15 Tips for Global Sourcing
14. Communicate, communicate and communicate!
Clark, who has worked globally for more than 25 years, stresses the importance of communicating to ensure successful partnerships. “Talk through prepress, what materials are needed or available, schedules, terms, customs and delivery issues, copyright issues (especially on CDs), binding styles and materials—and ask for ideas or if there could be problems.”
15. Stay in close contact.
Can you work within the constraints of the printer’s time zone? Arrange regular conference calls and account reviews that mesh with everyone’s schedule.
Also, keep in mind that when outsourcing projects overseas, silence at the other end is not golden. “Silence usually means something has gone wrong,” says Morris.
Cheryl Dangel Cullen, president of Cullen Communications Inc., is a writer and author of 15 books on marketing, printing and graphic design. She’s a contributing writer to scores of trade and consumer publications. Visit her Web site at www.CullenCommunications.com.
