Hello,
Thank you for giving us a few minutes of your busy schedule to read this issue of SiteBuilder! It will be worth the time, as there is a special offer from our friends at Design Tools Monthly you won’t want to miss. Please read on!
In this issue…
- The Economy: Good News!
- Spring Arrives in Fargo, North Dakota
- Free Gift from Design Tools Monthly
Let’s dig in…
The Economy: Good News!
It seems that you can’t go more than a few minutes these days without hearing some gloom-and-doom reports of the economic condition we’re experiencing at the present time. What do you call it? A recession? An economic downturn? Something else? It really doesn’t matter what you call it. What matters is your attitude, and how you approach it.
Personally, I don’t believe we’re in nearly as much trouble as the media would lead us to believe. To borrow a quote from Zig Ziglar, “The media has correctly predicted 36 of the last 2 recessions.” Now I’m aware that everyone experiences their own unique market dynamics and economic fluctuations. With that in mind I’d like to share an observation which may seem obvious … but may be just what you need about now.
DISCLAIMER: What you’re about to read may sound like a blatant “sales pitch.” Just like you, we’re in business to make money; here at WebsitesForPrinters.com our goal is to sell our product. But what you are about to read is so much bigger than a transparent sales pitch. Our primary goal is to help you create success, so with that in mind I respectfully submit this observation.
It doesn’t matter if you or I think we’re in a recession or a downturn. The media is coaching everyone to believe that we are in an economic climate in which it is necessary for everyone to tighten their belts. Your customers are hearing that message, and their printing and marketing budget may be tightening. The amount of dollars available to be spent on printing and marketing may be shrinking. So what are you doing to help ensure you’re able to claim your share of available dollars? If you’re cutting back on areas where you have an opportunity to make contact with your customers and prospects, you’re doing the wrong thing. If you’re cutting back on areas where you are able to make it easier for your customers and prospects to order printing, you’re doing the wrong thing.
Remember that your competitors are after the same pool of printing dollars that you are. Remember that because of the perceived economic climate, print buyers are more closely watching how their printing dollars are being spent. So what are you doing to connect with your customers and prospects? What are you doing to set yourself apart from the others competing for the same printing dollars?
Clients of WebsitesForPrinters.com understand this. A significant number of our clients are implementing the tools we provide to both make contact with customers and prospects, and make it easier for customers and prospects to order printing. Here are a few examples:
Photos of staff in e-mails — The Internet is often a sterile place in which to do business. Personalize the experience by including a photo in every e-mail your customers receive from your website.
Jaws PDF Courier with Integrated Preflighting — This powerful tool makes it so easy for your customers to create print-ready PDF files, and the integrated PitStop Preflighting helps ensure that what they send is truly printable.
uDesignIT! — Another great tool allowing your customers to easily create their own template-based documents, resulting in a streamlined workflow for you.
Instant Online Pricing — Do you want to show your customers and prospects how the options they choose affect the final price of their order? Instant Online Pricing can do that!
Printer@Work — This is one of my favorites! This e-mail newsletter is powerful in the way it allows printers to connect with their prospects and customers. It’s so easy to set up and use, and the return on the small investment of time is tremendous!!!
Customer Portals — The instant your prospect does business on your website, a Customer Portal is automatically created for them, allowing them to easily view all their order history.
Document Library — This is a great system which allows your customers to easily order their most commonly ordered printed forms. It’s like you’re providing them with their own digital office assistant!
Send a File — This tool is a workhorse! When your customers use the Send a File tool included with each website we build, they’ll be able to effortlessly send the largest of files to you. We’ve seen files over 2 Gigabytes transfer without a hitch! Every time the gas price goes up this tool becomes worth more and more to your customers!
Is your website able to do all this? It needs to, if you’re interested in keeping your share of the money that will be spent on printing. To explore in detail how these tools can help you build sales, visit this supplemental page.
Thank you for allowing me to submit my observations for your consideration. I sincerely hope I’ve inspired some thoughts for you to consider (or reassured you that your current practices are following the right approach).
Spring Arrives in Fargo, North Dakota
The calendar has been saying “Spring” for a while now, but here in Fargo, North Dakota, spring starts when the last snowbank melts away, and as of last weekend we can now say spring is here! The snowbank in our parking lot is finally gone! We’re sneaking up to the end of April and there’s still snow in the forecast! At least we know it won’t stay long if it comes again this time.
Here’s a picture of Mike Stevens, owner of WebsitesForPrinters.com, showing how much snow we had to work through this winter. It was fun bringing this photo with us to Miami Beach, Florida when we exhibited at the Graphics of the Americas exposition. The people we visited with just couldn’t believe that we’d willingly leave all that snow behind!
Free Gift from Design Tools Monthly
It’s hard to believe that it’s already been over six weeks since the Graphics of the Americas exposition wrapped up in Miami Beach. The biggest reason we go to shows like Graphics of the Americas is, of course, to visit with WebsitesForPrinters.com customers and prospects. Additionally, we have found so much value in connecting with other industry notables and professionals. One of our most enjoyable visits was with Barry Meinerth, recipient of the Graphic Arts Leaders of the Americas (GALA) award for 2008.
Barry Meinerth, Senior Vice President of Production and Fulfillment at Time, Inc.
with Karla Pierskalla (Ink Inc.) and Dave Hultin (WebsitesForPrinters.com)
In addition to Mr. Meinerth, we enjoyed the time spent with another real winner in Miami Beach, and you will benefit from this connection, too! Jay J. Nelson is the editor of Design Tools Monthly, an incredibly valuable resource for anyone needing to keep up to date with graphic design news, hardware and software updates, font news, and more. There simply isn’t enought space here to tell you how much valuable information is packed into Jay’s newsletter. Please do yourself a favor and visit www.Design-Tools.com to learn more about the Design Tools Monthly newsletter and “software closet.”
Dave Hultin, Andy Bronson (WebsitesForPrinters.com Customer Service), Karla Pierskalla,
Design Tools Monthly Editor Jay J. Nelson, and Author / Industry Consultant Hal Hinderliter
Good news! Jay has been kind enough to offer three free issues of Design Tools Monthly to all WebsitesForPrinters.com clients and SiteBuilder readers. It’s easy — all you need to do is contact WebsitesForPrinters.com at 800-736-0688 for further information. This offer is valid through May 31, 2008.
More good news! Convert your WebsitesForPrinters.com demo website into a 60-Day Live Trial website and become a client of WebsitesForPrinters.com by August 31, 2008, and WebsitesForPrinters.com will provide you with a complimentary one-year subscription (a $229 value) to Design Tools Monthly. Get started by requesting your no-obligation demo website on this page.
Even more good news! Existing WebsitesForPrinters.com clients will also receive a complimentary one-year subscription to Design Tools Monthly (a $229 value) with the addition of any website add-on (Jaws PDF Courier, uDesignIT!, Instant Online Pricing). This offer is valid through August 31, 2008.
Thanks for reading this issue of Sitebuilder. We trust that you have found encouragement in our view of the economic climate, and value in the special offer presented by our friends at Design Tools Monthly.
Until next time,
Happy Printing!
–
Dave Hultin, Manager
dave@InkIncOnline.com
www.WebsitesForPrinters.com
800-736-0688 x 130
SUBSCRIBING TO SITEBUILDER: Send a blank e-mail to sitebuilder-subscribe@lists.websitesforprinters.com
