Print buyers should audit their suppliers

Print buyers should run audits, just like the taxman

If you use print companies, you need to know all about them.  And that’s what a supplier audit is all about.  It’s about asking for information from your printers.  It’s about making sure that your printers can deliver what you require.
Print buyers who audit their suppliers form powerful partnerships.  This is because both sides have a much better idea about what is expected in the relationship.  Print buyers who audit their suppliers have better control over their supply chain.  And they achieve more with their suppliers.
Print buyers who don’t audit their suppliers will not achieve the same results.  They won’t understand their suppliers so well, so they won’t achieve the same level of control.  And they won’t achieve the same level of partnership.

Here are three reasons why auditing your printing company will create this better partnership:

1)    Auditing your printer forces you to think about what you want from them

When you decide to audit your printing company, you have to decide what to ask them.  And, in deciding these questions, you are forced to think about what you really need from your supplier.
Are you simply looking for a good general printer?  One that prints efficiently to a reasonable commercial quality?  Or do you have special requirements?  Do you need a print company with particular manufacturing capabilities?  Or particular data management skills?  Or environmental commitment?  It is often the audit stage that provokes discussion about these questions.
But once you know what you want from a printer you need to be sure they can deliver.

2)    Auditing your printer forces them to prove themselves

If you audit a print company they need to step up to the mark.  They need to be able to explain their capabilities to you.  And they need to be able to demonstrate them too.  Some suppliers are much more focussed than others on what they deliver.  The auditing process will show this.
But the auditing process is not just about your print suppliers.  It’s also about you.

3)    Auditing your printer avoids internal politics

Have you ever had colleagues question your choice of supplier?  Have you ever been accused of favouritism?  Or, worse still, choosing the printer that buys you the best lunch?
A good supplier auditing system will allow you to explain your choice to your colleagues.  You will be able to show them that you went through a structured process.  And that your choice of print supplier was not just a random decision.
Of course, you may make a decision differently today than you would have done a year ago.  That’s why auditing your suppliers should not be a one-off event.

You should audit your printers regularly

Ideally you should carry out an audit of a print company every one to two years.  Print companies change.  They may no longer so well suited to your needs.
And your needs may have changed too.  You may have a different set of questions that you need to ask your print supplier.

Here’s how I used a print audit successfully

I needed to choose the right supplier for a laser over-printing contract.  The contract involved handling large amounts of sensitive data.  It required excellent barcode generation skills.  And the printer needed to be able to manage a product that had a high re-sale value.
So it was essential that I understood the capabilities of all the printers who might be bidding for this project.  A simple request for a quote would not have been enough.  If the printer couldn’t manage the data properly then the job would fail.  And I couldn’t risk using a supplier that didn’t have secure storage.
A supplier audit process made sure that I was certain the chosen supplier could deliver.

Here are three action points to make sure that your printers can deliver

1. Write down a list of exactly what you need from your print suppliers
2. Create a standard audit questionnaire
3. Consider using industry expertise to help you with your audit or to audit on your behalf.  Print & Procurement can help with this.

As you can see, a print supplier audit form is something that I’m very much in favour of.  Tax forms are a different matter!
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Using the phone will improve your response from printers

Don’t you hate those automatic phone menus.  The ones where you listen to a long list of options and still can’t work out which button to press?  The ones where is seems to take forever to get past.

Don’t you just wish you could speak to a real person instead?

Sometimes talking to a real person can save you a LOT of time

And that’s a lesson that many print buyers would do well to remember.  I hear tales of buyers sending out 50 quote requests by e-mail.  And then struggling to work out which printer they should use.  They have become as impersonal as those phone menus.

I read an excellent piece on e-mail quotes this week by Paul Castain.  He discusses how to engage with buyers who send out e-mail quotes.  The piece reinforced the thoughts that I have held for some time.

Picking up the phone for a print quote is more effective than e-mail

Buyers who pick up the phone to their printers forge much stronger relationships with suppliers.  And, as a result, they often receive better service and more competitive quotes.  These buyers end up achieving more with their budgets.

Buyers who simply fire off quotes by e-mail rarely achieve the same results.  Their printers often take their quotes less seriously.  And they take their relationship with these buyers less seriously.

There are many other reasons why you should consider picking up the phone more often when buying.  Here are three of themPicking up the phone shows that you are serious

These days it’s pretty rare for a print buyer to pick up the phone for a print quote.  Print companies are used to receiving hundreds of requests a day by e-mail.  So if they receive a quote request by phone it stands out.

The printer sees a print buyer who has taken time to engage with them personally.  They see a print buyer who is serious about getting a price from them for this job.  Guess which quote request goes to the top of the pile and gets the most attention?

But that’s not the only advantage that a print buyer gets from picking up the phone.

Picking up the phone gets you more help

Every time I pick up the phone to a printer I am always surprised at how much advice they can give me.  I’ve been print buying for twenty years, so I like to think that I know a thing or two about print.  But that doesn’t mean that I have nothing less to learn.  With complex jobs I can often work out a much more competitive solution by discussing the specification with the print company.

