwater Paper Organization said, “[The campaign]...

This post was contributed by Leslie Groene, Groene Consulting, and instructor of several new online Sales Courses available in Printing Industries of America’s Integrated Learning Center. It’s no secret that the role of a salesperson has changed. The Internet provides your customers with an infinite number of options making it impossible to compete on price alone. Customers are 57% through their buying process before they seek engagement with suppliers. Your customers expect more; to seal the deal, they want top-notch customer service and value-added benefits.  Shift 1: Salesperson to Consultant You want your sales team to grow your existing customer base, acquire new ones, and/or win back those customers you may have lost. To do this, salespeople must build relationships and become a solutions provider, asking, “How can I become a part of their team as a consultant? How can I give them more leverage and success with their clients?” The sad truth is, there’s a lot of poor customer service out there. What did you do the last time you had a negative experience with a company? Many salespeople just aren’t aware of how their attitudes affect customers. Here’s a look at how customers respond to poor service from sales consultant, Leslie Groene: 96% of unhappy customers do not complain, they just stop doing business with you. 91% of those who don’t complain will share the negative story with at least 9 other people, 13% will tell more than 20 other people about their experience. The average unhappy customer will remember the incident for 23 years. The happy customer will talk about the pleasant experience for 18 months. For every complaint heard, the average company has 25 other customers with the same problem. Like a consultant, salespeople need to focus on improving their client’s business performance, which means they need to have the understanding and have experience to help their clients solve problems. They’re not selling a product or service; instead they’re selling value. Shift 2: Price-driven to Value Driven If you’ve ever lost a sale because a customer said, “Your prices are too high,” it’s time to shift your strategy to adding value and not focusing on a low bid. Start by building a relationship with your customer. This is not like flipping a switch. Like any relationship, it needs to be cultivated and nourished. Here are the four steps to developing a healthy, profitable relationship with your clients: Develop trust (40%)—Be consistent and follow through Identify their true needs and wants (30%)—How can you help their business grow Present a solution (20%)—Strategically engage their needs and wants Confirmation (10%)—Close the sale, gauge relationship, and proceed to next step After you’ve developed this relationship, you’re more prepared to...

This post was contributed by Leslie Groene, Groene Consulting, and instructor of several new online Sales Courses available in Printing Industries of America’s Integrated Learning Center. It’s no secret that the role of a salesperson has changed. The Internet provides your customers with an infinite number of options making it impossible to compete on price alone. Customers are 57% through their buying process before they seek engagement with suppliers. Your customers expect more; to seal the deal, they want top-notch customer service and value-added benefits.  Shift 1: Salesperson to Consultant You want your sales team to grow your existing customer base, acquire new ones, and/or win back those customers you may have lost. To do this, salespeople must build relationships and become a solutions provider, asking, “How can I become a part of their team as a consultant? How can I give them more leverage and success with their clients?” The sad truth is, there’s a lot of poor customer service out there. What did you do the last time you had a negative experience with a company? Many salespeople just aren’t aware of how their attitudes affect customers. Here’s a look at how customers respond to poor service from sales consultant, Leslie Groene: 96% of unhappy customers do not complain, they just stop doing business with you. 91% of those who don’t complain will share the negative story with at least 9 other people, 13% will tell more than 20 other people about their experience. The average unhappy customer will remember the incident for 23 years. The happy customer will talk about the pleasant experience for 18 months. For every complaint heard, the average company has 25 other customers with the same problem. Like a consultant, salespeople need to focus on improving their client’s business performance, which means they need to have the understanding and have experience to help their clients solve problems. They’re not selling a product or service; instead they’re selling value. Shift 2: Price-driven to Value Driven If you’ve ever lost a sale because a customer said, “Your prices are too high,” it’s time to shift your strategy to adding value and not focusing on a low bid. Start by building a relationship with your customer. This is not like flipping a switch. Like any relationship, it needs to be cultivated and nourished. Here are the four steps to developing a healthy, profitable relationship with your clients: Develop trust (40%)—Be consistent and follow through Identify their true needs and wants (30%)—How can you help their business grow Present a solution (20%)—Strategically engage their needs and wants Confirmation (10%)—Close the sale, gauge relationship, and proceed to next step After you’ve developed this relationship, you’re more prepared to...

There are some amazing companies that have won Bennys at the Premier Print Awards! This post is part of a blog series profiling 2014 Premier Print Award Benny winners from small print shops to large corporations as well as universities. Check out how a company in your demographic used their 2014 Benny win to leverage more business. As a small, full-service print company in central Wisconsin, Fey Printing has become well known not only for their impeccable printed works but for their creative marketing expertise as well. In the 2014 Premier Print Award competition, they took home two Bennys, one for “Neenah Paper Menu Promo” in the Booklets (4 or more colors, printers with 51–100 employees) category and another for “D/City Newsletter” in the Newsletters (4 or more colors) category. When they’re not creating award-winning marketing pieces for their clients, Fey Printing is doing some serious marketing for themselves. Here Kristopher Gasch, Director of Marketing, talks about how they tell their brand story and discusses their keys to success. Q: Can you please describe how your small business used its 2014 Premier Print Award Benny win to leverage your company? A: We have found tremendous value in the Premier Print Awards. It is encouraging to see our work on a “world stage” alongside projects from across the globe and, as such, the Premier Print Award name carries a lot of weight. It’s one thing for us to tell our story and talk about how proud we are of our work, but it is quite another to tell that story through the lens of an international competition.  Q: What is one key piece of advice you would give to your peers who struggle to find success?  A: Integrity, transparency, and a team approach to the entire print process are three important keys to success.  Ready to leverage your brand on a Premier Print Award like Fey Printing? First you need to enter! Just submit your pieces via our online entry system. The early-bird discount ends April 17, and the final deadline to enter is May 15, 2015. Learn more at...

There are some amazing companies that have won Bennys at the Premier Print Awards! This post is part of a blog series profiling 2014 Premier Print Award Benny winners from small print shops to large corporations as well as universities. Check out how a company in your demographic used their 2014 Benny win to leverage more business. As a small, full-service print company in central Wisconsin, Fey Printing has become well known not only for their impeccable printed works but for their creative marketing expertise as well. In the 2014 Premier Print Award competition, they took home two Bennys, one for “Neenah Paper Menu Promo” in the Booklets (4 or more colors, printers with 51–100 employees) category and another for “D/City Newsletter” in the Newsletters (4 or more colors) category. When they’re not creating award-winning marketing pieces for their clients, Fey Printing is doing some serious marketing for themselves. Here Kristopher Gasch, Director of Marketing, talks about how they tell their brand story and discusses their keys to success. Q: Can you please describe how your small business used its 2014 Premier Print Award Benny win to leverage your company? A: We have found tremendous value in the Premier Print Awards. It is encouraging to see our work on a “world stage” alongside projects from across the globe and, as such, the Premier Print Award name carries a lot of weight. It’s one thing for us to tell our story and talk about how proud we are of our work, but it is quite another to tell that story through the lens of an international competition.  Q: What is one key piece of advice you would give to your peers who struggle to find success?  A: Integrity, transparency, and a team approach to the entire print process are three important keys to success.  Ready to leverage your brand on a Premier Print Award like Fey Printing? First you need to enter! Just submit your pieces via our online entry system. The early-bird discount ends April 17, and the final deadline to enter is May 15, 2015. Learn more at...