From the Editor: Asking the Right Questions

As a journalist, a key requirement for success in your career is to ask questions. In my first year at Ohio University’s Scripps School of Journalism, we learned the basic rule of interviewing: Always ask an open-ended question. If an interview transcript is filled with “yes,” “no,” and “I don’t know,” you’ve wasted everyone’s time, and you don’t have a story.

In February, the Big Picture editorial team visited KDM P.O.P. here in Cincinnati for a shop tour. Bob Kissel, president/CEO, began our meeting by making sure we felt comfortable enough to ask questions. Our team looked at each other and smiled. Our list of prepared (and open-ended) questions had already doubled upon setting foot inside the print shop.

Without questions, we can’t find the answers that can enlighten, bring in new business, create success, and drive profits.

Last year, I asked Sino Tour, vinyl wrap king to the stars – gigs include Lady Gaga’s halftime show at this year’s Super Bowl and Ariana Grande’s 2017 world tour – to take on a new venture: covering our revamped vinyl wraps column. (You may remember him from our “Business Pro: How I Got the Job” piece in our August issue.) In his first column, Tour asks: What are the best ways to attract new customers? What are the most exciting applications to offer to keep them coming back for more?

You’ll find more questions posed throughout this issue. How can you help your retail customers get buyers off their smartphones and laptops and into stores? How do trending applications for 2017 affect the type of ink you purchase for your wide-format machines? How can you use actionable data to drive ROI when suggesting dynamic signage to your clients?

We’ll always be asking questions and, in turn, providing answers. We’re digging for insights from industry leaders and experts, on tradeshow floors and at consumer events, and inside the latest market analysis, but it’s up to you to determine which answers fit with your shop’s goals. And, it’s an even bigger job for you to continue to ask the questions.

Read more from Big Picture Editor-in-Chief Adrienne Palmer.