Why VDP Just Won't Work

Many moons ago, I was in the Jacob Javits Center in New York attending the On Demand Show. Back then, it filled several halls and the buzz was all about the dawning of the digital and VDP age. Pie charts and graphs filled the screens. Pundits shouted, “There's an untapped market” and “if you buy it, they will come!” It was a compelling argument, and printers lined up like lemmings, ready to take the blind leap into the digital abyss.

I remember trying to get a read on the pulse of the show. The major players had their new digital devices, and there was a lot of tire kicking going on. Commercial printers and quick printers alike all drank the Koolaid, and the self-fulfilling prophecy was self-fulfilled. Just like the “experts” a king once hired to design him a new wardrobe, the printing experts all said: “There is huge potential, and if you don't see it, you're going to be left behind.”

On the far side of the hall sat the busiest booth of them all. It was a small display staffed by three or four men and surrounded by attendees seven or eight deep. Each held a credit card, anxious to buy the product being sold. I don't recall the exact item, but I remember it had to do with rubber stamps, had a very cheap point of entry and promised quick, easy profits. As I stood there and took in the scene, it hit me for the first time that I was witnessing the reason why VDP is never going to work in the mainstream. Here was a trade show that screamed of potential and possibilities. There really was an untapped market; however, it lacked those basic requirements that printers demand: cheap entry point and quick/easy profits. Variable Data Printing offers none of these.

Now, pretend you're in sales and that your company just bought a new NexXerodigo 2000. Your sales manager is addressing the reps to announce the new purchase and discuss its awesome potential: “Ladies and gentlemen, great things are coming. You will soon have the ability to broaden your horizons and enter the world of VDP. While the traditional sales cycle is three to six months long, VDP is twice that. Because there's so much that's new about this technology, it takes more time to close the sale.

“Oh, and you can be assured that the average order will be in the low thousands of dollars, which will then translate into tens of dollars of commissions. Adding to the excitement is the fact that you will have to learn how to work with a whole new level of client. The Print Buyer knows nothing of this, so you'll need to seek out the Marketing Director and eventually the IT Manager. Be forewarned, however, these people speak a different language. So, in summary, you will have to work harder for a smaller sale, which pays you less money, and all along the way you will struggle not to feel stupid because the client knows more than you.”

Had that sales manager brought an easy, quick sale, the low commission rate might've been acceptable. But that combination of hard work, long payoff and small paycheck is too toxic for frontline reps. Until that changes, until the mindset of the sales rep is modified (not to mention the pay structure), and until the printer understands that he's not in Kansas anymore, VDP doesn't have a prayer.

DISAGREE? Bring it on: billf@printtec.com