Gary Chmielewski from Northern Ohio Printing provided this great testimonial at Graph Expo 2008, explaining how WebsitesForPrinters.com helped the amount of online business grow 30% in just the first year of using a website from WebsitesForPrinters.com!
Gary is a very smart owner and marketer, WebsitesForPrinters.com is proud to be able to provide his website!
If a picture is worth a thousand words, this “motion picture” is priceless!
Apparently that is the chant being issued by the PrinterPresence staff on the floor of Graph Expo. We overheard a prospect mention that very phrase while holding a PrinterPresence brochure in his hands. I would counter that you don’t get what you pay for with Printer Presence. If they can’t compete on the objective merits of the product then they must resort to competing on subjective items as implied by the “You get what you pay for” comments.
Considering that WebsitesForPrinters.com provides a better product for less money, I’d say that claim is on very shaky ground. Consider this: WebsitesForPrinters.com has sent out over 200 issues of the e-mail newsletter Printer@Work on behalf of our clients. It’s a powerful tool that allows printers to connect with their customers; it’s included with each website at no additional charge. We provide the content, the printer doesn’t have to do a thing … it just works!
Contrast that to the product offered by PrinterPresence … it seems their e-mail tool costs extra and doesn’t include content. That means more work for printers to create content. (edited)
There’s more … but I’d rather rest up for the last big day of Graph Expo. Many more people to meet and more shoulders to rub!!!
WebsitesForPrinters.com is demonstrating three significant enhancements to its product lineup this year at Graph Expo 2008: Private Label Websites, Totally Custom Websites, and a major upgrade to its PDF workflow, PDF Piranha. These enhancements join the turnkey suite of sales, marketing, and print production tools printers need to be able to leverage success on the Internet.
PDF Piranha
Never before has it been so easy for printers’ customers to create ready-to-print files. A one-time download and installation of the PDF Piranha software allows the end user to print from any application directly to the printer’s website. After the file is transferred to the website it is run through a thorough preflight procedure, alerting the customer to items that may need attention (such as low-resolution graphics) and instantly correcting common errors that would otherwise lead to delays in print production. After preflight, the customer immediately is able to view a PDF proof of their order, with clear visual indicators pointing to items that may still need attention.
The customer realizes the benefits of being able to print directly from their native application, and the printer benefits from the automatic error correction provided by the PDF Piranha workflow. All parties benefit from the ease of use and time savings created by PDF Piranha.
Private Label Websites
The Online Print Center is the “nerve center” of a WebsitesForPrinters.com website, allowing customers to initiate estimate requests and place orders, and facilitating the communication between printers and their customers as print orders progress through the website. The Private Label Websites enhancement takes the Online Print Center to a whole new level, providing WebsitesForPrinters.com clients with a way to easily present the business end of their website in a “skin” created to match their customer’s brand.
Private Label Websites allow the printer to maintain full control of the print order process while at the same time allowing the printer’s customers to display their corporate identity. Private Label Websites are typically deployed to organizations where it is desirable to allow the organization’s members or employees to have direct access to the print ordering process, including access to static and variable Document Library items.
Totally Custom Websites
WebsitesForPrinters.com provides clients with eighteen professionally designed websites. For printers desiring to bring their own unique branding to their website, WebsitesForPrinters.com now offers Totally Custom Website design services. Now it is possible to create a unique design and wrap it around all the power and functionality of a WebsitesForPrinters.com website. This allows printers to present themselves to the world in exactly the way they want to be seen.
About WebsitesForPrinters.com
WebsitesForPrinters.com has been helping printers successfully leverage the power of the Internet to create success stories since 2001. Developed by industry veteran Mike Stevens in Fargo, North Dakota, WebsitesForPrinters.com was created for printers by a printer. WebsitesForPrinters.com provides Internet-based sales, marketing, and print production tools which would otherwise be beyond the reach of small and mid-sized commercial printers.
Good news! This morning (not more than a few hours after I posted the last Graph Expo post) I received an e-mail that indicates that the prayer breakfast does indeed appear to be taking shape! I’d be happy to keep anyone updated as to the status of the prayer breakfast as I learn more about the details. If you’d like to be kept in the loop just add a comment to this post or send me a note at Dave@WebsitesForPrinters.com.
WebsitesForPrinters.com and Ink Inc. will be exhibiting at Graph Expo in Chicago’s McCormick Place on October 26 - 29. We’ll be at Booths 5446 and 5448. As usual, there’s all kinds of excitement building as we prepare to show the latest and greatest. There is one event I hope happens - a pre-show prayer breakfast! I guess something like this happened at a show in California and it could happen here too. I’m looking forward to it!
I also learned that the hotel we will be staying at is right across the street … literally footsteps away … from the Apple store. How dangerous is that?!?
Hello!
