Click here to download the catalog as a PDF file. To view this site you need Adobe Flash Player and your browser must allow javaScripts. Go here to get the latest Flash Player. The Money Train “Really, this is where you can help the customer [save] money, by looking at how you can produce that job,” he says. Customers no doubt like to hear the word “savings.” There are obvious benefits for the printer as well in having a sophisticated estimating and pricing system. But how printers get from the initial number to that final invoice often varies. CANVAS spoke to printers across the country to get a general feel on pricing disciplines and philosophies. The difference That estimates don’t always line up with the final price is a given. But the benefits of getting the numbers to line up as closely as possible resonates on many levels. Production costs are accounted for, scheduling conflicts are avoided, press runs maximized, and there are no surprises at the end that may jeopardize the trust of a client. The first step in maximizing the process is separating the two functions, says Gary Cone, vice president of Litho Craft in Lynnwood, Wash., and author of “Price Doesn’t Count … Getting Customers to Want to Buy From You,” which focuses on day-to-day selling styles and techniques. Cone says that prints sales reps should look at estimating as a science and pricing as an art. “With knowledge of cost, pricing will be based on plant load (schedule), amount of value added (manufacturing less materials and outside purchases), history with client, and the competition.” — Donald LaClair, sales representative for Intelligencer Printing P22 CANVAS AUGUST 2008