***Ascent Partners: Your future is at PrintEx 2011 – and it’s not all about buying equipment 4 May 2011***

It was the night before PrintEx and one-time salesman, Richard Rasmussen, sat down to reflect on how the more things change, the more they stay the same ...

My old (okay Sam, not that old) boss used to say that I needed to sell my clients on the fact they should go to trade shows. “Just say to them, that even if they aren’t planning to buy, at least they should have a look at what their competitors are buying”.

That was back in the late eighties in my past life as a machinery salesman with Heidelberg Queensland; but today, more than ever, I think that his advice is just as relevant.

The issue I see with the latest exhibitions is that attendees have to be a lot more proactive when they attend the shows. The reason for this is that all the machines look the same – CtP, digital printers, wide format printers and software / workflow systems all look the same. If you don’t get active at the shows and actually attend demonstrations / ask the sales people questions, chance are you will walk away more bewildered than when you came.

So, if you’re not networking, and not buying, you really need to treat it as a learning experience, and to learn you need to get proactive. If you fit into that category, before you go, have a think about this question:

“If you were 20 years younger and full of vigour and energy (as you were 20 years ago), what technology would you look at to service your clients?”

An example of this is a commercial printer who has not invested in the past five years. He may believe that the technology he should be looking at, if he were 20 years younger, is one or a combination of CtP, digital colour machines, automated A3 presses, workflow, Management Information Systems, Wide format or on line software.

The reasons they should look at these technologies, even if they have no intent to buy, are:

1. to understand that’s where the industry is going
2. to understand that’s what their competitors, traditional or otherwise, are buying
3. to be able to crystal ball the future, and perhaps predict how long their business model, without any change will stand up
4. to be able to spot an exit strategy for them

The first two points are self explanatory, but the last two needs some explanation. If you’re not investing in new technology (and not everybody should), then by understanding what’s out there, will enable you to develop a better exit strategy, and gain an insight into how long your existing business model will stand up. Do some forecasting as to what effect this technology will have on your business, and its business value, once the use of it becomes the norm.

You may find, with this knowledge of the new technologies, that it may be opportune to think about partnering with businesses, which could enable you to better service and grow / retain your existing client base. The exit strategy may be for you to start using them as a service provider, whilst you ease out of manufacturing. Or it could be that their clients may need some of your services, and you form relationships to help each other.

This could be with a competitor.

The other question you could be asking yourself is:
What would I buy if I was to downsize my operation to best look after my clients?

Downsizing to be “best in class” may be a worthy consideration. Here an A2 producer, for example, may choose to downsize to manufacture only A3, but do that really well, and outsource the A2 work where he has little or no chance to ever be “best in class”.

Another example if “downsizing” may be to plan to stop manufacture all together, and focus on servicing clients, perhaps via others / other technologies.

Obviously there are other strategies to consider, such as diversification, but not understanding the new technologies will limit your options, simply because you don’t know what you don’t know.

If you do decide to go, and after visiting you decide to “do nothing”, ask yourself:

Why do I think by doing nothing, and having seen what I have seen, do I think I will be able to get a better return for my business in the future?
It’s a really important question, because if the answer is “I won’t be able to get a better return”, then it’s time to develop new strategies and business models.

So I’d strongly encourage all the industry to attend, and when they do to get proactive and understand what the new technology is all about, and where it fits with their clients / market place. Because it’s not all about buying, it is, as my boss used say, just as much about finding out what the competitors are doing, gauging how long you can run your existing business model, and developing new strategies to adapt to the future market place.

Ascent Partners’ services include conducting business appraisals, the development of exit strategies and acting as business marketing and sales agents. Contact Richard Rasmussen on 0402 021 101 or visit our web site at www.ascentpartners.com.au for more information