PMA February 2010 : Page 25PMA 2010 all have access to now and because of the information explosion. The fourth, and most obvious, is a satisfied need no longer motivates. In other words, expectations continue to rise. What is good enough today is never good enough tomorrow. If you bring that together with compression, accountability, and transparency – and there are obviously numerous subtrends that sit below that, you now have some understanding as a business leader of how to answer that first question: Where are you going to find new value? That question can’t be answered based on what the world looks like today. You need to answer that based on what you think the world might look like tomorrow. PMA: Please explain how the concept of being fast, good, and cheap needs to be flipped. Sheahan: If you look at the evolution of competitive strategy, it began with the idea you either have to be really fast, or really good, or really cheap. You only had to pick one. About 30 years ago, people began saying no; you really need to be fast and good. If you’re fast and good, you can be expensive, or you can be fast and cheap; but the market perception will be your quality must be terrible. You can be good and cheap; but then you’re no longer a priority. In other words, we had a belief if it was fast, good, cheap: pick two. Customers would trade off between these three criteria. What I am putting forth in “Flip” is it is actually fast, good, cheap: pick three – and that is merely competitive necessity. The four forces of change have created a situation where the market wants really well-priced products – which doesn’t mean cheap, but rather high perceived value. They want it quickly, and they want quality. That’s just the price of entry. That’s not what gives you a point of difference. That’s not what actually makes you stand out in the marketplace. More on the DIMAcast There’s much more to this interview with Peter Sheahan. Hear it all by listening to the DIMAcast, available now at www.dimacast.com. There is a fourth dimension that has you stand out in the market- place; now, it’s fast, good, cheap, easy: pick four. Bear in mind, in about 3 years to 5 years, there will actually be a fifth dimension that gives you competitive advantage. It will be fast, good, cheap, easy: pick four; and your point of difference will come again from a fifth, intangible source, which is what helps you stand out from the crowd. It’s the internal narrative you create in the buyer’s mind about why they should do business with you. PMA: At PMA 2010, you’re going to interview industry leaders about the issues facing imaging today. Why are you using that interview format, and what do you hope to accomplish during the session? Sheahan: My belief is there’s more expertise in your industry than a speaker like me could ever come and deliver in an hour from the stage. Sometimes the best way is to learn from each other – we just need the environment to allow that discussion. I have twice presented at PMA events in other parts of the world; and the most recent time, I delivered a keynote and facilitated two panels. Yes, people loved my keynote, I got a nice clap, and it rated very highly; but what the business owners found most valuable was hearing from their own industry leaders and from case studies. So, rather than having me pretend I’m an expert in your industry – which I am not – I’d rather facilitate a conversation with people who are. I think it’s a valuable experience. I have been engaged by PMA to make sure it’s an energetic panel that goes in the right direction. n PHOTO BOOKS MADE SIMPLE! FotoKnudsen AS is the largest photo company in Norway with million and 230 employees. They operate in three channels: retail (over 30 stores) and the internet. Great success has been achieved in marketing and sales with their latest product, the photo book. volume of photo books because of the great flexibility, efficiency and quality of their equipment. ODM has been a valuable resource and partner for us in building and establishing a highly successful top quality production line for on-demand photo books. I highly recommend ODM’s casemaking equipment to anyone looking for an efficient solution for producing high quality photo books. “ Contact ODM and learn about our line of bookbinding equipment. Ronny Kvalvaagnes, FotoKnudsen AS, CTO Bergen, Norway ” ON DEMAND MACHINERY PMA l ANAHEIM l BOOTH 1132 150 Broadway l Elizabeth, NJ 07206 l Tel: 908-351-6906 l Fax: 908-351-7156 lwww.ODMachinery.com PMA — February 2010 — www.pmai.org 25 We chose ODM as our supplier for cover making and binding of our growing On Demand Machinery |
