MI Printing's Easter Bunny Special: 10,000 #10 Business Envelopes

Business Envelopes, #10 White Envelopes 10,000 for just $450.00 Black Ink on front from customer supplied art (PDF Format) plus Sales tax if applicable. To receive discount please mention this ad. Offer expires April 15, 2013.

Many times the first impression a person will have with your company is to handle and open correspondence that arrives in your company envelope.  There’s something about receiving a custom printed business envelope. You can feel the importance and significance of any document with the help of logo, printing and the quality of the paper.  In fact, correct envelope printing adds greatly to the image and credibility of a company.

While your letterheads are standards for businesses and companies, the envelopes that carry that important document can not be a poor quality product.

Business envelope printing is crucial because it contributes to the image of professionalism and reliability that a company projects. The image of a company can be picked up from the documents that they produce and use in communications with the public.

Your company's formality and credibility is also reflected in your envelopes.  Envelopes in fact, have the power to affect a response from the recipients whether its favorable or not.  Depending on the look, appearance, color and quality, your envelope can greatly influence the way your recipients think about you and your company's message.

Contact Matt or Paula at MI Printing for help with your professional quality business envelopes. 623-582-1302

Presented By
MI Printing 
Phone: 623.582.1302
Email: sales@printinginaz.com
http://printinginaz.com

Marketing Mayhem Is Not The Only Way

Marketing is much more than a Web site, advertisement, tradeshow or e-mail. These are just a few of the components of marketing. These are only the tactical actions that support the high-level, strategic nature of marketing. Perhaps the reason that much of marketing fails is that the tactical actions are taken without the necessary strategic plan.

Marketing is a high-level business function that is strategic and long-term. Marketing has more in common with a company’s business plan than it does with its monthly sales goals. In fact, much of a company’s business plan is the marketing plan. Deciding what products to offer, at what price and to which market segments are functions of marketing.

You have probably heard of the four "Ps" of marketing: product, place, price and promotion. When empowered, marketing defines the products offered and the market that they will serve (product). Marketing creates the distribution channels through which products are offered (place). Marketing determines the cost to the consumer that yields the largest profit (price). Finally, marketing creates awareness and interest in the product to initiate consumer action (promotion). Above it all, marketing creates the identity of the company that serves as the umbrella under which all products fall.

With three of the "Ps" covered, marketing can be clarified by focusing on the fourth. For small companies, the critical business issue is successful and profitable promotion. In the context of promotion, the definition of marketing is: a business function that creates, facilitates and supports a selling environment.

Marketing creates the opportunities for selling. Marketing builds awareness and understanding of products and services. Marketing provides the tools used to move toward the close of the deal. Awareness, interest, desire and action are the goals of marketing promotion.

The final point to consider is that marketing is not sales, and sales is not marketing. While these functions are closely aligned and tightly coupled, they are quite different. Marketing is 70 percent strategic and 30 percent tactical. Sales is 70 percent tactical.

Marketing actions speak to many. Sales actions are one-on-one. Marketing’s impact is measured throughout the year. Sales performance is measured by the month. Marketing plans and actions take months to take root. Sales can achieve results with a single phone call.

Marketing is strategic. Marketing is a long-term process. Marketing is an investment in a company’s financial future. For the small business, marketing builds awareness, interest and desire to facilitate sales transactions.

While you may not be able to hire the Top of the Line advertising team for your next set of ads and promotions you can work with MI Printing to work on your business printing needs.  Give us a call at 623.582.1302 and let’s talk.

Presented By
MI Printing 
Phone: 623.582.1302
Email: sales@printinginaz.com
http://printinginaz.com

Cross-promote With Other Local Merchants

Yes, I know we have talked about this idea before.  But, did you take the time to tryout this budget friendly marketing proposal?

A simple cross promotion with even one other business does more than just benefit the businesses with more foot traffic and sales it benefits your customers as well.  What more could you ask from a promotion where everyone is a winner.

Even the most time-pressed business owner can attract more customers with less effort through the right cross-promotions. Why? Because when you join forces with other credible people who also reach your market you can reach your customers more efficiently, credibly and memorably with the right offers and services.

To stand out from their competition in a crowded advertising marketplace, businesses, nonprofits, and government agencies are enthusiastically adopting this nimble approach to "outmarket" bigger competitors. Their cross-promotions include "bundled" offerings, joint media appearances and events, and unconventional cause-related marketing. It might also include collaboratively produced how-to's and other resource booklets and videos, co-branding, coop advertising, and shared space.

Cross-promotion has the potential for a big marketing payoff because partners can successfully expand through each other's customer base. They can gain an inexpensive and credible introduction to more of their kind of customer more effectively than with the traditional "solo" methods of networking, advertising, or public relations.

Print joint promotional messages on your receipts.

Offer a reduced price, special service, or convenience if customers buy products from you and your partner.

Hang signs or posters promoting one another on your walls, windows, or products.

