|
| |||||||
Off the Record I flew home from Atlanta on the evening of September 10th. I certainly am glad it was on the 10th and not the 11th, or I would have been grounded for several days. During heightened security closer to the Gulf War times, I remember having to turn on my electronic stuff and even had my computer bag drug dusted once. This time, in security checks in Indianapolis and Atlanta - nothing. It has only been days since the attack, but I thought I would share with you some of the connections I've already heard about from a variety of sources. Both my sons' college football games were cancelled. Pat White, a local radio talk show host with Air Force Pilot combat experience, responded to an irate Michigan fan this way… "Ok, so it may be harder to hijack a jumbo jet for a while, but how many people are in that stadium??? Oh, 110,000? Well, how hard would it be for someone with money to spend and a commitment to die, to take a small single engine plane full of explosives and fly into a football stadium?" My older son worked with several New Yorkers this summer, including a couple who are students at Julliard, just blocks from the WTC towers. They are all ok. One of his professors received a call from a son in WTC Tower #2 after the 1st tower was hit, to let her know he was okay and that they had been told it was okay to go back to work. Then, of course, his tower was hit. He is presumed dead. The president of Tennessee Tech university emailed the student population encouraging them to participate in local prayer services and also that, if they don't attend church, this might be a good time to start. Even Cookeville, Tennessee had fighter jets
flying around. Why Tennessee? Remember Oak Ridge? Mrs. Smith, a local school teacher, has a son who works in the very part of the Pentagon building that was hit. Fortunately, during recent remodeling, his office had been moved and he is okay. My deceased father was a fire fighter for 32 years. He had to retire early from emphysema, resulting largely from a lifetime of running into the buildings that other people were running out of and away from. Far too many of those times, when he was off duty, he would leave from home and go directly to the fire, without his equipment. I remember, as a child, my father taking me to a fire fighter's museum, where he showed me one crushed helmet and told me about a fireman who was killed in the line of duty. As a Fort Wayne firefighter said in an interview on WOWO radio last Friday, "New York lost more fire fighters than we have in our entire city". Firemen used to get ridiculed for the time they sit idle in the fire house, but I am certain that those who ran into the WTC were still on their way up when the buildings collapsed. Suddenly, the gift wrap or tree ornament we sell seems just a little less significant. That terrible computer or scanning problem that has us "completely shut down" doesn't quite make it as a life and death situation. I wonder how many of those people who perished in New York had put off planning and taking care of their eternal future as they climbed towers and corporate ladders. Paraphrasing something my partner, Max Garwood, said to those attending the funeral of his two teenage children killed in an auto accident on September 22, 1996, we need to consider our life priorities in terms of their eternal significance. This is a good time to think about it. Let me know if you have any questions. Continued in PRIORITY News:The difference between the USA's tolerance of
Islam in this country and tolerance of Christianity in Islam countries. This RUNTIME newsletter must be the most feared in the industry. I can't have a conversation any more with a supplier or broker that doesn't begin with their reminding me that our conversation is "off the record". However, in case you haven't noticed, I haven't been mailing RUNTIME as often. Let me explain how our increased lines of communication have reduced RUNTIME's use. QDP has three current, significant newsletters. Describing them should make my point. RUNTIME, our original letter, is mailed to hundreds of distributors who are AFRDS members, QDP customers, or have kept in touch. We do not mail RUNTIME to suppliers, although they all seem to get a copy, evidenced by their calls after a critical article. Since I've mentioned most of them over the years, hopefully I can't be accused of going after anyone