But there is other useful information that I can gain from the print company as well.

Picking up the phone means you know that you’re getting a serious print quote

Sometimes a printer gives a quote because they really want that job.  Maybe there’s a gap in their schedule.  Or maybe it has a specification that is particularly suited to their machines.

But sometimes a print company puts in a quote simply because they’ve been asked to.  They don’t have any real expectation of winning the job.  Or maybe they are not bothered about winning the job.  Maybe they have plenty of work booked in on the same schedule.

I would always prefer to work with a print company who really wants the job.  But sometimes it can be difficult to know who really wants the job and who doesn’t.  Picking up the phone can give you that information instantly.  And sometimes you may even decide not to progress with a quote from that particular printer.

So that’s just three reasons why picking the phone can benefit you when you are getting print quotes.  But some of you will still be wondering whether it is worth all this effort.

Doesn’t phoning up for a print quote take too much time?

Let’s be honest, picking up the phone is always going to take longer than an e-mail.  But the benefits often make that time well spent.  Here’s one example of when picking up the phone was well worthwhile.

In this instance I was asking for quotes for some laser overprinting.  Picking up the phone had allowed me to discount some suppliers who seemed to struggle with the complexity of the job.  But then I picked up the phone to a print company that I hadn’t spoken to before.  They were keen to help.  And the print company saw that I was a serious buyer.  Because we were talking, they were able to discuss some alternative ways of producing the job.  In fact, we ended up using inkjet in a way that I hadn’t seen before.  Picking up the phone saved me an awful lot of money on that job.

I’m a big fan of the phone.  But it’s not the only way you should communicate when getting print quotes.

Don’t forget to use e-mail too

This may seem like a strange statement when I have claimed that e-mail is too impersonal.  However, e-mail is still important when you are asking for print quotes.  It is always essential to use it to back up a phone conversation.  That way there can be no misunderstanding about the specification you require the printer to quote on.

But before you e-mail a specification, you should definitely use the phone first.

Here are three action points to get you quoting by phone:

1. Pick up phone next time you need a print quote.
2. Make sure that you have a worthwhile conversation:  don’t write the print specification down before the call.  That will help you have more dialogue with the printer.
3. Make sure that anyone buying print has been trained to deal with suppliers in the best way. Find out more about how Print & Procurement can help with this.

Remember the benefits of a personal relationship with your printers

After all, you don’t want to be given the same attention as an automated phone menu!

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P.S.  Make sure you subscribe to the Print & Procurement newsletter.  You’ll also receive our free e-book “Ten Common Print Selling Errors and What To Do About Them”.  So sign up right now at http://printandprocurement.com/e-book

But the people doing the most preparation are the athletes.  They are now in continual training.  They are working on improving their skills.

Print buyers should also be in training

Athletes train constantly - so should print buyers

Print buyers who train and improve their skills will achieve more.  They will remain in control of their projects.  And they will be able to continually lead new strategies at their companies.

Print buyers who do not invest in their skills will not be valued by their companies.  They will have less input into company strategy.  The projects that they run will be less successful.  They will achieve less.

So here are the three areas that print buyers should focus on. If they improve their skills in these areas they will make sure that they achieve more in 2012.

Skill 1:  Negotiation

Negotiation is going to be a key skill for everyone in 2012.  All companies are suffering from challenging economic times.  A good print buyer is going to need to achieve the best deal for their company.  But getting good deal requires a lot of creative thinking.  Printers cannot always offer what the print buyer wants.  After all, they are facing their own set of rising costs.

Print buyers have to deal with printers effectively.  They have to know what they can offer printers. They have to know how to structure the right negotiation offer.  And how to research what will make a realistic offer to a printer.  Otherwise they won’t get the best opportunities from their suppliers.  The right negotiation skills can help you to achieve a successful outcome.

However, a print purchase needs far more than negotiation skills.  And that’s where the second skill comes in.

Skill 2:  Purchasing skills

Print buying is about far more than technical print knowledge:  it is about being able to buy effectively.  Good buyers will:

• be excellent at print specification
• know why they are using their chosen suppliers
• have a range of buying processes to suit their project
• be able to instruct their suppliers appropriately
• deal with problems effectively

Good buyers will also be able to continually review their purchasing processes.  This allows them to make sure that they are working as efficiently as possible.

But good print buyers know that they also need a successful long-term relationship with a printer.  They need the third skill.

Skill 3:  Supplier management

Supplier management allows a print buyer to remain in control of their relationships with printers.  It allows buyers to measure true performance of both themselves and their printer.  It gives a framework for the relationship that everyone understands.  And it gives them a process to deal with issues.

Good supplier management allows:

• managing issues before they become problems
• being able to review your suppliers regularly
• being able to highlight opportunities for both sides to work more effectively and more profitably

Good print buyers will already have a process for managing all these issues.  But they also know that they need to be constantly improving these skills.

