INDUSTRY TIPS | THE ONLINE PRINT COACH Compete on Value, not on Price Have you ever visited a competitor’s website, scrolled through their products, and felt a knot tighten in your stomach when you see their prices? You see a set of 500 business cards or a batch of A5 flyers priced just enough to cover your paper costs. Panic sets in. You immediately contact your sales manager or open your estimating software and begin reducing your rates. You tell yourself that you must remain competitive. You convince yourself that if you don't match them, you will lose the work. This is a race to the bottom, and it is the quickest way to destroy a print business. I know this because I have been there. Back in my days running a print company, I used to benchmark myself relentlessly against my larger rivals. I would spend hours analysing their price lists, convinced that I had to match them penny for penny. It took me a long time to realise a harsh truth. Their overheads, systems, and margins were nothing like mine. When you try to compete with the massive, industrial-scale online hubs on price, you are fighting a battle you cannot win. They are buying paper by the truckload. You buy it by the pallet. They have automated workflows that require no human intervention until the box is taped shut. You have a skilled team member checking files and managing the process. The Danger of Market Rate Delusion One of the most common mistakes I see in my coaching sessions is the obsession with a perceived market rate. Print business owners tell me, "I can't charge that, Colin. The market rate is X." But what is the market rate? It is a myth. There is no single price for a printed product because there is no single type of customer. When you cut your prices to match the big guys, you are pricing based on their business model, not your own. You Colin Sinclair McDermott, The Online Print Coach, makes his argument for why keeping control of not only your image, but also your prices, is paramount in 2026 are stripping away the margin needed to reinvest in your kit, train your staff, and actually pay yourself a decent wage, and for what? To win a customer who buys solely on price. Let’s be honest about those customers for a moment. Is the client who leaves you over a few pounds actually worth keeping? They are the ones who will complain the loudest, pay the slowest, and demand the quickest tweaks for free. The clients worth keeping are not just buying on price – they are buying you. They are buying the fact that you answer the phone when they call. They are buying the fact that you will take more care of their projects before and after they go to press. They are buying the peace of mind that comes from knowing you will go that extra mile to deliver on time. That kind of service costs money. It requires staff, time, and expertise. If you price yourself like one of the big guys, you cannot afford to offer that service, thereHaving been in the print industry since the mid-late 90s, Colin Sinclair McDermott entered the world of self-employment in 2004 and over the years that followed, experienced a number of highs and lows running his own print company, learning what does and doesn’t work. In 2022, he trained with The Business Coaching Academy to become a fully certified corporate coach with the Worldwide Association of Business Coaches. Through The Online Print Coach, industry members can access an online training platform, Print Mastermind and private 1-to-1 coaching with Sinclair McDermott. www.theonlineprintcoach.com 29 www.printmonthly.co.uk Issue 358 - January | February 2026
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