Holiday
Survey Results
What are your competitors doing for the holidays this year?
Is the economy affecting many companies' plans? PGAMA's annual Holiday Operating
Plans survey has the answers. This year 54 members participated in the survey,
as compared to 90 members who completed the 2008 edition. Of course the majority
of respondents will be closed with pay on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day,
and New Year's Day; it's those in-between days that vary. The results for
those varying days follow.
| |
|
|
Closed 1/2 day Paid |
Closed 1/2 day
Unpaid |
Other |
| Day After Thanksgiving |
51.9% |
13% |
|
|
|
| Christmas Eve |
39.6% |
1.9% |
39.6% |
|
18.9% |
| New Year's Eve |
24% |
2% |
36% |
|
38% |
The 2008 edition of the Holiday Practices survey was sent
after Thanksgiving, so it did not include Thanksgiving practices as a
question. Compared to 2007, though, the number of employers who were closed
and paid the day after Thanksgiving dropped from since then, when it was
68.5%. The converse was true for Christmas Eve as a paid holiday. The increase
in employers giving a paid full day off may be due to the fact that Christmas
falls on a Friday this year. In 2008, 34.5% of respondents offered the Eve
as a paid half-day, while 18.4% gave the full day with pay. Likewise, paid
time off for New Year's Eve increased this year. NYE was a paid full day
off for just 10.6% of respondents last year, versus 23.4% of respondents
in 2007. It was a half day with pay for 24.5% of companies in 2007 and 21.2%
last year.
And speaking of holidays...
Stock up now on champagne for your
holiday celebrations! Champagne producers in France agreed to pick a third
fewer grapes this year as part of a plan to slash the number of bottles produced
in 2009 by 44 percent. Global champagne sales are expected to fall by almost
20 percent this year from their 2007 high as consumers trade down to cheaper
wines, and champagne makers are determined not to be forced to unload their
premium product at bargain prices.
FREE
Member Benefit-New Best Practice Guide
Printing Industries of America, NPES and NAPL worked together
to create an updated edition of the Best Business Practice Guidelines for
Terms and Conditions of Sales. This publication is intended solely as a guideline
for use in various business situations and in communications with customers
and suppliers. The information it contains replaces the previous edition
of "best practice guidelines" and is not intended to be legally
binding, but rather, is offered for use in client and supplier communications
as determined by each supplier. This revision focuses on Terms and Conditions
of sale including quotations, orders, delivery, production schedules, and
other issues. Download the PDF "2009 Best Business Practices" from
the Members Only section of www.pgama.com under
the Industry Forms, Guides & Fact Sheets. (Member login required.)
Profit
Opportunity: Paper Spoilage
Many printers build the cost of paper
spoilage into their budgets since issues like makeready,
operator error, and paper problems are ongoing. Once upon
a time that may have made sense, but nowadays shorter runs
have increased the spoilage percentage. That makes spoilage
a great target for cutting costs and rescuing profits.
Paper is the largest single expense for the average print
business--typically 35% of total costs. That means even
a 10 percent reduction in the amount of paper spoiled could
seriously boost your bottom line with a profit increase
of 3.5 percent. In normal times, that would almost double
the profit for an average firm! The really great part about
this is that no one will object to cutting spoilage. In
fact, for most employees, spoilage actually makes their
jobs more difficult, so they are happy to minimize or eliminate
it.
Green
Energy Funding for MD
Maryland is getting $51 million in federal
stimulus money to invest in energy programs, the governor's
office announced. The money will be used to retrofit low
and moderate-income family homes and to provide grants and
low-interest loans for energy improvements and workforce
training in energy methods.
Sales
Tip of the Week
This week's sales tip comes from consultant Linda Bishop
of ThoughtTransformation, who offers a simple equation to
figure out how many hours of selling it takes to get
a job from a new customer. A former print sales executive
with 17 years of experience in the industry, Linda is a knowledgeable
source of advice and has been well-received at several PGAMA
events. Linda's formula is:
2 hours to find qualified leads.
3 hours to dial 50 times for first appointment.
2 hours for research, driving and making calls
3 hours for calls and emails 20 times for four additional
appointments.
8 hours to drive and conduct four additional appointments.
6 hours to secure five quotes to win one job.