Of course, some print buyers will be wondering about what might seem to be a big gap in these skills.

Print doesn’t seem to feature in the print buyer’s skills for 2012

Print skills may seem like a very important omission.  However, I am going to be controversial.  I would suggest that they are not as important as some people say.  Print knowledge is an important part of a print buyer’s skill set.  But it is useless without proper set of purchasing skills.

So I would encourage print buyers to focus on a set of purchasing skills this year. And it is something that they should focus on throughout the year.

Remember:  a single piece of training is not enough

It is important that print buyers constantly focus on improving their skills.  Learning needs to be put into practice.  And it needs to be repeated to make sure it becomes second nature.

Here are three action points that will help you improve your skillset:

1. Read relevant books.  One you may be interested in is The Print Industry Negotiation Handbook – see here for more details
2. Consider investing in print training – have a look here for some potential courses
3. Start a discussion on best practice with your colleagues – LinkedIn is a great place to do this and there are a number of specialist print groups

Make sure you train throughout 2012

And, just like the Olympic athletes, this could be the year when you go for gold!

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P.S.  The Print Industry Negotiation Handbook launches soon.  To receive a free extract “How to avoid using straight line negotiation and giving way on price” sign up here.  You’ll also receive updates on the launch and news of a special launch offer.

New Year means many different things to people.  For me, New Year is a great time to focus on the many great people I know.

New Year is a time to think about relationships

2012 should be the year when print buyers work on their relationships

Sometimes in the print industry we tend to focus too much on machines and technologies.  So this year I have set three New Year resolutions for print buyers that stick firmly with people.

Print buyers who apply these New Year resolutions will discover that they can create new partnerships.  They will improve their relationships with suppliers and clients.  And they will achieve more in their job role.

Print buyers who decide not to make these resolutions won’t find the same job satisfaction.  They will be frustrated at not achieving new things in their job roles.  And they will miss the opportunity to create new and more worthwhile relationships.

And creating new relationships is the focus of the first resolution:

1)  Go to a print event

In my opinion, not enough print buyers get out to print events.  Good print events can provide excellent inspiration for print buyers.

I have seen buyers walk away from these events with:

• valuable new industry contacts
• introductions to new suppliers
• ideas for new print products
• ideas and software for making processes more efficient

So that is four good reasons for attending an event.  And the most valuable of these is meeting new people.

But 2012 shouldn’t just be about new relationships.  It should also be about improving your existing relationships.  And that’s where the second resolution comes in:

2)  Challenge your supplier

You may not think that challenging your supplier is the best way to improve relationships.  But good print companies love a challenge.  It gives them an opportunity to do something new and interesting.  And it gives them an opportunity to prove their worth to a customer.

So challenge your printers to do something new.  You may want them to improve the quality of a product.  You may ask them to find ways to make your relationship more efficient.  Or you may decide to ask them to come up with some completely new print ideas to help your business to achieve its aims.

And, of course, if your suppliers can help you come up with new solutions you help your clients.  And that’s what my third resolution is about:

3)  Come up with a new idea for your client

Clients often stick with what they know.  And that can be dangerous for a business.  And boring for a print buyer.  Sometimes it is the print buyer’s job to come up with new inspiration for their clients.

This doesn’t have to be restricted to new print solutions.  It can also be focussed on better data management.  Or improved ways of working together.  But if you can create a great new idea for your client, they will be delighted.  And your relationship will improve.

And relationships are what all of these 2012 resolutions focusses on.

But these resolutions don’t even mention technology

Technology can seem an important area to keep in touch with.  After all, it is changing rapidly.  But relationships are still the most important thing in today’s print market.  So that’s why I have decided to focus on these for 2012.

And often your relationships will help you learn about new technologies.  And they will help you focus on the right ones.

So make 2012 your year of print relationships with these three action points

1. Diarise an event to attend.  If you are based in the UK you should consider Publishing Expo on 28-9th February.  Or Cross Media on 3-4th September.  (Both are based in London).  I will be presenting at both these shows and it would be great to meet you
2. Set a meeting with a printer now.  Make sure you have a date in your diary when you are going to set one of your printers a supplier challenge
3. Ask your client what else they would like to achieve from their print.  Then you can set to work to create some new solutions that they will be delighted with

Make 2012 the year of building relationships.  It’s not all about technology.  And it’s not all about parties, champagne and songs.  It’s about people.

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P.S.  One other resolution that you might like to make is to become better at print negotiations.  I’m launching the Print Industry Negotiation Handbook.  To receive a free extract “How to avoid using straight line negotiation and giving way on price” sign up here.  You’ll also receive updates on the launch and news of a special launch offer.

But sometimes it can be difficult to make time for the mountains.  I have the pressures of running a busy training and consultancy business.  And I want to make sure that I spend quality time with my family.

It’s easy for the mountains to be forgotten.  And day to day pressures can make print businesses stop thinking about the bigger picture too.  It’s easy for print businesses to forget their goals.