Mention one another's benefits when you speak at local events or are interviewed by the media.

Drop one another's flyers in shopping bags.

Pool mailing lists and send out a joint promotional postcard.

Share inexpensive ads in local shopping papers or a nonprofit event program.

Give a joint interview to local media.

Give your partner's product to your customers when they buy a large quantity of your product, and ask your partner to do the same.

Use door hangers, posters, flyers, or postcards to promote special offers for each other's products.

Need to have a creative twist to your next commercial printing job?  Let MI Printing work with you on your next handout, flyer or brochure to make your message stand-out and be remembered. Give MI Printing a call at 623.582.1302.

Presented By
MI Printing 
Phone: 623.582.1302
Email: sales@printinginaz.com
printinginaz.com

A Tale Of Two TV Ads

Every advertisement should have two goals, a primary and a secondary one.  In some cases just running your advertisement should also support your businesses name recognition.

A primary goal might be to sell a specific item or service and the secondary goal is to capture a new customer so that the sale or promotion will cause that new customer to return for future visits.

What follows is the experience of a specific customer to two different TV ads to two different businesses. Always remember “Your experience may vary.”

Experience #1.  Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen ran a TV advertisement for a product they called Cajun Surf & Turf.  This $4.99 meal comes with shrimp, chicken tenders, fries and two types of dipping sauce.  “We decided to try this new meal and it was our initial visit to Popeyes.  The first thing that stood out was how chaotic the order process and kitchen staff seemed to be.  The counter person apologized that he didn’t know why, but our receipt was being printed in “British”.  Our meal was ready quickly and the sauce was two of the same, shrimp sauce.  The deep fried shrimp was overcooked and not worth eating.  We had to ask for the Ranch sauce to dip the chicken tenders.  The chicken tenders were passable.  The Cajun fries were a good product.  NO further questions from or interaction with the staff. Overall it didn’t make us want to come back for a second visit.”

Experience #2.  Quiznos is also running a TV advertisement for a product  they call Lobster & Seafood Sub Sandwich.  The eight inch sub is $8.99 and has lobster and seafood filling with a choice of many different toppings. “Based on the TV ad we decided to try this limited time sandwich.  We choose to share the 8 inch sub so the cost of the meal was just under what we spent at Popeyes. We were warmly greeted by the two staff members.  Questions were asked and suggestion were made as we ordered.  Some gentle up selling was part of the checkout process.  We filled our drinks and sat at a nearby table.  Our sandwich was brought out in two separate trays.  We were asked if anything else was needed.  The end product was delicious.  We were asked if everything was okay soon after we started eating.  As we were finishing our meal, one of the staff came to our table and enquired about our meal and thanked us for coming into the store.  What a quality experience.  Yes, we intend to return to this Quiznos location.”

Well there it is, two chances to have a sale and capture future visits.  How is your business doing with this very same process?  Are you winning or losing the battle for future return visits to your store?

When you need professional business printing try MI Printing and let us show you our Golden Rules.  We look forward to trying to build good results for your business.

Presented By
MI Printing
Phone: 623.582.1302
Email: sales@printinginaz.com
http://printinginaz.com

Made In The USA – The Stoneybrook Clock Company

The Stoneybrook Clock Company was founded in the late 1960's by Grant Bucane. Production began in a basement workshop in a home in North Prairie, Wisconsin. The little family business quickly outgrew its family location and moved into a small industrial park in Dousman, Wisconsin, where it produced clocks until the early 1980's. Owing to a tragedy in the family, the business ceded its operation. Each clock is handcrafted with pride in the USA.

The Stoneybrook Company owed its success to a passion for quality coupled with the knowledge of how to build superb clock cases. Their work exemplified what American craftsmanship is capable of while utilizing only very basic woodworking equipment. During these early years the Stoneybrook Company produced an estimated 40 different wall, mantel and grandfather clock styles as well as custom clocks at the request of its customers.

Today in the same tradition of this fine clock company the new owners, Earl and Gloria Hawkins of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, are attempting to revitalize and recreate the glory of fine American clock making. With that in mind, each Stoneybrook clock that is produced embodies the company's goal of providing one with a timeless treasure that captures the very essence of time and beauty.

Each clock is designed with precision and is made of the finest solid woods here in the U.S. Only the finest timbers are used and machined with grace, elegance and craftsmanship. The result is an heirloom clock that one will cherish for years to come. The design and construction exemplifies the founding spirit of America.

The Stoneybrook Clock company's goal is to provide you with timeless treasures that capture the essence of time and beauty.

Each Stoneybrook clock case is designed with precision and is made of the finest solid woods. We only use the finest timbers and machine each piece with grace, elegance and craftsmanship. We also use the finest German movements. The result is an heirloom clock.