in particular. And, of course, I would never want to put out something that is incorrect and would immediately retract and apologize were that ever to be pointed out to me. RUNTIME is a promotional letter and is our main sales tool, given that we don't have a field sales force. To encourage people to read a promotional letter, we try to include enough other interesting stuff, hoping that eventually we'll have a product or service they will want. Due to the increase in postage and labor involved in publishing this letter, we drop people who don't respond and actually have a growing number of those who pay us to stay on this list - thank you very much. PRIORITY News is a subscription letter. Since you've paid to receive it, I spend less time promoting what QDP sells and try to make it more of a training and information letter. Editorially, I will say things in that letter that I consider too politically incorrect to say here. If you think I'm opinionated in this letter, you should read that one. $49 gets you a 1-yr subscription. Topics addressed this month include:
QDP e-NOTES is my FREE 2-minute publication sent periodically to about 325 distributors and suppliers. I try to send it only when I have something to say, and my goal is to keep it short enough that you can read it in two minutes. I really do check it with a stop watch. If you haven't received one in the last month, subscribe online at www.QDPCorp.com . The following has been widely circulated since September 11 and attributed to a "recent" Canadian newspaper article. In fact, it is the text from a song entitled "The Americans", recorded in 1973 by Gordon Sinclair. It does seem appropriate, however. "This Canadian thinks it is time to speak up for the Americans as the most generous and possibly the least appreciated people on all the earth. Germany, Japan and, to a lesser extent, Britain
and Italy were lifted out of the debris of war by the Americans who poured in
billions of dollars and forgave other billions in debts. None of these countries
is today paying even the interest on its remaining debts to the United States. When earthquakes hit distant cities, it is the United States that hurries in to help. This spring, 59 American communities were flattened by tornadoes. Nobody helped. The Marshall Plan and the Truman Policy pumped
billions into discouraged countries. Now newspapers in those countries are
writing about the decadent, warmongering Americans. Why do all the International lines except Russia fly American Planes? Why does no other land on earth even consider putting a man or woman on the moon? You talk about Japanese technocracy, and you get radios. You talk about German technocracy, and you get automobiles. You talk about American technocracy, and you find men on the moon- not once, but several times-and safely home again. You talk about scandals, and the Americans put theirs right in the store window for everybody to look at. Even their draft-dodgers are not pursued and hounded. They are here on our streets, and most of them, unless they are breaking Canadian laws, are getting American dollars from ma and pa at home to spend here. When the railways of France, Germany and India were breaking down through age, it was the Americans who rebuilt them. When the Pennsylvania Railroad and the New York Central went broke, nobody loaned them an old caboose. Both are still broke. I can name you 5,000 times when the Americans raced to the help of other people in trouble. Can you name me even one time when someone else raced to the Americans in trouble? I don't think there was outside help even during the San Francisco earthquake. Our neighbors have faced it alone, and I'm one Canadian who is tired of hearing them get kicked around. They will come out of this thing with their flag high. And when they do, they are entitled to thumb their nose at the lands that are gloating over their present troubles. I hope Canada is not one of those." Stand proud, America! Introducing Laser Pack Slips w/Labels!Over the past couple years, we have heard an
increasing request for a single sheet version of our Pack Slip with Labels. Up
until now, we have had a continuous form version which runs through your dot
matrix printer. As more go laser and dot printers drop in popularity, we have created a
new single sheet version. It is exactly the same as our continuous form version
without the tractor feed holes.
