november 2017 november 2017 volume 2 volume …...technical hotline at (800) 910-4283. free hr...

November 2017Volume 2

Issue 11

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November 2017Volume 2

Issue 11

2 • Graphics Journal — November 2017Waukesha County Technical College does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, disability or age in employment, admissions or its programs or activities. The following position has been designated to handle inquiries regarding the College’s non-discrimination policies: Compliance Officer, 800 Main Street, Pewaukee, WI 53072 or 262.695.3481 or [email protected].

Hands-on skills for real-world careers

WCTC’s advanced manufacturing

programs, including the NEW

Manufacturing Engineering Technology

degree, arm students with the knowledge

and skills needed for the jobs of tomorrow.

Our engineering partnerships for Electrical

Engineering Technology (EET) and Mechanical

Engineering Technology (MET) programs offer

students seamless transitions to a four-year degree.

• Marquette University

• University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

• Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE)

Visit www.wctc.edu or call 262.695.3400.

Check out our modern, state-of-the-art labs, and master the high-demand skills employers seek.

Great Lakes Graphics Association — www.glga.info • 3

Website: www.glga.infoToll-Free Phone: (855) 522-2210

Joseph [email protected]

Bill GibsonIllinois [email protected]

Brent EckhartIndiana [email protected]

Sharon FlickCommunications ManagerEditorial [email protected]

Debra WarnerMembership Development and Engagement ManagerAdvertising [email protected]

Staff Contacts

Technical HotlineDo you have questions about a technical process? Call the PIA Technical Hotline at (800) 910-4283.

Free HR HotlineUse the free InfoNow line to get answers from MRA’s HR profes-sionals. Call toll-free 24/7 at (866) 275-6721, or email [email protected].

GLGA Hotlines

Events

State and Association News

Endangered Species

A Better Alternative To A New Sales Hire

Answer These Questions to Get Ahead of Environmental Reporting Season

WIFT and Win/Win Negotiating

Membership News

Calendar

The monthly membership magazine for the Great Lakes Graphics Association

Volume 2 / Number 11November 2017

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4 • Graphics Journal — November 2017

EVENTSNew Month, Location for the Annual Illinois Holiday MIXer

Join members and friends at GLGA’s annual Illinois Holiday MIXer on Wednesday, November 15, 2017. We’ll be gathering at Jimmy’s Charhouse in Elk Grove Village, IL, for food, networking, fun and spirits of the holiday season. The evening includes a cocktail reception in private room (cash bar) and dinner.

Once again, we will be collecting hats, scarfs, gloves and socks for homeless families. This year, all items collected will be donated to Together We Cope, a homeless prevention agency based in Tinley Park, IL. Together We Cope serves families in 27 communities in Chicago’s south suburbs.

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSOR:

Indiana Annual Meeting Is Brand New: Don’t Miss the Indiana Holiday CelebrationJoin us on Thursday, November 30, 2017, at Topgolf in Fishers, IN, for a fun evening of games, networking, food, and holiday spirits. Come and play at Topgolf, the Indianapolis area’s newest hot spot, for a premium experi-ence of play, food and music.

Mix and mingle with your colleagues from the Indiana printing industry; enjoy appetiz-ers, complimentary soft drinks and a cash bar; and test your shot in Topgolf ’s signa-ture game.Guests can enjoy point-scoring golf games using microchipped balls that instantly score themselves, showing players the accuracy and distance of their shots on a TV screen in their hitting bay.

The venue features an outstanding chef-driven menu, top-shelf drinks, big screen TVs and music in climate-controlled hitting bays for all-seasons comfort. Whether you’re an aspiring golf pro or picking up a club for the first time, Topgolf is everyone’s game.

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REGISTER ONLINE AT WWW.GLGA.INFO.Half-Day Workshops Will Keep You Up-to-Date with OSHA Changes

Here’s your opportunity to have one of the printing industry’s top regulatory experts answer all your OSHA questions. Gary Jones, Assistant Vice President of Environmental, Health, and Safety (EHS) Affairs at the Printing Industries of America, returns to the GLGA region for two intensive half-day workshops.

Tuesday, November 28, 2017GLGA Conference Center, Pewaukee, WI

Thursday, November 28, 2017Fujifilm, Hanover Park, IL

Learn about the latest changes in OSHA regulations impacting printing operations. The topics will include recent OSHA printing industry inspection activities.

PROUDLY CO-SPONSORED BY:

THANK YOU TO OUR HOST IN ILLINOIS:

DTC Webinar Is FREE for Members: When the Sabre Rattles

Do you know how to protect your company if a patent troll were to come calling? Find out what to do in this FREE member webinar on Wednesday, November 15, 2017, presented by the GLGA Digital Technology Council.

In When the Sabre Rattles: How to Respond When You Are Accused of Infringement, Tom Heneghan, a partner in the Madison, WI, office of Husch Blackwell, will discuss strategies for responding

to threats of patent, trademark and copyright infringement and trade secret misappropriation.