Whether the clock is a grandfather, mantle or wall, the design and construction of this clock exemplifies the timeless values that characterize the founding spirit of America. This clock is one of the finest handcrafted heirlooms you can own. There is no doubt that you will cherish it for years to come.  It is our belief that clocks should be built like fine furniture that is timeless.  Therefore from the beginning of the wood selection process to the final hand rubbing after the finish coat attention is paid to detail.  The goal is to provide the finest in product in accordance with furniture building techniques steeped in the tradition of generations of American woodworkers.

Location:  7301 W. Greenfield Avenue Milwaukee/West Allis, WI 53214  877-309-4171

Website:  http://www.stoneybrookclocks.com

Do you want your business printing made in the U.S.A.?  Then please contact MI Printing and tell us about your printing needs.  We are ready to listen and help.

Presented By
MI Printing, LLC
Phone: 623.582.1302
Email: sales@printinginaz.com
http://printinginaz.com

This Week's Specials

We have some great specials for you!.

15% Off
Large Format Posters

10% Off
Outdoor Banners
6 ft x 18 ft hemmed on all four sides with grommets


From customer supplied - print ready art + sales tax if applicable These specials all expire March 31st . Please mention this ad when calling.

Let MI Printing help you have a great March. You can get started with a simple phone call to 623.582.1302.

Marketing’s 4Cs and 4Ps

Can good marketing be boiled down to just eight concepts?

Let’s take a look

The four “Cs” are consumer focused and are thought to be replacements and better used since they are attentive to the consumer experience; Consumer, Cost, Communication and Convenience.

The four “Ps” have been around since 1960 and they are; Product, Price, Promotion and Place.

The Product part of the four Ps model is replaced by "Consumer", shifting the focus to satisfying the consumer needs. By defining offerings as individual capabilities that are combined and focused to a specific industry, the result is a custom solution rather than the pigeon-holing of a customer into a product.

Price is replaced by "Cost", reflecting the total cost of ownership. Many factors affect Cost, including but not limited to the customer's cost to change or implement the new product or service and the customer's cost for not selecting a competitor's product or service.

Promotion is replaced by "Communication", which represents a broader focus. Communications can include advertising, public relations, personal selling, viral advertising, and any form of communication between the organization and the consumer.

Place is replaced by "Convenience". With the rise of Internet and hybrid models of purchasing, Place is becoming less relevant. Convenience takes into account the ease of buying the product, finding the product, finding information about the product, and several other factors.

A new concept for marketing is also being called “Compass.”

The factors related to consumers can be explained by the first character of four directions marked on the compass model. These can be remembered by the cardinal directions, hence the name compass model:
N = Needs
W = Wants
S = Security
E = Education:(consumer education)

What is the simple focus here is that placing the consumers’ needs first is what will lead to more sales and ultimately a happy consumer.  Happy consumers come back again and again.

You can start by contacting MI Printing for help with you next business flyer or brochure.  Just give us a call at 623.582.1302.

Presented By
MI Printing, LLC
Phone: 623.582.1302
Email: sales@printinginaz.com
http://printinginaz.com

Marketing Days Remaining in 2013

Sunday, March 31: Easter - When to start: March 18

Monday, April 1: April Fool’s Day - When to implement: The day of, as a surprise.

Monday, April 22: Earth Day - When to start: The week before

Sunday, May 12: Mother’s Day - When to start: May 1

Monday, May 27: Memorial Day - When to start: May 13

Sunday, June 16: Father’s Day – When to start: June 1

Friday, June 21: First Day of Summer – When to start: June 7

Thursday, July 4: Independence Day – When to start: Two weeks before

Back-to-school - Date varies by location - When to start: 30 days before

Monday, September 2: Labor Day – When to start: Two weeks before

Sunday, September 22: First Day of Fall – start planning for all of the below holidays.

Monday, October 14: Columbus Day – When to start: The week prior
Idea: Reward customers who embark on a journey to your brick-and-mortar location rather than shop online, then wow them with your personalized customer service. 

Thursday, October 31: Halloween –  When to start: October 1

Monday, November 11: Veteran’s Day – When to start: November 1

Thursday, November 28: Thanksgiving – When to start: November 1

Wednesday, December 25: Christmas – When to start: The day after Thanksgiving

Tuesday, December 31: New Years Eve – When to start: December 1

You can start planning for any of these by contacting MI Printing for help with you next business flyer or brochure.  Just give us a call at 623.582.1302.

Presented By
MI Printing, LLC 
Phone: 623.582.1302
Email: sales@printinginaz.com
http://printinginaz.com

Spring Time Marketing For Small Businesses

With the official start of Spring just a few days away you should be thinking about and planning your Spring marketing promotions.

Warm Weather Specials
What can your business do while everyone is excited about the rising temperatures and wanting to get out of the house.  What out-door activities can you promote or support to bring in both new and old customers.