Many times we send out an issue of SiteBuilder when we have big news to announce. While we don’t have any single specific “Big News” item to mention this time, we do have a robust collection of updates that will be of interest to existing clients of WebsitesForPrinters.com. If you’re not a client of WebsitesForPrinters.com, you have my permission to skip this issue of SiteBuilder! But before you run off to your next project, I’d like to take a moment to explain one of the greatest benefits WebsitesForPrinters.com provides to its clients: a website that will always be technologically up-to-date.
Are you developing your website on your own? If so, when was the last time it went through a technology makeover? Clients of WebsitesForPrinters.com never have to worry about falling behind the technology curve. The websites we provide are always being updated to stay current with new technology (as evidenced by the changes detailed below), making it easy for you to concentrate on Job #1, selling printing. Do you see the connection? A progressive, always-updated sales-building website allows you to sell more printing … it practically pays for itself!
Here’s a list of what you’ll be reading in this issue of SiteBuilder:
Now, on to the recent WebsitesForPrinters.com updates … starting with a reminder of a special offer from Design Tools Monthly.
Design Tools Monthly Promo Reminder 
You may remember in a recent issue of SiteBuilder we mentioned three special offers provided to SiteBuilder readers by Jay J. Nelson, editor of the Design Tools Monthly newsletter. Jay’s newsletter is an incredibly valuable resource for anyone needing to keep up to date with graphic design news, hardware and software updates, font news, and more. (Visit www.Design-Tools.com to learn more about the Design Tools Monthly newsletter and the “software closet.”)
One of the three special offers is still available! If you’re an existing WebsitesForPrinters.com client, purchase any website add-on (Jaws PDF Courier, uDesignIT!, Instant Online Pricing) and receive a complimentary one-year subscription to Design Tools Monthly (a $229 value). This offer is valid through August 31, 2008. If you’re considering picking up any of these add-ons, now is the time to do so. Questions? Just give us a call at 800-736-0688.
Website Statistics, Now Powered by
From Day One, WebsitesForPrinters.com has provided comprehensive website statistics, allowing you to monitor visitor trends and patterns on your website. It just got better! There is now a setting in the WebsitesForPrinters.com websites allowing you to take advantage of a free service, Google Analytics. The site statistics from WebsitesForPrinters.com are still available, so why would you want to consider using an outside service from a company like Google? Here are a few reasons why:
Clients of WebsitesForPrinters.com are able to access the Google Analytics settings by logging in to their website’s Online Print Center and then clicking the Website Statistics link (found in the My Website panel).
A New Look for Design 18
Clients of WebsitesForPrinters.com who use Website Design 18 have likely noticed a small but significant change to the website layout. The design is now centered horizontally in the browser window. We’ll spare you all the geeky details, but the update is simply a way of keeping up with computer display sizes. You are no doubt aware that display sizes have continued to grow larger and larger, so that yesterday’s display, which once neatly contained the contents of Design 18, now has room for much more. The design has been updated to better fit the space available. Look for similar changes to the five other original website designs (designs 13 through 17) in the weeks to come.
On a related note, have you considered switching to a different website design? Clients of WebsitesForPrinters.com may switch to a different website design at any time, as long as the new design is not already in use within your exclusive geographic territory. All you need to do is send us an e-mail or give us a call at 800-736-0688 and we’ll get the switch in motion for you. There’s no cost to switch to a new design, and your customers will love the fresh new look! If you’d like to view the design options available to you, please visit our Sample Websites page.
Public Document Library Items Hidden When Logged In
Due to popular demand, we’ve made an improvement in how Document Library items are viewed on your WebsitesForPrinters.com website. As you know, our Document Library is one of the most powerful benefits you can provide, allowing your customers to easily order their most common items. One of my favorite stories is from a WebsitesForPrinters.com client who had a customer who was a print buyer for a very large organization. This print buyer took some time off for maternity leave, and her replacement needed to reorder a brochure. She was holding one of the last brochures in her hand, and she needed to place the reorder in a hurry. She made one quick trip to the website’s Document Library, where she easily found the brochure, and ordered a new supply of brochures!
Document Library items may be set to be viewed only by specific customers that are logged in to the website, or they may be set to be viewed by everyone, whether or not they are logged in to the website’s Online Print Center. In response to client requests, there is now a new optional setting which prevents public Document Library items from being displayed when customers with private Document Library items are logged in to the Online Print Center. This will alleviate any confusion caused by the publicly available Document Library items being mixed in with private Document Library items. This new setting may be found in the Preferences panel at any level of customer settings (Default Customer Settings, Company, Branch, or Contact). In the Preferences panel, look for the setting with the label “Allow viewing of public forms when logged in” and set the preference as desired.
Allowing Reorders on Non-Document Library Items
Here’s another change to the website’s ordering system. In the past, only Document Library items had an easy Reorder button, allowing customers to place exact reorders. That Reorder button is now no longer limited to Document Library items. The Reorder button is now available to your customers on any completed job, including jobs originating from the website’s Place an Order forms.
