Dear Fellow Printer,
First, we want to thank you if you participated in our recent survey about “Industry Surveys.” If you haven’t participated there’s still a couple of days left to participate. Go below for a link to our latest survey.
Second, we’d like to tell you what fellow printers told us and how we plan to react to the many suggestions we’ve received.
Independents vs. Franchises – 80% of our respondents were independents, while most of the rest were franchisees. About 48% of our respondents were members of one or printing associations. The rest claimed no association affiliation.
Participation Rates – Approximately 90% of our respondents have previously participated/completed one or more industry surveys, with 65% have completed or purchased three or more surveys/studies. It is obvious that our list is heavily skewed towards printers who tend to be far more active and involved in the industry than the industry as a whole. We may in fact be preaching to the “choir” and we are not sure how to correct that.
Popular Studies – When it comes to surveys printers would most like to see published, the clear winner was a “Color Digital Printing Pricing Survey.” Following close behind in terms of popularity were “Financial Benchmarking Studies” and a “Bindery Services Pricing Study” Based upon that feedback, we will attempt to published the three studies noted above in the next 6-18 months.
Serious Misgivings – We do have serious misgivings about pursuing or publishing a new Financial Benchmarking Study. In my mind, and that of many top-notch printers and consultants in the industry, there is no study of greater potential value to the average printer than this specific study. And yet, recent participation levels are the lowest they have ever been and the sales are equally low. Without sufficient sales, we simply cannot continue to publish this study. Maybe we’ll change our mind but at this point this study may never be published again.
Reasons for Not Participating – When we asked printers
who have not completed a survey in the past three years the reason why they had not done so, almost 73% of respondents told us, “I never could find the time to complete a survey.” Approximately 37% told us, “I never
Survey Deadline is Friday – Please help us serve you better. The deadline to complete this 3-minute survey is this Friday. We’ve heard from about 104 printers but we’d still like to hear from you as well.thought the resulting studies related to my size shop.” Based upon that feedback we are going to make a concerted effort shorten surveys, and emphasize in our marketing efforts that these surveys are based upon an almost equal distribution of very small firms with sales in the $250,000 to $500,000 range as well as fairly large firms reporting sales in the $1.2 to $1.5 range.
Increasing Participation Levels? Survey participants suggested “shortening surveys” (55%) and “offering special incentives” (47%) as the two major methods for increasing participation levels. Since we already offer a FREE study to every participant we’re not sure what else we could offer. A special discount coupon on NPRC publications is a possibility, and we are of course open to other suggestions. Almost 26% of respondents suggested sending out more reminders – that was surprising and reassuring, especially since it is contrary to what we often hear from folks who tell us we send out too many reminders!
Pricing of Studies – Approximately 72% of all participants suggested a price range of $85-$105, with another 21% suggesting a range of $110 – $135. Knowing how expensive and time-consuming these studies are to produce, and recognizing that we receive virtually no industry sponsorship, we are inclined to stick with the $110 – $135 range.
Editorial Board Volunteers? – Approximately 30% of survey participants indicated they would be willing to serve on an editorial board and provide assistance in developing one or more surveys. We appreciate those who volunteered and we will be in touch with them shortly.
SURVEY DEADLINE – FRIDAY, OCT. 6TH!
Click Here to Take Survey
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