Spring Holidays
Although not as big as Winter seasonal holiday marketing, running some fun promotions for Spring holidays is also an option. Many restaurants recently offered traditional Irish food for St. Patrick’s Day, drink specials and other retailers played up the green and “lucky” associations. Don’t forget Passover approaching if you offer kosher foods! And Easter and Mother’s Day can be popular days for brunch, as well as flowers, jewelry and small gifts.

Sports & March Madness
Baseball season hasn’t officially started, but it is heavily anticipated with Spring Training games, here in the Phoenix Metro area, happening every day that would bring fans into your bar or restaurant who are already looking to predict the season’s big match-ups and standings. If you have a lot of hockey fans amoungst your loyal customers, you may want to start planning now for the Stanley Cup Playoffs that begin in April! And don’t forget about NCAA games! In fact, “March Madness” is a fun and popular phrase to tie into marketing, even if your business isn’t a bar that shows the games!

Spring Cleaning + Fresh New Inventory
Spring is a time to show off new product lines, and also for clothes retailers to remind customers that it’s time for cleaning out the closets and making room or products to get organized.  Do you offer services that are spring cleaning related?

So as the weather warms up make sure your business is ready to warm up with it.  Call MI Printing at 623.582.1302 and see how we can help you communicate with your warm market.

Presented By
MI Printing, LLC
Phone: 623.582.1302
Email: sales@printinginaz.com
http://printinginaz.com

Made In The USA – Harley Davidson

Even though this is one of our longest posts it barely scratches the surface of the story of the Harley Davidson motorcycle history.  They are the oldest vehicle manufactures in the U.S. 

In 1901, William S. Harley drew up plans for a small engine with a displacement of 7.07 cubic inches  and four-inch flywheels. The engine was designed for use in a regular pedal-bicycle frame. Over the next two years, Harley and his childhood friend Arthur Davidson worked on their motor-bicycle using the northside Milwaukee machine shop at the home of their friend, Henry Melk. It was finished in 1903 with the help of Arthur's brother, Walter Davidson. 

In January 1905, small advertisements were placed in the "Automobile and Cycle Trade Journal" that offered bare Harley-Davidson engines to the do-it-yourself trade. By April, complete motorcycles were in production on a very limited basis. That year, the first Harley-Davidson dealer, Carl H. Lang of Chicago, sold three bikes from the dozen or so built in the Davidson backyard shed. (Some years later the original shed was taken to the Juneau Avenue factory where it would stand for many decades as a tribute to the Motor Company's humble origins. Unfortunately, the first shed was accidentally destroyed by contractors in the early 1970s during a clean-up of the factory yard.)

In 1906, Harley and the Davidson brothers built their first factory on Chestnut Street (later Juneau Avenue). This location remains Harley-Davidson's corporate headquarters today. The first Juneau Avenue plant was a 40 ft × 60 ft single-story wooden structure. The company produced about 50 motorcycles that year.

By 1911, some 150 makes of motorcycles had already been built in the United States – although just a handful would survive the 1910s.

In 1911, an improved V-Twin model was introduced. The new engine had mechanically operated intake valves, as opposed to the "automatic" intake valves used on earlier V-Twins that opened by engine vacuum. With a displacement of 49.48 cubic inches, the 1911 V-Twin was smaller than earlier twins, but gave better performance. After 1913 the majority of bikes produced by Harley-Davidson would be V-Twin models.

In order to survive the Depression, the company manufactured industrial power-plants based on their motorcycle engines. They also designed and built a three-wheeled delivery vehicle called the Servi-Car, which remained in production until 1973.

In the mid 1930s, Alfred Rich Child opened a production line in Japan with the 74 cubic inches VL. The Japanese license-holder, Sankyo Seiyako Corporation, severed its business relations with Harley-Davidson in 1936 and continued manufacturing the VL under the Rikuo name.

One of only two American cycle manufacturers to survive the Great Depression, Harley-Davidson again produced large numbers of motorcycles for the US Army in World War II and resumed civilian production afterwards, producing a range of large V-twin motorcycles that were successful both on racetracks and for private buyers.

In 1969, American Machine and Foundry (AMF) bought the company, streamlined production, and slashed the workforce. This tactic resulted in a labor strike and a lower quality of bikes. The bikes were expensive and inferior in performance, handling, and quality to Japanese motorcycles. Sales and quality declined, and the company almost went bankrupt. The "Harley-Davidson" name was mocked as "Hardly Ableson", "Hardly Driveable," and "Hogly Ferguson", and the nickname "Hog" became pejorative.

In 1981, AMF sold the company to a group of thirteen investors led by Vaughn Beals and Willie G. Davidson for $80 million. Inventory was strictly controlled using the just-in-time system.

The "Sturgis" model, boasting a dual belt-drive, was introduced. By 1990, with the introduction of the "Fat Boy", Harley once again became the sales leader in the heavyweight market. At the time of the Fat Boy model introduction a story rapidly spread that its silver paint job and other features were inspired by the World War II American B-29 bomber; and that the Fat Boy name was a combination of the names of the atomic bombs (Fat Man and Little Boy) that were dropped on Nagasaki and Hiroshima respectively.

