Management

For the good of your customers and company, staff members in merchandising, marketing and creative must learn to work synergistically. In my years working with direct marketing clients, I’ve worn all three of these hats. I’ve also directed collaborative efforts from a strategic management position. So I know these three catalog tasks can be done in a collaborative manner — and I know the outcome often is customer delight. Here’s how you, as a catalog senior manager, can encourage such efforts. 1. First, get everyone in the same room. Doors, walls, cubicles and continual e-mails can unintentionally create silos among your employees. Face-to-face

We’re all guilty of occasionally hearing only what we want to hear. Sometimes we don’t want to face facts. Rather, we want to think what we want to think. We tend to do what’s comfortable and put off dealing with the issues at hand. In this article, I’ve identified 10 things you, a catalog company president, probably don’t want to hear. (Or if you report to a president, tear out this article and put it on his or her desk.) Listen to these cold, hard facts. 1. Your company won’t grow if you don’t prospect more. Invest in new buyers. You’re not always

If these last few years have taught us anything, it’s that you can’t be too prepared. From terrorist attacks to hurricanes and tsunamis, the unexpected could be just around the corner. Ready.gov, the Web site for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, offers the following tips on how to make sure your business is prepared to deal with and recover from emergencies beyond your control. 1. Figure out which staff, materials and equipment are required to keep your business operating. Have you reviewed and updated your business process flow chart recently? 2. Make sure you know which suppliers, shippers and other resources you need

The U.S. gross domestic product clocked a 4.4 percent gain in 2004, its strongest showing since 1999 when the economy gained 4.5 percent, according to the Commerce Department. And economists called the 3.1 percent gain in the fourth quarter “respectable.” Good news, right? Well, sort of. Our third-annual ranking of the Top 200 catalogers (as measured by housefile-growth rates) shows there still is some softness in the market. Of the 1,067 catalogs whose housefile numbers we checked, only 406, or 38 percent, recorded any growth at all. (For those readers who are new to cataloging, housefiles are customer lists.) That overall economic

In the past several years, the catalog industry has become an attractive target for financial investors. These private equity firms and institutional investors differ significantly from strategic investors looking to build their own businesses. When a cataloger like School Specialty buys 45 companies in the span of 10 years, its purpose is to build its own market share. Likewise, when Deluxe Corp. purchased New England Business Service last year. But it may be another scenario when an outside financial investor is the buyer. Such an investor may be in it only for the short-haul, to make money on the investment in three to

We’ve all done dumb things that I’m sure seemed smart at the time we were doing them. I look back to my 33-year career as a cataloger and can think of things I did that were really silly. It’s all part of the learning experience. This month, I’m taking a slightly different approach from my normal columns. At the suggestion of my friend and client Shep Moyle, president and CEO of Stumps catalogs, I’ve devised a list of nine catalog management mistakes to avoid. 1. Don’t hire experts, even when needed. Or hire/fire the wrong person. I’ve seen this happen:

Each business or personal goal you set should have specific qualities that offer you the best chance to accomplish them, according to Herbert Harris, author of “The Twelve Universal Laws of Success,” (LifeSkill Institute, Wilmington, N.C.). 1. The goal should be written down, committed to and even shared with others who will support and believe in your efforts, Harris writes. 2. Make sure the goal is realistic and attainable.”One of the easiest ways to set yourself up for failure is to select improper goals,” he continues. 3. The goal should be flexible and reflect change. 4. Make it concrete and measurable. “When the desired outcome is unclear, the

Every business manager such as yourself must balance the need to cut costs vs. invest for growth. Which way the scale tips depends on several things, including the general state of the economy, political events, your own bottom line, and your company’s merchandising and operational strategies. As a business editor, I’ve noticed many articles published in the last few years touting cost-cutting measures. But as the economy rebounds, more and more attention is being paid to business investment for revenue growth. This month we offer articles for both camps. Our cover story examines the growth plans of gourmet food cataloger Mackenzie Limited.

One of the keys to direct marketing success is to create a team of individuals who work well together for the common good without sacrificing individual integrity. The factors to consider when creating your dream team include the following: 1. Every member must bring a specialized skill set to the group, with an understanding that different skill sets may take priority at any given time. Unique talents strengthen the organization when they are used as needed. Continuous focus on a specific area will reduce the overall effectiveness of your company. 2. All team members must respect one another. Since respect has to be earned, it takes

In years past, automobiles were distinctive. Each model made a statement about itself and its owner. Today, many cars tend to look similar. The handful of exceptions include the Mini Cooper, PT Cruiser, VW Beetle, Bentley, Porsche and, of course, the Corvette. Since first introduced in 1953 by legendary designer Harley J. Earl (1893-1969), about 1.25 million Corvettes have been built, and more than 1 million are still on the road. Every year in late August more than 5,000 of these sleek muscle cars converge on the Carlisle, Pa., fairgrounds to be bought, sold, swapped and ogled by 60,000 enthusiasts, while more than