New-found freedom

After celebrating the 4th of July last week (ok, all weekend actually), it got me thinking about different types of freedom. I'm constantly looking for ways to free up time in my day to do more selling instead of just servicing accounts (although servicing comes with the territory) and to make time for fun and exercise. If you do the same thing, then we need to talk. Seriously. BPI Media Group's storefront solution offers an automated way for people on your team/staff to order collateral and stationery, so someone on the marketing team or office manager can be freed up to do more important tasks. Here are the highlights of BPI's storefront solution, so check it out and let me know if you'd like to see a demo. Better yet, we'll be having an online demo July 24th, so if you're interested, I can sign you up for that.

Ways BPI's Storefront Can Free Up Your Day

• Provides corporate control of branding in regional markets
• Improve the effectiveness of your sales materials via localization or personalization
• Employs standard eCommerce "Shopping Cart" interface to eliminate learning curve for online users
• Customizable to suit your corporate design scheme (colors, logo, etc)
• Define and manage your shipping destinations
• Automated email alerts to confirm order placement and shipping
• Optional fulfillment integration available
• Enhanced Reporting
• Confirm and track orders
• Query order activity by year, month, or date
• Online approval system for management control of product
• Minimize - or eliminate - storage and waste cost

I'd love to share with you how this solution has helped other customers free up their days and free up their storage closets by utilizing print on demand!

Until next time...Elizabeth

Open Door Policy

I was reminded today why we shouldn't burn bridges and that leaving the door open can be the best policy. A customer who had worked with BPI Media Group for several years on the printing and mailing called today out of the blue. Does that happen often? No, but because of the strength and longevity of our working relationship, this customer knew they could dial me up, and we would be glad to help on a new project.

Whether you're a long-time, loyal customer to BPI or a prospect who's reluctant to check us out, we literally do have an open door policy. We want you to come check us out. We invite you to tour our plant, see our production work flow and meet the folks who will make your project go from inception and design to ink on paper or in mailboxes.

BPI loves visitors! We'd love to have you press check your next project, so we can show you the steps it takes from proof to press. We invite you to plan to visit us soon to learn more about ways we can help you with everything from simply printing a postcard to managing fulfillment through our web-to-print storefront system. You won't be disappointed, and the folks you meet at BPI who work hard for you would be thrilled to see you too!

Until next time...Elizabeth

Who's Your Ideal Prospect?

One of the things we as a sales team at BPI Media Group have been focusing on lately is defining our ideal prospect/customer. We started with a pen and paper and made a list of the top characteristics we look for in an ideal customer. Think of this as searching for a mate--what qualities does this person possess? Since this is something I get asked often at networking events, "Describe your ideal customer," I am grateful to have clear and concise answers to this question next time it is posed.

Once we defined the characteristics of our ideal prospect/customer, the next step was putting together a plan to reach them. It didn't dawn on me at first, but this is very much like courting. You have to make that initial contact and let them know you're interested and what you have to offer. For BPI, we can offer solutions. These solutions range from making a tight deadline on a direct mail campaign to providing an online portal where team members can order template-based collateral. Defining our solutions and how they relate to each individual ideal prospect has helped us get more meetings which we are optimistic will equate to new customers and increased sales.

Do you need help defining your ideal prospect and how to reach them? Let BPI help! We'd love to sit down with you and put these characteristics on paper and help develop a plan to reach them through integrated marketing, assessing your current data, creating a multi-drop mail campaign or creating fresh collateral with which you can contact them. Let's work together to reach our ideal prospects and turn them into long-term customers.

Until next time...Elizabeth

Are You Ready?

As I got ready for a run this morning, I was reminded how prepared you have to be each time you head out the door. Since I was getting up early, I even laid out my running gear last night, so I could quickly get ready and be on my way without delay. Shoes: check. Running attire: check. Hat: check. Windbreaker: check. iPhone case for arm: check. Water: check. Running buddy: check. Even though I use the same type of gear every time I run, there have been improvements in gear, shoes, and even technology with all the super-cool running apps out there to track your run with maps, time, calories, etc.

