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turn order ensures the order
is completed quickly and the
customer gets delivery faster.
Other key benefits are improved
cash flow and efficiency. In my
world, there’s nothing better
than successfully completing
orders and getting paid fast.
Being able to trust your supplier
partner is especially important
when working on complex
orders. About three years ago,
my No. 1 client calledme for
help with a request for custom
bags to promote a grocer rewards
program.The client, a large oil
company, had partnered with a
large national grocery chain to
boost fuel and grocery sales. For
every $100 worth of groceries
purchased, the shopper could
save 10 cents a gallon when filling
up at the client’s gas stations.
Custombags were to be given to
customers while they were filling
their tanks.The challenge was
production time and logistics. My
client neededmore than amillion
bags and they needed them in six
weeks.The order request came
toward the conclusion of the
Chinese New Year, when factories
in China are typically closed.
Fortunately, I had an ace in the
hole: a long-standing relationship
with a supplier partner who
frequently travels to China. We
discussed the project and the
customer’s budget and then put a
moving timeline together working
backward from the in-hands date.
We knewwhat date the goods had
to be at the client’s distribution
warehouse—what remained
was working out the logistics of
ordering thematerial, getting the
manpower to sew and decorate
the bags, and securing a time slot
and a shipping container to load
the bags on a ship.
With the major details worked
out, I met with my client and
discussed the cost and logistics
needed to meet her request.
We got the order! I closed my
eyes, took a deep breath and
submitted our purchase order.
This was the largest order of
my career and I was scared. If
things worked out well, I’d be a
hero, and if they didn’t, I’d be a
zero. Ours can be an unforgiving
business and we’re usually only
about as good as our last order.
Fortunately for me, I’d done
my homework and chosen the
right horse to run this race. Every
aspect of this six-week project
came off perfectly, including
my supplier flying one of his
managers to China to check
on the progress of the project.
The result was exceedingly
successful—we delivered on
time and on budget. Besides
the promotional bags building
revenue for my client, the icing
on the cake was being invited
to a vendor recognition event
where my client presented us
with an award. It pays to trust
your intuition, and also to do
your homework.
3
Start with good art.
To save time, we always
submit camera-ready artwork
with every order. Our company
specializes in rush orders, which
inherently havemore risk built
into them. Submitting camera-
ready artwork on the front end
eliminates getting stuck in an
endless loop of going back and
forth with the supplier’s art
department, which often results
in an order either not shipping
on time or our having to upgrade
shipping, which increases costs
to us or our customers. Our top
suppliers who offer free 24-hour
production require camera-
ready art and have specific email
addresses to use. We have an
established relationship with a
reliable artist who consistently
and accurately produces and
delivers camera-ready artwork.
Additionally, my son, who works in
our business, learned to use Adobe
Photoshop and is quite good at
preparing camera-ready artwork
and virtual mockups to show
clients. If you don’t have an artist
on your team, check out SAGE’s art
services. However you choose to
do it, create a relationship with an
individual artist or an art service
you can rely on.
4
Establish an
expectation for
strong communications.
I’m a big believer in two-way
communication with our
suppliers. When I submit
any order, I expect an email
confirmation. When I email a
purchase order to suppliers, I
always include the words “Please
confirm receipt.” Recently, I
was working on a small order of
lapel pins with a firm in-hands
date. The customer service
representative assigned to my
order didn’t acknowledge my
purchase order and I had to call
her more than once to make sure
we were on the same page. (I
just realized the in-hands date is
tomorrow and, again, I need to
contact the supplier to confirm
the order shipped and get a
tracking number—frustrating!)
Lack of communication eats
up time, and I loathe wasting
time going back and forth
with suppliers. I’m attracted
to suppliers that acknowledge
my orders when received, send
But think about
it: every time
you act on a
request from a
client, you’re
the conductor of
an orchestra—
choosing
products, ideas,
packaging and
decorating from
a number of
trusted resources,
and putting
them together
for a big finish.
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JANUARY 2017
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23
INNOVATE