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Odds are you will not see many Louis Vuitton bags at Walmart unless they are of the New York city street vendor variety. Both companies can thrive because they serve completely different markets. After all, the person willing to spend over $1,000 on a handbag is probably not interested in walking the aisles of the high volume, low price retail king. The discrepancy lies in the pricing bias - intentionally setting price points to attract a particular buyer demographic. The same pricing bias can be found in every consumer market. I will gladly pay $7 for a burrito from Chipotle over the $1.99 Taco Bell burrito supreme. Leaving the perceived nutritional benefits aside (although Chipotle does use naturally raised meat products), I will pay three times the price solely because of the customer experience. Chipotle exudes an upbeat energy from the fast, courteous service to their clean counter tops. Whether you like it or not, your product pricing largely drives many of your business decisions resulting in a predilection toward a particular type of client. Market leaders, however, usually set a pricing point within consumers' reach of the competition while still offering superior products or services. As above, most consumers would not have much of a purchasing pain threshold from a $2 to $7  burrito. A lot of consumers will likewise pay $1000 for an Apple Macbook over a cheaper PC because of the perceived benefits: function, design, capabilities, or the reality-distortion-cool-factor. For printers, being a low price leader may not always be the right solution. The supporting services such as on-time delivery, quick turnaround, design capabilities, paper selection, finishing techniques, or other, could be the differentiators for changing your pricing bias. Offering the right products to the right customers at the right price does not have to be as elusive as finding Louis Vuitton toting Walmart shoppers.

Growing up in a rural area with rolling hills and green pastures with small farms dotting the landscape, I saw plenty of farm animals. Adding to this way of life, my grandfather tended herds of cattle for many years. If you have never seen a cow up close, they are loud, stinky, and fly ridden. If you have seen a cow up close, however, it is a remarkable life experience that is not forgotten, especially if you were a kid. This same remarkable quality is the key message behind The Big Moo by Seth Godin. The books premise is for companies to be great, they must cultivate and launch game changing innovations.

"In order to grow at the pace the markets demand, you and your colleagues must find the big moo, the insight that is so astounding that people can't help but remark on it." - The Big Moo by Seth Godin

A few companies within the print industry are implementing game changing innovations. Many of print's big moos have resulted from harnessing the geographically neutral power of the Internet. Companies like 4over have used the Internet to change the game of outsourcing, or B2B printing, by becoming a "super trade" printer. Others like Vistaprint, Mimeo, Hotcards, and many others are using the Internet to reach the end print purchaser, or B2C printing. These business models are relatively new and did not really exist ten years ago. In challenging the typical relationships and distribution models, they have experienced industry leading growth. There are 10 preview chapters available for free online at the Big Moo website. Take the time to read the previews, but get a copy in-hand to read. The book is a collection of thoughts/articles by 33 leading business thinkers. Below is a summation of three chapters that I think have an acute message for the print industry today.

Don't Be Like Pete, p. 60 Pete had ran a print shop for many years, was well known within his community, well respected, and a joy to be around. Customers loved the value and service that the print shop provided. Pete decided to heavily invest in a website for on demand printing for his clients. After the eventual launch, Pete referred his customers to the website. His customers grew more frustrated. What Pete failed to realize is that his customer's loyalty was based completely upon their relationship with Pete himself. The website could not offer the hot cup of coffee, fresh baked cookies, a friendly smile, or a firm handshake. Bottom Line: Ask your customer's what their needs are instead of guessing. Call your top clients and ask them for input and critique whether good or bad. It always helps when you and your customer are speaking the same language.

Where do Ideas Come From?, p. 76

New faces - New employees are not strapped by the "this is how it has always been done" mantra. Interview them after a few months on the job at which point they understand enough about the business to make suggestions for improvement.

People on the edges -  Ever feel like you cannot get any work done in the office? You are probably right. Often it is simply too distracting and too difficult for your great new idea to get traction at the main office. Instead use the people and offices outside the main activity area to test new procedures, ideas, products, etc. If they work on the edge, then they can be launched from the center. If they fail on the edge, no one at the center will know - no harm, no foul.

