Transforming Your Sales Team for Print Profitability
Tuesday 10–10:30am
The days of print sales representatives chatting with print buyers and taking orders for large print jobs have come and gone. Integrated marketing and cross-media campaigns are the strategy of the day and decisions about where print fits into this equation are moving up the corporate ladder. Today’s printing companies need sales representatives who understand marketing concepts, the Internet and digital communication, and can effectively communicate the relevance of print to this new class of buyer. This session will highlight how to transition your sales team to be effective in this new environment.
Moderator:
Joe Truncale, Ph.D.
President & CEO, National Association for Print Leadership
Joe Truncale, Ph.D., is President and CEO of NAPL, specializing in strategy, customer analysis, and organizational effectiveness. He has developed a number of custom tools used in NAPL’s Business Development Modules, including the NAPL Customer Analysis Process™, which helps businesses identify and maximize their most significant customer relationships. He also works with companies to help them identify their Quality Competitive Index™ (QCI) through highly focused three-dimensional customer research. He is a skilled meeting facilitator, working with entrepreneurial business leaders and their management teams in developing strategic plans with a focus on differentiation and unique organizational ability. He also provides executive coaching and leadership development consulting and training.
Joe is a graduate of Monmouth University and earned his Master’s degree at Rutgers University. He is currently completing his Doctoral dissertation at New York University, a ground-breaking study on the effectiveness of entrepreneurial business leaders in the graphic communications industry. Joe serves on the New York University Board of Advisors and is a member of the adjunct faculty, teaching graduate courses in Executive Leadership and Financial Management.
Panelist:
David Pitts
Co-Owner, Classic Graphics
David Pitts began his exploration of printing as a high school junior via a vocational program in Bowling Green, KY where he won statewide recognition for his work in the Vocational Industrial Clubs of America. Pitts worked as a press operator while pursuing a Civil Engineering degree at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. David developed a strong relationship with friend and co-worker, Bill Gardner who shared his passion for printing. Pitts and Gardner formed a partnership and the pair borrowed $15,000 from their families and established Classic Graphics in 1983.
David is a past Chairman of The Printing Industry of the Carolinas (PICA) where he has served as a member of PICA’s Board of Directors for 12 years. He has served as an advisor to the Central Piedmont Community College Graphics Program and to the Graphic Arts Imaging and Technology Program at Appalachian State University. He also served on the board and Executive Committee of NAPL.
Panelist:
Mark Potter
Mark Potter, President, Conduit Inc. – Publisher, CANVAS Magazine
Mark is responsible for the creation and production of CANVAS Magazine and also leads several custom publications and a new platform for High School booster clubs. Before creating a stewardship to the printing industry, Mark was the Vice President of Marketing for Unisource Worldwide. Potter has created, sourced and launched multiple brands and effectively established and managed a variety of successful product segments. Potter’s innovative thinking and “out-of-the box” approach lead to the development of new programs and prospects, including new business opportunities and pilot programs, as well as the company’s highly-regarded custom
publication, The Source, which shared exclusive research and industry intelligence with Unisource customers.
Prior to joining Unisource, Potter served as director of Sales and Marketing for Printnation.com, a B2B e-commerce company that served the printing and graphics industry. Potter’s rich industry experience also includes work for Fox River Paper Company, Zellerbach (A Mead Company) and S.D. Warren, a subsidiary of Scott Paper.
Potter earned a Masters of Business Administration at the Hilton School of Business at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, and holds a Bachelor of Science in Economics from Allegheny College in Meadville, Pennsylvania.