OutputLinks Communications Group

By Sid Chadwick We have produced “a few” Top Performing Students from our 15-Week Sales Academy….now in our 7th Class. Yesterday, one of the earliest graduates told me she would sell $250,000 in September – to “Renewed Customers” – with a couple of days yet to count for September.

For more Debbie Nicholson By Debbie Nicholson For years, I’ve heard the same concern throughout the printing industry:  “We can't find good people.” We need press operators. Prepress operators. Finishers. Installers. Estimators. Customer service representatives. Salespeople. Production managers. And yes, finding qualified people is difficult. But I have another question. Who is teaching the next generation to love print?

Greetings - The 4th quarter is a critical time for maximizing profits. We trust that this and future issues’ curation will help you surpass your 2026 objectives. Focused on print’s business issues, Andy & Julie Plata, Co-CEOs Before Signing the Contract – Check This List As we enter 4Q26, many printers will be buying new equipment. Before signing a contract, Dr. Paul Jilani recommends reviewing five critical items to protect your investment and support long-term satisfaction.

eNews Online - Hiring, managing, building, and questioning are important topics in this issue. Which article did you appreciate most? Focused on print’s business issues, Andy & Julie Plata, Co-CEOs Next-Gen Prefers Smaller Companies A growing print company needs a reliable talent pipeline. Studies have found that younger people prefer careers in smaller organizations versus large corporations. This article will help you attract and keep that younger talent. Read on for an ‘are you ready’ checklist.

By Sid Chadwick INTRODUCTION: Last weekend’s The Wall Street Journal carried a riveting front page article titled, “Mississippi Fixed Its Schools, Here’s How Other States Can Too.” The meat of the article rested on “Accountability, and Courageous Leadership.” Mississippi’s Accountability rested on – Leadership, with clear objectives, grounded in frequent testing of student results – from all lower grade students – focused on their historically dismal Reading & Math literacy….! If students...

For more Debbie Nicholson By Debbie Nicholson For years, many of us in the printing industry built relationships with suppliers and distributors we could depend on. We knew who to call. We knew what they stocked. We knew approximately how long it would take to get it. And when something went wrong, we usually knew the person who could help us fix it. Well…let's just say it's not always that simple anymore. Our suppliers and distributors are going through their own transformations.

online eNews - Did this issue’s Printer2Printer curations deliver value? Focused on print’s business issues, Andy & Julie Plata, Co-CEOs Printer2Printer: We Have an Identity Problem Alec Couckuyt says the “print industry is a digitally integrated, highly automated communications platform operating at the intersection of technology, brand, data, and media.” Do you agree with Alec? We do. So why do young people and many print buyers regard print as old-school?

By Sid Chadwick We spend a good bit of time in our “Inside Sales Academy” – understanding – what Differentiation is, and is not. For example, it’s important to understand that what is valuable to your current customers – needs to be known, before you change it (e.g., in order to cut what was viewed as unnecessary costs). Most of our Students, when they enter our Program, recognize that the term – Differentiation – is important.

For more Debbie Nicholson By Debbie Nicholson A customer calls and needs a sign. Nothing complicated. Maybe it's a 24" x 36" PVC sign, a piece of coroplast, or a simple poster mounted to a rigid substrate. “Sure, we can do that.” The selling price is $75. The material costs $12. The ink costs a few dollars. Looks pretty good, doesn't it? Not so fast. Before we congratulate ourselves on the profit we just made, let's follow that little $75 sign through the printing company.

online eNews - Which articles below are most relevant to your current business issues? If none are, what topics would you like to see curated? Focused on print’s business issues, Andy & Julie Plata, Co-CEOs Technically Brilliant is Not Always the Best Manager Profits are the result of excellent team management. Print tech and related systems are critical, but long-term success depends on leaders who can understand, develop, and manage their teams.