Expert Mentoring for Canon imagePRESS Customers

Expert Mentoring for Canon imagePRESS Customers
Canon U.S.A. is a leading provider of consumer, business-to-business, and industrial digital imaging solutions, including color and black and white digital presses designed for the production print market. To help Canon customers achieve success with its imagePRESS line of digital presses, the company decided to develop a suite of business development tools designed to jump-start the performance of imagePRESS establishments.

In 2007, Schnoll Media Consulting and others were engaged to help develop this program, and in early 2009, Canon USA launched the Canon Essential Business Builder Program. The program is included with the purchase of an imagePRESS and is comprised of a suite of robust business development tools consisting of a business self-assessment, best practice recommendations and vertically focused industry application marketing tools. An expert mentoring component that is tailored to a customer's specific business conditions is also available for an additional fee.

Advice Customized for Success
The mentoring program is one of the most important and effective elements of the Essential Business Builder Program. The Schnoll Media team spends two or three days onsite with participating print service providers. They work with staff members and develop a plan that is customized to their individual business needs, starting with a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) assessment of the business.

The next step is development of a business plan and a marketing plan centered on new, innovative digital services. The Schnoll team reviews the service provider's existing service paradigm and customer base. They look for opportunities to reposition the business with a new portfolio of services that will expand penetration within that customer base, as well as acquire new customers. They clarify the firm's competitive differentiators, and create a strategy to leverage those differentiators. The engagement concludes with tactical activities, like an open house, and a self-marketing program that "walks the walk", using the new digital technology.

Exemplary Results
Schnoll Media Consulting has worked with a multitude of Canon customers to date. Some success stories are:
A Connecticut mailing organization serving the insurance industry believed that they could expand their services portfolio to increase business growth, but didn't know where to start. The company purchased an imagePRESS 7000 along with the mentoring program. Working with the Schnoll Media team, the organization developed a strategy to reposition themselves as a provider of targeted and personalized communications. The result was a resoundingly successful open house and a dramatic makeover of the company.

A small family franchise operation in Connecticut transformed their business using software offerings available from their franchisor, coupled with the Canon mentoring program, which they purchased with their imagePRESS 6000. The result is a dynamic portfolio of software and web portal technologies that have helped them better serve their customers with cross-media services. The company held a very successful open house, which demonstrated new ways that they could meet the marketing needs of existing and potential customers.

A Massachusetts graphic communications company decided to reposition their business with the imagePRESS 6000. While they initially used the device for short run static print that they could not do cost effectively on their offset presses, they knew there were additional opportunities to grow their business. Through the mentoring program, Schnoll Media Consulting showed them new technologies such as pURLs and QR codes that they could use to develop innovative services that complemented digital print. These new services expanded their offerings for existing customers and opened the door to new business opportunities.

A traditional printer from the northeast opened a second location in Florida. Having experienced success with their imagePRESS 7000 up north, they purchased a second imagePRESS 6000 for the Florida facility, and looked for ways to leverage the press for greater opportunity. The Schnoll Media team showed them how they could use web portals to more successfully integrate their print operation with their customer base. The firm had an ongoing relationship with a global soft drink distributor, and they used their newfound knowledge to show the distributor how they could set up pizza box inserts with coupons on a web portal to allow retail customers to order customizable inserts online. The business grew to include postcards, banners and other applications. Today, this unique product offering has led to a substantial increase in business with the distributor.

The Essential Business Builder Program has been very successful for Canon USA and their customers. Phase two of the program is currently under development, including an updated website and new materials to be rolled out in the fall of 2010. Click here to learn more about how Schnoll Media Consulting worked with Canon USA and how they can help develop your business.