Whether the threat comes from a patent troll, a competitor, a former business partner or even a customer, the first steps you take in responding will likely set the tone for the eventual resolu-tion of the matter. Learn what to look for and how to deal with it.

Dr. Rebecca Lake, Dean of Workforce and Economic Development at Harper College, Palatine, IL, discusses “CONNECT WITH THE FUTURE” during a breakfast meeting at the school on October 28, 2017. “CONNECT WITH THE FUTURE” is an apprenticeship program developed by Harper for five existing programs,with four in process of certification including Graphic Arts Production. For additional informa-tion, visit www.harperapprenticeships.org or call GLGA Illinois Director Bill Gibson at (312) 704-5000.

Members gathered at Jimmy’s Charhouse in Elk Grove Village, IL, on October 24, 2017, for lunch and an insightful Sales Focus Forum. John Edmundson of InterEdge Marketing led a discussion about using online strategies to boost sales force performance. “This program re-stoked the fire for prospecting,” said Bill Kirscht of DMS Packaging Services.


STATE AND ASSOCIATION NEWS

By Brent Eckhart Indiana Director

Contact Brent:(317) [email protected]

New Director Appointed to GLGA Board

Adam LeFebvre of Specialty Print Communications, Niles, IL, has been appointed to the GLGA Board of Directors. He will be filling the vacancy in the seat that was previously held by Jerry Haapanen of Haapanen Brothers, Gurnee, IL, who passed away in July 2017.

The appointment was effective with the October 25, 2017, board meeting, and the term runs until 2019. This seat represents Illinois Active members.

With the end of the year approaching, it soon will be time for the annual Board elections. The board and advisory committees are finalizing the nominations of the candidates for the open positions. Please watch your mail for the ballot, which will be sent after Thanksgiving.

On LinkedIn? Join our GLGA Group.

The Results Are In: 2017 Wage and Benefit Survey Report Is Now OutThe 2017 Wage and Benefit Survey Report - one of GLGA’s most popular member programs - is now available. A record number of GLGA members participated in the survey this year, with 91 member companies confidentially providing data about their compensation and benefit offerings.

The study was conducted over the summer on behalf of all the affiliates of Printing Industries of America. This year’s survey has 538 participating companies and includes compensation reporting for nearly 19,000 employees.

As in past surveys, wages are reported by region and by company size. The data from GLGA members is further broken down by the three states; this year, for the first time because of our record participation levels, Indiana and Illinois each have their own state break-out in addition to Wisconsin’s.

The compensation section includes monthly wages and yearly salaries for a variety of staff and management positions. The benefits section includes data on HR policies and practices, including reporting on changes for 2017.

All GLGA members who participated in the survey received a free copy of the report. Non-participating member companies may purchase the report for $250; the non-member price is $1000. Please contact Debra Warner at (262) 522-2213 or [email protected] to get your copy of this valuable and insightful report.

IndianaIt’s a Party! Come one, come all to the Indiana Holiday Celebration! I hope you will join us at Topgolf in Fishers on Thursday, November 30. This event is designed to give you and your team members an opportu-nity to enjoy a great time at one of central Indiana’s hottest new venues. Whether you are a scratch golfer or have never picked up a club, we promise a fun evening of games, food, drink, and a chance to mix with your peers and suppliers in the printing industry.

Formerly known as the “Annual Meeting,” this annual event has been renamed and reinvented to provide an opportunity to celebrate the season and the print community throughout Indiana. Further details and registration are available at www.glga.info or by contacting me at (317) 733-8512, [email protected].

I also want to mention the monthly Lunch With The Printers that we started this past spring. There is no program, this is just a casual opportunity to have lunch and talk with other printers and suppliers. For those of you who have been attending, thanks for the support. If you haven’t been yet, please join us. It is the third Tuesday of the month, and we start at noon. Put it on your calendar!

Lastly, I want to acknowledge the Indiana Advisory Group who contribute their time and effort to help make your association work for you. Thanks to

Chairperson Rob Straka, Priority Press

Chris Eckhart, Eckhart and Co.

Leo Farrell, The National Group

Hank Freistroffer, Craftline Graphics

Michael Kile, AlphaGraphics Carmel

Thanks for all you do to help make our association work for everyone.

Bernie Lacy, Litho Press

Richard Miller, Fineline Printing Group

Sam Nichol, Kodak

Lisa Pryor, Millcraft

Greg Schiefelbein, Koenig & Bauer


IllinoisI may sound like a broken record, but that is OK as I need to drive home a point. We need talent in our industry who are young, vibrant and willing to take on the challenges of a rapidly changing industry. We need students to mentor and begin to understand what our industry and specifically how our companies work to get things done to satisfy the client.

