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Fourth Question to Ask a Web Designer

Monday, June 7th, 2010

Will my site be user friendly and will I be able to make simple changes in it?

This is a big one.  I have heard so many stories.  We have helped so many people.

Somebody  built their site and it is hosted on some server.  In order to make a change to their website they must call somebody, maybe receive a call back in a couple of days and then pay $125 a hour for a change to be made in maybe two weeks.  The speed of the internet.

Make sure you ask your website designer if you will be able to make simple changes yourself.  Will you be able to update things like calendars, adding new events and removing past events?  Will you have to pay to do that or have it done?

We had one client, a theatre company, that had their site designed and hosted at a site that required knowledge of html in order to make changes.  We helped them out by keeping their play schedule up to date without incurring the time delay of working with the hosting company and the $125 per hour charge.

So ask whether you will be able to make simple changes, like updating a calendar or changing event descriptions without knowing html.  Will you have to pay when you make changes?  Will you have to pay a monthly maintenance fee in order to have the designer make such simple changes?

I was talking with a local Sonoma county winery that had subscribed to an  ecommerce site.  The ecommerce provider had offered to design and host the website in exchange for the ongoing business.  It quickly became clear that they were not interested in the web site, but the ongoing ecommerce business.  Calls about the website were returned days later and changes took multiple contacts to accomplish.  Trying to keep the website updated was frustrating and time consuming.

So you may not want to do anything with your site after it is up and running, but chances are you will want to add some products, change some descriptions and make improvements.  Find out before the site is made how those changes will be made, by whom, how quickly and at what cost.

These become very important matters after your site is up and at that point little can be done to change the procedures.  It is easy to overlook this question when you are just looking at getting your site up, but having a site that is costly to change, add pages to or keep updated can be a major frustration.  Call us today to talk about the user friendly website that we can build for you.  707.528.0288

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A Super Script to Build a Successful Business

Thursday, December 3rd, 2009

How communicating clearly what you do can create more business.

We all understand the wisdom of the adage; you never get a second chance to make a first impression. And we know that if we are unclear about what we do, or what type of work we want to do, certainly others will be also equally confused.

Many people form an initial impression of you in the first 3 to 8 seconds of your meeting. It’s critical that you be aware of how your appearance, body language, tone of voice (along with pace, inflection and pitch), your choice of words and the content of what you say, influence their lasting impression of you.

When you introduce yourself for the first time, how you describe yourself plays a significant role in how others perceive you.  It can determine how much they will be willing to consider using your services or referring you to others.

There is a lot of information that needs to be communicated in order give people a complete picture of who you are and what you do.  Do you stumble through this information or leave important information out?  The following script developed by Joe Stumpf at By Referral Only creates a powerful presentation when introducing yourself.

Here is an example of that script:

Hi, my name is Steven Davis.  I am an effective and energetic consultant working with the experienced professionals at North Bay Real Estate.

For the past exciting year I’ve enthusiastically and consistently focused on helping people in the Redwood Empire with their real estate needs.

I work with a dedicated team of thoughtful partners out of our well equipped office in Montgomery Village.

Rather than just rattling off a bunch of information this script presents the opportunity to share your referable qualities.  This can give a prospective client a comprehensive and compelling picture of you and your most professional qualities.

Take special notice of the adjectives that describe the type of business person you are. These adjectives serve as flags that draw attention to you and make you more referable.

Properly using the appropriate words distinguishes you from all the others and helps make you more memorable.

To make the most positive impression, you must carefully select words that accurately describe those traits that distinguish you.  Some examples of referable business and character traits are:

Accomplished

Attentive

Capable

Committed

Competent

Concerned

Creative

Credible

Decisive

Dedicated

Detail-oriented

Effective

Efficient

Energetic

Enthusiastic

Experience

Focused

Friendly

Honest

Imaginative

Influential

Informed

Knowledgeable

Motivated

Outgoing

Persistent

Proficient

Prompt

Purposeful

Qualified

Resolute

Service-oriented

Sincere

Skilled

Thorough

Thoughtful

Trustworthy

Do you feel like a good Boy Scout or Girl Scout now?  This list is not exhaustive and it certainly is all right to use different words that are more appropriate for you or for your industry.  What is important is that these words flesh you out and make you more real and powerful, thus improving the possibility of that you will be remembered and used.

