Print Solutions Magazine, November 2003 -- 433 E. Monroe

It's a Great Time to Battle the Majors

When I entered Conference Room N253 in the Las Vegas Hilton, I was wired. Please understand: My state of mind had nothing to do with neon lights (fluorescent ones lit the room), Elvis imitators (I had seen the King at least six times the night before), belly dancers (middle-aged men occupied the vast majority of the seats) or blackjack success (I contributed to the local economy). I was wired because N253 was packed with more than 150 people who seemed eager to hear from two industry experts.

Ron Seavey and Bob Cronin are partners at The Open Approach, a Westmont, Ill.-based firm that provides consulting, mergers-and-acquisitions and recruiting services to printing firms. Seavey is a former sales vice president of Lisle, Ill.-based manufacturer Wallace, and Cronin is a former CEO of the company. In other words, they were about to dish out some excellent inside scoop regarding the subject appearing on our orange handouts: "How to Compete with the Majors." The session was part of DMIA's Print Solutions 2003 Conference & Expo.

Dish out they did. Halfway through the hour-long session, I turned around in my front-row seat to gauge the audience's reaction. Most people were jotting down notes quickly. Others were nodding their heads "yes." Later, many would raise their hands and ask specific questions about battling the majors for large accounts: How can distributors win long-term contracts? How can distributors band together and exploit the majors' weaknesses? How can distributors reach key decision-makers?

Seavey and Cronin deserve congratulations for leading an excellent session--it was honest, organized and stimulating--and distributors of all sizes should realize the speakers' gist: Now is an excellent time to battle the majors. Moore Wallace, The Standard Register Company and Relizon are searching for direction, lacking upper-management experience, dealing with concerned clients, and making due with limited research-and-development resources. As Seavey told the audience, "Many distributors feel they can't compete with these firms, and that's not true. You just have to understand how each one operates and thinks."

To that end, our cover story this month, "Inside the Majors," outlines the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of the three firms. Beginning on page 48, the piece provides a snapshot you can use to win accounts (or win back accounts) currently held by the majors.

The independent segment accounts for approximately 57 percent of total product shipments in the document industry, up from approximately 54 percent in 1997. That's a testament to your flexibility, attention to customer service and ability to offer technology solutions. The statistic should make you proud. And we hope our cover story makes you money.

Darin Painter

Managing Editor

dpainter@PSDA.org

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Table of Contents

Editor in Chief

Peter L. Colaianni, CAE

Vice President,
Publications & New Media

Brad Holt

Managing Editor

Darin Painter
Assistant Managing Editor
Kara Carpenter

Assistant Editor

Preeti Vasishtha

Art Director/
Production Manager

Roxanne Rash

Contributing Editors

Dennis McGarry, CDC

Gail O'Roke, CDC

Publications Committee

Steve Visio, Chairperson
Ross Barker
Bob Bell
Cory Blatz
Chuck Calman
Skip Dragoiu
Carrie Fireoved
Charlie Graham
Jeff Hayzlett
Bob McAleavey
Mike Nawn
Tom Nelson
Gail O'Roke, CDC
John Smilko
Dan Swagler
Dave Tobik
Dave Wandling, CDC
Jerry Weidner
Bob Wilson, CFC

Advertising Sales

Jack Burris

The Townsend Group Inc.

4920 Elm St., Ste. 325

Bethesda, MD 20814

Phone: (301) 215-6710

Fax: (301) 215-7704

jburris@townsend-group.com

Print Solutions Online

Print Solutions, the only industry magazine to win awards for writing and design excellence, is available online at www.printsolutionsmag.com. The site includes daily news, a comprehensive archive of Print Solutions articles, a complete media kit, links to industry companies and other features not included in the magazine.

Print Solutions is the official publication of the Print Services & Distribution Association (PSDA), the Association for Business Printing Independents. Unsolicited manuscripts are welcome. Please address all submissions to: The Editor, Print Solutions Magazine, 433 E. Monroe Ave., Alexandria, VA 22301-1693. Phone (703) 836-6232, fax (703) 549-4966. You can reach us via email at editors@printsolutionsmag.com. Visit our World Wide Web site at www.printsolutionsmag.com.

Volume 41, Number 11, November 2003. Print Solutions (USPS 205-400, ISSN 1535-9727) is published monthly by DMIA, 433 E. Monroe Ave., Alexandria, VA 22301-1693, (703) 836-6232. Subscriptions: $29 per year for DMIA members included in dues, $49 for non-members (plus postage for Canada and foreign). Periodicals postage paid at Alexandria, VA, and additional mailing offices.

Postmaster: Send address changes to Print Solutions, 433 E. Monroe Ave., Alexandria, VA 22301-1693.

Statements of fact and opinion are the responsibility of the authors alone and do not imply approval on the part of the Publications Committee, Officers or Membership of DMIA.

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