In an effort to curb this challenge Harper College, Palatine, IL, has announced CONNECT WITH YOUR FUTURE, an apprenticeship program for qualified students and employers. The program is well on the way to providing apprenticeships to 84 students in CNC Precision Machining, Cyber Security, General Insurance, Industrial Maintenance Mechanic and Supply Chain Management/Logistics, and coming soon is Graphic Arts Print Production. That is where you as owners, presidents and management come in … we need your help to design the qualifications and build a partnership with Harper College professors and apprentice coaches through your suggestions and input. The Graphic Arts Print Production Advisory Board meets on a quarterly basis, and the October meeting started the process of setting the program for graphic arts in motion.

I am excited about the possibilities that the apprenticeship program offers and applaud our professional educators reacting to industry concerns with a well-developed program that our businesses and youth will benefit from. Hopefully, apprenticeship design will be a baseline for other schools with Graphic Arts studies in the State of Illinois to look at and develop for other districts.

If you have a desire to participate in the design of this program for Graphic Arts take a look at www.HarperApprenticeships.org or call (847) 925-6630.

It is time to CONNECT WITH YOUR FUTURE!

WisconsinWHAT I’VE LEARNED ABOUT MILLENNIALS

According to Pew Research, more than one-in-three American workers today are Millennials (adults born between 1981 and 1997), surpassing Baby Boomers (adults born between 1946 and 1964) as the largest labor force composition by generation. By 2025, the Wall Street Journal predicts that nearly 44 percent of all American workers will be Millennials. With Baby Boomers starting to retire in large numbers, there is no denying that Millennials are and will make a serious impact on the future of our industry.

Many have very strong opinions about Millennials, sometimes negative. However, Millennials often have the same desires as other generations to make gains, achieve success and create a legacy with the companies they work for. They often just use a different style or way to achieve these goals.

To illustrate this, I recently met a young gentleman – Caleb Thiess (https://www.linkedin.com/in/calebthiess/) – who is currently in the UW-Stout Graphic Communications program. He is bright, enterprising and extremely intelligent. However, it wasn’t this that made a lasting impression on me. When he met me, he presented me with a baseball cap with GLGA’s logo embroidered on the front. I asked how he got a vector image of GLGA’s logo to create the cap and he said, “I recreated it.” WOW! As someone who is extremely proficient in Illustrator, I know how tough recreating GLGA’s logo is. There are multiple layers and clipping masks in GLGA’s logo – it is a complex file. Image the next generation of your sales staff taking the time and effort to make a meaningful and lasting impression on your clients and prospects. Entrepreneurship isn’t dead for Millennials! It is alive and well.

I realize the many Millennials desires for workplace flexibility and freedom do not always fit the demands of custom manufacturing. We very well may be moving into a “gig” workforce economy. It will be challenging. However, align your business so that you can tap into the best of what Millennials have to offer help your customers and prospects grow their business.

By Bill GibsonIllinois Director

Contact Bill:(312) [email protected]

By Joe LymanPresident

Contact Joe:(262) [email protected]


The Wall Street Journal’s front page five-column headline on June 3-4 read, “Jobless Rate Falls

to 16-Year Low.” The tagline that followed said, “Fewer jobs are being created though in a sign firms are struggling with labor shortages.” In short, manufacturing workers, especially people skilled in modern manufacturing techniques, are hard to find. They need to be “coddled” as carefully as the Galápagos penguin or leatherback sea turtle. Brian Regan, co-founder and president of Semper International, agrees that printing is among the manufacturing areas where it’s difficult to find production workers—skilled or not. “With a national unemployment rate of 4.54 percent,” Regan says, “anyone worth their salt is working.” Semper, a GLGA member, is a staffing solutions service for the printing and graphic arts industry. Regan, who ran a press himself in the past, also is deeply engaged in the printing community, having served as the past chairman and active board member of the Printing and Graphics Scholarship Foundation (PGSF).

Endangered Species Today’s Production Workers are hard to find.

Will they be extinct by tomorrow?

By Noel Jeffrey



How We Got Here

The industry has a recruitment chal-lenge. Regan traces the beginning of today’s significant problem of produc-tion worker shortages back some 17 years. “That’s when it became ‘common knowledge’ that print was dead,” he says. “When that was pushed out to the public parents and students began to see print as ‘old,’ no fun—just reinforc-ing that message. Schools citing the Bureau of Labor Statistics showing less need began canceling General Degree programs and shop classes.”

What is true for print extends to most careers that do not require a college degree. As an example, in May Fox News TV host Tucker Carlson featured a segment with Mike Rowe, the TV host of the special series Dirty Jobs. Rowe also is the founder of the mikerowe-WORKS Foundation, which awards scholarships to students pursuing a career in the skilled trades. He is closely associated with the Future Farmers of America, Skills USA, and the Boy Scouts of America. Rowe pointed out that a number of years ago parents and coun-selors determined that the alternative to college preparatory programs in high school were subordinate. Vocational education was a “consolation prize.”

“There are 5.6 million open jobs avail-able that do not require a four-year degree,” Rowe says. “But somewhere in the reptilian parts of our brains people still call these substandard.”