And that’s where picture collages come in

Picture collages are a great way to set your goals for 2012

You may not have heard of picture collages before.  But they are a great way to set out your goals for the coming year.  And they are a great way to make sure you keep to them.

People who use picture collages remain in control of where they are going.  They achieve what they set out to achieve.

People who set goals without using systems such as picture collages rarely achieve what they hope for.  They forget about what is important to them.  So they lose control of the bigger picture.  They get taken over by the little things in day to day life.  They wonder where their time has gone.

If you want to avoid that you need a picture collage.

What is a picture collage?

A picture collage is simply a set of pictures hung up in a prominent place in your workspace.  The pictures may be personal photos.  Or they may be taken from magazines, or from picture libraries.  They laid out by you, in a way that appeals to you.  Each picture represents a goal for you.

The goal is something that you wish to achieve next year.  There should be a mix of personal and private goals.

The collage exists to remind you of these goals.  Because the collage is where you can see it, you are always reminded of your goals.

You will be surprised at how this constant reminder works so effectively.  Last year, there wasn’t a single goal that I failed to achieve.

But there is one other reason for this.

It is important that you only set goals that you want to achieve

Think about why you are running your business?  And think about what you would like to achieve in the year ahead.  These are the goals that you should be setting.

Sometimes you may set a goal simply because you feel you ought to.  But this sort of goal is rarely achieved.  If your heart isn’t in it, the goal is unlikely to happen.  And if your heart isn’t in it, is it really worth spending time and effort on a goal?

Here are some the goals that I have set for 2012

My personal goals include:

• Having time to climb mountains (of course!)
• Having good family time
• Getting out to see more live music
• Improving my bread baking skills

And my business goals include

• Successfully launching the Print Industry Negotiation Handbook (click here to find out more)
• Writing and launching a guide to choosing a printing company
• Increasing the number of subscribers to my articles

Of course I have made my goals specific and measurable

So, for instance, I have a sales target for the Print Industry Negotiation Handbook.  And a specific activity plan to achieve these sales.  And I have a specific amount of time that I wish to devote to mountains.  But I haven’t got as far as setting myself a specific number of summits!

However, the purpose of the picture collage is simply to remind me that I have these goals.  The collage does not need to refer to all the specifics.

And it is this that causes many people to question if the picture collage really works.

Surely this is too simple to get results

But it is the simplicity of the picture collage that makes it effective.  I have been using them for a while now and they have worked well.  I don’t have to be put off by complicated action plans.  I just have a picture that I see nearly every day.  And that picture acts as a gentle reminder of my goals.

And it’s fun to make the collage too.

So get your picture collage underway today

Here are three things you need to do to get started:

1. Set a date when you will set aside one hour.  This is to set your outline goals and to make the collage
2. Start saving some magazines so that you have plenty of pictures when you make the collage.  Or start taking some inspirational pictures if you are a keen photographer
3. Make sure you have somewhere to hang your picture collage.  Reserve a space on the wall where you work

And, finally, it would be great to hear of some of the goals that you set.  It’s great to hear what motivates my readers.  And I’ll be able to think of you working on your achievements next year.

Just as you can think of me standing on the summit of a mountain.

This is my final article for 2011.  But I’ll be back on January with more for 2012.  In the meantime I hope you have a great Christmas and New Year break.

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P.S.  You will remember that one of my business goals for next year is to increase the number of readers that I have.  Could you help me with this?  Would you be able to tell three or four colleagues about this blog.  Please send them this link so that they can download my free e-book “Ten Common Print Selling Errors and What to Do About Them”.  Thank you – and have a great start to 2012!  Matthew

Many people struggle with the use of print in a multi-channel world.  You read it and then you put it down again.  You can’t integrate it with other channels.

The closest you can get to making print work with other channels is to include a url.  But even this requires the reader to physically go to a computer and type the url in.  It’s not exactly user friendly.

Scan this code with your smartphone to download the free e-book Ten Common Print Buying Errors And What To Do About Them, worth £25/$41

But print can interact with other channels very effectively

One way to create this interaction is to use QR codes.  QR codes are a great route to making people take a next step immediately.

QR codes are the blocky codes that you see on so many pieces of print these days.  Scan a code with your smartphone and you’ll be given more information.  Or taken through to a website.

People who use QR codes on print will create more solid relationships with their audience.  The QR code can help the audience receive information in the way that they want.  And QR codes are measurable.  So it is possible to be in control of campaigns.  And to achieve more from a marketing budget.  You’ll know exactly which campaigns perform.

People who don’t use QR codes will only have a passing contact with an audience.  They won’t achieve solid partnerships.  And they will struggle to understand which campaigns are working.  So they won’t achieve as much from their marketing budgets.

The best way to make QR codes effective is to use the TIM principle.

So what’s TIM got to do with QR codes?

Tim stands for Tell, Incentivise, Measure.  These are three important principles to use with QR codes.  But I often find that they are completely forgotten.

