Beyond the Status Quo

Change. It's inevitably hated, yet inevitable. When faced with change in our work or personal lives, do you panic or dive in and find a solution? While I've always been a doer (hence the reason I have already packed for my move next week!!), but sometimes resistance to change requires going beyond the status quo. We get comfortable with the way we buy, the way we use our gadgets and the places we go. Complacency sometimes needs to be reexamined and here's why.

What if the change in the way you buy or order print collateral could save tons of time (hot commodity these days), provide complete order history and track the status of your project from start to finish? Where do I sign up, right?

If there are pieces of collateral or stationery that you order repeatedly or if you need to offer a means of ordering these items to your distributors or sales team, then we need to talk. Tell me about how you presently order, and then we can propose a solution that will change how your company can order and make it easier, faster and provide transactional data through reporting.

So, if the status quo of placing an order via fax, email or phone is taking up too much of your time, BPI Media Group's storefront solution could be the welcome change you've been missing. Over the next few weeks, I'll share stories of how BPI has implemented a storefront to help customers better manage their collateral and how each customer's saved time and money out of their print budget. For a preview of how our storefront solution works, you can view this pdf demo but better yet, we could go over this together and see how it pertains to your company.

Until next time...Elizabeth

Find Your Customers

Part of what we at BPI Media Group do is help our customers to find their customers. How do we do that? There are a number of ways we can help you identify your top prospects and potential customers, but the most comprehensive way to isolate these folks is by using data analytics. Data what???

Together, with our customers, our team discusses who the target actually is for your product/service. We run data metrics against your current customer list to find key qualifiers. These reports break out the prospects into categories and subcategories, so you can see the segments to whom you need to be marketing. The reports we can provide to you are very thorough and offer a wealth of insight into subsets of potential customers that you may not have even realized were prospects before.

Once these groups of potential customers are identified, we can help you narrow down what size of a campaign you'd like to do (local, regional, national, etc) and what type of campaign you'd like to do based on who the prospects's demographics. For example, if the prospects are 16-25, you'd most likely want to reach out to them incorporating online and social media channels, but if the prospects are 65+, direct mail may be the better option for reaching them. Regardless, we can help you version the pieces to better speak to the recipients and use the proper channels based on their age, lifestyle, buying patterns, etc.

If you'd like to know more about how BPI can help you with your marketing plan and identifying qualified prospects, feel free to reach out to me. We'd love to help you find your next customers!

Until next time...Elizabeth

Get Connected

Over the past 2-3 months, I have been doing more networking than I've ever done in my life. I was pretty skeptical of all the events and functions and how they could help me grow sales and help my business. I couldn't have been more wrong!

After I got over my initial case of nerves to stand up and introduce myself and BPI Media Group in front of a room full of strangers (i.e., prospects!!), it has become second nature to share who I am and what BPI can do. These networking events have opened doors for me to have more meetings, more quotes and more opportunities that I would not have had otherwise.

It isn't just the "live and in person" networking that is helping either. It is social media networking. LinkedIn and Twitter have expanded my professional network and helped me have a means to reach out to some of these prospects. Having a good online presence through your website and/or your social media accounts is just an extension of me, so it is critical that our website be clear and concise and my social media accounts be up to date and informative.

Are your company and sales team using networking, both traditional and social media, to make new connections and grow sales? Consider having an open house or hosting an event yourself to generate some buzz and activity. Promotional items and giveaways are great leave behinds and reminders of your company. If you need some guidance in how to get your website social media savvy and set up accounts on social media, drop me a note. I would love to help you with this, so you can get connected and stay ahead of the game. If you need a little proof in numbers on the power of social media, check out today's Sales Playbook post. WOW!

Until next time...Elizabeth

Full Steam Ahead!

The summer holidays are over, and it is clear that everyone is back to work this week. After a S-L-O-W week last week, presses and other equipment at BPI Media Group are running non-stop. That is a great thing for us! When the plant is buzzing and everyone is busy, we are all more productive. We don't have time to stop and think, we just do.

Much like a crew on ship, our team works together to make each project run smoothly and to meet our customers' deadlines. To make sure that this happens, here's what each of us are doing to keep running full steam ahead.

• Sales Team: We keep making calls (despite the rejections and voice mails), making appointments with prospects and customers and closing the deal to make sure the busy season rolls from summer to fall to winter and on into next year. (We welcome two new sales team members, Ann & Colby, as they join us with marketing experience that will help them have an insight into what marketers look for in a print production partner. Welcome to the BPI sales team!)
• Customer Service: This fantastic team is quite possibly the busiest of all at BPI. They churn out quotes quickly while searching out the most efficient ways to produce each project, enter order details and manage each project throughout the plant until it is out the door.
• Creative Team: This department spends countless hours generating ideas for both print and web design for our customers who trust us with the "look" of their sites and projects. Attention to details is an understatement and one of the strongest assets they possess as they create ideas to make your company look great.
• Prepress: Troubleshooting files and outputting proofs are day-to-day tasks for this team, but they also work closely with customers service and sales team members to communicate ways to help customers prep files to help projects flow smoothly during the proofing process, especially utilizing our Insite proofing system.
• Pressroom: These guys are highly skilled and pay careful attention to each job as it is being printed. Set ups to ensure press sheets match proofs, color calibration and constant checks throughout the run make each project top notch as it comes off our presses (both offset and digital).
• Bindery: This crew works on a variety of equipment to fold, trim, collate, bind, drill and/or shrinkwrap each project to your specifications. While doing so, they carefully monitor for quality to make sure everything is finished properly.
• Mail & Fulfillment: This department is diligent in every aspect to make certain that not only the best postage rates are utilized, but they also prep and package each fulfillment order carefully checking off items that are picked and packed.
• Shipping/Delivery: The last but certainly not least step for projects is handled with care as packages are either shipped to customers or delivered on our trucks by drivers who are professional and courteous when they knock on your door to deliver your project.

Each of these departments work hand in hand with one another to make sure that projects flow smoothly through the plant. You can rest assured that when you hand over an order to BPI, it will be managed from start to finish by your sales and customer service reps as we check on the status in each of these departments. Or course, none of this would run as smoothly as it does if it weren't for great captains of our ship steering us all in the right direction toward success for both ourselves and for our customers. If you haven't been in a print shop, or if it's been a while and haven't seen our updated workflow and equipment, we invite you to do a plant tour any time. Visit our website for directions to Boaz, and we hope to see you soon!

Until next time...Elizabeth

A New Start

As we celebrate our country's independence on July 4th, I was thinking about new starts. Ever wonder what our founding fathers were doing on July 4th, 1776 as they started a new country? I know, I know...we're all sick of hearing about the government, change and all things political, but we're halfway through the year and in the midst of a heat wave here in the South. Reflecting on where we are now vs 6 months or a year ago is amazing--much less to think back 236 years. Think back to 1776 and how much has changed since then! WOW! A new start, and a big step for me personally and professionally with BPI Media Group, was to start blogging almost a year ago. I thought now would be a great time to freshen up the look of the blog, so let me know what you think about the new look.

It has been a year of changes for me. It started in January when I cut off my long locks (and donated them through Pantene's Beautiful Lengths program), added a new territory in the upstate of South Carolina, and met many new prospects and converted a few of them to customers. All of these changes have been an exciting catalyst to get me excited about sales again.

As we take pause to celebrate our independence, summer and spend time with our friends and families, join me in making goals for the rest of 2012. What are your goals? Your company's goals? A goal of mine is to not only reach but to exceed my goal in sales, so I can earn an ipad and start blogging anytime & anywhere!

Wish you a Happy, Healthy & Safe 4th of July!