As the On Demand conference approaches in a few weeks, I would like to share the content of the presentation I will be giving at the conference.

The title of my presentation is, “Eating the Whole Whale”

So, what does “Eating the Whole Whale” mean, anyway? It conjures up some pretty strange images to say the least! A man, with a bib, knife fork and salt shaker stands on the beach of a deserted island, licking his lips and hoping that a passing whale will stop in for an instant lunch…that’s more the stuff of cartoons than reality.

Most of us realize that the poor guy would not know what to do with the whale if he got one in the first place, but that does not stop him from dreaming, or take away from the fact that someday, he just may get the catch of a lifetime.

So, let’s talk about what Whale means in the context of Digital Print and Communication. Most folks know that “Whale” at a casino is a High Roller, a top tier client that the business takes special care of. They demand and receive special treatment, and the amount of money they spend can really make your day, your month or even your year. The big difference that exists in our world is, that the whale is more than one person. It might start as a team of folks at a large company, and spread out to different divisions, business lines, affiliates, VARs and agents

So, you have some of their business…but how do you get all of it? How do you…you know, eat the WHOLE WHALE?

First, you need to understand their business. All of it. I know for many folks this is Business 101, but you might be surprised at how many people really don’t know and understand the business their customers are in. Sit down with your whale, and understand their business workflow from top to bottom. See what is causing them pain, look at the inventory of products that you offer and see where you can help them in different parts of their business. Don’t look at it from a perspective of selling them 5000 more postcards a month, or 2000 more HR manuals, but as a communication process where you can offer to take that pain away with a rational, reasonable cost effective solution that saves your customer money and time.

Second, if you can turn a communication process from an existing solution and give them a solution that helps them streamline their customer contacts, you will make revenue from every communication with their customer, not just on the print. Once you have that level of integration, it is time to branch out from your current contact group and use your successes with that group to get you further business with the entire Whale.

I will be talking about some specific examples at OnDemand of how it was done this in the past, what successes was yielded (and what tripped us up.) This will be a very interactive session, so bring along your successes and challenges to share, and at the very least I should be able to tell you which fork to pick up before you start your meal.

Hope to see you at On Demand.