And, there’s more to printing’s woes. “Then the great recession hit and half of the production workers in the industry were laid off as companies went under or consolidated,” Regan continues. “We lost a whole flock of skilled workers who because they were adept at mechanical tasks made easy transitions to other industries like fracking.” The last straw as it were is that the Boomer generation is retiring rapidly. “It’s not likely that they will be coming back,” he says.

Jules VanSant also credits the great recession and trade schools “going away” as factors causing today’s difficul-ties in finding production personnel. “In the next years the shortage will be very critical,” she notes. VanSant is Executive Director of PPI, The New Visual Communications Industries Association that is also known as the Pacific Printing Industries. An affiliate of Printing Industries of America, PPI represents six states: Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Alaska and Hawaii.

Confronting the Danger

Some industry segments are responding. VanSant cites new emphasis on CTE programs (see box at right) in Oregon and Washington as positive. “The states are starting to see the need to support manufacturing and beginning to step up. We are trying to liaison with these programs. Our industry is going to have to spend some money. Custom manu-facturing like printing is a great place for students to land.” VanSant is the vice chair of the PGSF and would like to see the group expand beyond giving schol-arships. (Editor’s note: GLGA member Central 9 Career Center offers a CTE program in Visual Communications. )

“With a national unemployment rate of 4.54 percent, anyone worth their salt is working.

”


CTE Defined

Career Technical Education (CTE) is a high school curricu-lum aimed at equipping students with the training and job skills to go directly into industry and the work-force or into post-secondary education.

In recent years, there has been a growing emphasis within CTE to pair job training with academic content that can improve both college and career-readiness.

The movement seeks to bridge a long-standing divide between a curriculum that prepares students for college and one that often has tracked students into work-only prospects after gradu-ation. It also seeks to give students the more advanced knowledge necessary to compete with today’s highly skilled workforce.


“We have to be thoughtful about recruitment and insert ourselves into the design of these programs,” she continues. “We have to try to encourage legitimate paths to the skill sets needed in printing so that eventually we get a better curriculum.

“We are also encouraging vendors to do some training and sending representa-tives to job fairs. We have stepped up our game and participate in career days and talk about careers and what they pay. We show them the pathway and try to make it hip and cool.”

In addition, PPI participates in Printworkers.com, a job board for premedia, digital print and traditional print professionals. In fact, PIA and most of the PIA affiliate associations including GLGA have job boards and register job seekers on their websites as part of their services to member companies. Semper’s Regan would like to promote additional efforts through the associations.

“We are at the point where the only solution to finding workers is to either train them or steal them,” Regan notes. Training, through scholarships, appren-ticeships and internships, is obviously the healthier solution.

He believes that in addition to the recruitment problem, printing produc-tion suffers from a retention problem. From his own experience in placing temporary workers, Regan observes that maybe one out of ten people may show promise in attitude and abilities to consider training. Here’s where the retention problem shows up. When the job is over, it’s over and the workers are unemployed and out of touch with the printing industry. They may have liked printed but they are “interested, not vested.” Other opportunities, like the oil industry beckon.

Regan thinks that if associations would become involved with the workers that have potential, perhaps offering training programs or finding full blown appren-ticeships, it could ease the problem. He’d

like to work with the associations to accomplish this. He notes that employ-ers should consider offering training as well. Boomer retirees who might appreciate part time or occasional work could make excellent trainers.

Repopulating the Species

One longstanding program that local printers could support in partner-ship with local educators is Skills USA with its regional and national programs and competitions. This year, the National Competition was held in June in Louisville, KY. (Editor’s note: two students in the GLGA region took home silver medals in the Screen Printing Technology competition.)

For inspiration, printers can look to GLGA member Heidelberg, a company that sets an example for the industry as a whole. Heidelberg’s apprentice-ship program uses a combination of classroom training, field work and mentoring to groom candidates into qualified technicians. Heidelberg USA also has been a steadfast supporter of the national Skills USA program and has hosted events in the past.

“We are at the point where the only solution to finding workers is to either train them or steal them.

”

What are some of the skills that modern manufacturers are looking for?

• Knowledge of mechanical and electrical engineering processes

• Ability to work with computerized systems

• Ability to read and write machine programming code

• Ability to read manufacturing blueprints

• Ability to operate automated manufacturing systems

• Understanding of hydraulic, pneumatic and electrical systems



Even with continued industry consoli-dation, production workers will be needed in the foreseeable future.

“Companies that are not investing in new technologies have no future,” VanSant says, “but those who have found a niche and are continuing to add capabilities are growing and they need people. Print is the disruptive media now. There are studies coming out that show the effectiveness of a print spend incorporated into a digital sales spend. Our employers must step up. That’s my call to action.”

