This is a topic that has perplexed the printing industry for years. OMG 5,000 cards for $20! Thats crazy. It sure is. And in the printing industry you will get what you pay for. And if you pay crap prices you're going to get crap product. You may get 5,000 cards to hand out, but they are going to be of thin stock, have color irregularities throughout the run and probably have the printer's logo on it. Is that the impression you want to give about your company? Absolutely not! You want an impression of integrity.

When you hand your customer a piece of your company, you want that customer to know that your company is worth investing in. They desire confidence in your business. And handing them a crappy, flimsy card is no way to go about it. And today, printing has changed so much it is not necessary to do do that anymore. The price difference isn't that great between quality and quantity.

You can still get a professionally designed business card, full color for under $100.00. And that is a minimal business expense to promote confidence, wouldn't you agree?

That goes for more that just your business cards. That goes for brochures, presentation folders, everything you're going to put your name on. Give your customers confidence. Print your materials professionally and with the right designer.

I know I do not have a bunch of readers, but I would like to share the most amusing videos I have ever seen on a business card below. Please take a look, it is fabulous.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4YBxeDN4tbk

Our current business card is to the left. It is printed on a silk laminated 14 pt stock with spot UV. You cannot see the contrast in the background and the shine here, but you can request a card to be sent to you by going to our contact page. I will be glad to send one out right away.

Presentation folders are a great way to make a first impression. They not only come in a huge variety of shapes and sizes, but you can get them custom made to your specifications. Which makes it a wonderful way to show a little creativity. You can get very original with die cuts.

Die cuts are custom metal shapes designed for cutting paper (and other materials). Usually when you have a custom folder shape, they are made specifically for your project, so there is an additional charge. So custom folders are more expensive. But I say, make sure you get exactly what you want, even if you have to pay the additional expense. 

There are many types of materials to use. Thousands of beautiful papers. Now there are a variety of inks to choose from. Folders can be embossed, printed with metallics. The sky is the limit. It really depends on how you and your designer choose to use your budget.

The inside pages should reflect the design and materials on the outside. You want the entire package to be cohesive down to the business card.

Folders are usually pretty expensive so there are a few ways to get the most of your budget. Go with higher runs. Low runs will run you $1 or more a piece, but if you get into the 1000, 2500 or 5,000 quantity range, you can really bring that number down significantly. What you need to do is get the most out of your higher runs. Do not put dated artwork on them.Also no contact information, that is for your business card. You want to put the minimum amount of words on them so that there is less chance you will need a reprint any time soon. I would suggest a nice full color folder with just a logo. And make sure you get the business card slits. That way when numbers, website or anything else changes, you won't have to get your folders printed, just your business cards. And those are cheap.

If there's one thing I've noticed lately, it's the lack of customer service. Something so simple, as being polite and courteous has become such a burden. Is it the fact that business has been so bad for so long that people are becoming complacent. I don't know what has caused the lack, but it needs to change. And if you own a business, you can take advantage of that and run with it. New customers cost 10 times more to acquire than keeping your current customers. So keep em. And be courteous to anyone that calls, even wrong numbers. You never know who your next customer will be.

I've put together a small list of ways to keep and acquire new customers through service.

1. Positive upbeat energy. If you answer your phone with a smile, the person on the other end will know. They will immediately be placed in a more positive state of mind.

2. Sense of urgency. Make sure when a customer calls to ask a question or to get information, make sure you understand that the faster you get the information into their mind, the more they will know that you care about their business. If you let your customer go for a few days and not get back with them, they will definitely already have someone else in mind to do the job. You cannot take your time these days to stay competitive. And it doesn't matter what you do, whether it's real estate or cashier, there are other people out there who will care about their needs. And you want to be that person. Your customer wants to feel that he is your only customer. So do your best to do so.

3. Listen & Follow-up. Listen and answer questions. Listening is the best way to get to know your customer. If you're too busy telling them what they need without listening to what they want, you have failed. And whatever you do, don't leave your customers hanging. They probably need the information to complete their project. Get them the information requested and in a timely manner.

4. Empathy. Most of the time when customers complain, they actually have something to complain about. And as a business owner, that is sometimes the most valuable information you can get. What you want to do is listen to their concern.  You want to put yourself into their shoes and see what you would want to happen should the positions be reversed. Usually you will find a good compromise that will keep them as a customer. Make sure they know you understand how they feel. 9 times out of 10, they want someone to listen to the complaint so it can be avoided in the future.