So here is a script with blanks that you can fill in and modify for your presentation.

Hi, my name is_________________________________________________.

I’m a/an_________________________________________ and

___________________________________________consultant working with the

___________________________________________professionals at

___________________________________.

For the past_____________________________________ (period of time)

I’ve _______________________________________________ and

__________________________ focused on helping the people who live in

________________________________________.

My _____________________________________ team/partners

of _______________________________________________ and I work out of our

_________________________________________________offices in

_________________________________________.

Following is another example of this format to aid you in inserting your own words into this script.

Hi, my name is Robbie Stearns.

I’m an expert mortgage coach working with the talented professionals at First Mortgage.

For 24 exceptional months I have, like clockwork, willingly made my progressive mortgage advice available to the homeowners who choose to use their mortgages as a way to create wealth and security.

My committed team of four self sufficient, dynamically thinking partners work at our comfortable and pleasant-to-visit offices in the Plaza Suites.

Take the time to write out your answers in this script.  Practice aloud.  And be prepared to present yourself professionally and powerfully in your next meetings with people.  This script is only 4 sentences long, but when you have it mastered it presents you in a powerful, referable way.

Written by David Walrath

Ajalon Printing & Design

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Getting Financially Fit:
Business Solutions with Printing

Tuesday, November 24th, 2009

Get financially fit.  Go for a bigger piece of the pie.  Can I king-size that.

Many businesses have experienced new competitors coming in a taking away some aspect of their traditional market.  Is seems like every time we turn around some is doing some part of what we used to do.

In the printing industry we experience this by mailing houses purchasing folding equipment and virtually “giving away” folding to get the mailing job.  Or even putting in copiers to produce the piece and then do the mailing.  So a business that used to be a partner is now a competitor.

This is becoming more and more common.  What’s a person to do?  Go expand your reach.  A few years ago at Ajalon we saw this happening and decided to expand into letterpress printing, which is actually the type of printing that was commonly being done when Ajalon started over 50 years ago.  Today the letterpress printing is helping to fill in when traditional printing gets light.

This is where keeping in touch with your clients comes in.  If you start something new, let them know.  Send out a post card to announce your new service or product.  For a carpeting business it might be going into tile cleaning as well.  Put together a brochure on your new service and send it out to your customers.

Often we actually perform many services in our business that even our good customers don’t know about.  A jewelry store sells jewelry right?  Well they may also clean jewelry or give appraisals for estates.  Remind your customers of the full extent of your services.  Regularly mention these lesser-known services in your newsletter, maybe each month having a spotlight on a new area.

Another way to increase your business is to help your customers increase theirs.  One of my vendors recently created a website add on that will help me attract more business and help them gain a larger market share.  So spend some time thinking about how you might be able to help your customers gain more business.  This will certainly increase good will and will help maintain loyalty.

We donate to non-profits that we print for and help them in their fund raising.  This strengthens them and we feel good helping someone that we are closely involved with rather than just some vague charity.

Here at Ajalon we love to strategize and plan marketing and advertising campaigns.  We have been doing this for years.  We would love to sit down with you and help you feel more in control and powerful about the future of your business.  We you have a plan and work your plan, you can genuinely feel hopeful and confident about your future, rather than just having wishful thoughts.

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Stay In Touch with Your Clients

Monday, November 23rd, 2009

Stay Alive. Stay in touch with your clients.  Don’t let anyone drive a wedge between you and your customer.

Our customers are feeling pressure like never before.  Many are scared and looking for any help they can get.  They are looking to cut costs anyway they can.  So now is the time to stay in touch with them.  Your customers may have been loyal for many years but if someone comes in front of them and you have neglected your relationship they may forget your years of service and move on.

