Discussion: View Thread

  • 1.  Relevance, Relatability, and Field of Expertise

    Posted 02-17-2017 07:59 PM

    Each week, I speak with equipment and software manufacturers, end-users (creatives, brands, print service providers), buyers, and consultants all over the world. Every conversation is different. Every conversation is focused specifically on the particular print medium, applications, environment, region of the world, and always entails very deep discussions on products, markets, technologies, economies, methodologies, efficiency, and revenue streams.

    In order to be relevant, or be helpful (purposeful, useful, or of service) you have to understand what people do, who they do it for, why they do it, how they do it, and where they do it. Someone once told me that you are not present unless someone else tells you that you are. I think this could be true of relevancy as well. Far too often in this world, we throw around the word, “expert”, as if it covers everything under the sun. At times, this term can bleed into something that is not helpful because people make assumptions you may know something simply because you are an “expert”. It is kind of like asking your Dad something when you were a child and he gives you an answer because he is your Dad, and years later you find out that it is not exactly factual.

    As the print mediums continue to dramatically evolve, especially so with automation, it is so important customers are talking to true “experts” in their field in order to truly be of service to them. The world has changed, print service providers have changed, and the types of users today are different than they used to be because of automation and so many print mediums in the world market, which makes things much easier for people to enter this space, but what they need is clear, concise, and incredible support from individuals and companies that have intense knowledge of not only what they do, but the tools in which they do it with in order to move them further in the industry. For example, I would not to go to a psychiatrist if I had a toothache simply because they ‘Dr.’ before their name. I want to know what comes after their name; experience, field of expertise, their story, history, and I want to talk to them to make sure not only I relate to them, but they relate to me and that they can help me.

    Where can you be of the best service to the industry based on you field of expertise?

    Print service providers of all types know that a measurable, predictable, and uniform color management process control provides significant business advantages. For printers to make money, orders must be turned around quickly, they must be consistent and they must be predictable. G7 is the only methodology and print validation program in the world that crosses all print mediums;

     

    • Offset
    • Flexo
    • Gravure
    • Screen
    • Wide Format/Grand Format
    • Digital (Toner & Inkjet)
    • Industrial Inkjet
    • Dye-Sublimation

     



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    Tim Baechle
    Director of Global Print Media Markets & Technologies
    Idealliance
    Alexandria, VA
    (703) 837-1069
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  • 2.  RE: Relevance, Relatability, and Field of Expertise

    Posted 02-18-2017 05:54 PM
    Mr. Baechle,
    Thank you for your well written thoughts on a systemic problem that it is now time to deal with. The G7 print principles and methodologies have dramatically changed and helped the industry I primarily work in as we rapidly adopted G7 in the last 9 years.  G7 is working well but we have also seen many trained companies drop out because they obviously missed the value understanding after they went through training and implementation.

    I feel what you have outlined here is a way to make G7 even better and grow even faster. I agree we need to become more focused by applying the best, focused, talent and experience with custom training for specific print disciplines. I believe this will enhance the effectiveness of all new G7 Masters by making complete implementation easier and better after the training is delivered. 

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    Michael Ruff
    Screen Print & Digital Consultant
    Mike Ruff Consulting. LLC
    Lee's Summit MO
    816-304-9595
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