1993 and 1994 saw the replacement of FXR models with the Dyna (FXD), which became the sole rubber mount FX Big Twin frame in 1995. The FXR was revived briefly from 1999 to 2000 for special limited editions

Building started on $75 million 130,000 square-foot Harley-Davidson Museum in the Menomonee Valley on June 1, 2006. It opened in 2008 and houses the company's vast collection of historic motorcycles and corporate archives, along with a restaurant, café and meeting space.

Location:  Harley-Davidson Museum 400 W Canal Street Milwaukee, WI 53201  414-287-2789

Website:  http://www.harley-davidson.com

Do you want your business printing made in the U.S.A.?  Then please contact MI Printing and tell us about your printing needs.  We are ready to listen and help.

Presented By
MI Printing, LLC
Phone: 623.582.1302
Email: sales@printinginaz.com
http://printinginaz.com

St. Patrick's Day Specials

We think St. Patrick's Day is a great day to show how much we appreciate our customers, So we have some great specials for you!.

Outdoor Banners
6 ft x 18 ft hemmed on all four sides with grommets
every 2 feet $2.50 per Square Foot

Car Magnets
18" x 24" one pair
for just $90.00

Magnetic Business Cards
500 2x3½
Only $98.00

From customer supplied - print ready art + sales tax if applicable These specials all expire March 31st . Please mention this ad when calling.

Let MI Printing help you have a great March. You can get started with a simple phone call to 623.582.1302.

The Art of Upselling

Before we talk about “upselling” we need to understand the meaning of that sales technique. 

Upselling (sometimes "up-selling") is a sales technique whereby a seller induces the customer to purchase more expensive items, upgrades, or other add-ons in an attempt to make a more profitable sale. Upselling usually involves marketing more profitable services or products but can also be simply exposing the customer to other options that were perhaps not considered previously. 

Upselling implies selling something that is more profitable or otherwise preferable for the seller instead of, or in addition to, the original sale. A different technique is cross-selling in which a seller tries to sell something else. In practice, large businesses usually combine upselling and cross-selling techniques to enhance the value that the client or clients get from the organization in addition to maximizing the profit that the business gets from the client. In doing so, the organization must ensure that the relationship with the client is not disrupted. 

In a restaurant and other similar settings, upselling is commonplace and an accepted form of business. In other businesses, such as car sales, the customer’s perception of the attempted upsell can be viewed negatively and thereby affect the desired result.

If upselling is done poorly and many sales people do just that, it can have an effect that  is far from positive and can give your business a very bad reputation.

The key to doing upselling correctly is to put the customer’s needs first.  No matter what you sell in your business many times you can do your customer a service by making sure you understand your customer’s needs and do everything you can to fulfill those very needs.

If your customer indicates the need to make a purchase make sure you sell them the product or service that truly meets all of their needs.  In some cases the customer’s budget may mean that the best product for them is not the “best” product.

If your upselling is done with the needs or wants of the business or salesperson as first priority it will always damage the business in the long run.  Short term profits should never be the priority over the long term viability of your business.

Let MI Printing Help You Get The Word Out! We can help you with your everyday commercial and business printing needs.

Presented By
MI Printing, LLC
Phone: 623.582.1302
Email: sales@printinginaz.com
http://printinginaz.com

Cute Animals Get Attention In Advertising

Animals have a special place in the human heart. Now, researchers are reporting that creatures great and small also have a special place in our heads.

A team led by researchers at Caltech has found individual brain cells that respond when a person sees an animal, but not when that person sees another person, a place, or an object.

The cells were found in the amygdala, an almond-shaped part of the brain involved in emotions, including fear. And they responded to any kind of animal, including spiders, dogs and rodents, says Christof Koch, a researcher at Caltech and the lead author of the study, published in Nature Neuroscience.

One reason present-day humans have these cells may be because some animals posed a threat to our ancestors, Koch says. Specialized cells could have helped the brain respond quickly to danger, he says.

Koch says he was reminded of how important a quick response can be during a recent run along a mountainous trail in Los Angeles.

"As I was about to step down I saw there was a rattlesnake," he says. "By the time I realized it, by the time I felt fear, you say, oh my god there's a snake, I had already automatically extended my legs, my stride was larger so I didn't step on the snake."

That's a good example of why our brains pay special attention to animals. The new study, he says, helps explain how.

The 'Peter Rabbit Cell,' Programmed For Cuteness

The discovery came while Koch and other researchers were studying the brains of 41 people about to have surgery for severe epilepsy. To find the source of their seizures, doctors placed electrodes deep in the brain.

The researchers looked to see how cells in several parts of the brain responded to a variety of images. But it was only in the amygdala that they found cells firing specifically in response to animals, Koch says.

