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Becoming More Customer-Centric

Wednesday, January 26th, 2011


If you’ve ever seen the movie “Groundhog Day,” you know that Bill Murray relives the same day over and over again. It is not until he has truly changed his ways that he can move on in his life. In the business world, we don’t get to keep repeating our mistakes until we finally get it right. One of the most common mistakes many companies make is not focusing on their customers. Here are a few tips to become more customer-centric:

  • Ensure everything your company does—from the products or services you offer to the staff who serves customers—is centered on customers and their experience at your business or website.
  • Create marketing materials that sell a solution to your customers’ problems. Focus on the customers’ needs and not your product.
  • Market using tools created for your audiences. For example, older generations often prefer traditional marketing (print ads, point of purchase displays, etc.) while younger generations often respond better to social media, e-marketing, and online shopping. Offer both options to accommodate multiple audiences.
  • Open the communication lines between your marketing team and sales force to ensure customer requests are being heard and appear in your promotions.
  • Keep an eye on your competitors and develop creative promotions that offer an extra incentive for customers to select your business over theirs. For example, “Receive 10 bonus bucks with any $50 purchase.”
  • Encourage open communication with your customers requesting feedback and suggestions. Offer options such as e-mail, surveys, toll-free number, chat forums, etc.
  • Develop a customer loyalty program that offers special promotions and incentives for return customers.
  • Offer a guarantee that not only demonstrates confidence in your products, but also gives customers a compelling reason to buy today without the fear of tomorrow.

Stop by today if you’d like help developing stunning marketing materials that speak directly to your customers. Located at 120 Ellis Ave., Lexington, SC (behind the Post Office & next to Wings and Ale)

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Posted in Standing out from the crowd | No Responses »
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ZZ Top and a Sharp Dressed Man or Woman

Wednesday, October 13th, 2010

Written by: Tom Hackelman – an expert in the area of personal branding.

What can we learn about personal branding from ZZ Top?  Using their song, Sharp Dressed Man, as the backdrop, we can learn a lot.

For years, the professional dress of the modern salesman was a suit.  Sharp and tailored, the suit represented corporate America.  You could work for a small 10-person company, but a good suit, shirt and tie combination would still help you stand out.

Today, salespeople dress far too casually to be taken very seriously.  We have shifted from casual Friday to casual every day.  Don’t get me wrong; many of these salespeople still dress appropriately with a nice polo and slacks, but I have to raise the question:  Does this style create the image in the mind of your clients that you want to project?  Does it project leadership?  Credibility?  Does it command respect?

Dave Lakhani, in his book, How to Sell When Nobody’s Buying, writes:

“When I’m dressed better than my peers, better than my competition, and when I do it consistently, I stand out in a crowd.  I look like the leader, and your clients want to buy from people who meet their expectation of trust.  When you see CEOs on television and when you meet them in person, they are wearing the uniform of a CEO.”

Part of the story you are crafting – your personal brand story – is tied to how people perceive you.  Dressing according to your personal brand adds tremendous credibility to your narrative.  It sets you apart from the crowd and signifies you as someone people want to do business with.

Start being a sharp dressed man or woman – whichever applies!

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Posted in Top 10 Award Winner, Uncategorized | 1 Response »
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Grab Attention with Folds

Friday, August 27th, 2010

The layout presentation of your marketing materials is just as important as your images, verbiage, and color scheme. A unique layout that incorporates folds demands attention and entices the reader to open and read your marketing piece.

Many folded layouts enable you to present your information as a story – the beginning grabs attention (such as a headline or teaser), the middle tells the story, and the ending asks for a call to action (such as visiting your web site). Here are a few ways to tell your story with creative folds:

  • Map your story by folding down a large sheet to a compact size. Every fold opens to reveal new information.
  • Roll fold your information to present your message in stages, a little at a time. As the reader unrolls the sheet, the next spread appears.
  • Open the gate. Create a two-page “gate” that opens to a four-page spread. Not only does this approach allow ample space for attention grabbing introductions on the gate as well as in-depth information inside, it is an organized way to divide multiple products or services onto different panels.
  • Offer a sneak peak of the contents inside by shortening the width of your cover on a bi-fold brochure. For example, use an image on the inside that also sets the tone for the outside.
  • Create an accordion folded brochure and make each section a different width, and consider using the extra width as “tabs” for product names or services.

If you’d like other creative marketing ideas, give us a call today. We’ll help you think outside the box and develop eye-catching marketing materials that get read.

