This article is sponsored by Staples Print and Marketing Services.
My family gets uncomfortable when they go out with me to shop for products or services because I am a tough critic when it comes to the customer experience. Recently, Staples asked me to review their Print and Marketing Services for small businesses. The timing was perfect since I had two marketing projects I needed completed. This is a chronicle of my experience:
Going to the store
The problem: I speak at many events during the year and need to leave something with the attendees that is not my business card. Since I talk about getting their small business unstuck, I want to encourage listeners to buy the book as the next step.
The marketing project: To create 500 post cards with the book cover on one side and a description with an action plan on the reverse.
The experience and results: First, I went to my local Staples store and the manager, helped me right away. He asked what I needed and then repeated it to me to make sure he understood. He patiently went through all the options and had me choose what I wanted. The manager went to work resizing the images and showed me on the screen what it would look like. I also noticed that the line grew as he helped me, but immediately other Staples associates jumped in to assist the new customers. He asked me how soon I needed it. I paid for the initial design ($30) and left the store.
A day later, the proof for the post card came through email. There was a mistake that I had made and asked for a correction. The next day, a new proof was sent and I gave my final approval. The following day, I received notification by email and a phone call to say my order was ready to be picked up.
It was all so easy and efficient. The total cost was $110 for the post cards and $30 for the design. At $.28 each, this will be an effective marketing tool for identifying new prospects in any small business.
Going Online
The problem: My wife Sara is a yoga instructor and had just completed a new certification for teaching senior students.
The marketing project: She wanted to document the experience by creating a self-study manual from the photographs of the various yoga positions taught at the class. This way, she would be able to reinforce her training as she sought places to teach this new skill.
The experience and results: I went to my favorite search engine and put in the terms “Staples Print and Marketing Services” and was brought to this services page. I selected the presentations option and then the tab for printing manuals. It then gave me a choice of four different types of binding (I didn’t even know that many were possible!). I chose a standard color manual so she could easily fold over the pages while practicing the yoga pose. I easily uploaded the 46 pictures (all at once!) from the event that Sara wanted included in her manual. I was even able to place tabs between the various positional themes.
When it was time for checkout, I registered on the site. I did not have to pay for the manual until I picked it up.
I received a call from Staples and they informed me that the type of project I was requesting would be much better suited with spiral binding. I appreciated this suggestion and confirmed the change. The project was then ready 30 minutes later. When I went to the store, Mireya helped me in person. Having the real team members at the store communicate with me through the entire process made a real difference rather than just a faceless website. The total cost of the manual was $21.90, which was very affordable for a very important training tool.
Many small business owners hesitate to start printed marketing projects because they think it will be too difficult. However, my experience with Staples Print & Marketing Services shows it’s almost effortless, so what is holding you back?