Default Messages for Proofs and Estimate Responses
Finally, we have two more changes resulting from the “by popular request” voices of WebsitesForPrinters.com clients. When you use the website to send a proof to customers, you are provided with an area where you can send a personal message. Do you find yourself typing in the same message each time, possibly with only slight variations? Save the keystrokes! Set that message as the default Send a Proof Message, and it will automatically fill in for you each time you prepare to send a proof! (You’ll still have the opportunity to modify the message if you wish before sending the proof.)
How about responding to estimate requests through your website? WebsitesForPrinters.com provides a space for you to present your estimate terms to your customers on each estimate response. It’s common to present a message with information like “This estimate is valid for 30 days.” You are now able to define that message to automatically fill in each time you present an estimate to your customers. (Like the proof message, you’ll still have the opportunity to modify the message before responding to the request for an estimate.)
Both of these default messages are set in the website’s Online Print Center settings (look for the link in the Products, Forms, and People panel). When you’re in the Online Print Center settings page, look for the Default Send a Proof Message panel and the Default Estimate Terms panel.
That’s a lot of progress! With these changes, we trust you’ll realize that we listen to our clients and make the changes that are important to our clients. Additionally, you know you can count on WebsitesForPrinters.com to keep the website’s technology up-to-date. When talking with potential WebsitesForPrinters.com clients, I’m quick to remind them that an up-to-date website is one of the easiest ways to stay a step ahead of the competition. Clients of WebsitesForPrinters.com already know this … do you? If you’re ready to find out more, we’d like to encourage you to set up a personal demo website (no strings attached, no obligation) at the WebsitesForPrinters.com Free Trial page.
Until next time,
Happy Printing!
–
Dave Hultin, Managing Partner
Dave@WebsitesForPrinters.com
www.WebsitesForPrinters.com
800-736-0688 x 130
SUBSCRIBING TO SITEBUILDER: Send a blank e-mail to sitebuilder-subscribe@lists.websitesforprinters.com
WebsitesForPrinters.com | Executive Suite 222 | 3137 32nd Avenue South | Fargo, ND 58103 | 800-736-0688
Earlier today I posted the kind words of a relatively new client. This afternoon we received MORE kind words from another client! This one really moved me. This one really confirmed that what we do is so much more important than simply building websites:
Dave,
I just read your Mission and Vision statement for the first time. I must say that you and your crew have certainly lived up to the statement and have in fact brought Honor and Glory to the Name God. As a Christian business owner I am encouraged to align myself with a company that shares the same values and goals that I do in my company.
I have been grateful that the Lord brought our company’s together and now knowing of your commitment to Him I see once again how He is always looking out for us. We serve an awesome Master in Christ our Lord and Savior.
That makes it all so worthwhile!
Usually I am not in a position to grab the phones when they ring, but today I was. John called, he needed some help. It was simple stuff … just stuff he hadn’t run into yet. I always cringe a little bit when I get the tech support calls. I’d rather be working on the big projects that keep WebsitesForPrinters.com on the leading edge. But today was different, I took John’s call requesting help.
John was helped, problem solved. John ended the call by saying, “You know, I really appreciate you guys at WebsitesForPrinters.com. You are always able to help me on the spot. I called my estimating software company for help yesterday, and they said they’d call me the next day. When someone is drowning, you don’t tell them you’ll throw them a life preserver tomorrow!”
Wow. I know our customer service team is passionate about customer service, and John’s comments prove it! We don’t get to help everyone on-the-spot. Sometimes too much help is required. But if we can help on the spot, we will!
Here’s a picture showing what happens when you’re passionate about customer service:
One of our recent new customers, Dan Sumner, came to us because he needed some help with his most important customer. The customer he needed to accommodate wasn’t just any customer. It was the “big, huge, my business depends on keeping them happy” kind of customer. This customer required custom programming to be able to allow their purchasing system to interact with Dan’s website.
Dan needed a solution. His previous provider, PrinterPresence, wasn’t up to the challenge. WebsitesForPrinters.com was! We are really going over the top to help him out. So far we’ve switched his website over from PrinterPresence to WebsitesForPrinters.com. That change itself has been very well-received by his customers, and is keeping him in good standing. Next up is completing the custom programming, and we’re on schedule to bring that to a rapid completion as well.
So back to the picture that started this story. Dan totally recognized our great customer service! It’s not that we did anything different for him. Our crew treated his requests just like the requests from any of our customers. It’s just that Dan’s requests ran a bit deeper than most and he was just tickled with the way WebsitesForPrinters.com rose to the challenge. The result? A big “Thank You” gift from Dan!
Andy (in the picture) has been working closest with Dan during his transition to WebsitesForPrinters.com, so he gets to babysit the gift basket full of goodies. He’s been getting a lot of visitors in his office lately!