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Posted in Color Copies, Color Printing, Digital Printing, Direct Mail, Folding, Newsletters, Uncategorized | No Responses »
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Business Card Labels

Tuesday, August 17th, 2010
Business Card Labels


It seems that everyone has a business card now days, but what if you don’t have many good opportunities to hand out your cards? Business card labels offer an alternative way to creatively distribute your contact information. When printed on a label, you can easily affix your business card and ensure it won’t get lost or misplaced on product samples, literature, packages, booklets, quotes, envelopes, etc.

If you’re interested in trying business card labels but aren’t sure quite sure how often you would use them, try ordering a small run of 50 to 100 sheets of self-adhesive backed stock using the same template as your conventional business cards. It will be fun to rate your feedback and won’t cost an arm and a leg to see if this creative idea is something you’ll stick with!

To Enter our FREE Kindle Giveaway Click Here!

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Posted in Business Cards, Color Printing, Digital Printing, Standard Presort Mail, Uncategorized | No Responses »
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Have you heard of QR codes?

Tuesday, June 22nd, 2010

Recently, to celebrate Internet Week 2010, the City of New York outfitted Times Square with giant QR codes.

Times Square visitors could use their smartphone cameras to photograph and scan the QR codes — which were featured in an animated sequence on the Thomson Reuters building in Times Square. Each code allowed the curious crowds to pull up information relating to specific events and agencies being featured.

What are QR codes?

They look like this:

Pine Press Printing Blog URL Code

Pine Press Printing Blog URL Code

They come to us from Japan where they are very common. QR is short for Quick Response. They are used to take a piece of information and put it in to your cell phone. You may soon see QR Codes on business cards, in a brochure, on a billboard, a web page or even on someone’s t-shirt. Once it is in your cell phone, it may give you details about that business (allowing users to search for nearby locations), or details about the person wearing the t-shirt, show you a URL which you can click to visit that companies website, or it may give you a coupon which you can use in a local outlet.

The reason why they are more useful than a standard barcode is that they can store much more data, including url links, your contact information, and text. The other key feature of QR Codes is that instead of requiring a chunky hand-held scanner to scan them, most modern cell phones can scan them.

How could you use a QR code?

Your business, no matter how small or large, could use QR codes in a number of ways. You might place one next to every product on your web site containing all the product details, the number to call and the URL link to the page so they can show their friends on their cell phone. You could add one to your business card containing your contact details so its easy for someone to add you to their contacts on their cell phone.

Add them to any print advertising, flyers, posters, invites, etc containing:

Only one of many ways to use QR code technology

Only one of many ways to use QR code technology

Will your customers use them?

Today, right now, few may use them, those that do will certainly appreciate your tech knowledge, those that don’t will certainly be inquisitive which may open the door for conversation and a potential sale.

(1) Get a QR reader. (my Blackberry likes the ScanLife reader)

http://www.mobile-barcodes.com/qr-code-software/

(2) How to do it. (generate your own QR code)
http://delivr.com/qr-code-generator

(3) It’s coming fast, don’t let it run over you. (Full NYC story)
http://mashable.com/2010/06/10/internet-week-qr-codes/

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Posted in Digital Printing, QR Codes, Uncategorized | 2 Responses »
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Direct Mailing – Your Way to Profits

Sunday, January 10th, 2010
Pine Press JingleLet us help you make loads of profits!

Let us help you make loads of profits!

All of us here at Pine Press Printing & Mailing, in Lexington, SC, very much appreciate your patronage. As your needs change, we look forward to serving you further in new and different ways!  It’s for customers like you that we go out of our way to deliver superior quality and faster turnaround.  Whether it’s a 2‑color newsletter, a full-color direct mail piece, or service manual, we improve your corporate image in any department!

Pine Press Printing & Mailing turnaround is faster than traditional commercial printers.  Yet, unlike many quick printers, we have the capacity to handle bigger and more complex projects from graphic design to printing and copying, all the way through delivery to the post office.  We’ll even manage your variable data printing & mailing. Watch your response rates pop and cost-per-unit sink!

Our staff of experts will assist you through all the stages of digital graphic design, typesetting, printing (your choice of traditional offset or digital printing), high-speed duplicating and bindery.

Saving our customer time and money  adds profit to your bottom line!

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Posted in Direct Mail, Mailing, Standard Presort Mail | No Responses »
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