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N o v e m b e r 2 0 1 4 / Q U I C K P R I N T I N G 27 w w w. M y P R I N T R e s o u r c e . c o m HUMAN RESOURCES Are You Open to Change? By Debra Thompson I had the pleasure of speaking at the 2014 NAPL/ AMSP/NAQP Owners Conference, which took place two days prior to GRAPH EXPO 14. It was great to see many of my printer friends and exciting to meet new owners in the industry. My presentation was "Back in the Trenches—What I've Learned as Owner, Consultant, and Employee." I was able to share what I have experienced frst-hand that separates the winners from the rest of the pack. There has definitely been change in technology and equipment, which has had an impact on separating the winners from the rest. The winners figure out quickly how to incorporate these changes so they can continue to increase their growth. They challenge the status quo. They may not like to make the changes, but they under- stand that it is necessary and inevitable. At the Owner's Conference there was a session entitled "Why Gen X and Millennials Are Better at Your Job Than You," and I was shocked at how many of the Baby Boomers were so defensive and unwilling to explore a different way of viewing our industry. Rather than acknowledging the fact that the millennials are becoming our new buyers, they would rather sit back and complain about them. Rather than embrace change, they defy it. Why Fight the Inevitable? The millennials were born between 1981 and 1996; there- fore, they are currently the 18- to 32-year-olds. Let me mention that in the last US Census, this group outnumbered even baby boomers. As the buying power of the millennials increases, entrepreneurs seeking their business must understand how to market to them and get their attention. Millennials are not only the largest population cohort, they are also the most radically diverse and highly educated. This generation will be a significant part of your success or failure, whether as customers or as employees. They only time for 140 characters or a short video clip. They are not going to be inclined to read lengthy brochures. So the market- ing that you do has to change to reach these short attention-span consumers. That means you need a marketing plan that focuses on multimedia approaches and uses new tools to reach them. In addition the staff at your firm must know how these new tools work and how to apply them. That, in turn, means that you might have to hire these new skills while also investing in training of your existing staff so they can "Walk the talk!" The companies that are going to thrive in this new environment know that today's sales efforts are more than just boots on the streets. They have a presence in social media and on the web. They understand and utilize Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and have invested in Search Engine Marketing (SEM). They combine that with e-blasts and direct mail to trigger face-to-face time with current and prospective customers. Good Work Ethics We currently have the best production coordinator we have ever had, and guess what? He is a 27-year-old millennial. He has only been in our industry for two years; no prior printing expe- rience. But he has a great work ethic and a fresh perspective on how to do things easier and more efficiently. I might add that he is smart and very detailed oriented. The Millennial Generation is very similar to the Traditional Gen- eration (1900-1945). The Traditional Generation was a loyal genera- tion and they were hard workers. The technology has changed how the generations work, but the ethics are there. In a recent article, Joel Quadracci, chairman of Quad/Graphics said it this way: "You've got to take control of your destiny when times change quickly, and we're in a time of things changing very fast. You can't wait around to figure out what to do, because the doing will be done to you if that happens." Don't ignore what is going on. Step out of your biases and have a chat with a millennial. You might be surprised. I agree they are different, but hey, different isn't always bad. ◗◗ For more information, visit MyPRINTResource.com/10004688 Open-minded print industry winners will embrace change and focus on continual growth in 2015 and Beyond.