Colin Sinclair McDermott, the Online Print Coach, is all too familiar with the kinds of mistakes print service providers make when they’re trying to grow their business. He’s made more than his fair share over more than two decades in the printing industry.

Colin Sinclair McDermott, the Online Print Coach

In 2019, he started a corporate consulting firm to help share his hard-earned wisdom. “Ultimately, I’m on a mission to help as many people as I can along the way and stop them from making the same mistakes I did,” he said.

In a robust, tip-filled session at PRINTING United Expo in Orlando on Oct. 22, McDermott laid out what he sees as the top 10 growth mistakes printers make and how they can be avoided – advice that can be employed by promo distributors and suppliers along with any sales-based business.

Mistake #1: Printers don’t set goals

Many printers operate without a clear direction, turning up each day with the best intentions but no plan to follow. “When you do that, you become more reactive, rather than strategic or proactive,” he said.

Instead, he added, printers should set SMART goals that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound. For instance, an example of a SMART goal for improving cash flow and profitability might look something like this: “Cut nonessential business expenses by 10% in the next two months by negotiating better supplier rates and optimizing production efficiency.”

Mistake #2: Printers don’t know their numbers

It’s a mistake McDermott said he was guilty of in his printing days, but added that tracking things like average transaction value, profit margin per order and break-even point are essential to success.

There are simple tools out there to help keep track of key performance indicators so that printers can ensure that the profit they think they’re making on a particular job is accurate, he added.

Mistake #3: Printers adopt a one-size-fits-all marketing approach

“Generic marketing doesn’t resonate with specific customers,” McDermott said. Marketing to customers without segmenting your clientele leads to low engagement since every market has different needs.

Understanding your clients’ specific needs will lead to more wins. “Shift from selling print to selling solutions and transformation,” McDermott said.

He gave an example of how he helped a print shop that focused on the restaurant market to use this strategy. Instead of just offering generic menus, the shop positioned itself as “menu consultants” and built a “customer avatar” – or buying persona – for restaurant owners who want durable, waterproof menus.

“We just reframed how they spoke to their audience,” he said, a shift that resulted in higher pricing, more repeat orders and referrals.

Mistake #4: Printers don’t educate their clients

In general, customers don’t understand printing methods, and that lack of understanding can lead to price objections and unrealistic expectations, McDermott said. “A lot of times clients just think we press a button,” he added.

Use behind-the-scenes video, create FAQ sections on your website based on common questions your customer service team gets and create comparison charts to show the differences between various printing methods to help reset expectations.

Mistake #5: Printers don’t keep in touch with existing customers

Too often, McDermott said, the focus is on finding new customers for “quick wins,” rather than nurturing repeat business to build lifetime value. He recommended speaking to every client (not just the top 25) at least every three months. “Trust me,” he added, “it works.”

It’s important to create a follow-up strategy that includes personalized check-ins via email, direct mail and phone calls to ensure your customers don’t forget about you.

Mistake #6: Printers don’t use email marketing enough

Most printing companies are using email for the occasional promotion and haven’t developed automated sequences to nurture leads and retain customers.

McDermott broke client emails down into four types: transactional, the ones where printers share the status of an order; relational, the emails that educate gently and strengthen brand trust; promotional, the emails that drive action with the right offer; and cross-sell campaigns, the emails that help bring a wayward customer back into the fold.

Each type of email should be crafted differently and serve a purpose. Clear subject lines, calls to action and concise language are key. “Emails can be short and sweet,” McDermott said. “It doesn’t need to be War and Peace.”

Mistake #7: Printers don’t survey their customers

It’s natural to want to avoid uncomfortable conversations, but if you don’t ask customers about their experiences and pain points, you’ll be operating on assumptions, rather than making data-driven decisions, McDermott said. “No feedback means missed opportunities for improvement,” he added.

Use services like Google Forms or Mailchimp to create post-order surveys, and take that feedback to refine your offers and service.

Mistake #8: Printers avoid cold calling

Most people hate cold calling, but “Good things happen when you push yourself outside your comfort zone,” McDermott said.

To help push through the pain, it can be useful to shift your mindset about cold calls, taking a problem-solving approach and not taking rejection personally. “A no today may lead to a yes in the future,” he said.

It’s also important to prepare before making the call. Use LinkedIn, company websites, recent news and even AI tools like Perplexity to learn everything you can about your prospect. “When you put that level of effort in, people really appreciate it,” he said.

Mistake #9: Printers don’t adopt a system-and-process mindset

Oftentimes, there’s too much reliance on the knowledge and expertise inside a business owner’s head, which leads to bottlenecks and inefficiencies. “Life gets easier when you start making systems and processes,” McDermott said.

Create standard operating procedures for key processes, automate repetitive tasks and train your team to handle core operations, he advised.

Mistake #10: Printers don’t analyze their competitors

It’s shortsighted to ignore what your competition is doing. Some questions to research include: Are there other services your competitors are offering that you’re missing out on? Are their specific industries competitors are targeting that you’re not? What sorts of strategies and value propositions are your competitors employing? How do their customers view them? Do they have needs or expectations not being met?

Keeping an eye on what the competition is up to can help printers refocus and refine their own offerings.