GET STARTED and generate new revenue with packaging
What are the vital steps for PSPs to expand their product footprint with packaging? So you think you have all the equipment, workflow and tools in place to grow your business in packaging, but it’s not going to just come to you. First you need to decide who will be your target customers and ensure your sales team are equipped to start promoting your business. OK, the fun bit, let’s make some money!
Identify your Prospects
You’ve probably heard of The Ansoff Matrix and it’s a good place to start, a simple business tool for growth strategy.
(Orange) Existing product to existing market (clientele) : This is your position today and the box you want to protect, but grow beyond.
(Red) New product to existing clientele: Are you already producing business cards and marketing collateral for a company that could use “shaped” applications, not necessarily “packaging”. They should be interested to explore marketing collateral or brand promotion material that is more than a simple letter folded in an envelope, such as Banks and financial services firms will often create event-related promotional gifts or welcome packages for new customers, creating a short run packaging opportunity.
(Blue) Existing product to new vertical market: This is the safest and most cautious growth route and probably your salespeople are already doing this today with your current offerings. Perhaps you have an existing client that demonstrates opportunity and demand for packaging products. As soon as you grow into the red zone by creating new printed product, you can build on that experience and apply the same tools in this zone. Identify similar businesses in the same vertical market that are governed by the same market trends and regulations.
(Green) New market areas you would like to grow into: This is the riskiest route for growth but has the most potential. There are many articles available on-line that have been written about successful campaigns combining print and packaging, learn from webinars from vendors, print associations and user groups. Identify what made them attractive and how you can apply that to similar customers in your area. Applying those lessons with new equipment and new sales techniques will generate the big growth you are searching for.
Legislation
This is an area commonly governing food product contamination by other chemicals and material used in the printing and packaging process (such as toner, solvents and adhesives), i.e. they enter the product and in effect become a food additive. Responsibility for compliance typically lies with the brand holder so certainly discuss their needs with your client, but there is also a lot of advice and information on-line, from associations, government and research organisations, equipment vendors, as well as learning from your peers through printing communities such as Dscoop. In general, if the product is protected by a form of food-safe primary packaging that is already proven to be a functional barrier and resist migration of external chemicals, then you can add a digitally printed secondary packaging product outside this.
Make the perfect pitch
Make samples: Adapt a previous job or use some of the many design resources available on-line, print with different designs for various market segments or events to show the variations possible, but most importantly make them the best you can.
Include your branding on samples and proposals: Be competitive, stand out, don’t let anybody doubt who made it, you are showcasing your abilities and capabilities with digital print.
Include some details about the print and finishing processes used: Your salespeople will be equipped with the right information when pitching and presenting to prospective clients.
Make sure that you build a story that will resonate with your target customers: Do you work with event organizers? Pitch the idea of event welcome packages in personalized boxes and event collateral and welcome gifts that they can in turn use to upsell to their clients. Do you work with community organizations, sports clubs, or estate agents? Similar boxes or labels could work for them as well.
Encourage your salespeople to think about how a job could be improved: Perhaps the next time you run some business cards or a corporate brochure for a client, include a few samples with different finishing or embellishment showing “it could have been like this…”. It could be just the kind of constructive and collaborative assistance that the client needs to rethink and reimagine it’s print, creating the opportunity for upselling with more profit.
An interesting sample pack creates something people want to touch and feel – flat unfinished sheets aren’t sellable! Using interesting materials and adding embellishment increases attention and perceived quality. Example : All samples made using products from the range of Duplo DuSense Packaging products.
And in Conclusion…
A huge range of companies buy packaging and printing services, and they likely include some of the businesses that print providers already serve. Many brands have now come to realise the capabilities of digital printing to make their packaging stronger. Brands are now willing to invest to achieve packaging that are creative, personalised, capturing applications supportive of their business/brand goals, presenting printers with the opportunity to become a profitable provider for this segment.
Please contact us to discuss how Duplo’s packaging solutions could be the perfect investment and help you get started and generate new revenue with packaging.
Visit our new website www.duplointernational.com and be inspired
Thanks to Infotrends and Ricoh for their whitepaper “Expanding Your Product Footprint with Packaging” available from https://whitepaper.takealookatricohproduction.com/packaging
