At the InPrint USA show in Louisville, Kentucky, Deborah spoke to Dawn Olson, Director of Production Print/Industrial Print Client Business Development at Konica Minolta Business Solutions.
Dawn delivered the first keynote presentation of the educational programme at InPrint USA in April, in which she talked about business development for clients in industrial and production print in the US. She loves working with clients to help their businesses grow and become profitable as quickly as possible and laid out some great pieces of development advice that we can all benefit if we’re willing to set some clearly defined objectives.
If you missed the event, Dawn gives a great overview of her keynote in the podcast, which provided attendees with the tools to develop a successful business plan. There’s advice on the importance of gathering information from your clients to inform your plan, the ‘art and science’ of developing survey questions, and how to get to grips with it if you’re a visual thinker, as many in the print industry are. It’s great to get some insight on non-traditional techniques for business planning, particularly if you find the idea of preparing for the future a little daunting.
Dawn explains how a strong business plan goes hand-in-hand with finding the right technology for your business; if you know what you are working towards, you have a better knowledge of what fits for your company and your future plans, and Dawn loves helping Konica Minolta clients find what they need.
She describes her position as ‘agnostic’ when it comes to finding the right solutions for clients, as Konica is committed to exploring new technology outside of their portfolio, and doesn’t hesitate to talk to other businesses and bring in outside products. As Dawn says, the best reason to come to Konica Minolta is that ‘customers are going to get the best possible solution, whether we own it or not’.
Karis Copp is a UK-based writer, journalist and communications expert. With a background as an editor and public relations specialist in the print industry, she now works on a freelance basis covering events, writing on industry news and trends, and working with businesses to help them tell their stories and connect with their customers. Follow her on Twitter @KarisCoppWrites.
