Are you frightened? Terrified? Me too. Fear not because Dave is funny. Dave is entertaining. Dave makes sense and Dave put us at ease right away. Here’s how.

The first slide of the presentation which seems overwhelming is this: 21 Ideas for Business. “Great,” say you, me and everyone else. “My five hours of sleep per night has now shrunk to two. Thanks a lot, Dave.” What was that, Dave? Can you repeat that? It sounded like you just said, kind of emphatically, almost demanded, that we listen to all your ideas and advice and then choose one, only one, and try it. Did I hear you correctly? Choose one? I think I love you Dave. Please, fire away.

Three hours later Dave is running over. It’s 4:30pm. I’m approaching the end of an eight hour Vistage meeting. I’m tired. My brain hurts from information overload. Dave starts to wrap it up and I’m bummed. Seriously. Give me more, Dave. Show me another hilarious video. Give me one more social media nugget. It’s 2am and my crack fix is insatiable. I’ll pay double. Where are you going? I’ve got questions. Dammit Dave!

Well, Dave’s words and advice need to be heard by others so off he runs into the social media stratosphere to help others like me cope with SMO – Social Media Overload. I can’t emphasize enough the importance of Dave’s opening advice to the group. Making our homework (takeaway, next step, call to action, whatever you want to call it) so easy is simply brilliant. Will I use more than one of Dave’s gems that he enthusiastically delivered? You bet I will. But it’s not going to consume me. I’ll start with one. If it works well, maybe I employ my number two favorite in a month or two. If it doesn’t work, I definitely employ my number two, maybe ever quicker.

Dave’s overriding message is; there are many, many good uses of social media and social networking, just try one. And that my friends is far from SMO. It’s a reasonable amount of homework and that makes it doable. Even dummies like me can blog about social media. Who woulda thunk it?

Will you take Dave’s advice? What’s your next step?

Go get social (on your timeline – no pun intended).

Best,

Scott Feldman

Please do come and visit and we will give you a real tour.

See the video of our photo shoot

He has some great other resources here. You can review all of his publications at his website here.

He discusses all the costs of processing marketing material requests on page 6. Even though the title is listed as “Four Reasons” he even gives us more reasons on page 9 which might benefit your company the most. Feel free to contact David directly at ddodd@pointbalance.com or email me at mark@printhq.com  and I would be happy to make an introduction.

I hope you find this information helpful.

I went to Mission Viejo High School in Orange County. Forty-four year old Dara Torres swam for the Mission Viejo swim team. I went on to win exactly zero Olympic medals. Dara’s earned 12 (so far). I went into the printing business. As far as I know, Dara didn’t.

Thirty years later, I went to Dscoop, an annual conference for users of advanced digital printing platforms. Dara went there too. Crazy how Dara goes where I go.

You should have seen this six-pack.

Anyone who goes to industry conferences knows as the days drag on and us professionals with A.D.D. grow weary of the breakout sessions, the attendees’ minds start wandering closer to the bar. Everyone starts thinking about the evening’s party plans. However, the six-pack that everyone was buzzing about at Dscoop7 had nothing to do with Heinekens. [Watch the video of Dara's appearance to get a little gander at her Olympic-strength gut.]

Dara showed us her rock hard tummy.

Why was a respected international swimming star flashing the crowd? She was trying to make a point. The muscles she was flexing delivered some solid evidence of what it means to persevere. Dara will soon attempt to freestyle her way into the pool at the London Olympic Games for the sixth time. You might call her crazy, but she’d prefer “perseverant.”

Life is about perseverance.

It’s easy to quit. Beating athletes 25 years younger than you for a chance to compete in the world’s most exclusive athletic games? Not so easy.

Dara didn’t follow me to Dscoop to teach me about digital printing technology. Nor did she want to show me her world-class strokes. She came to inspire middle-aged professionals who have largely been beaten down by a dreadfully prolonged slump and seen many a compatriot go under in an industry that was once about paper and ink, evolve into one of .jlt files and .jdf extensions.

She spoke of the joy of finding ways to stay competitive, to stay on top of your game, regardless of the price you must pay. Where there’s a will there’s a way. Seek and ye shall find. You’ve heard speeches like this or seen the corny inspirational posters donning the walls of executive offices everywhere. But here before us stood a living motivational poster girl telling you and me and perhaps even herself, everyone has competitors gunning to finish ahead of them in lanes to their left and right. They might be younger, or smarter, better financed. They might even be luckier.