Let’s go through these principles.  The first one is Tell.

Tell people what to do

It is often assumed that everyone knows what a QR code is.  And this is certainly not the case.  Recently, a senior person at a print management company looked completely blank when I mentioned a QR code.

Therefore, you need to tell your audience that this is a code that they can scan with a smartphone.  And to tell them what will happen if they scan the code.  Often people would have been delighted to scan the code.  But they didn’t know that this was what they were supposed to do.

But it’s not enough that people know that they should scan a QR code.  They still need to understand WHY they should scan it.

Incentivise people to scan a QR code

If you want someone to scan a QR code you need to give them a reason.  You need to encourage them to make that scan.  People don’t do something for nothing these days.  Ideally you should offer something of value to your audience.  And you should tell them the value.

If you scan the QR code next to this article, you’ll be able to download my free e-book “10 Common Print Buying Errors and What To Do About Them.  It’s worth £25/$41.  (Or, if you don’t have a smartphone, go here).

So once you have incentivised your audience to scan the QR code everything is in place.  But how successful was your campaign?

Measure the use of the QR code

QR codes are completely measurable.  I created my QR code for free using http://bit.ly  This also allows me to see exactly how many people have used the QR code, and when.  There are a number of similar solutions.

But by using solutions such as this you have transformed your print.  It is now interactive and measurable.  You’ll know exactly how effective it is.

Of course QR codes aren’t the only way to make your print measurable and interactive.  These days there are a number of other solutions.  They include augmented reality and digital watermarking.  And some people think that they are better.

Aren’t QR codes a bit old hat now?

Sometimes it seems that QR codes are in danger of being overshadowed by other technologies.  But QR codes are now becoming understood by the general public.  And other technologies aren’t yet.  QR codes remain quick, cheap and easy to implement.  You don’t need expensive and complicated technology to put them into practice.

But to make QR codes really work, you need to remember the TIM principle

Here are three things you can do to get going with the TIM principle

1.   Create a QR code and add instructions on how to use it
2.   Make sure you have a reason for people to scan the code.  Create a gift with a value
3.   Track use of the code to measure the success of the campaign

Suddenly you will find that you have print that is truly interactive.

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P.S.  If you have found this piece useful and would like to receive more information like this, you should sign up for the Print & Procurement newsletter.  Click here to make sure you receive articles like this regularly, and to receive the free e-book “10 common print buying errors and what to do about them”.

Doesn’t that seem a good way to be politely (or not-so politely) asked to leave the store?

Here’s how I successfully negotiated at a supermarket

Giving is a powerful print negotiation strategy

I was at the fish counter of my local supermarket.   I was planning to cook some fish for my dinner.  I love cooking, and I have a great recipe for a tuna and rice dish.  The tuna always looks great at supermarkets.  I love the way that the fishmonger will cut you a lovely tuna steak, to just the thickness that you want.

But I didn’t need a tuna steak for this recipe.  I just needed some chunks of tuna.  It seemed a shame to spend a lot of money on a tuna steak just to cut it up.

The tail of the tuna never makes good steaks.  The tail is too small for this and it is often just thrown away.  So I asked the fishmonger if I could pay less for my tuna if I took the tail.

The fishmonger saw that it was a win-win situation.  The fishmonger and the supermarket got rid of the tuna tail.  And I bought my tuna at a cheaper price.

But the supermarket wouldn’t have given me a price reduction if I hadn’t had something to offer in return.

Good negotiators know that giving achieves great negotiation results

Good negotiators know that giving creates worthwhile relationships.  They know that giving is a great way to keep control of a negotiation.  And good negotiators know that they will get more if they give.

Negotiators who don’t give can often alienate the other party.  Negotiators who don’t give won’t be able to control their negotiations in the same way.  Negotiators who don’t give won’t achieve as much from their negotiations.

Negotiations need give and take

If one party wants a big concession from the other side, they are going to need to give something in return.  If you give more, you will get more.

As a buyer, if I get the right things in return, I might even pay more

Why would a buyer pay more?

It may seem odd at first, but let’s consider how this might work.  Let’s say that I am buying a marketing brochure.  The brochure is a vital sales tool for an important exhibition.  The trouble is that the exhibition opens in a couple of days.  And no-one told me that a brochure was needed for the exhibition until this morning

Of course, I could just try and find the cheapest price for the brochure.  But let’s say that I found a printer for the brochure who offered me something a little different.  Let’s say that this printer was willing to:

• Deliver an early sample copy for the marketing team tomorrow morning
• Make a 7am delivery to the exhibition to make sure that my company had everything they needed before the doors opened
• Guarantee no charge of delivery wasn’t made on time

Wouldn’t that peace of mind be worth paying a little extra for?  Wouldn’t it be worth giving a little more in order to win these benefits?

Don’t assume that giving is a sign of weakness

If you give, you should expect something back.  A good negotiator gives in order to get what they want.

I didn’t give the supermarket an opportunity to get rid of its tuna tails for no reason.  I gave the supermarket that opportunity so that I would get a better price.

