Register for thINK Virtual Workshops

 

A key benefit of being a thINK member is the ability to participate in thINK virtual workshops. thINK Virtual Workshops are led by industry experts in marketing, sales, and communication. To keep these workshops interactive and collaborative, space is very limited, so grab your spot now and come prepared to share your camera and participate in live, dynamic discussions.

Please note: You must be a thINK member to participate in the workshops. thINK membership is free — and exclusive to — Canon Solutions America inkjet customers. Not yet a thINK Member? Request membership now.

Read the workshop descriptions below to discover the best fit for you, or jump to the section you are most interested in by clicking a link below:

Marketing Workshops
Sales Workshops
Operations Workshops


Operations Workshops

1. Evaluating Your Finishing Options and Differentiating in a Crowded Marketplace - Completed

Wednesday | June 10, 2020 | 2:00 pm EST

We’ve all heard the print expression “It’s not finished ‘til it’s finished”… and for good reason! Finishing can make or break the success of your printed products. Similar in functionality to print manufacturing, the world of finishing is making strides toward advancing the landscape of digital print. From increased automation and on demand capabilities, finishing makes it possible to differentiate and add value for yourself and your customers. In this virtual session, Keypoint Intelligence—InfoTrends’ German Sacristan will share the latest insights from the finishing frontlines so you can evaluate your finishing partnerships and investments to expand business opportunities.

During this interactive workshop, attendees will learn:

  • How to evaluate current finishing capabilities for value

  • Best practices when shopping for finishing that differentiates

  • How to use finishing for business expansion

 

2. Unlocking the Power of Your Inkjet Capabilities: A Tactical Approach to Matching Operations to Sales Growth Opportunities - Completed

Wednesday | June 17, 2019 | 2:00 pm EST

When was the last time you evaluated your capabilities against what you are actually producing and selling? If you take the time to compare, you’ll likely discover a disconnect between operations and sales. Inkjet print production offers a wealth of production capabilities. In this interactive virtual workshop, Keypoint Intelligence—InfoTrends’ Karen Kimerer takes a tactical approach to assist you with finding and filling the gap between your operations and sales teams. Uncover the gold nuggets of profitability that are missing in your capabilities list and put them to use with a tactical plan.

Key discussions from the session will include:

  • Evaluating your capabilities list and matching it to your technological investments

  • Finding communication gaps and aligning sales with operations initiatives

  • Establishing a tactical plan for creating a list of capabilities that your sales team can sell


3. "Fast Five" Workflow Touchpoints: Assessing Your Workflow for Continuous Improvement

Tuesday | June 30, 2020 | 2:00 pm EST

The workflow journey is never-ending. If you ask ten people to define workflow, you’ll get ten different answers—but there is a solution! It is a repeatable, auditable process that can be improved by automation. After all, the work that you do is a manufacturing process, and all manufacturing processes benefit from efficient workflows. Regardless of the occasion, it’s always a great time to assess your workflow and start mapping a plan for process improvement. In this virtual session, Keypoint Intelligence—InfoTrends' Director Ryan McAbee will assess your current workflow against Keypoint Intelligence’s “Fast Five Workflow Touchpoints” to create a plan for renewed workflow success.

The “fast five” touchpoints focus on job onboarding, preflighting, imposition, proofing, and data collection. Highlights from the session will include:

  • The importance of prioritizing job onboarding (i.e., bringing jobs in efficiently)

  • How physical job tickets add risk to the workflow

  • Why preflighting is an essential component of the workflow


Marketing Workshops

COVID-19 has the world's attention. Have you adjusted your marketing messages and activities accordingly? In this series of Virtual Marketing Workshops we will discuss the 3 key adjustments every marketer must make now in times of crisis like COVID-19, and deep dive into critical areas of your marketing foundation that you should turn your attention to in this time of disruption.

Often the marketing calendar is packed and the always urgent need to fill the funnel and nurture leads takes priority over addressing the foundational elements that were put in place for your marketing efforts. The COVID-19 disruption in outbound marketing activities presents a great time to re-examine and refine your marketing foundation – specifically your brands unique value proposition, your marketing tools and your marketing team. In this series of Marketing Virtual Workshops we will help you do just that.



1. Developing & Communicating Your Brand's Unique Value to the Market - Completed

Thursday | April 23, 2020 | 2:00 pm EST

During this collaborative virtual workshop, we’ll share 3 key adjustments marketers must make now in the face of the COVID-19 crisis, and deep-dive into one of your key marketing foundational elements – Building Your Brand's Value Proposition. We will discuss how to establish a strong brand identity, how to craft a compelling value proposition, and how to effectively tell your brand's story through content marketing. Our experts will help attendees find the unique value your brand offers and show you how to convey this to the marketplace via effective marketing channels. Pre-Workshop Prep: Please review the questions below and be prepared to share insights and details with your fellow marketers!


Before this workshop, consider how you’d answer to the following questions:

  • What is your brand identity?

  • What is the unique value you bring to the market?

  • What kind of stories can you tell that convey your value proposition?

  • What channels do you use to promote your stories and value prop?


