 |
directories | store design | education | calendar |
| articles | resources | mccurry | contact us |
|
|
McCurry Marketing Idea Exchange ArchivesVolume 95 - January 19, 2005
Welcome to Issue 95 of McCurry Associates' Marketing Idea Exchange. You requested to receive this newsletter. 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 telling them to send an email to editor@mccurryassoc.com - 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, Volunteers Needed . . . 16 minutes of your time on your computer . . . Very soon PMA will announce a new PMA Marketing Community . . . an on line area for PMA members to find solutions to their marketing frustrations, to ask questions and get answers from across the world. Bill McCurry will be moderating this community when it officially launches in February. Before it can launch testing is needed . . . would you be willing to test the site? It will take approximately 7 minutes of your time the week of January 17 and 9 minutes the week of January 26. You must be a PMA member or an employee of a PMA member to benefit from the PMA Marketing Community. Please send an email to PMAtest@mccurryassoc.com if you'd be willing to help us test the website. Idea #1 - Your credit card processor can make a difference Last fall we changed our credit card processor to Mercury Payment Systems. It is integrated with our point of sale program (Prophetline) which makes a cc sale much quicker for the consumer and easier for the sales person. No more forgetting to run the credit card through. Another reason we made the move was so we could offer Gift Cards. Up to now we used the paper gift certificate. the consumer thought they could get a refund for the amount not used instead of caring it forward. With the gift card the consumer knows it must be used completely. I can also find out at any time my liability in gift cards that are outstanding. It also allows us to use the gift card in promotions, donations or refunds instead of cash. Idea # 2 - Going Postal to make a better first impression It's important to make a great first impression, even when sending packages. One of the best things I did this year was to use the US Postal Service's website. https://sss-web.usps.com/ds/jsps/ds_labelInfo.jsp We could calculate postage, order mailing boxes and supplies, and even print labels with or without postage. I left my credit card on file so the employees could print packing labels for our OPP orders. The postman picked up the boxes and envelopes at no extra charge. It saved us a lot of hassles and looked very professional. The software even checks your addresses for accuracy before printing a very professional looking label on a standard printer. Helps our little lab look like one of the big players. Editor's note - Gary makes the most of his "little lab" by promoting it as cleverly hidden in the Kirkwood Mall. When his staffers answer the phone, they always say "Congratulations, you've found The Photo Express, cleverly hidden in the Kirkwood Mall." And you can hear the smile in their voices when they say it! Idea #3 - Take advantage of the free marketing system you've got My single best idea may be worth repeating. No photofinishing order should leave your premises without some selling message included. It could be a stuffer, or a newsletter, or any type of advertisement that will increase your business and more importantly increase your customer's knowledge of all the good things you can do for him. I dare say that none of the specialty store customers know of all the services that are offered. Whose fault is that? Certainly not the customers'. You should not spend one more dime on advertising until you have your "selling messages" ready weeks in advance and have every photofinishing order acting as a silent salesman and teacher. IT IS YOUR LEAST EXPENSIVE AND MOST EFFECTIVE ADVERTISING. Call for ideas - Share with the list, let us know how you promote prints at retail to new digital camera owners. This is the season where it's really going to matter. We'd like to know how you're reaching both your own customers and those who bought their cameras from the big box stores. Email to editor@mccurryassoc.com Scheduling Frustration at DIMA/PMA Some of you already noticed that the Marketing Idea Exchange (Saturday, February 19 @ 1:15) is scheduled at the same time as Chris Lydle's session, Creating Loyalty and Profits Through Digital Photo Classes. Alas, when you have as many good sessions as DIMA does, these types of conflicts will occur. Your possible solutions:
Bill McCurry's Speaking Schedule At DIMA/PMA/PPFA February in Orlando More information at: At the DIMA Conference: At the PMA Convention: At the PPFA Convention:
|