Running R2D2

Mike Rowe also tackles the predic-tion that robotics and automation will eventually displace all manufacturing workers. To the extent that a task can be automated, that’s certainly true. We can see it now in prepress workflows that take in a file and control it through the bindery. We see it in automated plate changers, cloud connected mainte-nance and more. However, someone has to program all this. “Learning a skill that’s desirable negates the whole conversation,” he says. “If your skills are in demand, you can work where you want. Skills are inherently mobile.” He cites welding as an example, noting that while a starting salary might be $45,000, welders can make more than $100,000 when overtime is factored in.

Brian Regan makes the same point for the printing industry. He explains that a philosopher makes a high salary but works unlimited hours. An experienced web press operator is paid for overtime and can take home a six-figure salary as well. And, overtime is a reality in the graphic communications industry. It almost always makes more sense for owners to plan on overtime rather than to try to support overstaffing during slow periods.

Finally, Rowe points out that trades typically represent the path to small business ownership. A person may start out on the bottom rung as a plumber, but then can plan to acquire a truck and employees or a partner and so on. A press operator could want to take a plunge with his or her own machine. Today’s employers may have started that way themselves. Tomorrow’s will as well. When it happens, as Rowe says, “R2D2, take a bow.”

(Editor’s note: PGSF’s Vice President for Development is John Berthelsen, who is a past chairman of GLGA’s Board of Directors.)

Educational Programs of Interest

mikeroweWORKS Foundationhttp://profoundlydisconnected.com The mikeroweWORKS Foundation started the Profoundly Disconnected® campaign to challenge the absurd belief that a four-year degree is the only path to success.

Skills USAwww.skillsusa.org

Ball State University Muncie, IN http://cms.bsu.edu

Central 9 Career Center, Greenwood, IN http://central9.k12.in.us

Harper CollegePalatine, IL www.harpercollege.edu

Illinois State University Normal, IL http://illinoisstate.edu

Waukesha County Technical College Pewaukee, WI www.wctc.edu

University of Wisconsin-StoutMenomonie, WI www.uwstout.edu/ct

“We have to be thoughtful about recruitment and insert ourselves into the design of these programs.

”

Noel Jeffrey has been part of the graphic arts industry for more than 30 years. She currently works as the publications editor for the Visual Media Alliance, an affiliate of Printing Industries of America based in San Francisco. She is responsible for the association’s bimonthly Digest newsletters and quarterly magazine Connected. In the past, Noel has served as the West Coast editor for Printing Impressions and executive editor of Print on Demand magazine. Prior to Print on Demand, she worked as the executive editor of Digital Printer magazine, West Coast editor of American Printer magazine, and editor of Printing Journal. She has written numerous articles for other industry publications and is the author of the 1996 book, “Digital Printing, A Guide to the New World of Graphic Communications,” published by Micro Publishing Press.



Is a content marketing strategy more important than a new sales hire?

If you sell for a living or manage a sales team you know it’s never been tougher to meet with new prospects.

Plus, there’s an even greater sales number challenge.

80 percent

90 percent

< 1 percent

75 percent

Eighty percent of all calls go to voicemail. Ninety percent of first time voicemails are never returned. Less than one percent of cold calls turn into actual appointments. But, the first rep to connect with a buyer, as they are formulating a decision, with valu-able information, is 75 percent likely to ultimately

sell the business.

It’s the prospect-ing paradox. Buyers shun phone calls, don’t return voice mails and it’s highly unlikely that you’ll ever turn a cold call into an

appointment. Yet, if you connect with a buyer at the right time, with the right information, you are very likely to build a relationship and sell a deal.

Sales used to drive the conversation. Online infor-mation changed the equation. Plus, print industry sales staffing has never been more challenging.

Challenge of Staffing

Does effective staffing solve the problem? Will a more effective sales team improve your results? Maybe. But, with buyers today, an effective sales hire goes beyond finding someone who regularly pounds out 50 prospecting phone calls.

In fact today, buyers want a sales rep who listens, works to understand their needs and is honest in presenting potential solutions. Unfortunately, those traits aren’t always easy to assess.

Plus, top performers are hard to find. The best candidates are happily employed. Most applicants for your vacant position will be salespeople who are not hitting their numbers.

Hiring a Book of Business

What organization hasn’t considered recruiting a competitor sales person with the expectation that they will bring their book of business to your operation. But, that’s no guarantee for success. Yet, few companies considered these hires effective.

For example, retirements, downsizing and job changes quickly reduce the value of certain contacts. Plus, a buyer may have loyalty to both the sales person you hire and their previous company. Unfortunately, that makes an automatic shift of business unlikely. In addition, “the book” is difficult to quantify. Past business volume isn’t always a predictor of the future. For example, how much of the volume is associated with being in the right place at the right time and filling orders rather than actively generating business?

Promoting from Within

Promoting a customer service rep or a valued employee from elsewhere in the organization is another common option. But, it’s not perfect. The roles and capacities for success are very differ-ent. A CSR effective at managing projects with external and internal contacts doesn’t mean they also possess consultative and solution selling skills. Or, they can effectively access and sell high-level decision-makers. Plus, effective sales development requires frequent coaching. Without it, even the best candidate won’t succeed at your desired rate.

