Welcome to Issue 139 of McCurry Associates' Marketing Idea Exchange. Please send us your marketing idea as well as comments on those ideas posted by hitting your reply button or emailing to editor@mccurryassoc.com. You may offer free subscriptions to your colleagues by sending them this link: http://photoimagenews.com/mccurrysubscribe.htm - Ask them to include their name, store name and city in the body of the email - privacy is protected, see below.
Please Enjoy, Consider and Profit from these ideas.

All the Best,
Bill

Idea 1 – Let’s look at what’s REALLY important in reviewing the holiday season
Michael Kidd – Rainbow Photo and Digital – Bellevue, WA – http://www.rainbowphoto.net

I think over the years we've changed our views on a 'successful' holiday season. It used to be the magic percentage over/under last year's sales. OK, that's still important.

But even more important to me is how well the crew works together. By this I mean that when you have one or more employees who are doing lousy work, making orders late, miswriting orders, impatient customer service, and so on, it always feels like the season from hell. Everybody's working OT just to get the work done; they're running around looking for lost orders; customers (and employees) are screaming at each other; you're going in way too early and going home way too late.
The same dollar volume with a crew that works well together (like we're lucky enough to have this year), and everything is done right, done on time; customers are happy; they bring in their friends, and the big buck orders flow in.
Next year, having the right crew (Thanks to Bill McCurry's tricks!) will be at the top of the priority list.
 

BTW, we're up 15% and there's no overtime.
 

Note from Bill McCurry’s retail years: The leaving personal problems at home is a learned trait . . . it doesn't come naturally . . . George Sommerdorf was one of my earlier managers (I actually worked for him when I was a kid, then he worked for me!) He shook us all up one Christmas when he sent home one of the employees - it was like the 20th of December - we were up to our armpits in customers and the employee came in, George was waiting on a customer, said hi to the guy, the guy didn't answer, George excused himself from the customer, marched the guy right out the door and said "don't come back until you can leave that attitude outside." It was a busy day in the store but when we found out what happened it seemed like we handled the day pretty well and the guy called and worked that night . . . came in with smile on his face, apologized and George had set a precedent . . . .

Idea #2 – Updating our Club Card concept
Jerry Sullivan - Precision Camera & Video - Austin, Texas – http://www.precision-camera.com

For years we have sold "Club Cards" for $12.95 for discounts on film processing. This is an old idea. As the value of this card has declined along with our film processing business, we have decided to give a free copy of Photofinale software away with the card... that alone is a $39.95 retail value (that cost us $4) so we have a winning proposition again. The idea is to hopefully tie people into our home internet ordering solution. They continue to get the same quality they are used to from us, I think it makes them less inclined to shop around from every other source, plus they have an investment that they want to receive their value from and we keep them coming back as repeat customers. Everyone wins! ( well... except for Kodak Gallery, Shutterfly, Snapfish, Dimeprints.com, etc, etc, etc.)

With our good buddies, the camera manufacturers, selling us cameras that we in turn sell to our customers that come pre-loaded with online order software ( usually made by our enemies and theirs ) in the box we are also considering burning the "free" Photo Finale version to our Promo CD that we put in the retail box. At least we put our foot in the door and can fill them up with ads and coupons for our other services and departments and try to sell them our "Club Card"

Wishing a Happy and Prosperous Holidays to all,
Jerry

Idea 3 – Spot Color turns Customer Photos into Art Worthy of Hanging

Antony Chodas - FOREST CITY IMAGE CENTRE - London, Ontario CANADA
www.imagespin.com

Hi Bill

Your recent e-mail about offering panorama-stitching to customers prompted me to submit another idea to make money with a VERY simple Photoshop technique. We have had some interest in the ANNE GEDDES "look" to digital images ... you know, the Black & White image with one colour object highlighted (such as a flower, person, car, etc.). Well, we have offered the service of creating a B&W print with selective colours to our clients ... with their input. They LOVE it! It's easy with Photoshop ... but the clients don't know how easy it is ... so we look like heroes! This new "ANNE GEDDES" service adds a small amount to our bottom line but it differentiates us from the big-box stores! Let's face it, people want to have THEIR picture on their wall ... not some poster print from another artist! We can help them personalize their walls with THEIR art! A local coffee shop loved the idea so much that they ordered several 3'x4' prints for their walls highlighting their red coffee cups...

Cheers!

It's A Secret . . . Pass It On . . . Tuesday in Orlando, February 28 . . . immediately following the MiniLab Roundtable Discussion (Session 701) an ad hoc "off line live chat session" will be held in the same room . . . It's your chance to chat with Bill McCurry and other imaging firms . . . no agenda . . . no formal presentations . . . just come on by with whatever burning question about this industry you may have and let's chat together for some answers. You won't find this on any printed program; it’s a secret so pass it on. . . . Come to the Mini Lab Roundtable at 7:15am and stay for the chat session . . .

Open invitation to the PTN Dealer of The Year Party celebrating the success of Lakeside Camera and Imaging
Drinks, Food, Fun . . . and Celebrating David Guidry (Lakeside Camera and Imaging, Metairie, LA) will be honored at the PTN Dealer of The Year Celebration – Monday Night – Feb 27 – from 5:30 to 7:00pm at the Rosen Centre Hotel, Ballroom D.

The McCurry Marketing Idea Exchange has a new server for distribution of this newsletter. Please confirm with your colleagues that they also got their copy this week. If you know anyone who missed getting this issue, please email us editor@mccurryassoc.com or they can get a subscription by going to http://photoimagenews.com/mccurrysubscribe.htm

It’s a New Year and that means your Subscription to the McCurry Marketing Idea Exchange is due . . . Please send in at least one idea (pictures encouraged) to keep your subscription coming every week to your email box. Please send us your marketing idea as well as comments on those ideas posted by hitting your reply button or emailing to editor@mccurryassoc.com.

You may offer free subscriptions to your colleagues by sending them to http://photoimagenews.com/mccurrysubscribe.htm

Upcoming Bill McCurry Imaging Industry sessions . . . February 2006

DIMA/PMA/PPFA in Orlando is coming . . .

(DIMA) Saturday, February 25 - 2:30pm DIMA Marketing Idea Exchange - Session D63 From big marketing concepts to little promotional gems, the DIMA Marketing Idea Exchange is sure to bring at least three actionable ideas to implement into your marketing plan immediately.

(PPFA) – Monday, February 27, 2006 - 11:00am General Session Luncheon – The Craft of Customer Communication – Session FG3
How often do you update your customer communication skills? We will share processes to help communicate quicker, easier and more profitably. Getting the customer to value your skills builds the profitable repeat customer base you crave. You’ll have fun, eat lunch and get money making skills to take back to your shop and put to immediate use.

(PPFA) – Monday, February 27, 2006 – 2:30
Marketing . . . It Doesn’t Have to Be Costly to Be Effective – Session F306
Customers are trying to escape the onslaught of constant advertising, so find better ways to promote. It’s a different world requiring different tactics and different mindsets. Money alone won’t make you an effective marketer. Hear how framers around the world are building profitable sales by investing little cash. Brains will beat out cash when you know how.

(PMA) Tuesday, February 28, 2006 - 8:00am Minilab Roundtable Discussions -Session 701
PMA favorite, Bill McCurry, will moderate our roundtable discussions. Bring your ideas to share and be ready for some real enlightening, interactive discussions. (See the note above about the special secret session after this!)

previous issue	next issue (available after it is published)