As a marketer, are you ready to help your company grow its sales? BPI Media Group has the "gear" to help you get out the door and capture those sales. If you need the help of a "buddy," BPI would gladly help. We can help you choose the gear that you need whether it's deciding if print on demand with digital printing could help you save cost and provide an efficient solution for your distribution channels or aid in creating design or even just templates for personalized options. Our technology with Kodak Insite proofing system can help you shave time off your production schedule, and our cross media campaigns (including purls, sms text, email, direct mail and QR codes) can help you track the results of your campaign in real time.

So as you plan your next marketing campaign, let us help you with get prepared. Working together, we can help you have a better campaign or project to execute and assist your company in boosting sales.

Until next time...Elizabeth

What Can a Storefront Do for Me?

A prospective customer asked me this question yesterday during a meeting, and instead of giving a canned response of all the features and benefits, I told him it could help him have more time to spend with his kids (after observing numerous photos on his desk and wall of his family). He kind of looked at me funny, but after a little explanation, he shook my hand and is taking it under serious consideration.

Let me explain...BPI Media Group's storefront solution's #1 benefit is how much time it can save users. This time saved not only spares employers additional labor expense, but it also takes a degree of stress off the shoulders of marketers because they have a measurable means of managing their collateral, stationery and other print and promotional materials used by their company.

Aside from being a time and stress reducer, BPI's storefront solution also offers a way for marketers to view order history, utilize print on demand, variable data/personalization and even dimensional coating. All of these bonuses wouldn't be cost effective through a standard order, but through an automated storefront, they're simple add-ons that yield big bonuses for collateral.

Whether you're needing more time with your kids and family, more time to exercise, or just more time to focus on other work tasks, a storefront can help free up time for your marketing team to do these things. And as we all know, having more time to do the things you need and want to do, makes for happier people.

Until next time...Elizabeth

See How Easy It Can Be!

This week, I'd like to share another example of how BPI Media Group's storefront solution has helped another customer. Last week, I told you about an educational customer, but this time I'm writing about a heavy equipment manufacturer.

History: This manufacturer of heavy equipment has 12 divisions with not only a nationwide but a worldwide presence. They have over 120 items each with individual sku #s, and this number is constantly growing.

Problems:With so many sku #'s for print material alone, inventory management of these materials was out of control. There are also over 400 users, so with that many people ordering, there was no procedure for order history or to know which division or department was ordering which materials, how often and how many. Having materials printed in six languages also presented a challenge, but with sku# assignment and management, this process was streamlined.

Solutions: BPI's storefront solution provided a way to track order history, set up a dealer log in (present on their website) with a single sign-on that captured their log in from the company website and allowed them to view the items, order either print on demand or from pre-printed inventory, and have a means of maintaining inventory control levels of every item. All 12 divisions of the company have their own stationery items branded to their location, so each location can now only see their location's stationery and only have access to order that. This eliminated the possibility of someone mistakenly ordering the wrong thing, which had been an issue in the past. BPI suggested packaging materials in packs of 25, so this made pick and packing easier and also makes inventory management easier as well since counting packs rather than individual pieces is much quicker and more efficient.

Results: Sku #'s are better managed, inventory levels are maintained and flagged when "getting low" for pre-printed materials, and a transition is being made to move all items to print on demand to keep any materials from being outdated or obsolete. This hybrid storefront (some pre-printed and some print on demand) was a great solution for them to utilize their existing inventory of print materials. With administrative controls and an approval process in place for business card orders, management feels as though the print budget is being better utilized and this has alleviated a lot of stress surrounding their print order.

One additional benefit this customer has taken advantage of is dimensional coating on their print on demand pieces. Dimensional coating adds a texture to the printed piece that is unique to the image. While it isn't right for all customers, it was a nice add on for this customer and has been a huge success for their trade show marketing pieces to help them stand out and have better conversations with customers and prospects who are intrigued by the "feel" of their pieces. If you'd like more information on how easy a storefront can be for you to use and manage your print materials, drop me a note here, and I'll look forward to talking with you!

Until next time...Elizabeth