Training Newbies

[prepress_goddess]

Another name change? What gives?

Yes i'm payed by the hour but how does that equate to the bottom line?


If I have job that needs to go to press that is going to invoice at say $10 grand, how am I supposed to stop that job and spend HOURS at NO CHARGE to train a client how to set up a $200 business card order.

Doesn't make sense in my book, and after presenting this to the GM and Owner, doesn't make sense in their's either.

8O

seems to me this is why much of the mass commercial work is going to India

[chris_r]

if your GM and owner agree with you, then where is the problem? why dont they just nip it in the bud, make a company-wide policy stating that from this point forward all training is at such and such a price per hour, no free training whatsoever?

it seems to me that if a company did that, started charging for everything, that is when a customer would start looking to india. these days this business is so competetive, profit margins are so slim, that everyone is doing more than they otherwise would for "free", just to keep the presses running.

im not saying it is right or wrong, im just saying that nobody wants to go to a customer and say "from now on we are jacking up our prices because we spend to much time helping you out" because they will find someone who will help them out for less.

cr

[gnubler]

Have you guys seen the level of work that's coming out of India? I wouldn't worry so much.

I spend a fair amount of time on web development forums and have even posted ads looking for programmers for web projects...I get bombarded with dudes from India who submit samples of their work and it is CRAP CRAP CRAP. I even came across an Indian "web designer" who promotes Microsoft Word to design web pages (if any of you are into web dev, then you're probably chuckling).

I can't imagine print design projects being much better.

[prepress_goddess]

Originally Posted by chris_r

if your GM and owner agree with you, then where is the problem? why dont they just nip it in the bud, make a company-wide policy stating that from this point forward all training is at such and such a price per hour, no free training whatsoever?

it seems to me that if a company did that, started charging for everything, that is when a customer would start looking to india. these days this business is so competetive, profit margins are so slim, that everyone is doing more than they otherwise would for "free", just to keep the presses running.

im not saying it is right or wrong, im just saying that nobody wants to go to a customer and say "from now on we are jacking up our prices because we spend to much time helping you out" because they will find someone who will help them out for less.

cr

that's just it - keep the presses running! If the presses aren't running, we aren't making money! time spent training people that should be going to school rather than on prepress is money lost.

That's how i presented to the GM and Owner. And as stated above, they agreed. I affects the company's bottom line. If we're slow, then so be it. If not, teaching HAS to take a back seat.

And we're not jacking up our prices, simply recouping money spent otherwise on LEGITIMATE prepress operations.

[JoePixel]

Originally Posted by prepress_goddess

I've had MANY paying customers tell me they've learned more in 30 minutes than in all the time reading the manuals to the software.

Same thing here, but we charge for it - $150/hour.

I had a client ask me how to make a 4 color logo into a 6 color logo in Photoshop. I told her that I can do it for $75 (half hour) or I can teach her for $100 (40 minutes). She opted for the $100 lesson and I gave her printouts and cheat sheets and she was very happy.

We don't teach many clients, and I do help them out as much as possible (because good files from a client help me out also), but I don't go overboard. If they want me to teach them how to use a program I won't say that I won't do it, but it will become a low priority and I'd push it off as long as possible. Sure you may lose the client, but that's not a client you want to keep anyways.

I also do some sidework. If the client doesn't want to pay the corporate fees, I can go to their workplace and consult and teach for a cheaper fee, but then I make the prices and schedule in my own time.

[hotmetal]

I don't mind training, I always learn something back from them. And when they smile and thank me, I get all warm and tingly. At the very least, I get another stupid designer story to post.

On the other hand, a few months ago our preflight person, extremely experienced, she came from the design side many years ago but has the prepress side nailed down really dang good, a few months ago management gave her the new "upstairs" person - to train as a preflight substitute for when she's out. Ok, I've been pushing for this for years, both as a fill-in and to provide backup when the shit is flowing rapidly downhill in our direction. Silly me.

This trainee had never touched Quark or anything Adobe, let alone a Mac itself. She could surf the web a little and log into her email, maybe even write a poorly worded and spelled memo in Word, but she had no background in either art or printing.

And this is how management views what we do.

[JoePixel]

Originally Posted by hotmetal

This trainee had never touched Quark or anything Adobe, let alone a Mac itself. She could surf the web a little and log into her email, maybe even write a poorly worded and spelled memo in Word, but she had no background in either art or printing.

And this is how management views what we do.

I've done that type of training also. You have to start with basic computer skills, folders, navigation and terminology.

But, I was once there also and had to learn all of that from someone. If you get the right person then it can be fun working with them and watching them learn. I would rather take a good employee who is smart and teach them from the beginning rather than take a moron who has some computer skills but no ability to learn.

[mrcmosx]

[quote="JoePixel"]

Originally Posted by hotmetal

I would rather take a good employee who is smart and teach them from the beginning rather than take a moron who has some computer skills but no ability to learn.

I strongly agree with you on this one. I do the training for new employees, and I rather deal with a person with no experience but smart. They are more eager to learn, write down notes, and always follow procedure. Then you haved the moron who has the computer skills and refuses to learn.. I rather take a newbie then someone who claims to know it all and never takes notes, and messes up on the live jobs...

[mrcmosx]

[born2print]

I feel for you Goddess, but remember;
your skills and flexability and can-do attitude are what make you invaluable to the company. Remember that the world is NOT fair. Hang in there, week's almost over