Screen Printing - December 2019/January 2020 - 15

RAISE YOUR PRICES, RAISE YOUR MINIMUMS
This one is scary to a lot of shops, especially ones that cater
to markets that are commodity buyers instead of value
buyers. Earlier in the article I mentioned doing an 80/20 deep
dive into your customer base. What you can find there is the
bottom 80 percent of your customers only give you about 20
percent of your revenue. Who are these customers?
That lady who only wants six hoodies. The company that
bird-dogged you for weeks, pestering you about different
garment choices and art, and then placed that 18 shirt order.
That guy who threatened to go somewhere else because he
could get it "a nickel cheaper." These customers can be an
anchor that slows you down and clogs up your schedule.
In January, raise your prices on these folks. Increase your
minimum order, too. Send these folks to your competition
and let them deal with them. The cost of business is going up.
There is zero shame in increasing your pricing.
Goal: Take a close look at your numbers and data. Evaluate how a price increase could impact your business. Use
the 80/20 deep dive to help with this reflection. Raise prices
and minimums to help drive better orders to your door,
while blocking ones that are less profitable.

because when you grow, they grow. So, think before you spend.
Goal: Develop better relationships with key suppliers. Get
to know your account reps. Invite them into your shop at
least once a year. Go see them either at a tradeshow or their
nearest location. Discuss your plans with them and find
out how they can help you achieve your goals.

READ
It's no secret, I'm a book lover. I've been consuming about a
book a week for as long as I can remember. Why? Because
I want to grow. Reading helps unlock the secrets that aren't
normally shared or simply found by bumping into things. I
keep a journal and jot down a quote or passage to remember.
I also subscribe to numerous article services, magazines,
and websites. In fact, I'm happy you're reading this in Screen
Printing magazine. That shows a lot about you.
I just finished Call Sign Chaos by Jim Mattis. In it he says:
"Reading sheds the light on the dark path ahead." Exactly.
Goal: Purchase and read at least one book per month.
About anything. Any interest you have is worth exploring.
Also, if you aren't already a subscriber, get Screen Printing
on your list for incoming information-based knowledge by
visiting screenweb.com/subscribe.

INNOVATE
This one is all about research and development. R+D. But,
that can also stand for "rip off and duplicate." Am I advancing
the notion of plagiarism? Of course not. What I am suggesting
is keep an eye out for trends and new products you can offer
your customer base. These ideas don't even need to be that
new. They just need to be different to your clients.
For example, have you noticed more people wearing
colored heather shirts? What about trendy decoration
techniques, such as a monochrome embroidery treatment
with a dimensional color outline, like the NFL is currently
doing on their garments? Maybe even a rhinestone bling heat
transfer? Take your cue from what is currently trending in the
marketplace, and suggest that to your clients. New to them
can equal more sales for you.
Goal: Don't wait for your customer to suggest ideas. Find
something that is trending and suggest it yourself. Spend
a few minutes creating a mock up and forward it to them
with a time to chat.

BUILD SUPPLIER RELATIONSHIPS
Your supply chain is a crucial part of your success, but are
you actively engaged with them on a regular basis?
I know you hate when your customers shop around for the
best price. Are you demonstrating loyalty to your own vendors?
Do you know someone there on a first name basis? Have
they been to your shop? Have you visited them?
Sure, first and foremost their goal is to increase their sales.
Just like you. However, they want to ensure you're using their
product correctly, that their system is working, and you can
place orders easily. Your happiness and success matters to them,

MISTAKES
Someone, somewhere, at some time is going to make one. Of
course, nobody wants to do that. However, with the thousands
of variables that are part of any order, there's bound to be
some along the way. So, what do you do about them?
First, you need to track these on a simple spreadsheet.
What happened? How much money did it cost your business
to correct? Who was responsible? Keep updating this as
the year goes on. You may notice some trends. It's the same
employee. Or, maybe it's the same garment. It's your older
equipment. Something keeps happening. But if you aren't
keeping track, you may not notice this.
Second, learn from them. Sure, it happened, but are you
putting a plan in place to avoid that same mistake again? For
example, maybe a certain brand and style of shirt is prone to
scorching under a flash unit on press. Can you use a higher
mesh screen to drop the dwell time on the flash unit? See if
you can engineer a way to avoid the challenge.
Goal: Keep a running tab on mistakes, what caused them,
the financial burden, and other relevant bits of information
for each one. Learn from each and see if you can develop
methods to avoid that mistake again. Documentation and
training will play a big role here.

20 GOALS FOR 2020
Are these the only goals you can set for your business?
Of course not. They're simply the ones I think might be
impactful to you. Which of these do you think your shop
could implement? Use this article as a tool for discussion and
start your 2020 improvement planning today.
DECEMBER 2019 / JANUARY 2020

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Screen Printing - December 2019/January 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Screen Printing - December 2019/January 2020