We won't make any installations this Fall, but want to mention it now so that when you get to the end of the year and your tax consultant says you need to spend some money by December 31, you call 1-800-FIRST-OK! Thanks. Automated forms processing is here, it is real and IT WORKS. When you fill out those multi-page product registration forms, they are scanned, not typed. More and more colleges are going to automated data processing for receiving enrollment applications. Here are a few of the organizations using Cardiff software for their forms processing. Yes, you can scan the catalog order forms you're using and yes, there really is software that reads the handwriting. Here's an overview of how it works. The two forms we use are specially designed for the high speed document scanner, including scanner-invisible ink and customized data boxes. One is filled in with the student's name just as you do now. The other is a continuous form onto which you can pre-print the seller and class/team name, which makes the verification process even faster. Look good and go fast - a good combination. Order forms are separated by class/team and Scanned at a rate of 40 pages per minute, about three times faster than your copier. Once scanning is complete, TELEform begins reading the data. Depending on the speed of your computer, reading takes about 8 seconds per page and does not require anyone at the computer, so you can begin scanning group 2 while group 1 is being read. Or, scan at the end of the day and let the system read overnight. After forms are read, they are readied for Verification. Verification goes much faster and requires fewer keystrokes than manual data entry. You'll see a graphic display of the order so you don't even need the actual form for verification. TELEform highlights the questionable data and tells you what it thinks it is, which is usually correct. If correct, you simply accept the data by hitting the enter key. If not correct, enter the correction and accept it. You can view every field, or verify only questionable data, which means you might look at two fields on order #1 and then jump to order #5. The system will not accept an item number that does not exist on the brochure and will automatically question a pre-determined quantity level. Of course, if someone writes like a doctor, you'll have more to verify. However, we have learned that use of a well-designed form combined with verbal and written kick-off instructions significantly increase both speed and efficiency. At least one of the major magazine vendors in fundraising is scanning the order forms - and the correct magazines are getting to the correct people. Take another look at the companies listed. Ivy league universities, top notch medical centers, airlines, worldwide shippers, hotels, investment companies . . . and that really is just a partial list. We think we can't have mistakes in our business. How many mistakes do you think the Duke Medical Center can tolerate? How many faulty transactions does Chase Manhattan Bank allow? How can we lower a price so significantly? Mainly, instead of recommending that you enter with a full-fledged network setup with additional software modules, we're now recommending you enter with a single user setup. You have multiple stations, you say? Well, Cardiff claims that one TELEform station can replace three manual data entry stations. Also, you can begin by scanning some of your orders while maintaining your manual data entry until such time that you are ready to make the total transition. We think Spring 2002 would be ideal for that. Starting with the single station approach saves you about $4000-6000 in software and $4000 in Cardiff's on-site installation option. We have also removed the $1295 Cardiff training session from our list and will show that as a recommended option rather than as a requirement. As you can see, that's easily over $10,000 less in up front investment. If 5-digit prices scare you, we can't help you yet, but at least the first number is no longer a "2". There is more information available here. Also, if you pass the 5-digit fear factor test, request my more detailed report. That report will get specific enough to let you know whether this is for you for 2002. At that point, we will enter into a Consulting Agreement that will include a detailed analysis of your specific volume needs and a very detailed quote outlining equipment, software, installation, training and, oh yeah, price and payment. The consulting investment will be applied toward the purchase price, but is intended to protect us from the information-only seeker. Survey ServiceOnce you invest in the Cardiff TELEform system, you can create your own customer or market surveys. Consider this idea. For every total school that conducts a $20K+ sale, you'll design a 2-page questionnaire (they supply the questions) for the school to distribute through the children to the parents. You pick up the survey, use TELEform to process and analyze the data, and give the school a statistical report. What a hero you can be when you can show them the best evening for a PTO meeting, which lunch the children like (or don't), favorite teachers and more. And I've been in the school business long enough to know that if you provide that service for one school in the district, the others are going to want it too. At that point, you can decide whether you're in the survey processing service for profit, or take your pay by signing them up for a major fundraiser. Read about one school district that uses TELEform for surveys just like I've described at www.qdpcorp.com/products/tallyscan/index.htm.
