As part of its commitment to providing customers with everything they need to stay ahead of the changing industry, the Antalis Academy no longer provides just training and support in relation to digital print products, techniques and solutions – but also wider, vital business skills.
Since the beginning of the year, this has seen a total of 30 delegates attend courses on everything from ‘Realistic Sales Planning’ and ‘Essentials of Selling’ through to ‘Making Telephone Appointments’ and ‘Successful Social Media for Print Sales People’. The business also welcomed over 70 participants to its inaugural Antalis Academy webinar last month which focused on ‘Three Practical Strategies to Increase Your Print Sales This Year’.
Giles Bristow, digital support manager at the Antalis Academy, said: “In these changing times, a thirst for knowledge and a desire to learn new skills are key to developing and diversifying businesses and organisations. But it’s not just about keeping on top of new technology and innovation; it’s just as important to continue to enhance your overall business approach.
“Inherently though, it has been challenging for our customers to find training workshops and tutors who not only know their chosen business-related subject but also understand the industry and markets that printers operate in. As such, we have purposely expanded our Academy to fulfil this growing need by introducing of a range of business courses in conjunction with the IPIA.”
Each business course is delivered by one of two genuine industry expert tutors; Matthew Parker and Julie Biddle. Matthew is the founding director of Profitable Print Relationships; a market-leading training consultancy that shows print companies the buyer’s view, prior to which he headed up print purchasing at Future Publishing, one of the UK’s leading consumer magazine publishers, and was a print specialist at various companies. Meanwhile, expert motivational sales trainer, Julie Biddle has been delivering training for many IPIA member companies for over 12 years through her training solutions company, Julie Biddle Associates.
Giles adds: “While we anticipated a strong appetite for these types of courses, the response so far has exceeded all expectations – with many customers saying they have come away feeling inspired and reenergised about the future of their business.
“What’s great is that our course providers have worked in our industry, so have a real understanding and empathy as to the challenges that today’s printers face. We’d urge as many customers as possible to sign up to our next suite of courses – we believe the coaching will really make a difference to their business and, in turn, bottom line.”
