Stress-Free Print Buying

Print buying can be a daunting task at times with the myriad details and choices to make. Here are some tips for those who are considering doing a mass printing or mailing piece.

Consider us your partner in every job you produce. By involving us early in your project, you will realize time and cost savings and ensure high quality materials delivered on time and within budget. Educate us about your concept for the project, and we will suggest colors, papers, layouts and finishes that might shorten the production time or achieve a similar effect at a lower cost.

Develop a realistic timeline. Given today’s advances in printing technology, buyers often underestimate the time required between job submission and final delivery. The exact production time depends on the complexity of the project, including the amount of copy that you will need to proof, the size and shape of the piece and any special order papers or finishing choices. Providing ample lead-time will save money by avoiding rush shipping charges.

Understand what specifications you need to provide. The more explicit your instructions, the more likely you will be happy with the quality and cost of your final product. One missing piece of information or last-minute change in even a single element--such as quantity, copy, PMS color, paper selection or finishing option--can delay a cost estimate, proof or final production of your job.
Proof your job in detail. We will alert you if we identify errors in your copy, but we are not always familiar with industry-specific jargon, telephone numbers or how to spell proper names. Your print job cannot move into the next stage of production until you sign off on the proof. The longer this process takes, the more likely we will have to reschedule the production of your job. You could incur overnight delivery charges or miss a deadline altogether.

Even if you do not have a job to submit today, give us a call so we can start preplanning your next project. We will provide an outline of required specifications, and you can help us understand your creative and purchasing processes. Together we can create a stress-free print buying experience that will exceed your expectations for quality, efficiency and cost.

We're Growing AGAIN!!!!

Sorry it's been so long between blogs. It has been so busy around here. Our growth lately has been INCREDIBLE, and with growth comes growing pains. I am always trying to stay on top of it all, but sometimes things fall between the cracks and if I have not been as available lately or have taken a bit longer than normal to get back with you, I apologize!

On this front I have recently realized that there IS a limit to what one multi-tasking, java addicted woman can accomplish no matter how early she gets up or how late she gets to bed. So to respond to these limits, I recently added several new members to our team.

I will be introducing you soon to all our new team members. It will take a little time for the newbies to get up to speed, but I know that their addition will mean we can take care of you faster and with greater skill than ever before!

Growth can be good, if you manage it right and I sure hope I'm doing all I can to give you all the benefits of a growing team of experts, without loosing our trade mark personal attention. Please let me know if we are failing you in any way. Tough love is how good companies become GREAT!!!

Thanks again to ALL OF YOU!!!!!!

Terri Miller

Learning to Delegate

How Ironic!!! I just got this article in a newsletter. Really fits my current situation. I thought it might be usefull for you too!


For entrepreneurs who hate to give up control, these five tips will help you relax and learn to let others help out.

For entrepreneurs who hate to give up control, these five tips will help you relax and learn to let others help out.


Adds Article to your Entrepreneur Assist Bookmark page.
Excuses, excuses. I've heard them all.

"It's faster if I just do it myself."

"I'm afraid I'll forget to tell them something important."

"No one does it better than me."

"I don't know what to delegate."

"I can't afford to hire anyone."

"I'm too critical of other people's work."

"If I give up control over everything, things will start to fall through the cracks."

Sound familiar? You know that in order to grow your business, you need to grow your team. Yet as small-business owners, there's something in us that fights against asking for help. It's almost like there's some right of passage in being able to "do it all" ourselves. But the reality is, you can't do it all and focus on your strengths without stretching yourself in too many directions.

Delegation is about handing over authority, and for many small-business owners, that's a scary concept because you don't know what will happen when you give up control. But the good news is, delegating doesn't have to be scary-you have more control than you think. Because when you've clearly defined what's to be done and what the outcome should be, it's difficult for a skilled assistant, employee or virtual assistant to be unsuccessful. The key to controlling delegation is to establish what the tasks are, how they should be completed and what the final outcome looks like before you assign the task to someone.