Some things you simply can’t control. However, preparation isn’t one of them. Nor is dedication. Dara’s question: do you want to win and keep winning? Do you want stay relevant 25 years after you proved you had the chops? If your answer is affirmative, Dara’s interview affirmed there’s only way to do so. You have to keep working at it. The medals in Dara’s trophy case won’t get her into this summer’s games. But ten million meters in the pool just might.

Other speakers offered some golden ideas as well.

I learned many things I think I should share with you…

The keynote speaker, Sally Hogshead fascinated a crowd of more than 2,000 on the topic of “fascination.” The main message being we’re all fascinating in some way. “You don’t need to learn to be fascinating, you need to unlearn how to be boring,” she said. Sally wasn’t trying to insult us, she was telling us our environment stomps out our creativity as children, and somewhere along the way we learn to conform (we learned to be not so fascinating).

Other keynote speakers Chad Dick and Josh Linkner inspired the attendees with talks on “How Challenger Brands Succeed” and “Unleashing Creativity: The New Currency of Brand Success.” The day after we returned, my business partner called for an all-hands meeting focused on creativity.

Chris Morgan and Alon Bar-Shany shared many exciting developments about where HP and the graphic arts industry are headed in the future. Alon had the honor of introducing new product enhancements and the game-changing technology of the HP 10,000 digital press, available for sale in early 2013, and previewing at Drupa next month. Alon also showed his musical skills by joining the band on stage and showing off a few guitar riffs at the cocktail party.

All of the speakers, events, education sessions and activities added up to a great value for the attendees. But for my dime, the most valuable part of every Dscoop conference is the networking time with all the great folks in our industry. Customers, suppliers, speakers and community peers provide endless hours of conversation, entertainment, and opportunities that one just can’t find back at the office.

If you had the opportunity to attend, or would like more information about Dscoop, I would love to here from you.

Rejuvenated again,

Scott Feldman

1. Web-to-Print Portals Are Too Expensive

Damn right. These solutions can be extremely pricey. At PrintHQ we are concurrently building no less than five portal solutions. The least expensive is $5,000 and the top-end ultra-custom solution with a six month build and implementation, dare I say, crosses over to the dreaded six figures. OUCH! But let’s come clean here. These solutions are investments, not expenses. Each has ROI metrics that support the initial and ongoing investment. If they don’t, any reputable solutions company would not entertain the idea of building it. The need to have our reputation slung in to the mud is not in our mission statement.

2. Brand Consistency is Not That Important

Whether your logo is bright orange, burnt orange, or even red, most people could care less. They recognize our logo whether it comes from “Darla’s Digital Printing” or “Signage by Sammy.” Uh, you might want to use this excuse only as an extreme desperate measure. Here’s why…9 Tips for Brand Consistency.

3. I Love Jane

“Jane is great. Jane is a team player. She moves mountains with a mouse click.”  I love her too. But Jane costs the company a lot of money to set business card art, change flier graphics, or manage slight modifications of each and every collateral piece. If Jane is great, or even good, there’s plenty of opportunity for her to shine and add more value to your company; meanwhile the print automation process rumbles on without her.

4. Our Product Specifications Never Change

“Our product is very stable. We believe the 8-track is here to stay. There’s no need to be nimble in our marketplace. Honestly Scott, I can’t remember the last time we had to scrap marketing materials. Of course, I also can’t remember the last time we sold anything.”

Perhaps this might be a good time to update the resume, assuming you’ve got some calligraphy talent and a good stack of parchment paper.

5. The Channel Doesn’t Need a Web-to-Print Portal

Which channel wouldn’t benefit? Your employees, your franchisees, your stores, your resellers? No matter what channel your asset management system or print portal serves, moving the solution from transactional to process will speed delivery, ease internal resources, improve communications, and ultimately add more value than you can imagine.

Alright. You’re armed. You’re dangerous. Now get out there and protect your marketing infrastructure before someone replaces it with a little technology.

