It’s not Your Fault the Job is Late...Think Again!
The printer created a grid with standard pricing and explained the mailing options and where we could save money. We benefited from knowledge it used from day to day. We went with that provider on the standard piece and have done several mailings with the company since. We hit the deadlines every time because we were in sync and had clear expectations from the first. It is cookie-cutter work, today.
Recently, a company did a business-to-business direct mail piece and was advised by the printer to drop the mailing on January 3rd, or right after the holiday, so the piece would not get buried in holiday mail. Think of that dreaded first week back in the office after being out for a week or two.
The suggestion made sense, but what the business did not know was that it would take until January 19 for the pice to hit prospects’ mailboxes. When the customer did not receive its sample piece on January 15, and received no inquires from prospects either, they got worried and called the printer. The printer explained that the piece was produced in mid-December and dropped off January 3 as planned. The promotion ended January 31, providing about 12 days for prospects to take advantage of the promotion.
However, some prospects did not have sufficient time to evaluate the offer and get the necessary internal approvals to take advantage of the promotion. You never want to put a prospect in that situation. The mailer was about 50 percent as effective as other direct mail promotions because of the lag.
We know that the customer isn’t always right, but it is our responsibility to position customers for success, track progress along the way and educate them when a problem happens. Do you have technology and processes in place to communicate continuously on all projects hitting production—from start to finish?