Giving is an important concept

Giving is a very powerful way to negotiate successfully.  Giving is a great way for sellers to achieve greater profits.  And giving is a great way for buyers to create better value for their company.

But giving is also a way for you to achieve more from your own personal negotiations

From this book you will learn a great system for improving your print negotiations, whether you are a buyer or a seller.  But you can use this system for yourself as well.  You will be able to put this system into practice next time you need to buy a car, or a camera or some clothes.  Or even when you are next going to the supermarket.

But whatever you are buying, be prepared to give as well.  If you give, you will also achieve a win-win situation with the other party.

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P.S.  This article is from my forthcoming book, “The Print Industry Negotiation Handbook”.  This will launch in January.  To receive another extract “How to avoid using straight line negotiation and giving way on price” sign up here.  You’ll also receive updates on the launch and news of a special launch offer.

Amazon is a great example of using efficient e-procurement.  And, these days, e-procurement is something that print buyers need to be open to.

What is e-procurement?

Print buying can be much more efficient if you do it witht eh click of a mouse

E-procurement is using technology to make your buying more automated.  This means that the buying process is faster and more efficient.  And that print buyers have more time to spend on other projects.

Print buyers who use e-procurement have much greater control over their print buying.  This is because e-procurement gives them much more information.  They also have better relationships with their print suppliers.  This is because the suppliers do not have to turn round lots of quotes manually.  E-procurement is also a much faster process.  So print buyers can achieve much more in their working day.

Print buyers who don’t use e-procurement waste lots of time

This is because they are using lengthy manual quoting processes.  And they are waiting for their print suppliers to come back with prices.  Those print suppliers are often fed up with having to produce endless numbers of quotes.

And never ask a print buyer who does not use e-procurement for any management information.  They will struggle to put together any meaningful information because there is no central database for their work.

Of course many print buyers do not use e-procurement because they are suspicious of it.  And the most common objection is to do with e-auctions.

E-procurement means running e-auctions, doesn’t it?

E-procurement need have nothing to do with e-auctions.  E-auctions are often not the most effective way to run print purchasing.  E-procurement is all about using technology to make your chosen method of print buying more efficient.

There are now a number of specialist e-procurement print buying systems available.  They bring e-procurement to the print buyer.  Here are three ways in which these systems can help to you.

1) E-procurement reduces quoting time

In some instances quotes can be instant.  Some print buying systems have price matrices   for common products.  And some advanced systems even hold much more detailed information about the printer’s pricing.  This allows them to create instant prices for most specifications.

Even systems that don’t have instant pricing still speed up  communications.  They also create many of the e-mails involved in quoting automatically.

2)  E-procurement achieves excellent reporting

Print buying systems keep a record of everything that is quoted and bought.  And it is very easy to create reports from this data.  This means that buyers have immediate access to important information such as:

• Spends with suppliers and how they change
• Spends per product type
• Spend per person
• Numbers of quotes and jobs carried out

3)  E-procurement makes everyone accountable

If you have a team of buyers, a print buying system lets you know exactly what they have been up to.  It is possible to check which suppliers they are using.  And to benchmark the amount of work that teams members are carrying out.

These are just some of the advantages that come from a print buying e-procurement system.

Let’s look at a print buying system in action

One of my clients uses a web-based e-procurement system.  (So they have no complicated software issues.)  They were initially unsure about using a system like this.  But now they love it.

One worry from the client was that their quotes would be going out to printers that they didn’t know.  But they have a system where only approved suppliers can quote on their jobs.  The jobs are sent out from a quote form.  This means that reprints and similar specifications can be sent out with virtually no work.

The printers have entered their pricing automatically on the system.  This means that quotes are generated instantaneously.  And there is no input required from the printer.  This makes quoting more efficient and less time consuming for everyone.

Reporting is efficient.  And it is much more comprehensive that could have been managed manually.  It allows the client to monitor supplier and spend on a real time basis.

As a result of using the system, the team have coped with a 30% increase in jobs.  And they haven’t had to recruit extra members.  They have found using an e-procurement system very efficient.

Doesn’t this efficiency threaten the role of a print buyer?

Print buyers should not feel threatened by e-procurement.  A print buyer’s knowledge is still very important.  The right suppliers need to be chosen.  And the right specification needs to be carried out.  And these are areas which can’t be managed without specialist knowledge.

Print buyers should welcome the opportunity to carry out less administrative work.  And these systems also allow them to spend time on more complicated projects.

E-procurement systems also allow buyers to create better supplier relationships.  This is partly because of the extra time freed up by a system.  And it is also because the systems can produce good performance data on print suppliers.  Supplier management is still important when using e-procurement.

Don’t imagine that relationships aren’t important when using e-procurement

Talking with suppliers and building relationships is still vitally important.  E-procurement automates the administrative and operational side of print buying.  But it cannot automate the personal side of print buying.

