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DMIA's Award-Winning E-Mail Newsletter for Members
Only Open this issue in your browser: http://www.dmia.org/sol_center/enewsletter/05oct21.html *********************************************************************** SPECIAL REPORT - Print Solutions 2005 Conference & Expo Click here to view photos from the show:
Norma Blondin from distributorship ELB Designs Corp., Sunrise, Fla., attended the event for the first time. "It's like a candy store," she said. "All the people and products that we want are here. All printing solutions are here. We're also meeting all the manufacturers that we work with." Show Floor Offers New Ideas, Solutions Many exhibitors featured new technologies. <http://www.repacorp.com> Repacorp Label Products, Tipp City, Ohio, touted high-volume production (up to 500 feet per minute) of radio-frequency identification (RFID) labels and tags. On-demand print services provider <http://www.mimeo.com> Mimeo.com, based in New York City, explained its ExactPrint software that enables users to upload documents to a secure server, customize them (binding, tabs, cover sheets, paper options), then receive them as early as the next morning after they're printed at the firm's production facility in Memphis, Tenn. (The facility is adjacent to the FedEx hub and one of UPS' largest shipping facilities.) <http://www.formstore.com> FormStore® Incorporated, Fenton, Mo., introduced Laser-20, a laser-printable plastic card that can be digitally printed, and announced its purchase of a Kodak Polychrome Graphics DirectPress 5634 DI. The press combines the quality and versatility of offset printing with the convenience of digital automation for the production of short run color printing. "I always find a great deal of value at this show, especially when I'm looking for new products and new ideas from exhibitors," said Kris Bilyeu, CDC, vice president of sales, <http://www.tabco.com> Tabco Business Forms Inc., Terre Haute, Ind. At the event, he focused on strengthening the distributorship's relationships with current vendors and learning about opportunities in the office products market. On the show floor, he stopped at the <http://www.e-quantum.com> e-Quantum booth, Reno, Nev., where he learned that the software and e-commerce provider is integrated with technology from <http://www.orderprinting.com> BCT—Business Cards Tomorrow. "Tabco is a customer of both companies, and I just learned we'll no longer have to manually enter business card orders into our invoicing system," Bilyeu said. "That's huge, because the key to making money on those orders is touching them as little as possible. I'm very excited about this." Tabco sells 25-50 business card orders a day, he said. Ross Barker, CEO of <http://www.e-quantum.com> e-Quantum and DMIA's 1989-90 president, said his company's six booth workers were so busy, they had no chance to rest. "They weren't able to look up and catch their breath until the first day was almost over," he said. Barker expects the show to result in four or five new customers for the company, which has increased sales 30 percent over last year and has grown sales consistently since launching a Windows-based system at DMIA's 1999 expo in Las Vegas. "I'm considering getting a bigger booth for next year's show in Chicago," he said. On the show floor, member companies held sessions on topics such as "Selling Security Products—Perceived Value Vs. Added Value," "Sales Strategies for Increased Revenues and Profits," "All-in-One Response Documents," and more. For a list of Winners' Circle sponsors, <http://www.printsolutionsshow.com/sponsors.cfm> click here. ***********************************************************************
Outgoing DMIA President Jeff Long, director of Atlanta-based Graphic Dimensions Inc., thanked <http://www.dmia.org/about/board.html> Board members, the <http://www.dmia.org/about/foundation.html#board> PERF Board of Trustees, <http://www.dmia.org/about/reg_coords.html> 2005 Regional Directors and Print Solutions 2005 Conference & Expo <http://www.printsolutionsshow.com/2005_sponsors.cfm> sponsors. In his keynote speech, DMIA Executive Vice President Peter Colaianni, CAE, said "it's time that distributors, manufacturers and suppliers go back to selling services." Members should adopt three concepts based on customers, products and services, and ways of selling. First, members should determine the profitability of each customer. Second, members need to offer services coupled with products. "Distributors, manufacturers and suppliers will not be able to make profits by just selling products," he said. Third, members should sell solutions that have a positive effect on customers' profits. Earlier, Mehl and Long honored companies that won Grand Awards at the first 2005 <http://www.printsolutionsmag.com/peak.html> Print Excellence And Knowledge (PEAK) Awards competition sponsored by <http://www.printsolutionsmag.com> Print Solutions magazine. Fifteen of the 29 Grand Award winners went on stage to receive trophies. At the Oct. 18 Opening General Session, Meredith and Gretchen Smith spoke about their grueling physical and mental challenges on the 2-time Emmy-winning reality show "The Amazing Race." Meredith Smith is the former Executive Vice President of DMIA (formerly NBFA). In 1963, Smith became the first full-time staff member of NBFA, and retired in 1991. Meredith (70) and Gretchen (65) were among the 11 couples in the running for the $1 million prize. "It's life-changing," Gretchen said. "It was an extreme adventure and a fantastic education in the art of making reality series. We traveled through seven countries and created a million memories." Members Offer Great Education Team selling, sales management and product-knowledge training from outside consultants, and equipping salespeople with technology tools were three topics discussed during a roundtable meeting moderated by Chris Miget of distributorship <http://www.fri-resources.com> FRI Resources Inc., St. Louis. Attendees at the session also shared insights on customer service strategies and compensation plans. At the second annual Young Presidents' Roundtable, co-chaired by Andrea Pesci-Jones, CEO of manufacturer <http://www.stylecraftprinting.com> Stylecraft Printing, Canton, Mich., and Kevin Landry, president of distributorship <http://www.jrlandry.com> J.R. Landry & Co. Ltd., Braintree, Mass., attendees discussed ways to grow their companies and hire sales representatives, and outsourcing. Barry Hoffman, CEO of Tempe, Ariz.-based distributorship <http://www.bcgraphics.com> BC Graphics, said the session was a great way to learn how other companies approach common challenges. Writing proposals and contracts to secure national accounts is a long, exhaustive process. John Heybach, president of distributorship <http://www.boldbusinessgraphics.com> Bold Business Graphics, Danville, Ill. and COO at <http://www.ibsaonline.com> IBSA, Indianapolis, detailed the steps that distributors go through to work with large companies. "The kind of national accounts we're talking about here have complex printing needs," he said. Before contracting with a national account, he recommends finding out where its offices are located, what it buys, how it buys, how it wants to order from you, how it wants to be invoiced and how it wants to pay. Despite the time-consuming preparation, Heybach said that national accounts offer opportunity for distributors as more companies are become dissatisfied with their current, direct-selling suppliers. Using business process improvement techniques, Steve Visio successfully cemented a relationship with a client. Visio, president of <http://www.executivedatacontrol.com> Executive Data Control, Springfield, Mo., told attendees how he used flow charts to illustrate redundancy and inefficiency in the client's business card ordering process. With Visio's help, the client reduced the number of steps it took to order business cards from 103 to 48. "We went from proposing a solution to working together as a team to improve the system," he said. "It's really easy to duplicate products. It's really easy to duplicate services. But it's very hard to duplicate the relationship I have with this client." Ben Graham, president and CEO of the <http://www.worksimp.com> Ben Graham Corporation, Tipp City, Ohio, shared the concepts of work simplification that Visio drew upon. To document a process, it's important to speak with as many people involved in the process as possible, Graham said. 14 Complete In-Residence Program Fourteen students successfully completed DMIA's 3-day Business Printing Curriculum program. The in-residence program consists of online and onsite training including conference sessions and the full experience of the expo. (For more information about the association's education offerings, visit <http://www.printuniversity.org> www.printuniversity.org.)
Most Helpful Staff Outstanding Design Best Use of Technology Most Creative Best Overall Booth Best Implementation of Show Theme
1. Flashlights; gift boxed and gift wrapped; QTY=100 If you have a source request—for anything—call the Hotline at (800) 333-2828 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Eastern Time, or use the <http://64.115.51.134/index.htm> Source Hotline Database online. For new sales ideas every day, try our <http://www.dmia.org/dmiasearch/am_pm/search/index.cfm> 1,000 Sales Ideas Database. Manufacturers, if you produce any of these items and would like to check your listing with the Source Hotline, please email <mailto:crush@dmia.org> Cheryl Rush.
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