Month: September 2016

Should A Company Ever Fire A Customer?

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This is a sensitive subject.  I have only had to fire a customer 3 times in my 26 years in the printing business.  But some times it is the right thing to do,  for the company and for the employees of the company.  As a company should give respect to all of its customers, and give them great customer service,  it swings both ways and the customer should be respectful of the company and its employees.  My philosophy on most issues, such as this, is, if the cons out weigh the pros, then it is time to make a change.

 

Duplicate Checks For Mailing Lists

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When we get a mailing list at Burns, we do a duplicate check.  However, if the person on the mailing list is listed as James Jones, James P. Jones and Jim Jones, our software does not consider that a duplicate.  We can limit the mailing list to one per address but if there are 5 people at one company, only one is going to receive the mail piece.  Entering data correctly is extremely important for the success of any mailing.  Ideally, it should be the same person entering data and they should be consistent with how the data is entered.  For non-profit organizations this is especially important because if there donor get 3 or 4 pieces of mail then they think that the money they are donating is being wasted.  Also if there are duplicates it is going to increase the printing cost, the mailing labor cost and the postage.

At Burns Mailing & Printing, Inc. we do a FREE NCOALink (National Change of Address) update for all of our customers.  We also make sure all postal specifications are met and that our customer has the lowest postage possible. For questions on mailing lists call Phyllis Burns at 865 584-2265 or email me at phyllis@burnsmp.com.

Paying It Forward

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It has been a hard week for me, with problems coming up that at the time I thought were big, but today put things in prospective for me.  I went to lunch at Shoney’s on Western Ave. for lunch.  Ken and I have lunched there many times in the past.  That was our time to have a break in the day and talk business without any interruptions.  There is a waitress there that has worked at Shoney’s for 35 years.  She waited on me today and said that she had not seen me in awhile.  I told that I am there occasionally and she said it must have been on her day off.  I told her that Ken and I were there a lot in the past and told her Ken had passed away but that I was still running the company.  She expressed her condolences and that was the end of the conversation.  A little while later she came back to my table and said did I see the young lady who was sitting opposite me?  I told that I had and she said “she bought your lunch”.  She had written on the ticket, “sorry for the loss of your husband and may God bless you”. Well he certainly had blessed me with someone who was that caring.  The waitress told me that she had never had anyone buy her lunch.  Well, she can’t say that anymore.

This reminded me that we should be kind to everyone.  In fact a friend of mine, who has a birthday tomorrow, ask that instead of wishing her happy birthday to do an act of kindness for someone.  We are all on this earth together and if we just loved one another, we would not have the problems that are in our world.  My world just got a little bit brighter today, thanks to a caring young lady.

Blood Drive at Burns Mailing & Printing

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Thank you so much,  to all who came out today and made the blood drive for Julie Buckner a success. Burns Mailing & Printing and Endocrinology Associates of East TN are so appreciate of those who gave the “gift of life” today.  If you could not make it today, you can go to any Medic and give in Julie’s name.

Blood Drive Today At Burns Mailing & Printing

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Today is our blood drive to benefit one of our employees wife, Julie Buckner.  Julie works at Endocrinology Associates of East TN and they are also participating in the blood drive.

Come by today and give the gift of life.  Hours are 11:00 – 4:00. We are located at 6131 Industrial Heights Dr., Knoxville, TN 37909.  Industrial Heights is off Amherst Road.

If you can’t come by today, please go to any Medic location and tell them it is for Julie Buckner and they will give her credit for the donation.

 

 

 

Burns Mailing & Printing, Inc. is Partnering With Red Bird Consulting To Assist Non-Profit Organizations

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At Burns Mailing & Printing, we have used the slogan three good reasons.  Well now we have four good reasons.  The fourth is that Burns is partnering with Freddi Birdwell of Red Bird Consulting to offer our non-profit customers a turn key solution to their direct mail on such things as newsletters, annual reports, invitations and especially appeals.

Yes, Burns Mailing and Printing, Inc., is now offering the whole kit and caboodle, with one-stop shopping for all of our non-profit organization’s fundraising and donor communications needs!

  • Content Development & Copy writing
  • List/Segmentation Consultation
  • Graphic Design
  • Printing
  • Direct Mail Service

We are expanding our services through a partnership with Red Bird Consulting, founded by Freddi Birdwell, CFRE, to help non- profits  do more for our communities. Our non-profit customers can spend more time with their donors and less time creating fundraising appeals, annual reports and newsletters!

Freddi Birdwell is a seasoned fundraising professional with more than 25 years invested in fundraising and non-profit management. Her career includes extensive work with the American Cancer Society and with Catholic Charities of East Tennessee, where she spent eight years as Director of Development and Community Relations. During her Catholic Charities tenure, Freddi increased direct mail revenue by more than 54%. She has worked at the local, state and regional levels.

Freddi holds the Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) credential and is a current board member and past president of the Great Smoky Mountain Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals. She also serves on the boards of the Smoky Mountain Planned Giving Council and the Knoxville Association of Women Executives.

 

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One Week Away For The Blood Drive At Burns Mailing & Printing

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It is one week away from our Medic blood drive to benefit Julie Buckner. Burns Mailing & Printing, Inc. in conjunction with Endocrinology Consultants of East TN is sponsoring this event.  Julie is employed by Endocrinology Consultants of East TN and her husband Johnny works at Burns. The blood drive will be at Burns Mailing & Printing, at 6131 Industrial Heights Dr., Knoxville, TN 37909.  Please come and give the gift of life. To sign up call Amy Perry at 865 584-2265 to be listed on the schedule.  Appointments are every 15 minutes.

Unbelievable Developing Technology Proposal By the USPS

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A sample USPS Intelligent Address
The Postal Service is developing new technology that will allow large businesses and other major mailers to send physical mail simply by knowing a recipient’s email address.

USPS Intelligent Address will use the Intelligent Mail barcode that appears on many mail pieces, eliminating the need to display the recipient’s address or other personally identifiable information.

“USPS Intelligent Address positions the Postal Service as the key link between digital and physical mail, making it more convenient and secure for businesses and consumers to send and receive mail,” said New Products and Innovation VP Gary Reblin.

During the past year, USPS Intelligent Address has been tested at the district and area levels. The first national operational test will be conducted during the next month.

Employees will receive stand-up talks and training in September to help recognize USPS Intelligent Address mail and learn how to deliver the test mail pieces.

This proposal blows my mind.  I can’t wait to hear more about it and how it works.  Go with a mailer who is up on the latest technology.  Burns Mailing & Printing, Inc. 865 584-2265.