That makes sense, Koch says because the amygdala "seems to be specialized in alerting us to things that are emotionally important to us — either positive or because they're scary."

So you can use many types of animal images to get attention in your business ads.  Want help with your business printing needs?  Call MI Printing 623.582.1302 and lets us help.

Presented By
MI Printing, LLC 
Phone: 623.582.1302
Email: sales@printinginaz.com
http://printinginaz.com

Springtime Marketing Tips

When springtime is in the air, it's time to start taking advantage of the change in seasons, which often brings a positive change in people's moods. Whether you operate a retail location, service business or online business, spring can be an opportune time to ramp up your company's marketing efforts. 

While sales cycles are different for different industries, you can take advantage of springtime by rolling out some season-specific marketing changes or improvements.

Spring Break: Most US schools have their breaks from early March through early April. The key to Spring Break Marketing is “Fun in the Sun”. You can make reference to finally ending the chill of winter and anticipating the sweetness of spring. This is not only a key traveling period for teens, but also many family vacations take place during this time … so target the travelers with your savings and specials. Take advantage of the 3 R’s of spring: recovery, relaxation and restoration.

Spring Cleaning: Research shows that 3 out of 4 US adults plan some type of spring cleaning. Think about all the yard work about to start (and yard sales). Highlight cleaning supplies and tools. Don’t forget about all the organizational needs people will be experiencing. Out with the old and in with the new.

Spring Seeds: Always a good time to make things grow. Let your customers know that your company is “green” by tying in promotions that utilize seeds. Have avid readers? Give them plant-able bookmarks. Or you could attach your business card to a Tree Seed Tent Card and give out to prospects. Or let your customers know you look forward to growing your relationship with these branded flower and plant stakes. Or why not mail out some branded seed packets to new leads, regardless of what industry you’re in.

Spring in your Step: Most people are experiencing a sense of renewal and rejuvenation in springtime. Participate in, or sponsor, a local event that benefits a worthy cause, like a walk or marathon. Invite all of your employees and customers to join the effort and collect donations. Have a contest where the person who collects the most donations wins something spectacular. On the day of the event let everyone know that 10% of sales will be donated to the cause. You should send out a Press Release a month in advance so perhaps your company will get some free publicity and the cause will probably garner more awareness and donations.

Your printed materials are a direct reflection on your business.  Your choice of colors, font types and sizes have somewhat the same affect on the viewer.  Make sure your message is a match to the buyer you expect.  Call MI Printing at 623.582.1302 and let us help you make good choices.

Presented By
MI Printing 
Phone: 623.582.1302
Email: sales@printinginaz.com
http://printinginaz.com

Made In The USA – Vermette Machine Company

Vermette Machine Company Inc. was established in 1947. The one and only employee, Howard H Vermette, was owner, product designer and manager.

The first product was a power pipe threading machine, used by hardware stores and the plumbing trade.

Our first location was in a 20 ft. x 30 ft. garage with a second floor. In 1952 we moved into a 50 ft. x 50 ft. one story building. At that time the business was incorporated. Today after many additions to the building, it now covers 42,000 sq. ft.

From the original pipe threading machine manufactured, we changed to a portable electric power drive for the plumbing trade. later, copper tubing and plastic pipe began to replace a large percentage of threaded steel pipe, thus reducing the market for these products.

Our present products, since 1962 are hand operated fork lifts for lifting and installation of materials used by heating, air conditioning, refrigeration, electrical, plumbing and general contractors in commercial and industrial buildings.

Howard ran the company until the time of his death in 1984, his wife Floy  ran the company until the time of her death in 1999. Today the company is proudly owned and operated by the employees.

Sales are in all 50 of the United States and in 53 foreign countries.

Product Example:  Keg Jockey 
Now you can move your full kegs safely and easily

Lifting capacity 400 pounds

Overall Height 69 Inches (It may be shortened to fit your walk-in coolers
door requirements)

Information:  No. 7 - 143rd Street,  Hammond, Indiana  46327   219-931-5406

Website: http://vermettlifts.com

Do you want your business printing made in the U.S.A.?  Then please contact MI Printing and tell us about your printing needs.  We are ready to listen and help.

Presented By
MI Printing, LLC
Phone: 623.582.1302
Email: sales@printinginaz.com
http://printinginaz.com

1000 #10 Business Envelopes MI Printing

Business Envelopes, #10 White Envelopes 1000 for just $58.00 Black Ink on front from customer supplied art (PDF Format) plus Sales tax if applicable. To receive discount please mention this ad. Offer expires March 31, 2013.

Many times the first impression a person will have with your company is to handle and open correspondence that arrives in your company envelope.  There’s something about receiving a custom printed business envelope. You can feel the importance and significance of any document with the help of logo, printing and the quality of the paper.  In fact, correct envelope printing adds greatly to the image and credibility of a company.

While your letterheads are standards for businesses and companies, the envelopes that carry that important document can not be a poor quality product.