I know because this has happened to me recently.  A long time client sent out a large job to another shop, right in the midst of us doing other, smaller jobs.  Ouch!  Many businesses are trying to buy business by being very aggressive in price cutting.  It is difficult to protect completely against this but the best prevention is to stay in touch with clients.

One of the best ways to stay in touch is with a newsletter.  There are many forms of newsletters, from the very simple to the very elaborate.  A client of ours that sells a premium product stays in touch with their customers through a regular mailing of a simple one-color newsletter.  The quality of their product speaks for itself and there is no need to put a lot of puff and circumstance in the newsletter.

Another fine way to keep in touch is with postcards.  Postcards are quickly and easily read.  There is no need to open an envelope.  Their postage is less than a letter and there is no stuffing and licking involved. And it seems that postcard are tossed in drawers and kept around more than letters.  I know I use them for bookmarkers.

In addition to using postcards on a regular basis to promote seasonal or special events postcards can be used to thank customers for business. You can get a stack of postcards made for your business and keep them handy to send out after a job is completed, sending a handwritten note saying thank you.

Contests are another was to stay in touch and help you be top of mind with your customers.  One of our clients uses a postcard to announce a contest that he has each year about this time rewarding all his customers of the years with an opportunity to win a vacation get away.  What a great way to stay in touch and say thank at the same time.  And all for a little more than quarter postage.

It is the holiday season and cards can keep you in front of your clients.  And it can be helpful to think outside the box here.  If everybody is going to be sending holiday cards, send yours before or after the rush.  At Ajalon we have sent out Thanksgiving cards rather than December holiday cards.  Our cards come before everybody has become ho-hum about all the cards.  We have also sent out a Happy New Year card in January, after people are back from the holidays.  This assures us of standing out and being noticed.

At Ajalon we have the ability to meet what ever you want in terms of newsletters or cards.  We can produce short runs digitally or print thousands of newsletters, all economically.  We have templates of pre-designed holiday cards that we can personalize and even address the envelopes for you.  Or we can custom design something that you want done if you have a vague idea of what you want or if you have a clear idea in your mind.

When you want to stay in touch with your clients, remember Ajalon is here to help.

Written by David Walrath

Ajalon Printing & Design

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Get More Referrals

Friday, November 20th, 2009

The no excuse way to jump start your business and get more sales. What is generally the most common answer to how do you get more business?

If a business owner is asked where most of his or her new business  comes from the most likely answer is from referrals.  When asked what they are doing to increase that source of business, they are usually silent or  answer, “Nothing.”

Why is it that most business owners do little or nothing to consciously strengthen this tried and true means of increasing revenue?  It can’t be because of the cost, because building a business by referral is actually about the least costly method available.

It really doesn’t require hiring any new staff or paying for any expensive media campaigns.

It can usually begin by just training yourself and any staff members who interact with your customers in the proper things to say and do.  Referral marketing, because it truly is marketing, can lead to shorter sales cycles and lead to increase in business faster than almost any other method.

It is much easier to begin doing business with someone who has been referred to you by a satisfied customer than it is to convince someone who is unfamiliar with your company in a cold call setting.  And yet when we think, “I’ve got to do something to get more business,” we almost never think about referrals but think about mailing something out or making some phone calls.

Growing a small business is tough work. The sales function is a time consuming task with a constant need to fill your “sales funnel” with fresh, qualified prospects on a regular basis. Finding the best qualified leads from your business does not come from a cold contact situation but from building a strong referral business. Discover the the benefits and 7 tactics to drive the referral marketing for your small business.

Referral Marketing Benefits

The business of referrals makes sense for most companies for the following reasons:

  • Referral marketing reduces your sales expenses and sales cycle. With less time calling cold prospects, your small business can focus on customers and their circle of influence.
  • Referrals can build your level of satisfied customers. The cycle self-perpetuates with more satisfied customers referring others to your company.
  • Referrals increase your sales revenue. According to world-renowned sales trainer, Tom Hopkins, in “Sales Prospecting for Dummies”; your closing ratio for non-qualified leads is 10 percent versus a 60 percent close ratio with referred leads.