2. Exploring Top Marketing Technologies + Business Development Tools - Completed

Thursday | April 30, 2020 | 2:00 pm EST

As more COVID-19 information becomes available we will discuss how marketing strategies are beginning to shift, and deep-dive into a second core component of your marketing foundation – your Marketing Tools. Marketing tools are being developed at a rapid rate and marketers are finding it increasingly hard to find and leverage the marketing technology that best fits their needs. In this virtual workshop we will examine marketing technology that is available today, how it can help you and how you can select the right solution for your company from a multitude of offerings. We will explore technologies like Marketing Automation, Content Management Systems, AI, VR, etc.

In addition, you will learn about strategies and tools printers and service providers use to find competitive market intelligence, discover new market segments to target, and find new potential customers to engage with. Learn how you can use tools like Mintel, Numerator, LinkedIn Sales Navigator and others to gain a better understanding of what’s happening in the marketplace, find new market segments and verticals to target, and grow more effective prospect lists to engage with. Pre-Workshop Prep: Please review the questions below and be prepared to share insights and details with your fellow marketers!


Before this workshop, consider how you’d answer the following questions:

  • How do you currently discover the gaps in your marketing technology stack?

  • What tools do you use to gather competitive market information?

3. Building a Powerful and Capable Marketing Team - Completed

Thursday | May 7, 2020 | 2:00 pm EST

In this workshop we will discuss marketing post COVID-19 and deep dive into the third core component of your marketing foundation – your Marketing Team. New marketing technology, trends and practices bring with it the need for modern marketing teams to support these efforts with new capabilities, ways of working, skill sets and culture. In this virtual workshop we will look at the skills and competencies required for modern marketing teams in order to use today’s marketing technology and practices and execute effectively into the marketplace.


Who should attend these Marketing workshops:

  • Marketing people

  • Marketing Managers

  • Owners with Marketing responsibilities


Sales Workshops

1. Digital Sales Fundamentals - Completed

Tuesday | May 5, 2020 | 2:00 pm EST

COVID-19 has many sales reps frozen In place. How can I make calls for appointments when across the world there are Shelter In Place orders? How am I expected to sell during this crisis? I'm sorry to tell you this, but the best sales reps will take advantage of this time to sharpen their saw. Now is the time to get educated and inspired, to reassess your approach and uncover your strongest and weakest sales skills. Join this virtual workshop to uncover keys to success and best practices you can deploy now AND post-COVID. Starting with an assessment of your current selling skills, it combines instruction with live input and commentary from it's participants. You will stay engaged and alert, not only learning but also teaching and sharing information and experience. Pre-Workshop Prep: You’ll be sent a Sales Assessment Test to complete prior to the event. Be prepared to be called on for live participation!

You will learn:

  • The single most important skill a digital/inkjet sales rep can have

  • Your digital/inkjet sales strengths and areas for improvement

  • The objections sales people are hearing and how to beat them

  • Why engaging a prospecting process is critical

  • The single most important characteristic a digital/inkjet sales rep can have

  • What others are saying to gain appointments


2. Advanced Strategies for Digital/Inkjet Sales Success - Completed

Tuesday | May 12, 2019 | 2:00 pm EST

COVID-19 is wreaking havoc in the world. Everyone is impacted. What we all choose to do personal and professionally during this time will set our future path. As we make the right choice for society to work from home, let's also examine what type of choices we are making for our careers. This is precious time you have to take your sales skills to the next level, use this time wisely and you will become an even more valuable asset to your company post COVID-19. Join us for this Virtual Workshop, "Advanced Strategies for Inkjet Sales Success" to learn how to move from the "Quote, quote, quote" stage of the job to the "Design" stage. Here you will learn to avoid the price objection entirely, as well as lock out the competition, selling on the strength of your Ideas and not the lowest price. Why sit around wondering when things will start up again? Join a virtual workshop where you learn interactively. It's instruction, real-life examples, and everyone is on screen. Join us!  Pre-Workshop Prep: You’ll be sent a set of questions to consider prior to the event. Be prepared to be called on for live participation!

You will learn:

  • The best vertical market targets for digital/inkjet printing

  • Key decision-makers within a company and how to reach them

  • Tips for shortening the sales cycle

  • How to create a personal marketing campaign for digital/inkjet


3. The Master Class - Completed

Tuesday | May 19, 2020 | 2:00 pm EST

It’s time to get a master’s degree in selling digital/inkjet! It’s time to tackle the really complex concepts like selling to the C-Suite, pursuing those life-changing major accounts, negotiating like a boss, and taking your public speaking to the Ted Talk level. We’ll talk growth mindset, and help use the concept of transformation to take your sales practice to a place you never thought possible. Having sold digital/inkjet printing for years, your goals now are to refine your skills, increase your sales productivity, and learn new applications. If this describes you, this virtual workshop will deliver. Pre-Workshop Prep: You’ll be sent a set of questions to consider prior to the event. Be prepared to be called on for live participation!

You will learn:

  • How information from the digital equipment vendor can land you at the top of the sales leaderboard

  • Applications. Applications. Applications.

  • How to create sales annuities

  • Powerful situational sales opportunities for digital/inkjet

  • C-Level Selling

  • Major account acquisition