One of the best books I've seen on customer service is Customer Service For Dummies, Third Edition
Karen Leland and Keith Bailey

It can be purchased at the address below and is great for training others

http://www.dummies.com/store/product/Customer-Service-For-Dummies-3rd-Edition.productCd-0471768693.html

Networking is a very important part of getting your business going. One of the best ways to maximize your network is to volunteer. Not only is it the right thing to do, but people who belong to organizations look out for one another. It's a congregation of people who actually care about other people. 

Right now is a great time. 'Tis the season for volunteering. But, don't make it a seasonal thing. Make sure you really get involved. Just paying yearly dues will not work. You have to actually get out and talk to those folks and spend time together. And what better way to do it than to help others.

If you're a business genius and can help other people with their businesses, then maybe you should belong to the chamber of commerce in your area or an organization to help small businesses. There are many different types of charitable organizations for human services, environmental services, animal, arts, culture, religious, educational, the list goes on.

Volunteer. It's good business.

QR Codes, also known as portals, are a tool that will change your business forever. Over 40% of adult mobile phone users have smart phones.  With all of the apps available, you can get a tremendous amount of information immediately. Information is literally at your fingertips.

Japan has used portal technology for years, but within the last few years, they have been popping up all over and I am starting to see them on marketing materials everywhere. And I will tell you why. Portals can direct interested customers to a URL, phone number or text. So they can take you to any information you can place on a web page, immediately call you or to a text. Social media pages, special offers and coupons, instructions, videos, and most importantly; your contact information are all at the click of a button. 

Portals are free to register, although there are several services that will gladly take your money to set them up. Portals are also completely trackable, so you know where your marketing dollars are best spent and where to save. You are able to create your code and log in to check your statistics and reporting, and the results post immediately.

It is much better to know the response of your advertising than it to be a guessing game. The portals can be tracked and reports can be downloaded in different formats, giving you lots of helpful information. Let's not forget, that if a person is interested enough to scan it, you already have their undivided attention to get your message across. So make it a good one.

Used as an electronic business card, they are invaluable. And electronic business cards have a 40% more response rate than a traditional paper card. That is because it is a lot easier to have the information electronically stored than to try to remember where you physically put someone's paper business card, hoping it didn't make it to the washing machine.

Designers have gotten quite creative with the portals and there have been gallery shows featuring portal design. The few I have here I threw together for the purpose of this article, but I encourage you to research other ideas. Some of them are amazing. If you have a design, please share it with us. I love to see what other people come up with.

One of the most important parts of a business is gathering your customers contact information. The more you know about your customers, the easier it will be to provide them with a product or service they need when they need it.  No matter how small your business is, gather the information. Gather it any way you can. It should be entered into a database and used regularly.

Even if you're a small boutique retail business, use creative ways to gather the information. A drawing for a gift certificate or other item is a wonderful way to get it. If you your customers are engaged in a questionaire you should take full advantage to get additional information you have always wanted to ask.

It's important to know exactly where your customers live, work, lifestyle, etc. The more information you know about your customers, the easier it is to communicate with them.

The basic information you want is:
name
address
phone
email

With this little bit of information, you will immediately know where most of your customers live, be able to do a direct mailing to them. You will be able to call specific customers when new product arrives. And finally an email marketing campaign with photos and a special offer that will remind them why they love doing business with you.

Sure you can purchase lists. But the lists are not your customers. Having your customers information is more like having the true essence of your business. That is a concentrated list of people that already trust your business. People like to use a business they trust.

Advertising dollars are very important to any size business. You will need to spend money to make money. Whether you are a small start-up or a mighty chain, advertising is imperative to your survival. People need to know you're there and more importantly that you are "still" around. 

Most people spend between 10% to 20% of sales on advertising during a normal season, and raising that number a smidge for special events or holidays. The rule of thumb is 15%. But during a grand opening or Christmas sale, you should move that number to 15% or 20%. If you put your advertising dollars in the right places, you will receive all that money back and then some. That is a whole new topic to talk about at another time.

A great term to know is "feeding the fire." In advertising you always want to feed the fire when the season is at its busiest, throw more food on the fire with advertising. So increase your budget during your busy season, you will get the return.

If you are a new business, take your projected earnings from your business plan and use 5% of those dollars for your advertising. But, before you go and take out a full age print ad with those dollars, think about how you can effectively spread those dollars over different mediums and take advantage of grabbing someone through different channels.

Also, most people handle their advertising on a monthly basis. Usually you have a plan a head of time and get all of the advertising purchased and produced prior to the time you are running your sale. What you want to avoid is running around your store trying to set up your sale and proofing advertising at the same time.

Now that you have your budget, ask yourself who your customers are and who you are trying to reach and what types of lifestyles they lead. That will start leading you to the right markets to target. That is your next step. Good luck!