A Better Hiring Decision

Even if you hit a hiring home run, the prospects you target are still 70-90 percent through their buying journey before they’ll connect with your sales rep. That’s why engaging with today’s buyers require more than a good sales hire.

So, before you go through the hiring process, consider how you can make your effective sales-people more productive.

“Content is the GPS buyers use to find you. ”

MARKETING

A Better Alternative To A New Sales Hire

By John EdmundsonPrincipalInterEdge Marketing


Content Marketing Changes The Conversation

When buyers formulate an enterprise purchase decision, they start with research. 80% of that research is done online. And the research is done through

Websites Blogs

White Papers Use Case Examples

Case Studies Webinars

Social Media

In the past, an effective sales rep provided the information that buyers look online to find today.

No one referred to prospecting, scheduling meetings, under-standing needs and providing solutions as content. But, that’s exactly what it was.

The sales rep served as the information source that helped motivate purchasing decisions. Certainly, persistence, fulfill-ing a need at the right time and effective selling skills helped them get in the door. But, that was only the start. Effective reps presented information that built awareness and piqued curiosity which led to additional discussions. As the reps understanding of a prospect’s needs grew, they provided helpful solutions. When a rep did this effectively, accounts were closed and long term relationships built.

Buyers No Longer Use Sales Reps as Their Initial Information Source

Now, buyers don’t want to talk to a sales rep unless the buyer has conducted the research and consider a conversation the next step in the process. In the place of this sales interaction, they use content. In fact, the average buyer consumes 11 pieces of content before buying.

The need for content hasn’t changed but the delivery method has.

To get in front of a buyer today, you need a content marketing strategy. Content in the form of web pages, blog posts, newsletters, case studies, white papers and more that educates and builds understanding with your prospects.

Content is the GPS buyers use to find you.

It’s available online when they conduct research

It builds your brand through the expertise you provide

It conveys your value proposition and triggers interactions that are far more difficult to make using past selling techniques

A content marketing strategy will increase the effectiveness of your sales force. It connects with buyers when your sales team can’t - without the unanswered phone calls and deleted emails. Plus, it can alert you to the best time to reach out to that prospect, when they are more likely to answer your call. And when you are the first rep to connect with that prospect with helpful information, the chances of you selling the deal increase dramatically.

And, a content marketing strategy may just provide you a more reliable and cost effective alternative to a new sales hire.

InterEdge Marketing provides B2B companies with online and offline marketing services. Utilizing methods include website optimization, content marketing, social media strategies, direct marketing and lead nurturing, the company helps organizations expand their audience, generate additional leads, increase conversions and drive revenue. Contact John at (630) 442-0040 or [email protected].


The end of 2017 is quickly approaching, and environmental reporting season will follow closely behind. Answer these questions now to help get ahead of your reporting requirements.

Air Emissions Reporting

Do you have a spreadsheet or other tracking tool in place to populate with 2017 raw material usage rates? Is the spreadsheet set up to automatically calculate annual raw material usage rates, criteria air pollutant emission rates, hazardous air pollut-ant emission rates? Will the software automati-cally signal when a respective pollutant has to be reported?

Hazardous Waste Reporting

Hazardous waste reports are required to be filed every year for Large Quantity Generators (LQGs) located in Illinois. In Wisconsin, these same reports are required every year for both Small Quantity Generators (SQGs) and LQGs. SQGs located in Indiana must file a manifest report every year and LQGs must file a biennial hazardous waste report during even-numbered years for the prior odd-numbered year. This is the year!

Do you have records of the amount of hazardous waste generated during 2017? Are all hazardous waste manifests available and do they contain information necessary to complete the annual or biennial reporting (for example, the EPA ID number of the waste transporter and the broker or TSDF, how the waste was managed and the method of treatment or disposal of the waste, and other data such as waste identifiers)?

Tier II Reporting

Do you store or otherwise have on-site at any one time 10,000 pounds or more of a hazard-ous chemical? For purposes of Tier II reporting required by Section 312 of the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA), a hazardous chemical is any single material or mixture of materials in a liquid, solid or gaseous state for which a Safety Data Sheet (SDS) is required by OSHA, unless otherwise excluded.

Are any of these chemicals Extremely Hazardous Substances (EHSs)? If so, the reporting threshold for EHSs is lower than 10,000 pounds and varies by chemical. For example, if sulfuric acid, a common chemical found in lead acid batteries, is present at the facility at any one time in quantities of 500 pounds or more, it is subject to Tier II reporting.

Do you know the physical and health hazards asso-ciated with each reportable chemical? Where are these chemicals stored in the plant and how much is stored in each location? Do you have updated facility drawings that show the storage locations? What type of containers do you use to store each respective chemical?

Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) Reporting

How many full-time equivalent staff do you employ? What is your NAICS number? Did you manufacture or process 25,000 pounds or more of a listed chemical or chemical category? Did you otherwise use 10,000 pounds or more of a listed chemical or chemical category?

Depending on how you answered these ques-tions, you may be required to complete and submit a Form A or Form R report to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency with a copy to your respective state.

Do you have records of all chemicals and chemical categories manufactured, processed and other-wise used during 2017? Glycol ethers and water soluble nitrates are commonly “otherwise used” chemical categories in the printing industry. These compounds are found in several products including fountain solutions and cleaning solutions. Have you checked these SDSs to determine if a reportable glycol ether is present, and if so, how much?

By Ann O’BrienProject ManagerSCS Engineers

ENVIRONMENTAL

Answer These Questions to Get Ahead of Environmental Reporting Season

Next up: Look for a calendar of

major environmental reporting

events in the December issue.


Other

Does your air operating permit or air registration permit require you to complete and submit an annual or semiannual monitoring report? Annual or semiannual compliance certification? Are you subject to any air quality rules or regulations under the general category of the New Source Performance Standards or National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants? If so, are there any annual monitoring reports or notifications due?

Do you hold an industrial wastewater discharge permit for process wastewater discharges to the sanitary sewer? Are you covered by an individual or general storm water permit? Is water testing required on an annual or semiannual basis? Are there any reports due to the local municipality or state regarding these wastewater discharges and activities?

Address these questions now to prepare for the upcoming environmental reporting season. Collecting the necessary data ahead of time will help you avoid a last minute rush and minimize the chance of reporting errors and late reporting.

Ann O’Brien is a Project Manager with SCS Engineers with more than 30 years of experience in the printing industry. Ann has worked in the environmental field for much of her career, and her background includes air and water quality permitting, environmental recordkeeping, reporting and monitoring programs, hazardous waste management, employee EHS training, environmental compliance audits, and environmental site assess-ments and due diligence associated with real estate transactions and corporate acquisitions. For more informa-tion or help navigating reporting requirements, contact Ann O’Brien at [email protected] or Cheryl Moran at [email protected].

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“Incorporating WIFT and WIN/

WIN Negotiating into your sell-

ing situations ensures customer

satisfaction.”

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.”

How often do you buy something only to fall into that moment of buyer’s remorse when you think “I could have done better.” Even when you buy at the lowest price, you’re left wondering if you got the best deal.

That’s not a good feeling. Then, why leave your buyers feeling that way?

When your customers begin to doubt you’re serv-ing up the best deal, they become guarded about making future purchases from you. Even if you deliver the lowest price, they are wary. It isn’t the price that compromises their confidence in you. It’s the uncertainty that you have met all of their needs.

Smart marketers recognize this and strive to create a compelling buying experience that creates customer satisfaction by combining two important techniques.

WIFT (What’s In It For Them) and Win/Win Negotiating: Here’s How it Works

The WIFT approach is an exercise of examining a customer’s needs and then selling to fulfill those needs. It requires an examination of what they are looking for. This approach centers around making the buyer comfortable with you and ensures you are getting your best price because you are sell-

ing comfort, confidence and security which are attributes that go beyond price.

Another way to look at WIFT is “how do I make them look good”. Again, make sure

you understand their expectations and then work to exceed them.

If you use the WIFT approach, then you are also utilizing Win/Win Negotiating. Win/Win Negotiating means you care more about them than you do about making the sale.

Step 1: Discover

Put yourself in the buyer’s shoes and conduct some research. Be inquisitive. Be sensitive. Ask tough questions.

• Assess what they are thinking and what would make them satisfied.

• Ask them open-ended questions to get them to explain and express themselves.

• Have they made this type of purchase before?

• What was their satisfaction level?

• What did they like or dislike about the outcome?

Step 2: Develop

After asking the critical questions, assemble a solution that addresses their concerns and needs. If you can’t fulfill them in their entirety, then provide options and alternatives for getting the job done. Frequently, discussing these challenges and oppor-tunities creates more dialogue and educates the buyer by providing them with a deeper assessment. This will build confidence and make the buyer more comfortable with their decision resulting in customer satisfaction.

Step 3: Listen and Educate

Give your buyer the opportunity to be heard. Acknowledge them and let them know you are listening, care and understand. Share your expertise about options and outcomes thoughtfully.

In summary, establish a rapport and create an environment that achieves a satisfied buying moment and you won’t leave your buyers wonder-ing if they got a good deal. Incorporating WIFT and WIN/WIN Negotiating into your selling situations ensures customer satisfaction and long term relationships.

Tim Hendricks is President of the Creative Cognition Group, which is a leadership, sales and marketing consulting company focused on improving leadership alignment, sales processes and activities that achieve team optimization. Tim can be reached at (708) 610-1926 or at [email protected].

