Introductions for 2014

We are in month two of a brand new year. How are those resolutions going? Still holding on? This issue is full of great ideas for those of you looking to polish up their sales and marketing skills and strategies. We also have some great technology articles to appeal to your inner geek.
First, we have some new authors this month. Along with our new software technology monthly I’d like to introduce Mark Corrigan. Mark is a very bright past student of mine and I am thrilled that he is able to share his techie-ness with our readers! His monthly column will be a great way to look at some of the software technology we specifically use in our industry. From time to time it’s important to think about the ubiquitous tools we use. Often in our industry the software technology we have can be driven by the client as we want to be able to accept a variety of file formats. This is much less the case today with the adoption of PDFs. However, this month Mark takes a look at some of the layout software options out there, pointing you to additional resources online. Next up, we have Mariano Stalker sharing his prepress expertise. Mariano hails from the world of packaging, where prepress can be very complicated. Take a look at his thoughts on doing prepress inhouse versus outsourcing!
Additionally, there is a strong focus on sales and marketing since we often plan and project these items for the start of year. I had the opportunity to take a closer look at soft selling, and interviewed the author of Win Top of Mind Positioning, a very good read. Also, Slava Apel looks at how to figure out what you should be spending on marketing. As the old adage goes, I know half of the money I spend on marketing is working…I just don’t know which half!
Last but certainly not least I’d like to congratulate Todd (VP, Cober Evolving Solutions) and Magda Cober on the arrival of their little bundle of joy, Lincoln Lloyd Cober! At half a year younger than my little girl, I’m hoping he is into older ladies! Lots of love to the family!