If the prospect of building the referral end of your business is so enticing, why do so few businesses do it? Because they use the wrong approach in building referrals and have limited success. To ensure your business is on track to building referrals, follow these 7 tips:

7 Sure-Fire Ways to Build Your Referral Business

1. Set A Target: In business, measure the results to improve performance. Set a clear goal with a time line. Example, 10% increase in referral business over the next 10 weeks.

2. Timing: Conventional sales wisdom claims the best time to ask for the referral is immediately after the close. This tactic is far too aggressive. Give your clients time to experience your service or product before asking for a referral. Ask for the referral at close only if your client is already delighted with your business.

3. Top 20: Not all customers are referral candidates. Find the top 20% that are ecstatic about your business and ask them for referrals. Make sure their network is the type of client you want.

4. Give and You’ll Receive: Give your clients extra service and follow-up support before asking for referrals. When you give willingly to your customers, they will return the favor.

5. Type of Customer: Inform your referring clients of the type of customers you can help. Provide a clear picture of the customer demographics will help your referral marketing.

6. Rewards Program: Provide special rewards to your referring customers on a regular basis. If a customer provides you with 5 sales, offer them something special, e.g. discounts.

7. Thank-You: Lisa A. Maini, President of My Marketing Manager, recommends businesses need to establish trust to build referrals. Lisa says, “Create a basic thank you letter that can be personalized and sent to each referral you receive. Treat your referral sources with the utmost of care and you will not only build a foundation of trust but keep hot prospects coming to your door.”

These tips are simple but when executed on a regular basis they can drive your referral business and build sales revenue. Start today and watch your referrals grow.

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Solid Recommendations That Can Help Your Business Prosper

Thursday, November 19th, 2009

Save your business.  What do I do now.

Times are bad.  Profits are slipping.  The only consolation seems to be that you are not the only one.  What can a business owner do?

Yesterday I covered 7 steps that when followed can help turn your business around.  They involved taking the problem head on and not just worrying, cutting costs, getting a strategy, keeping in touch with your customers, getting a bigger piece of the pie, helping your clients do more business and being hopeful.

Today I would like to begin to enlarge on these points with concrete suggestions so that a person could get started doing something.  Most of us are getting hit over the head sufficiently by the reality of this changed business climate that we no longer have to be convinced that we must do something.  And now.  You might want to wait it out and see if ‘things get better’ but I wouldn’t recommend it.

Things will get better.  This too shall pass.  And it will never be quite the same.  I am a printer.  If I was running my business the same way I did five years ago I would most likely not be in business today.  So things have changed and the sooner we accept this and begin taking new steps to build our business now the sooner the recession will be over for us.

If we just wait and see and hope that things will get better when the bigger forces do turn around, we could find ourselves being run over or passed in a cloud of dust by those who got on the move and became part of the force moving things forward, rather than sitting down and waiting.

So next we have to cut cost and expenses.  And right now nothing is too sacred.  Start with rent.  For most businesses rent is a big expense.  Approach your landlord and ask for a rent concession.  I know of businesses that made a point of paying their rent on time and with each rent check asked for a lowering of rent.  One business owner received a 20% reduction!  You can’t get it if you don’t ask.

I periodically go through and check the price I am getting for the items I need in my store and shop competing products to see if I can find something that is as good a quality but less expensive.  I learned long ago that cheaper can sometimes be more expensive and I try to always find something that does the job better for less money.

Years ago I migrated away from a good working product because there was a substantial price break in a product that did almost as good a job.  Money saved.  I recently went back to the first manufacturer and requested the current pricing.  Their product was within pennies of the one I was using.  They had felt the pressure and had lowered their price.  Now I have the superior product back for practically the same price.

So go through all those items that you regularly buy, pick out the ones that can make the biggest impact on the bottom line so that you can have some breathing room.  Tomorrow I will show you how to invest that money wisely in building your business.

