It’s not easy being green…just ask Kermit!

Save paper, postage and greenbacks!

When I was a boy my parents separated garbage into three areas…the compost pile, anything that burned and everything else was picked up by the “garbage man”. Now 50 years later…I’m still separating garbage but now its called being “green”!
I have an example about not being “green” that’s pretty interesting. I received two catalogs from the same company on the same day, three weeks later two more catalogs (different covers this time) and 2 weeks after that the same thing! I decided to go to their company website to read about their sustainability policy. It’s a big company and they had several pages. They talk about many positive steps being taken to be a good “green” corporate citizen.
- Recycling office paper
- Energy conservation and alternative fuel
- Renewable energy
- Green building improvements and so on
These are all good things but I ask myself the question, how about cleaning your mail list? There’s an immediate pay back because they wouldn’t need to print as many pieces, they’d save postage, there’s less waste in landfills and by the way they’d save money too! We clean mailing lists 5 – 8 % better than most others. We use Miss Piggy on Steroids software to clean our lists. I’d like to find out more about your business to see if we can help you be green…you know just like Kermit!

“I have nothing to do with intelligence” Major Frank Burns 4077 MASH

Tangram knows about Intelligent Mail barcode (IMb)

Frank Burns and Colonel Flagg had one of my all time favorite conversations when Flagg questions Burns about Military Intelligence and an enemy spy within the confines of MASH 4077. Frank proceeds to say, “I have nothing to do with intelligence.” Well Frank wouldn’t do very well at USPS since the coming of Intelligent Mail!
Intelligent Mail barcode or IMb (they love their acronyms) is a 65 – character barcode used by USPS that looks like a caterpillar crawling across the piece of mail! IMb uses four height bars; full, tracker, ascender and descender. It gives more accurate and detailed information and allows better decision making with your direct mail list. The technology identifies mail going through the system. The barcode has been used in the mail since 2006 but will be required in May 2011 for companies that want maximum postal discounts. They promise improved deliverability, increased automation, new services, and more efficiency overall. They also promise to provide the mailer and themselves more feedback about mail. If implemented properly IMb can be a rich source of data and information to enhance the effectiveness of mail advertising. Time will tell!
The truth is this is complicated stuff. We understand it and handle Intelligent Mail barcodes with intelligence which is more than I can say for Frank Burns! This reminds me didn’t Hawkeye say, “Frank Burns eats worms!” I love those MASH reruns!

How about some fries with your burger?

New business from existing customers

How many times have you heard “the best source of additional sales revenue is from your existing customer”? I learned that while selling print over 30 years ago and have counseled a lot of sales people to do the same thing…look at what’s right in front of you for more volume! But how do you accomplish that?
Here’s a good illustration. I purchased “media” for my home furnace filter system on-line several years ago. It took me a few minutes to find the right media and supplier I wanted to order from. Ever since then I use the same company. Why? Because I get an email or postcard reminding me to:

1) Change my filter every 4 - 6 weeks and
2) Reorder the media every 6 to 12 months depending on the amount of my previous order. They also tell me the size I need (20” x 22”) and this month’s special includes free delivery (actually every month’s special includes free delivery!).

Wow! Thank you for keeping track of the size media / filter I need. If you didn’t…I’d either have to measure every time or find the dimensions that are written down on an envelope next to the owner’s manual for the refrigerator and stove but I don’t know where they are either. And by the way, my wife thanks you because she doesn’t need to remind me to change the filter! Does any of this sound familiar to you?

The concept of NLP (next logical product / purchase) makes sense for many businesses. For example, if you purchased a workbench, how about some storage shelves or peg board hangers to help you get more organized? Or thanks for buying our snowmobile, how about a helmet or outer wear to go with it? Or thank you for buying “write only” CD’s from us do you need a holder to go with those? The possibilities are endless.

Keeping track of data is our business. Let us help you sell more to your existing customers who, by the way, already like buying from you. We can take your on-line orders, warranty cards, phone in orders, packing slips, etc, add them to your database, and then automatically send a postcard, email or combination of the two asking your customer for the next logical product / purchase. In turn, you collect the additional revenue…life is good!

With that in mind, all of a sudden, “How about some fries with your burger” makes more sense…right?!