Business envelope printing is crucial because it contributes to the image of professionalism and reliability that a company projects. The image of a company can be picked up from the documents that they produce and use in communications with the public.

Your company's formality and credibility is also reflected in your envelopes.  Envelopes in fact, have the power to affect a response from the recipients whether its favorable or not.  Depending on the look, appearance, color and quality, your envelope can greatly influence the way your recipients think about you and your company's message.

Contact Matt or Paula at MI Printing for help with your professional quality business envelopes. 623-582-1302

Presented By
MI Printing 
Phone: 623.582.1302
Email: sales@printinginaz.com
http://printinginaz.com

Marketing Mayhem – Let The Customer Pay What They Feel Is Fair

Letting your customer set your prices.  Sounds crazy, right?  Some businesses find that it works.

Pay What You Want (PWYW) is a pricing system where buyers pay any desired amount for a given commodity, sometimes including zero. In some cases, a minimum (floor) price may be set, and/or a suggested price may be indicated as guidance for the buyer. The buyer can also select an amount higher than the standard price for the commodity.

Giving buyers the freedom to pay what you want may seem to not make much sense for a seller, but in some situations it can be very successful. This is because it eliminates many disadvantages of conventional pricing. It is obviously attractive to buyers to be able to pay whatever they want, for reasons that include eliminating fear of whether a product is worthwhile at a given set price and the related risk of disappointment or “buyer's remorse”. For sellers it obviates the challenging and sometimes costly task of setting the “right” price (which may vary for different market segments). For both, it changes an adversarial conflict into a friendly exchange, and addresses the fact that value perceptions and price sensitivities can vary widely among buyers.

In the book Smart Pricing (p. 29), it is suggested that successful pay what you want programs are characterized by:

A product with low marginal cost

A fair-minded customer

A product that can be sold credibly at a wide range of prices

A strong relationship between buyer and seller

A very competitive marketplace.

While most uses of pay what you want have been at the margins of the economy, or for special promotions, there are emerging efforts to expand its utility to broader and more regular use, as noted in the Enhanced Forms section below.

Variant terms include "pay what you wish", "pay what you like", "pay as you want", "pay as you wish", "pay as you like", "pay what you will", "pay as you will". "Pay what you can" is sometimes used synonymously, but is often more oriented to charity or social uses, based more on ability to pay, while pay what you want is often more broadly oriented to perceived value in combination with willingness and ability to pay.

Example: http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/03/17/lippert.qanda/index.html

So as the weather warms up make sure your business is ready to warm up with it.  Call MI Printing at 623.582.1302 and see how we can help you communicate with your warm market.

Presented By
MI Printing 
Phone: 623.582.1302
Email: sales@printinginaz.com
http://printinginaz.com

Learn To Love Your Customers

You need to love your customers and show your customers some love!

When is the last time you were truly delighted as a customer? We asked ourselves this question during a recent customer experience brainstorming session. One customer had been given a free gift after she bought her daily lunch from a nearby eatery, a favorite local deli. Another had received a card from a store on his birthday. And the experience that stuck out for others was when I mentioned to the manager of clothing boutique I had lost a necklace I recently purchased and she immediately gave me another one, free of charge.

Provide an experience, not just service. You could call the folks who help your customers the Customer Experience team, not customer support or customer service. That’s because the team should do more than just answer questions.  They need to play an active part in educating and empowering customers on how to best use your products, providing 1-on-1 education sessions, writing blog posts, doing demos and much more. You want your customers to have a good experience with your company so you should actively work to give them one.

Be a good listener. Don’t be afraid to get social with your customer service. As we’ve written before, customers are now communicating in a variety of places. Find out where your customers spend their time, then use tools like Facebook to monitor what people are saying about your company in social media spaces like Twitter, on blogs, on Facebook, Yelp or LinkedIn. Is someone unhappy with service they received but telling their 5,000 Twitter followers rather than you? That’s important for you to know. And if you’re there to hear the complaint, you have an opportunity to reach out and see if you can smooth the situation.

Give presents. Who doesn’t love a present? Nobody, that’s who. In the past few months, we’ve received chocolates, popcorn and a big box of cool promotional stuff. Not to say that our love can be bought (though for really good chocolate — maybe.) Each of these stood out not because they were big and fancy but because how excited we were to receive them.

Build or sell an amazing product and provide awesome service. Of course, the very best thing you can do for your customers is be awesome at your job (so they can be awesome at theirs).

Let MI Printing help your printed materials convey your Brand to your Market with and through your Advertising.  Give us a call at 623.582.1302 to find out how we can help.

Presented By
MI Printing, LLC
Phone: 623.582.1302
Email: sales@printinginaz.com
http://printinginaz.com

Eight Ways To Improve Your Local Presence

If you want your local business to be part of the community here are eight ways that will help you do just that.  People tend to support businesses that support them.