Written by David Walrath

Ajalon Printing & Design

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Seven Sure Fire Steps to Jumpstart Your Business

Tuesday, November 17th, 2009

How to get over the recession.  Seven sure fire steps to jump start your business. Join the battle and leave the blahs behind.

So are you sitting around waiting for the economy to get better?  Are you waiting for things to get back to the way they were?  Or are you just hiding out, with your head in the sand and hoping? Well you just might suffocate before the economy recuperates.

The bad news is that the business playing field has changed and it is never going to be the same.  If you are looking for it to get back to business as usual you probably won’t be around when you realize a new stadium with a field that is quite different from the one you are used to playing on is where your customers are now playing.

First you need to embrace the brutal facts of this is the way it is and you are going to have to do something to change.  The business climate cannot be depended upon to blow fair winds.  You are going to need to create your own weather.  There is talk today about energy independence.  Today each business must individually step up and take action for themselves.  Waiting around for someone, or something else, will likely lead to being blown around by the wake of other’s actions.

Second, tighten your belt.  Question why you have always been doing it this way and see it there isn’t a better way.  Monitor your costs more closely against your results.

Third, get a strategy.  According to Peter Drucker, a strategy is a sense of direction around which to improvise.  With a strategy in place you can begin taking steps that lead you out of hand ringing and saying, “O woe is me,” to a position of confidence and action that brings about changes.

Fourth, stay close to your customers.  Review whom your customers and renew your relationship with them.  One thing you don’t want to have happen is for someone to come in a swoop one of your customers away because you got complacent and comfortable.  Realize that there are more people out there seeking more work and hungry hunters may challenge established relationships.

Fifth, get a bigger piece of the pie.  If you are like most businesses you have seen an erosion of your business because somebody else has expanded into areas that you used to take care of.  So you need to figure out where you can add additional value to your standard products to capture a chunk of a bigger pie.

Sixth, help your customers increase their business.  This can work well with the fourth counsel above, stay close to your customers.  As you begin to get in touch with your customers start with an attitude of how can you help them win more business, rather than calling them and saying, “Hey, you haven’t ordered in a while.”

Seventh, be positive and forward thinking, which will be easier if you get yourself into action, stop hiding out or complaining, and begin to create your new business climate.

Tomorrow I will expand these counsels with valuable action generating suggestions to start the ball rolling.

Written by David Walrath

Ajalon Printing & Design

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Print Plays Well with Others

Friday, November 6th, 2009

Print plays well with others

Well coordinated use of printed business material increases response rate

Printing can tie it all together

Sure, the Internet is cool. What’s cooler is using a printed direct mail campaign to draw prospects to a personalized website, then following up with a printed thank-you card or closer.

We have looked at how printed forms are seen as real and permanent. How a business card is an easy, portable way to carry your information around so that you can share it.  A business newsletter can be a very cost effective way to keep in touch with your clients. Beautiful words and images can attract more people to your services.

All this does not mean that you cannot or should not use other media to reach our audience.  We learned in kindergarten to get along with others.  Business printing was a very good student in kindergarten.  No other media cooperates with all of the others  as well as printing.

Yes, the World Wide Web provides a real-time interactive environment, but so do the telephone and the television. Print enhances the impact of all of those media by providing your client’s prospects with an extra dimension. One that’s friendly. One that’s warm. One that’s inviting. And, one that they can’t very well ignore because they’re holding it right in their hands.

Consider the 2003 research published in the Journal of Advertising Research, which examined the advertising impact on weekly sales of a pizza franchiser. It found that the best combination of media in driving sales is direct mail and national TV advertising used together. The print/broadcast duo doubled the impact of using any one medium alone.

An American Business Media study adds more insight into the effectiveness of combining print with other media.

According to that research, B-to-B magazines were viewed by prospects as trustworthy and objective, websites were seen as the place where they received timely information, and trade shows were viewed as the place for interactions and to improve their awareness of alternatives. That must be why smart marketers are using all three outlets to maximize their ROI.