Now that you have confirmed that you have received what they say they sent, you
must compare it to your Purchase Order to confirm what you got is what you
ordered. Here are your steps, using I-Scan
The system is ready when you are. It will increase your efficiency and accuracy in receiving product the same way scanning on the prepack line has saved you thousands in labor and reduced complaint calls. But we can't sell it to you yet, unless you're working with vendors who put bar codes on 100% of their product cases in the same way they do on the individual products. Let your vendors know you think this is a good idea. Once one of the major vendors arrives, the others will have to follow. When you pay for a newspaper you get advertisement inserts. Buy a printer and get booklets about specialty papers and ink refill cartridges. Why not promote your business in your student-packed orders. Here's an idea, and we'll offer it to you FREE. If you like the response, we can show you how to do it yourself for next year. Into every packed order you place a "Thank You" Coupon worth $10 off a $15 order. On the coupon is your personalized thank you as well as a contact number for the customer to use to correct any packing errors. The coupon will direct the customer to www.PriorityStore.com, where they will find a variety of non-current fundraising merchandise already discounted from the brochure price. Make it one of those little "extras" that sets you apart from your competition. If you like the concept, Sara can set up on on-line store for you, but probably not for this Fall. It will sound odd coming from a software development company, but we do not recommend updating to or purchasing WinUltra 1.2 while we're in the midst of the season. Don't misunderstand. WinUltra is doing great and we're experiencing one of the smoothest, quickest response tech support seasons we've ever had. We attribute that to a lot of things. WinUltra 1.2 has been out there for a couple seasons now, we've got better documentation, on-line downloading of enhancements or updates, extensive on-line tech support, and, of course, our tech support team. So why would we be discouraging you from updating to our latest program? Because our nearly two decades of experience has taught us that the worst time to learn a new program is on your number one largest account whose orders you just picked up. Watch for announcements and possible incentives to update with 2001 monies at the end of the year to get up and running for Spring 2002. In contrast to that, it is NOT too late to start scanning in the packing room.WinScan has such an incredibly quick payback that you can get it in and increase both speed AND accuracy right away. If you're already using WinUltra 1.2, the only thing you have to do there is add the barcode numbers to the inventory file. If you're just now starting to handle product, are having trouble finding good help, or need to pack FASTER without sacrificing accuracy, you can benefit from WinScan. It doesn't happen often, but just today, I heard from someone who had no idea who we are or what we do. I should probably follow my own rule and "Assume Nothing" and list some of our products and services.
I got a call from a Christian School I've worked with periodically over the years. We sold a discount card there a few years ago, but then they had a principal change and it was discontinued. But now they are interested again. After hearing about my card, they said they would probably go with Brand X because that company would come in and solicit the vendors to advertise on the card. Here were some of my questions and their answers… "So… the company charges you $5 ea wholesale for the card, right? We charge $2.50. Hmmmm…half price." "And you will sell them for $10ea ?" Ours retail for $5." "Okay. Let's see (calculator and pad in hand)… you want 500 cards with 15 vendors. Those 500 cards will cost you $2500 from them and $1250 from me…which means you are paying them $1250 to make those calls. Let's say I have to make 45 calls, using your local yellow pages, to get 15 positive responses (hey, we're talking free advertisement so it is a relatively easy sale to the vendor who never gets free advertising)… So you are willing to pay me over $25 per call. Wow. Maybe I should do that for you." "But not only that, I'm offering you a card that you can RETAIL for the same price they want to WHOLESALE it to you. That means your customers have to pay TWICE THE PRICE for the product." "And two more points before I go. First, this is a new card and soliciting the ads will be more work THIS year. But NEXT year, all you have to do is call those vendors to see if they want to keep their same ad. I'm telling you that most will. But Brand X company will still charge you $5 per card. So next year, you're going to pay them over $50 per call to re-sign the vendors for the card. And your community will once again pay twice the price." "And second, if I am going to come into your community to solicit ads, I will go to all the name brand places, McDonalds, Pizza Hut, Subway, the Quick Lube place, etc. But, I'll bet you there's a great Mom/Pop Ice Cream shop that everybody goes to that I won't know about. Or, a member of your church who owns a gas station that would love to promote a special price on a soft drink with fill up. Or a flower shop owner who could really use the help competing with the Kroger in-store florist, for example." "My card, at $5, is affordable to the high school students who frequent some of the fast food places on the card. Will a high schooler pay $10? Oops, that's three. " I got the sale!
|
| ||||||
|
Last Modified:& 06/18/2003 | |||||||
The Cardiff software we use as part of our Total
Solution for high speed, high volume order forms processing has increased in
price the last few years. But, at Cardiff's suggestion, we have re-structured
our recommendation of software, hardware and equipment, to make it easier to get
started in automated data processing.
Checking in product is such a hassle. First you
have to count the boxes for the driver and, unless you're better than I am, you
can't do that while product is wrapped. So, you make all these little stacks so
you can count and sign the driver's Bill of Lading. Then, you find the vendor's
10-page packing slip. Of course the items on the pages will be called something
different than what is on the boxes and product will not be on the pallets in
the order it is on the packing slips, right? Yes, right!