Sponsor a local sports team. Send out a press release or feature article and get your logo on the team uniforms. This makes you a valuable community member and builds awareness.

Speak at seminars and teach workshops. You’ll get publicity from marketing the event and from the event itself.

Enter business award competitions. If you win, you get a badge on your website and a lot more sales. Even if you don’t win, you can still get lots of publicity if you place high enough and broadcast your participation.

Network at your local Chamber of Commerce and fraternal organizations. This is a classic marketing idea for small businesses because it can yield big dividends. Association with the Chamber will make your events more credible, and you can find new partners or clients, or discover opportunities to teach or speak.

Learn to be a people person. Never stop networking, follow all leads, and participate in conversations wherever you find them. Don’t be afraid of the phone, internet, email, or face-to-face meetings.

Use bumper stickers and window decals. In addition to putting on them company vehicles and owners’ cars, give them for free to employees, partners, stakeholders and investors, charities you donate to, and other contacts to display.

Ask for testimonials and reviews. This includes online reviews on websites like Yelp, recommendations on LinkedIn, and rave comments through any channel. Create a testimonials page on your website and use the best reviews in as many promotions as makes sense.

Send hand-signed holiday, birthday, or thank you cards to past and current clients, valued partners, vendors in your referral network, connections who have helped you, everyone you can think of. This is a low-cost and unique marketing idea for small business, but many entrepreneurs have reported its effectiveness.

If you need help with your business printing needs make sure MI Printing is the printer to consider for your next printing job.  We can start with a quick phone call to 623.582.1302.  We want to say “Thanks In Advance”!

Presented By
MI Printing 
Phone: 623.582.1302
Email: sales@printinginaz.com
http://printinginaz.com

Made In The USA – Hasty-Bake Charcoal Ovens

In 1948, Grant Hastings produced the first Hasty-Bake Charcoal Oven. As one of the original manufacturers of the “backyard barbecue,” Hastings was a pioneer in the industry. Specifically, Hasty-Bake introduced the first portable unit, the first hooded unit, and a new method of cooking using indirect heat. Hastings’ design controlled the intensity of heat by using vents, a heat deflector, a ventless hood and an adjustable fire box, revolutionizing the method in which food was cooked.

Hasty-Bake Charcoal Ovens have attracted a lot of attention over the years. Hasty-Bake was selected by the State Department to represent the United States at the Brussels World’s Fair in 1958. The company won the Hess Award in 1962, and their ovens have been on display in the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry.

The patented Hasty-Bake design receives continual praise from food and industry critics across the country. In addition, the products are recommended by chefs and authors of cookbooks such as Born to Grill and Smoke & Spice.

But don’t take their word for it. The best way to discover the difference cooking on a Hasty-Bake can make is to taste the results for yourself. That’s why the ovens produce blue ribbon results in barbecue competitions across the country. For example, the Grand Champion of the 1994 American Royal in Kansas City (known as the World Series of Barbecue Cookoffs), Doug Steel and his Heat’s Neat team, used a Hasty-Bake to prepare most of their award-winning recipes.

Though their company has undergone many changes in the last 60 years, the basic design of Hasty-Bake Charcoal Ovens remains unchanged. Built for the discriminating outdoor chef, each Hasty-Bake creates a cooking environment that produces meals that are superior in taste. Their adjustable fire box offers you the flexibility to grill, bake or smoke your food. Additional features such as a grease drain system and “V”-shaped grills work together to virtually eliminate flare ups. An accurate thermometer helps you maintain your desired cooking temperature. Their removable heat deflector lets you cook with indirect heat while baking or smoking. And the ventless hood holds in heat and smoke allowing it to rotate around your food.

Each Hasty-Bake is constructed by hand from only the highest quality materials. With proper care and basic maintenance, you can expect their black powder finish, cold-rolled steel ovens to last for 15 to 25 years (or longer). The solid stainless steel models can be expected to last virtually forever!

Location: 1313 South Lewis Tulsa, OK 74104  800-426-6836

Website: http://www.hastybake.com/

Do you want your business printing made in the U.S.A.?  Then please contact MI Printing and tell us about your printing needs.  We are ready to listen and help.

Presented By
MI Printing, LLC
Phone: 623.582.1302
Email: sales@printinginaz.com
http://printinginaz.com

MI Printing: Business Card Magnets

Make your advertising message STICK!

Business Card Magnets... 500 2 X 3.5  4/0 (Full Color One Side), 17pt UV coated stock.   From customer supplied art. Just $98.00 plus sales tax if applicable. Expires March 31, 2013.

At MI Printing we can take care of all of your specialty printing needs.  Learn about the many options we offer for your business printing needs.  Questions... Please give us a call at 623-582-1302.

Please ask about money saving larger quantity print runs.  For best results a high quality PDF file is required for the customer supplied artwork.

Presented By
MI Printing
Phone: 623.582.1302
Email: sales@printinginaz.com
http://printinginaz.com