Monthly Archives: October 2011

How eight simple questions can prevent you choosing the wrong print supplier

Imagine that you’d promised someone a really special meal.  Maybe it’s an anniversary.  Or a special celebration.

Imagine if you didn’t deliver that meal.

It’s easily done.  Perhaps you wrote a shopping list of all the ingredients.  But perhaps you missed one vital ingredient off.  And now you’re in the kitchen and you’re supposed to be serving the meal soon.  But you’ve just realised that this one missing ingredient will prevent you from creating the dish that you wanted.

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Three questions you should ask your print supplier (they’re not what you think!)

I love it when people start talking to me.  That’s when I really get to know them.

Before I met my wife, I went out on a few dates.  And I wanted to get to know the women I was dating.  I wanted to learn all about them.  I wanted to get them to tell me all about themselves.

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Why will the DM principle ensure the success of a service level agreement?

Red?
Yellow?
Green?
Stripy?
Plain?
Spotty?

These are the decisions with which my young daughter struggles every day.  Every day she agonises over which pair of socks she should wear.  For her socks are as a confusing but important issue as a service level agreement can be for print buyers.

Writing a service level agreement is something that many print buyers agonise over.  The print buyer often puts pressure on themselves to create the perfect service level agreement.  They need a service level agreement that should cover every aspect of service from their printer.

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Is buying on price costing you money?

I once managed a team of print buyers.  Pete was one of the members of the team.  One morning he came up to me with a great grin on his face.  “Matthew, I just reduced the price by another £50,” he said.

I was delighted

“Yes, it took me three hours, but I got there in the end!”

My heart sank.

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Client Testimonial

I have worked with Matthew for just over a year now and he has delivered a number of highly successful training events for the IPIA during that time. He is very organised and produces seminars which are full of

Read the testimonial from Andrew Pearce

Client Testimonial

Matthew provided an excellent “Print Processes” training session for myself and some of my colleagues.  The feature that I liked most about the training, was that the day itself was very interactive – which not only

Read the testimonial from Rhoda Day

Client Testimonial

If you think you are on top of your print buying you might be in for a surprise! We asked Print & Procurement to undertake a print audit. Matthew said ‘’If we do not find savings sufficient to earn back our fee

Read the testimonial from Rod Fletcher

Client Testimonial

Matthew is a consultant who is totally committed to his clients and to delivering on his promises.  He has an excellent understanding of both the challenges of the print channel and the opportunities it presents. As a

Read the full testimonial from Jacky Morgan

Client Testimonial

Apart from being a thoroughly decent chap Matthew is scrupulously professional, ruthlessly efficient and always delivers excellent results.
I genuinely have no hesitation whatever in recommending Matthew. He

Read the full testimonial from Simon Lewis

Client Testimonial

In an industry renowned for its pressure, Matthew Parker delivers a very gentle but insightful intelligence about the ways of print. Somewhere between art and science there is a place that defines the balance of what

Read the full testimonial from Andy Dowen

Recent Posts

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Three reasons why print buyers should challenge supplier choice

My daughter was about to burst into tears I had asked her what flavor of ice cream she would like. She gave me the same answer [more]

Why print buyers who stick to cost-cutting are failing to do their job

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Three specification questions that can reduce the cost of printed items by over 30%

The print industry is dying There are huge amounts of overcapacity. Printing companies are tendering suicidal prices. So all a print buyer has to do is to [more]

Three questions print buyers must use to challenge process and prevent 30-address syndrome

Can you imagine writing the same address over 30 times? Wouldn’t it be a complete waste of your time? Aren't there are so many better things [more]