People on the street - The technicians, line workers, salesmen, and any others who interact directly with your customers, know the problems and can offer solutions.

From your customers - What sounds simple is often overlooked from the top, try to step down the corporate ladder to talk to your customers on a regular basis.

From your idols - Other great companies, both within and outside of your current industry, have probably already been there and done that.

Read this chapter for six suggestions for coming up with great ideas. Bottom Line: Companies can only grow from new ideas.

Is Bigger Better?, p. 160 It only takes a few passionate people to spark an idea and move it forward. Larger companies are hampered by people, procedures, and systems that do not exist in start-up type operations. Bottom Line: If you are a big company, find that passionate group(s), give them access to any resource, and let them work without the handcuffs of the company.

Kaizen is the Japenese word for improvement with an implied continuous method. This method for constant improvement was implemented after World War II by W. Edward Deming to aid in rebuilding the country. Of course most business professionals associate this concept with car manufacturing, specifically Toyota. Six Sigma and lean manufacturing are a few of the current evolutions and adaptations of Kaizen. In the spirit of continuous improvement, there have been some updates to the site over this past weekend. A few changes (and fixes) should make it easier to not only navigate the site to find relevant information, but also easier to share the information from m-Bossed in almost any way imaginable.

Now there will be a "Share This" link at the bottom of each blog posting. By clicking on the link, you can forward this information to the world at large: Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, e-mail, text message, etc.

Each post will also now have a "listen now" link which uses the Odiogo service to read back the blog post. Skeptical? Give it a try, it's not the old school Macintosh text to speech! Use the iTunes link on the sidebar to subscribe to a podcast version. Updated Sidebar (left)

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Lately, I have been running into more print industry consultants. There probably is a natural correlation between depressed economic growth and an increase in consultative services. As print shop owners and managers try to seek the best avenues for growth, scrutinize capital expenditures, and streamline internal processes, it is a natural inclination to seek an outside, independent point of view. But do you need to pay for a consultant? Anthony Bourdain remarked in his book Kitchen Confidential that the arrival of restaurant consultants was the first tell tale sign to pack it up and go search for another job. A harbinger of the restaurant's impending closure. Of course, Tony is also known for his wry humor. For print companies, however, consultants can provide a valuable service depending upon the situation. If the need or project is too large, too complex, or too much of a mystery, consultants can offer critical guidance in answering the why, if, how, and when questions. Generally speaking, they should be able to provide experience, expertise, guidance, project management, and industry contacts as needed.

Experience A consultant can provide niche knowledge that leads to a solution. If a shop were having color consistency problems on press, a print consultant could rely upon years of production experience to systematically find the cause. Maybe it is an ink/water, maintenance, or operator related issue. Either way, a contracted consultant should be able to draw from years of experience to identify the problem and suggest a course of action.

Expertise Experience and expertise are not the same. A pressman can have years of experience operating a press but lack the expertise to fix a mechanical problem with the press. A consultant should be a subject expert or leader within the particular area of need.

Guidance By having perspective, a consultant should be able to evaluate all options and make a determination. Maybe a new, highly automated press is financially justified to replace two aging presses. Perhaps a simple upgrade in software or automation for the CTP in the prepress department is better than a full workflow replacement. A consultant should have the tool set to evaluate the options, present the case, and guide you through the process.

Project Management The solution has been identified but no one within the print shop has the time or skill set to see the project to completion. A consultant should be able to oversee the project from start to completion and work as a liaison between all outside vendors and internal staff. (Tip: Remember to set agreed upon deadlines.)

Industry Contacts In some cases, the size of the Rolodex matters. If the consultant has a high number of years of experience and level of expertise, then there is a high likelihood there is a corresponding large contact list. The faces behind the numbers can be invaluable when trying to implement a complex project, trying to iron out issues between vendors, or simply trying to make it work.