Pretend that every single person you meet has a sign around his or her neck that says, ‘Make me feel important.’ Not only will you succeed in sales, you will succeed in life.  -Mary Kay Ash

We all know that in the ultra competitive environment of commercial printing, keeping your customers happy is critical to the long-term success of any business. Retaining a high retention rate within your existing customer base is the foundation of all outstanding and prosperous enterprises. While this would seem like common sense, many businesses fall short and ultimately fail because they don’t have a winning strategy to enhance and cultivate customer loyalty.

At Post Press Specialties, we’re all about building long lasting relationships with our customers. Throughout our almost twenty five years of service to the commercial printing industry, we’ve found that great customer service, engagement and integrity are more than just the right things to do – they are also good for business.

We would like to share our “Great Eight” best practices and invite you to share some of yours.

1. Values

Research from the Corporate Executive Board that included 7,000 consumers from across the U.S. found that of those consumers who said they had a strong relationship with a brand, 64 percent cited shared values as the primary reason. If you want loyal customers, you need to create real connections with them. While we’re one of the largest binderies in the Midwest, we’ve never lost our “small town” sensibility. Our doors are always open. Call Post Press Specialties at 816-257-1919 and we’ll be happy to take you on a tour of our plant.

2. It’s not just sales, it’s education

In a recent research study from TARP Worldwide, they found that customers enjoy receiving helpful recommendations on new information and products that will help them achieve better results. We especially love to show our customers ways to reduce costs while keeping the integrity and outstanding quality of their print jobs intact. There isn’t a week that goes by that we don’t suggest a better (and often less expensive) way to finish a print piece.

3. Customers enjoy businesses who know them

Numerous behavioral psychology studies have shown that everybody views their service experience as more positive when they don’t feel rushed or ignored. We have a personal relationship with all of our customers, big or small. We’ve become good friends with many of our clients.

4. Teamwork

Countless case studies have made one thing clear when it comes to creating an efficient support system: You need to keep everybody in the loop. We pride ourselves on having many checks and balances during our quality control processes.

5. Don’t run and hide from your mistakes

We’re not perfect. However, we know that when something does go wrong an apology isn’t enough. We take ownership of our errors and make it right. Commercial printing is a tough industry and we know what it takes to succeed. When mistakes do occur, we painstakingly search for the reason and correct our processes so it doesn’t happen again.

6. We listen

Over the past twenty-five years, we’ve gotten to know what commercial printers need. Post Press Specialties has become one of the largest binderies in the Midwest by listening to our customers. We pride ourselves on offering the most up to date finishing techniques by investing in our equipment and workforce.

7. We’re constantly upgrading

We never settle. We’re constantly adding new equipment to better serve the commercial printing industry. We’re especially excited with our two most recent additions: MGI Jet Varnish 3D Spot UV Coater and Young Shin 57” Die Cutter. Give us a call at 816-257-1919 and we’ll be happy to show you what these powerful machines can do.

8. All our customers are VIP’s

We are committed to treating all of our customers, big or small, exactly the same. It doesn’t matter if you have a $100 or a $1,000,000 job. We’ll offer the same level of professionalism and expertise to everyone.

There are many tactics, but no shortcuts; we know that we can’t “hack” a business relationship. Offering the most comprehensive finishing services to the commercial printing industry is our mission. Call us at 816-257-1919 and we’ll be happy to discuss ways that we can help. “Finishing Strong” is all we do.

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Of all the softcover book binding methods we offer, saddle stitching is one of the most popular. Saddle stitching is perfect for a variety of book types, such as: catalogs, manuals, booklets, programs, multi-page brochures, newsletters, periodicals, wall calendars and mailers.

Saddle Stitching is a relatively simple method that joins the folded pages and cover with at least two wire staples placed through the crease of the book’s spine. For over twenty-five years, we’ve been assisting commercial printers throughout the Midwest, helping them to produce professional looking documents.

Some of the benefits of saddle stitching are:

1. Cost – Oftentimes, saddle stitching is the least expensive option.
2. Turnaround Time – Usually saddle stitching takes less time than other binding methods.
3. Small Quantities – It can be used for very short production runs.
4. Size– saddle stitching can be used for a wide variety of sizes.
5. Design – Designing a saddle stitch piece is generally very easy.
6. Mailing – Saddle stitching will add minimal weight to a printed piece. This is especially important for pieces that will be mailed.
7. Versatility – Saddle stitch projects can be printed in color or black and white.

Alas, saddle stitching does have some limitations. Keep in mind the following:

1. Thickness – Depending on the weight and caliper of the paper stock, saddle stitching might not be a good option. Bulky books might be too thick to fold properly. Post Press Specialties will be happy to discuss any and all specifications.
2. Spine – There is no room to print anything on the spine. This is a problem for certain projects.
3. Power of Four – Saddle Stitched books are created from folded sheets, thus the page count must be in multiples of four.

If you have any questions about saddle stitching or any of our print enhancement and bindery services, please don’t hesitate to contact Post Press Specialties at 816-257-1919. Located in Missouri, we’ve been serving the commercial printing industry for a quarter century.

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Post Press Kansas commercial printing company and print finishing services.

In 1965, 3M became the first company to experiment with sensory enhanced printing. While developing microencapsulation for their carbonless paper products, the 3M engineers discovered that they could create a coating that would release an odor when scratched. The result was the advent of “scratch and sniff” technology and the birth of sensory branding.

Over the last fifty years, advertisers have tried to appeal to all five senses by incorporating sensory cues in their marketing. According to a research commissioned by Martin Lindstrom, brand consultant and author of Brand Sense – Build Powerful Brands through Touch, Taste, Smell, Sight, and Sound, media that appeal to multiple senses can increase brand impact and engagement by more than 70 percent.

Creating impactful printing that engages multiple senses poses a big challenge for marketing managers, especially those who have limited budgets. Thankfully, advances in print finishing techniques have driven down the cost of sensory print enhancements. Print is no longer static and strictly 2-dimensional. For twenty-five years, Post Press Specialties has helped commercial printers create pieces that engage multiple senses, especially touch.

See Me, Feel Me

A 2015 report from the Shullman Research Center, articulates the effect touch has on purchases. Forty-eight percent of respondents reported that they have bought a luxury product (priced at $1000 or more) based solely on touch.

“It’s fascinating to me that 17 million adults ranked touch as their No. 1 sense and virtually half of these consumers—48 percent—reported that they bought a luxury in the past 12 months. Touch-oriented consumers are the No. 1 purchasers of luxuries,” said Bob Shullman, head of Shullman Research Center. “This finding suggests to me that if a marketer is advertising a luxury that can be touched, the marketer should consider emphasizing the luxury’s touch-ability qualities in the advertising.”

Without a doubt, paper stock is important, but print enhancements that concentrate on touch can help ensure that a piece will be a success. We’ve become one of the Midwest’s largest binderies by offering a wide range of specialty printing techniques such as embossing, foil stamping, spot 3D varnishing, die cut and letterpress. Most of these enhancements can be applied to most paper stocks and substrates.

Call us today at 816-257-1919 and we’ll show you how to use print finishing techniques to you and your customer’s advantage. We love to show off our equipment, ask about our plant tours.

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