PPB November 2017

by Terry Ramsay A I would encourage you to educate your clients on this issue. Our industry has a standard over/under run policy of up to 10 percent. That means you can receive up to 10 percent more or less than what you ordered and you will be billed according to what you receive. To avoid problems, make sure you tell each new client about it at your first meeting. Let them know that they will be billed according to what they actually receive. Also, make sure it is on the contract you send to your customers for every single order. That way, they acknowledge the terms every time they sign the contract agreeing to the details of the order. Trust me, you’ll need to remind them of it when they get their first bill. Eventually, it will become a non-issue for you and for your clients. I would also encourage you to find an industry supplier near you who will take you on a tour of their facility. Your regional industry organization may have organized tours that you can join. Once you see the production of an order, it is easier to understand why there are over/under runs. My first tour was of the Sabina plant in Florida while there for an industry show. Watching the process of imprinting a mug made me realize how hard it must be to get it right every time. And when you add a second imprint color, the complexity of the process really multiplies. (This will also help you understand the color location tolerance levels that suppliers have.) During our tour, there was a loud crash that came from the oven. I’m not sure Over and Above Q A DISTRIBUTOR ASKS: How do others handle the issue of overs on orders? Is there an industry standard for the percentage of overs? Plastic bags seem to be the highest. Do you charge your customers for the overs and deliver them along with the order or keep them as samples? How do I best manage this? 12 | NOVEMBER 2017 | INNOVATE