Now, no more excuses. Here are five steps, each with specific actions you can take to develop your what, how and the final outcome, to get you on the road to delegating effectively.

1. Determine what to give away and what to keep. First, consider your strengths. What are you directly contributing to your business that's making it successful? Those are the things you should continue doing. The tasks that are outside your expertise or those that could easily be performed by others are the first things to delegate or give away.

One of my clients, who's in the insurance industry, found that she was spending a lot of her time checking in with clients. And while she really wanted to be in contact with her entire client list on a regular basis, she didn't want to spend unnecessary time with clients who didn't need her immediate attention.

So she decided to delegate her client "keep in touch" calls to an assistant. Now her assistant makes each initial client call. If she finds the client has a question or is interested in more information, she adds their name to her boss's follow-up list, who then calls the people on that list when she has time to talk. Now she's only talking to those clients who really need her, but all her clients are happy because they're contacted on a regular basis.

Your Actions: Make a list of everything you do on a daily, weekly or monthly basis. Then go through the list and determine what's essential for you to keep doing and what can be given away.

2.Create a plan. Consider what you need to accomplish and how you want the task done. In order for delegation to be effective, you have to be able to tell someone exactly what it is you want him or her to do. Maybe "no one does it better than you" because no one truly understands what you want done.

So plan out what needs to be accomplished and exactly how you want it done.

Your Actions: Create your processes. Determine what the final outcome should be and create the specific, detailed steps needed to get there. Once you've hired someone to help out, give that list of steps, along with any applicable files, forms and checklists, to the person you've hired.

3. Hire the right person. The key to finding the right person for the job is to determine what skill sets your position requires. What do you really want someone to do for you? Are they going to be taking care of administrative tasks? Are they focused on marketing or sales duties? Are you looking for an analyst? Once you know what skills you need, search for a person who has exactly the skills you need. Don't just hire the first person who happens to be available.

Your Actions: Look at the tasks being performed, and decide what skill sets are needed. When interviewing candidates, ask open-ended questions that allow you to discover if that person has the expertise you're looking for. Remember to ask people you know and trust for referrals of potential candidates.

4. Assign results and accountability. One of the most important steps to successful delegation is to plan ahead by determining what the end results should be. Picture what you want to be holding when those final deliverables are handed to you. Then communicate those expectations. And remember, all expectations have to be reasonable, clear and measurable. For example, you may want to require that someone "complete a minimum of 30 sales call per week" as opposed to just "complete sales calls."

Accountability is not a bad word-there have to consequences if the results you need are not being met. Because if the quotas, goals or results you need aren't being achieved, it's you and your business that will suffer.

Your Actions: Create specific goals, quotas or outcomes that need to be accomplished by the person you're delegating work to. Effectively communicate those expectations, and create consequences if the results you expect aren't being accomplished.

5. Check in from time to time. "Set it and forget it." Some people think that rule applies to tasks that have been delegated. I hate to burst your bubble, but people are human. They make mistakes, they accidentally skip over things-they may even drop the ball.

Instead of leaving them alone once you've assigned some work to them, establish specific times you'll check in with them to see how they're doing. You can set a regular appointment time, such as Tuesdays at 2 p.m., when you'll sit for 15 minutes to an hour and review regular duties, project milestones and answer questions. Or you might select a specific point in the project where you'll review their progress. For example, you might say, "After you've called all 50 prospects, come see me so we can discuss the feedback you've been getting from them."

Checking in with your employees allows you to stay in the loop, fix problems as they arise, and educate and develop the people working with you. And setting specific times allow you the freedom to focus on other things the rest of the time.

Your Actions: Establish a check-in schedule that works for both you and your employee. And then be sure to touch base when you say you will.


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Beth Schneider, president of Process Prodigy, helps business owners leverage the best business practices to help them build a thriving business. Beth is also co-author of Inspiration to Realization. To contact her, call (888) 584-5452 or e-mail her at .