__________The Bottom Line Is It Takes____________________________________
24
hours to get one new customer
Winning
the Name Game
In business it’s essential to remember
a contact’s name. Often we can recognize a face, but
the name slips through the cracks. Here are 5 easy tricks
to help you have total recall and keep connected with the
people you need to know:
1. When introduced, give your full attention to the person.
2. Use their name at least twice in the first 60 seconds
of conversation, such as, “So, what do you do for a
living Jim?” and “Do you have any kids, Jim?”
3. For difficult names, ask the person to spell it.
4. Use a “visual” to capture the name. Picture
how they have written the moniker on their name tag, or relate
their name to an image like barbed wire for Barbara.
5. Introduce the person to someone else to reinforce your
memory.
This article excerpted from a feature by Maria Duron in SmartBrief
on Workforce.
Members
in the News
We congratulated MOSAIC in
last week's eNews for their listing as one of the EPA's new
Top 20 Printers of green power purchasers
in the commercial printing business.
The firm was also recognized for
the accomplishment in a feature story of the October
16-22, 2009 Washington Business Journal. The company
purchases 2,846,520 kWh (Kilowatt-hours) of wind power annually,
which is enough green power to meet 100% of their usage needs.
Upcoming Events
| October 30 |
Special Event: ASI Advantages
Roadshow, 9:00am-1:00pm at BWI Marriott
(1743 W. Nursery Road, Baltimore, MD 21090.) The
Advantages Roadshow is a sales-building experience
like no other. Enjoy one-on-one conversations with
leading companies, attend FREE educational seminars,
and find hot new items to show your clients. *BONUS*
PGAMA members are invited to a special briefing
on ASI services! Call Paul at PGAMA for info. To
learn more about the Roadshow, visit www.advantagesroadshow.com. |
| November 3 |
Webinar: The Principles
of Social Media, Noon-1:00pm. Tune
in to the first of five broadcasts (Tuesdays, Nov
3-Dec 1) in the Social Media Webinar series focusing
on using social media to communicate. Learn the
unwritten rules of engagement for using Twitter,
LinkedIn, Facebook and blogs. Cost is $55 per webinar
per connection or $250 for the entire series. Register
online at http://www.pine.org/Education/webinar_social_series.html#principles |
| November 3 |
Special Event: Cocktails
& Connections Happy Hour 5:30-7:30pm
at Franklin's Restaurant in Hyattsville, MD (5123
Baltimore Avenue, 20781.) Join us for another
strictly social gathering! No speakers. No agenda.
Just the chance to get to know others in our industry.
You never know who you’ll meet...and how
they could benefit your business! FREE
for PGAMA Members, $20 for Non-Members
(Includes drinks & hors d’oeuvres.)
You Must RSVP to Attend! Call PGAMA by October
28th, 410-319-0900/877-319-0906 Or online at www.pgama.com.
Space Limited to 100 so RSVP EARLY! Sponsored
by Hewlett-Packard and Coleman One. |
| November 8-10 |
Special Event: 2009
Converge Conference, at
the spectacular new Hilton Bonnet Creek in Orlando.
This event is a must-attend for any service provider
looking to grow and prosper in these challenged economic
times of the new information age. Learn more about
the conference, resort and transportation deals, plus
register to attend at http://converge.printing.org/Default.aspx. |
| November 10 |
Webinar: How and Why
to Blog: ,
Noon-1:00pm. This is the second of five broadcasts
(Tuesdays, Nov 3-Dec 1) in the Social Media Webinar
series, and focuses on blogging. Learn how to set
up, maintain, and use this incredibly easy method
to release timely information to an audience of
readers already interested in what you and your
organization offer. Cost is $55 per webinar per
connection. Register
online at http://www.pine.org/Education/webinar_social_series.html#principles |
| November 18 |
Member Seminar & Vendor
Expo: Its OK to Print, 9:00am-4:00pm
at PGAMA (9685 Gerwig Lane, Columbia, MD 21046).
Attend
this seminar and learn how to affordably promote
and expand your sustainable efforts. Attendees
will walk away better prepared to market their “green” processes
and practices—including getting listed on
the Maryland Green Registry—and informed
about other fast, easy, and budget-conscious things
that can be done to protect the planet AND boost
a bottom line. Cost is $30 per person and includes
lunch. Call PGAMA to register, 410-319-0900 or
sign up online at www.pgama.com. |
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