Change is hard,

Scott Feldman

Whistle While you Work

The book is more than an interesting read. It actually assists you investigate and determine your calling. This process takes some work and time. I found it to be challenging, fun, and well worth the effort. Turns out my calling is, drumroll please … “Bringing Joy”. Wow, That’s very noble and generous of you, Scott. You should wear a crown and be called, “King Scott, Bringer of Joy”. Not so fast. Truth is I’m not that honorable and benevolent. The truth is my calling makes me happy. Bringing joy to others, while certainly not a bad thing, is my passion because I receive great satisfaction by doing it. Me, me, me, me. Is this selfish? Yes, but in a good way. I’m rewarded from the inside out when bringing joy, just as Diane is when she’s connecting people. We can’t stop ourselves from performing our calling because it is required to fulfill our own happiness.

I have the great fortune and freedom to pursue my calling at Progressive Solutions every day. Of course not every task that lands on my plate is about bringing joy. But with divisions like Frecklebox, StationeryHQ, and PrintHQ, there’s plenty of opportunity to pursue my passion. I’m grateful for that and the great people that work with me every day. Most folks would describe us as a digital printing company. After all, we do put lots of ink on paper. I see us as a company that simply makes people smile. Whether it’s the result of a beautiful wedding invitation, a personalized children’s book, or an innovative customer retention campaign, someone is going to wind up with a big fat grin on their face. And that my friends is all I can ask for.

I’d love to know if you think you have found your calling and if you get to practice it in your work environment?

Whistle while you  work.

Scott Feldman

“Hello Mr. and Mrs. Feldman, this is Anthony from Orkin. I just called to let you know I stopped by your house today to do three things…first off, I did my normal monthly maintenance to keep the pesky unwanted critters outside your house. Secondly, I did a complete foundation treatment to make sure the ants stay away during the difficult spring season. Third, I did a complete wasp-nest inspection because I know this is a common problem in your area. Happy to report I found none, but I will continue to watch for this over the next few months.”

How’s that make me feel? My first thought was we have a wasp problem out here? My second thought was whose great customer retention plan is this, Anthony’s or Orkin’s? Either way, it’s just brilliant. Okay, subtle brilliance. How many pest control technicians leave voice mails for their clients? I expect a “we serviced your house” sticky note on the door with an invoice. Bravo Anthony, or Orkin.

I understand the day of social media, blogging, mobile marketing, deal-sites, etc., have all arrived and one must pay attention to all forms of marketing communications. However, when it comes to customer retention (here’s a great post from Hubspot on the topic) I much prefer the lesser crowded, old-school mediums of voice mail and direct mail when trying to stand out amongst all the chatter.

How about you?

Scott Feldman

How can we help one another create and contribute more value each day?

What if we started by eliminating the T.G.I.F. sentiment from our workplaces and schools? What if Fridays became another day of opportunity for service and contribution? What if we pushed it further and stopped perpetuating the idea that Monday is a day of drudgery?

Together, Monday and Friday are 40% of a work week. Imagine the impact if we could get these days back for all those who tend to lose them.

I understand this is easier said than done, and I’m not trying to say we shouldn’t look forward to big plans for the weekend. There’s no one more guilty of “looking forward” than I. What I took from this reading was: just be your best every day. You only have today. The weekend fun will be there for you whether you give 100% on Friday or not. When Monday arrives, try treating it like any other work day. You’ll feel so much better about your contributions.

“Smile and move”, baby.

Scott Feldman

There are many studies about personalized marketing with regard to direct mail and email, but this particular one from Intelisent, Orchestrated Direct Marketing Campaigns Give Marketers an Edge is an excellent resource.

Our goal at PrintHQ is to help clients benefit from the numerous retention and acquisition solutions available to them. Stay tuned for more C.R.A.P. from PrintHQ in the coming months.

Let’s get personal,

Let’s go back in time. Not too far back–say 10 years, when almost all books were published with paper and ink.

“Hi Mary, I just read an outstanding book. You would probably enjoy it as well. Would you like to borrow it?” “Well Scott, I would love to read it, but what about copyright infringement?” Say what?

Of all the books I’ve ever given or lent to a friend, I can’t think of one time the recipient or I considered copyright laws. Perhaps we should have. In 2012 lending a friend or peer a good story is just not possible when purchased as an iBook.

Is the e-book helping or hindering the viral spread of a great read?

Uncertain about my next book purchase,

Scott Feldman