Big advertisers know this.  How many times have you seen something on TV or heard it on the radio and then you get a printed piece.  And then you make a buying decision.

Brochures or printed invitations to an event make it seem more real and businesslike. When you receive a business letter printed on professionally prepared letterhead with an accompanying envelope, you feel more secure in responding.

When I receive a phone call about a product or service I ask them to send me something.  When I receive a printed piece from them I trust them more and am more likely to do business with them. Printing can increase the value of any other form of advertising you do.

Written by David Walrath

Ajalon Printing & Design

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Print is Beautiful

Thursday, November 5th, 2009

Print is beautiful

Paper and Ink Create Striking Images

Lovely to look at and hold

Print is beautiful.  This is probably number one with me, and I dare say, most of the people working in the printing industry.  An email is no match for holding a printed letterhead in your hand and reading the message.  A well-printed envelope gets more attention than a “You’ve got mail” message.  And exchanging business cards that you can see and feel is more memorable than sharing electronic data.

I have covered how printing makes communication more permanent and meaningful. Printed brochures and postcards are definitely portable, have many lives and can pass through many fingers.  And printed material is often a very cost effective way to reach your market.

But I get more excited about beauty than simple practical things.  I picked up a number of catalogs of outdoor equipment this last weekend.  The items for backpacking and climbing are essential for safe travel in the backcountry.  But I love to look at the pictures, to see the well designed items and to see the wilderness that they are used in.  It is the beauty that is presented to me that really attracts me.

Print is beautiful and printers continue to consider every job they do a personal masterpiece. One of the satisfying parts about the graphic arts is that we do get to make things that are lovely to look at and to hold.   And with print the image is not some illuminated pixel but real pigment that binds to paper.

Photos can jump off the page. Special effects can be used that draw the eye to the printed content, and a new generation of papers and substrates make readers want to touch and feel your message. You can’t get any closer than that. The beauty of print will enhance your product or service, giving it a special appeal of its own and an extra tangible dimension that no electronic media can impart.

Our clients use catalogs, program guides and brochures to give their prospects an experience of the beauty that can be theirs if they engage their services.  Our client who leads trips around the world draws us into a world of exotic, beautiful animals and places with photos and words.  The YMCA program guides excites people to join in the fun and fitness through the beautiful descriptions and pictures.

It is always a blessing to have beauty in our lives and printed business material can definitely contribute to that.  The beauty displayed on a rack card can lead a person to further enjoyment on their vacation.  A newsletter describing the work that you can bring beauty and blessing into its readers lives.

Written by David Walrath

Ajalon Printing & Design

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Innovation and Versatility

Wednesday, October 14th, 2009

We had an open house recently for the members in our Sonoma County Executives business networking and referral group. The planning took weeks and everyone got involved in the preparations. It was sort of like having the entire family over to your house for a holiday meal, only in July.

The weather cooperated beautifully, as the day before the temperature was in the 90′s, but on this evening it was a beautiful summer day with the cooling breeze coming from the ocean and our large roll up doors open, bringing in plenty of fresh air.

We had explanations of offset printing, digital printing and letterpress printing. During the letterpress demonstration I was explaining how we are using presses that were built 40 or more years ago, based on the printing practices that were hundreds of years old, and use modern plastics’ technology to make photopolymer plates that are used instead of the traditional lead type.

Afterward, one of our guests pointed out how it was ironic that the computer and modern imaging practices had impacted the printing industry so much and yet it was the internet and our website that was making it possible for us to be letterpress printing wedding invitations for clients all over the United States and foreign countries.

I was struck by this observation and realized that, yes, we are given new opportunities in today’s business climate to be versatile and innovative.

After we have been at it a few years there is a tendency to want to sit back and want to rule over the king/queendom that has been created and we forget about our earlier desires to be innovative and creative. We want to do the things that we like and sometimes neglect tasks we do not find as satisfying and fulfilling. In these challenging times it may be necessary to step out of our comfortable success and build new sources of business.

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