Print
Solutions March 2006
Cover
story
Reality
Check, continued
Web-to-Print
Case
Study
The
Web-to-Print Distributor
This
distributor partners with printers
and distributors
to offer end users custom web-to-print
solutions.
BY
ANDREW BROWN
Willie
Brennan’s latest career
move had a rough takeoff. The
president of Custom Print Now
Solutions, Columbia, Md., started
his distributorship four years
ago by making cold calls. The
sole focus of his company is to
provide clients with web-to-print
solutions, and many customers
weren’t ready to buy what
he was selling. Lately, however,
business has been cruising along
in a slipstream of technology-driven
print marketing.
An
expert in developing custom applications,
Brennan finds himself increasingly
in demand by end users, manufacturers
and other distributors. “I
can speak of successes today,
but two years ago, there were
no successes,” he says.
“There is just now a sweet
spot where all the technology,
price points, and the need on
the customer side are coming together.”
 There
is just now a sweet spot
where all the technology,
price points and the need
on the customer side are
coming together.
Willie Brennan, president
Custom Print Now Solutions
Columbia, MD |
One
client, a national chain, wanted
to offer its 100 branches the
ability to customize marketing
materials without diluting the
national brand. Brennan proposed
an online storefront solution
that allowed templates of fliers,
for instance, to be populated
with local address information
when individual users logged on
and placed an order. The corporate
office approved a series of 10
templates to start. It designed
the templates and approved pricing
for the fliers. Users simply visit
the storefront online and order
the quantity they need. It’s
difficult to measure, but Brennan
estimates that the process has
saved his client $150,000 in data
entry, typesetting, proofing,
invoicing and warehousing costs.
“This is what I know people
are looking for,” he says.
“They’re always looking
to streamline operations, reduce
costs and make money.”
More
distributors and manufacturers
realize that web-to-print and
e-commerce solutions must be part
of their product mix, but they
often settle on one software vendor
or develop one proprietary solution.
Brennan’s distributorship
offers clients propriety solutions
and off-the-shelf packages according
to what they need. “Each
customer has unique characteristics
and processes of how they want
to do business. Because of that,
your software may not fit,”
he says. “I’m not
a single solution provider with
a single back-end solution. We
determine what your specific need
is and then I’ll build a
solution around that specific
need.”
Brennan
hired a programmer to develop
and manage the web-to-print technology
aspect of his business while he
concentrates on selling solutions.
Some of his best partners have
been other distributors who don’t
have the resources or the willingness
to offer technology solutions.
“If they have the prospect
with the need, I can shorten the
sales cycle a lot,” he says.
“I’ll be responsible
for the front-end technology,
and they’ll be responsible
for the print. They’ll find
a deal, we’ll partner and
split revenue.” Brennan
adapted his business model from
one he used as a salesperson for
Quest Communications. Nine of
the reps in his office sold standard
voice and IP products to companies
in the Baltimore-Washington area.
Brennan, on the other hand, sold
high-end web hosting and custom
applications that involved a longer
sales cycle. If one of the other
reps uncovered a need for those
applications from their clients,
they would call Brennan in to
make the presentation and sell
the system. Then they split the
commission.
Brennan
envisions a variety of industries
and markets applying the technology
he offers, but the nonprofit sector
has been a particularly fertile
niche. He worked recently with
one national nonprofit company
to develop a background premium
program. When most nonprofits
pursue direct-mail fundraising
programs, they appeal to potential
donors with a gift, such as custom
address labels. Brennan’s
solution allows potential donors
to give money online. When they
do, they access a storefront where
they can choose from nearly 50
different gift items. The higher
the donation, the more items a
donor can receive. Among other
benefits to the nonprofit organization,
this solution eliminates the need
to send gifts to prospects who
will never make a donation. The
program was ultimately a success
not because of the technology
but because of the custom nature
of the application. “Even
with all my skill, experience
and knowledge, it takes time to
find out if there’s even
a need, and if there is a need,
to find out if we can bring a
solution to fruition,” he
says.
Andrew
Brown is an assistant editor at
Print Solutions Magazine. Email
your comments to editors@printsolutionsmag.com.
