We got away from designing for data and data management over the last few posts to bring the news from the TransPromo Summit in Boston and Print09. It's time to get back to the mission! What perfect timing!

Print 09 is now behind us, and outside of the trade show floor, there was an amazing amount of education taking place in seminars. A theme that emerged from the catalogue of options was the need to get refocused on the customer and how we communicate with them. It doesn't matter if you are a traditional litho printer, a printer who has both traditional and digital kit, a pure digital printer, or a multi-channel Marketing Services Provider - it seems everyone is coming to the conclusion that a well educated market provides the best opportunities.

One way to refocus is to look at what programs you have in place to ensure that everyone in your organization is up-to-date on their skills. Are you using all of the tools you have as efficiently as possible? Are your team members well versed in all of the features of the composition, color management, asset management, and other tools in your shop?

Then look outward. How educated are your customers? Do they know what you have to offer, or are you just fulfilling the same orders? Do they understand everything you can do for them? Do they know the power of variable data? Have you discussed data driven programs to enhance response rates?

Another common conversation at Print 09 and other venues this year has been right-sizing. It might include some reduction in print, but well-designed programs look at using a number of customer communication channels and making them work together. Often, for a well-outfitted provider, that might mean selling less print but more services. It you can sell your print for more money because it is smarter and drives a higher response rate, that's a win-win for all in the supply chain!

And, finally, reaching out! When was the last time you went to visit a customer? When was the last time you had a customer event in your facility? When was the last time you participated in a local user association event or a national event? Reaching out into the community raises your profile and establishes you as a thought leader with your customers. It is a sure-fire way to grow your business!

Have you walked this path? Have a story to share? Drop me a note: twitter.com/PatMcgrew - we'd love to share your success story!

Here are some great pictures from the floor at Print 09 in the Kodak booth:

In the Grow Your Biz blog post, "Your Chemistry Free Plate Requires Chemistry", I challenged Agfa's "chemistry free" messaging claiming that Agfa's "chemistry free plates" were neither free of chemistry nor is the chemistry itself free. The posting triggered many to ask and a few to pose the question on PrintPlanet.com, "what chemicals are in that 'chemistry free' solution?" Agfa replied with "Agfa rolled-out the Azura implementation with the preservative gum as the only 'chemical.'" Our point exactly...

Just this week, Simon Nias of PrintWeek reported that "Fujifilm will replace 'misleading' chemistry-free tag with 'low-chemistry' for plate ranges". Kudos to Fujifilm for challenging the credentials of "chemistry free"..

Agfa - the cat's out of the bag. It's your turn to revamp your misleading marketing slogans and be honest to your customers.