Here are three steps to help you find out more

1.  Find a supplier of print purchasing software
2. Set up a meeting with them
3. Ask them to demonstrate the efficiency savings they can make

You might be surprised at the benefits that this meeting might bring.  Becoming more efficient at print buying has even let me start reading all the books I’ve been buying on Amazon!
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P.S.  If you have found this piece useful and would like to receive more information like this, you should sign up for the Print & Procurement newsletter.  Click here to make sure you receive articles like this regularly, and to receive the free e-book “10 common print buying errors and what to do about them”.

Imagine if you didn’t deliver that meal.

It’s easily done.  Perhaps you wrote a shopping list of all the ingredients.  But perhaps you missed one vital ingredient off.  And now you’re in the kitchen and you’re supposed to be serving the meal soon.  But you’ve just realised that this one missing ingredient will prevent you from creating the dish that you wanted.

Print buyers need a shopping list too

Asking the right questions can raise a warning sign as to whether you are choosing the right print supplier

They need a list of questions to ask every potential new print supplier.  Because print buyers need to be sure that their print suppliers will deliver.  They can’t risk not delivering a job.

Especially when a quick question could have prevented this problem.

Buyers who use the right questions have more control over the projects they produce

This is because they know the capabilities of their print suppliers.  They can be sure that their suppliers are not going to create unforeseen problems.  And as there are few problems, they can put handle more projects.  And achieve more for themselves and their companies.  The lack of problems also means that they create stronger partnerships with their print suppliers.

Buyers who don’t use the right questions cannot create the same partnerships

They are forever frustrated at print suppliers who don’t perform as hoped.  They have no control over their print buying.  Their print jobs are full of problems.  And these problems take a lot of time to sort out.  So the buyers achieve less.

But they could have achieved so much more if they had asked eight simple questions.  This would have only taken twenty minutes or so when they had first met the supplier.

Here are the questions:

1.       Are you financially stable?

This is a vitally important question.  Many print suppliers are struggling with current trading conditions.  But you want a print partner for the long term.  A good print supplier will share their management accounts with you so that you have up to date information.

2.       What quality control systems do you use?

The last thing you want is a job that doesn’t look right.  So you need to understand how your printer will manage your job.  And how they will ensure that there are no mistakes.  Any good printer will have a written quality control procedure.

3.       Do you have a colour management system?

Many quality control systems do not cover colour in depth.  But you want your colour to reproduce as you planned.  You need a printer that has a full colour control system.  And that tests this system regularly.

4.       What is your on-time delivery record?

Late jobs are not acceptable.  So ask the printer if they deliver on time.  Don’t just accept a figure that they give you.  Ask how they can prove it.

5.       What level of account handling can I expect?

If you tell a print supplier the level of service you require, they will promise it to you.  So ask them what they offer as standard.  This way you understand how they are used to working.

6.       Do you have an environmental policy?

Printers that care about the environment will have a written environmental policy.  And anyone at the company should be able to tell you about it.  Remember, FSC or PEFC accreditation does not make a printer environmentally friendly.  These only prove that they have good paper management.  A printer must come up with more to prove that they are environmentally friendly.

7.       What data security systems do you use?

If you are supplying a printer with data, you need to be sure that they have good backup systems.  And the backup system needs to be away from the factory.  If your data is sensitive, you need to be sure that their servers are secure.  And that relevant staff have signed a confidentiality agreement.

8.       Do you have a disaster recovery plan?

What happens if your printer has a power cut?  Or a fire?  Or a flood?  Do they expect you to sort everything out and find alternative arrangements?  Or can they show how they will get your job produced whatever happens?

A printer should be able to answer these eight questions satisfactorily.  Then you can be confident that you are looking at a professional and reliable supplier.

But these aren’t the only questions you should ask

You should also ask about the culture of a print supplier.  Have a look at this article: Three questions you should ask your print supplier (they’re not what you think!)

If a printer can answer these three questions satisfactorily as well, you have probably found a supplier that you want to deal with.  But many buyers choose not to ask all these questions.  They don’t see a problem with changing print supplier.

Moving print suppliers is easy:  aren’t these questions overkill?

It is often assumed that there are no problems in changing supplier.  There are lots of print suppliers who are desperate for work at the moment.  So if something goes wrong it is easy to find someone to take the job over.

Or is it?

Here’s how choosing the wrong supplier caused problems for one print buyer

Simon never worried about asking new print suppliers many questions.  He just went for the cheapest price.  One day he found a new supplier.  One that was really, really cheap.

The first job was late.  And the quality wasn’t up to much.  Simon’s marketing department weren’t impressed.  But the printer reprinted the job.  And Simon reminded the marketing department that the price was really, really low.  So everyone decided to live with it.

But next time, the printer ceased trading the day before they were due to deliver a big job.  And this job was the sales literature for an exhibition.  The company was forced to exhibit without any brochures.  The cost to their sales was hard to measure.  But the return on the exhibition was far below what they had budgeted.