SALES

WIFT and Win/Win Negotiating

By Tim HendricksPresidentCreative Cognition Group


MEMBERSHIP NEWS

Welcome, New Members!REMODEL HEALTHNorth 170 Perry Road Plainfield, IN 46168 www.remodelhealth.com Sean Jabbari, Account Executive (317) 796-5470 [email protected]

Remodel Health leverages technology to help businesses remodel outdated health plans. We make it simple to shift from group health to individual health insurance. On average we save busi-nesses 34% annually on costs associated with group health insurance.

2018Graphics

Excellence AwardsCompetitor’s Tip

Calling small printers (20 employees or fewer) and post-press members!

Divisions 1 and 6 historically draw the fewest number of participants. In the categories that are divided into divi-

sions, very often there aren’t any entries to compete for those Best of Division

awards. If you produce a great piece, why not enter it? You may bring home a Best

of Division - or Category! - plaque.

XEIKON NORTH AMERICA1375 E. Irving Park Road Itasca, IL 60143 www.xeikon.com Chris Yanko Director of Sales, Support & Marketing - North America (630) 438-7900 [email protected]

Xeikon, a division of Flint Group, is an innovator in digital printing technology. The company designs, develops and delivers web-fed digital color presses for labels and packaging applications, document printing, as well as commercial printing. These presses utilize LED-array-based dry toner electrophotography, open workflow software and application-specific toners. As an OEM supplier, Xeikon designs and produces platemakers for newspaper offset-printing applications. Xeikon also manufactures basysPrint computer-to-plate (CtP) solutions for the commercial printing market. For the flexographic market, Xeikon offers digital plate-making systems under the ThermoFlexX brand name.

Village Proclamation Congratulates Copresco for 30 Years of Digital Printing Leadership

Copresco, a digital printing pioneer, has been recognized for the 30th anniversary of its found-ing in 1987 with a proclamation from the Village of Carol Stream, IL. The October 16, 2017, proclamation congratulates Copresco for its many years of industry leading service. From left are Village Trustees David Hennessey, Mary Frusolone, and Matt McCarthy; Copresco President Steve Johnson; Mayor Frank Saverino; and Village Trustees Greg Schwarze, John LaRocca, and Rick Gieser.

Webinars

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ststooree r andndda mama m y bby be aae ccecec sseses d bd bd y my membembersers at at a a disdiscoucounntentedd rd rateatee,, oorr eevvevenn FrFrreeee. Visit Visit www.printing.org/store ann d cd licick ok on Downlooadaadablele Prrooduductsts f foror mmoorree i information.anand cd cliclick ok n “n “DowDownlonloadadableblee PrProduoduuctctss”” ffoorr mmororee iinnformation


CALENDAR

Upcoming GLGA Events and ActivitiesTo learn more or to register, visit GLGA’s website at glga.info.

Webinar: When the Sabre Rattles: How to Respond When You Are Accused of Infringement

November 15, 2017

Illinois Holiday MIXerNovember 15, 2017, Elk Grove Village, IL

Lunch with the PrintersNovember 21, 2017, Indianapolis, IN

OSHA Half-Day WorkshopNovember 28, 2017, Pewaukee, WI

Sustainability WorkshopNovember 28, 2017, Pewaukee, WI

OSHA Half-Day WorkshopNovember 30, 2017, Hanover Park, IL

Indiana Holiday CelebrationNovember 30, 2017, Fishers, IN

Wisconsin Education Meeting and Holiday PartyDecember 14, 2017, Pewaukee, WI

Upcoming PIA EventsTo learn more or to register, visit PIA’s website at www.printing.org.

Webinar: 2 Second Lean—A Practical Way to Improve Your Company and LifeNovember 30, 2017

Color ’18January 13-16, 2018, San Diego, CA

President’s ConferenceMarch 4-6, 2018, San Antonio, TX

Upcoming MRA WebinarsTo learn more about these free HR webinars, visit MRA’s website at www.mranet.org. For access, register for a user log-in to MRA’s website at www.mranet.org. Once you have a log-in, you can view the recordings whenever it is convenient for your schedule.

Controversial Content - To Post or Not to PostAvailable on November 16, 2017


#SmartPrintShop

Push to Stop is how we see smart print production in the future. It is based on networked processes and intelligent machines that organize and work through all print jobs independently. Completely autonomously. The operator only intervenes if necessary. This is invaluable because it frees you up to concentrate on what really matters. Simply Smart.

Heidelberg USA, Inc.lberg USA Inc800 437 7388 • [email protected]

Great Lakes Graphics AssociationW232N2950 Roundy Circle E, Suite 200Pewaukee, WI 53072

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PRODUCTION LINE TO BOTTOM LINE.

PRESS SHEETS TO BALANCE SHEETS.

WORKFLOW TO CASH FLOW.

CARLSON KNOWS PRINT

MINNEAPOLIS | ST. CLOUD

763.535.8150 | CARLSON-ADVISORS.COM

november 2017 november 2017 volume 2 volume …...technical hotline at (800) 910-4283. free hr...

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