Simon’s printer had cost the company a lot of money.  And this could have been prevented with a few questions.

Make sure you ask the right questions to your print supplier

Here are three steps to get you started:

1. Make a list of these questions.  Send the list to every potential new print supplier.
2. Ask the potential print suppliers to write answers to these questions.
3. Make sure that you ask for proof with every answer.

Remember – don’t leave anything off your list

If you miss one vital question, then you risk a big problem with your next print job.  And that’s going to eat into your time.

Time you could have spent doing something better.  Like making sure you bought ALL the ingredients to cook someone a nice meal.
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P.S.  If you have found this piece useful and would like to receive more information like this, you should sign up for the Print & Procurement newsletter.  Click here to make sure you receive articles like this regularly, and to receive the free e-book “10 common print buying errors and what to do about them”.

Before I met my wife, I went out on a few dates.  And I wanted to get to know the women I was dating.  I wanted to learn all about them.  I wanted to get them to tell me all about themselves.

Choosing a printer is a bit like dating

You want to learn all about the printer.  You want the printer to tell you all about themselves.

Get your printer to talk to you, just as if you were dating

The trouble is that many questions that buyers ask are focussed on basic information about the printer.  They aren’t designed to get the printer to open up to you.  They aren’t designed to get the printer to tell you what doing business with them is really like.

Asking about machinery and quality and delivery doesn’t tell enough about the culture of a printer.  It’s a difficult area to encourage a supplier to talk about.

So here are three questions that get printers to talk about themselves

Buyers who ask these questions from their printers can expect to create better partnerships.  This is because they will know more about the printer.  And this knowledge means that they will be more in control of the relationship.  And achieve more from it.

Buyers who don’t use these questions won’t achieve as much from their printers.  They are more likely to be wondering what went wrong.  This is because they won’t have the right information to control the relationship.  And ultimately, the relationship will not be a strong partnership.  Both sides risk being frustrated with each other.

So here are the three questions that avoid these frustrations:

Question 1:  What makes you different?

This is a great question to immediately separate the printers with something different to say from everybody else.  98% of printers will reply along the lines of price, service and quality.

Of course all these issues are important.  But these days, printers are expected to offer competitive pricing.  And good service.  And good quality.  So there has to be a great reason for them to mention these issues.  And I would want to see a specific example of why they mention any of these three issues.

A few printers will avoid these issues altogether.  They will come up with something that genuinely does make them different.  In one example a printer told me about unusual mail packs that they had developed.

Your printer may come up with something that really is different (and of use to your business).  Then it’s time to move onto question 2.

Question 2:  How do you add value to your clients?

This question is designed to make the printer show exactly what they can achieve for you.  This is their chance to show that they can be more than just a manufacturer.

Ideally a printer should be able to provide with a great case study.  But you may need to tell them you want a case study.  The case study needs to prove that they can do one of the following things:

-         Reduce buying costs, by helping the client to become more efficient
-         Reduce print costs through more effective specification, more efficient production or reducing costs such as post
-         Increase the client’s results from print.  This can be done by using different finishes, improving quality, introducing personalisation or multi-channel opportunities or by suggesting more appropriate products.

A good supplier will understand that this is not a question about price.  This may even be a question which shows why a buyer should pay more.

The printer with the mail packs was able to show me the value of them.  They showed me how they reduced postal costs.  And they showed me how they increased responses from client mailings.  At that point I wasn’t looking for the cheapest print price.  I saw that I had a potential partner that could reduce a client’s costs and increase returns from their mailings.  That was worth a lot to me.

If the supplier can come up with some good case studies you have one more question to ask them.

Question 3:  Why did you approach me?

Many printers approach everyone they can.  But they give little thought as to why they are doing it.  That can be bad news for clients.

Do you want to be just another standard client?  Or would you sooner be part of a market sector that a supplier is focussing on.  Wouldn’t that make you feel more valued?

You want to be the client of a printer that has specialist market knowledge of your sector.  Or where you fit a client profile that the printer is actively looking for?  Then you can be sure that you have the opportunity for a good relationship.  One where the printer will want to continue to develop a partnership with you.

The printer with the mailpacks was targeting companies with a very similar profile to my client.  I was confident that they would want to continue working with my client.  And I was confident that they would try and come up with more great ideas for them.

These three questions had made the printer work to prove their worth.

But these questions won’t tell you the basics about printers

Don’t forget to ask a series of other questions as well.  You need a checklist of questions that you need to cover.  We’ll talk more about this in my next piece.

So the three questions should not be asked on their own.  If a printer answers the three questions well, then you need to have your follow-up checklist.  But using the checklist without these three questions doesn’t give you the complete picture.  You need the three questions as well.

Here are three action points to help you put these questions into practice

1. Write the three questions down
2. Make sure that you ask them to every new printer who approaches you
3. Score their answers.  And make sure you write down a reason for your score

You’ll find that these questions will reveal an awful lot more about a supplier.

You never know, they could lead to the start of a beautiful relationship