Early Birds Get The Bellagio! Register Now!

To All PEiR Group Members:

The PEiR Group Executive Conference is being held March 5th and 6th, 2009 in Las Vegas, NV at the Bellagio Hotel.

All PEiR Executive Conference registrations received by January 31, 2009 will be eligible for the Early Bird drawing for two nights stay at the Bellagio during the conference.

Each name on the registration form will be entered in the drawing.

Access the registration form by clicking HERE. The agenda is posted at right.

If you have any questions, please contact the PEiR Group or myself directly.

Thank You,

John Bidwell
PlanWell and The PEiR Group
Email John by clicking HERE!
925 658.0215 – tel
925 658.0201 – fax

Financial Management Webinar Thursday January 22, 2008

This week the PEiR Group will be hosting a Financial Management webinar for owners and senior managers of reprographic companies. This one hour workshop will share strategies and tactics for managing your business for success even in a down economy.

Today’s economy requires reprographic companies to be even more diligent about tracking sales trends, cash flow, payables, outstanding receivables and key financial ratios such as direct labor as a percentage of sales, general overhead and other income statement items.

Reviewing an income statement a week or two after a month’s end just won’t work in today’s business environment. Business owners need to monitor and respond to market conditions on a daily if not weekly basis.

Outlined below is the agenda of the upcoming webinar. Please be sure to attend if you want to know what others are doing to position themselves for success in 2009.

Agenda:

• Managing for Success in a Recession
• Financial Management Best Practices
• Vital Factors (key performance indicators)
• Financial Analysis and Management Tools

Webinar Date and Time: January 22, at 10:00 A.M. Pacific Time

To Sign-Up: Click HERE.

I look forward to sharing this information with our members!

Sincerely,


Shaun Meany
President
The PEiR Group

Buzz Words Or a Real "New Deal?" You Tell POV...

With plans to use government billions like so much radiator “StopLeak” in an effort to stanch the nation’s hemorrhaging economy and put Americans back to work, terms like “shovel ready,” “infrastructure” and “green economy” are making their way to the forefront of the nation’s collective mindset.

At least, some people are giving it some thought. Here are a few quotes culled from traditional media outlets and the blogosphere POV hopes might give us some insight into the nation’s direction and, perhaps, immediate plans for the future.

There’s a lot riding on this. Here’s what these people – both high and low-profile – think. How about you? Hit the “comment” button below to sound off and tell us if we’re headed in the right direction… or not.


“We can’t dillydally. This has to do with jobs. This has to do with the environment. And this has to do with getting the economy moving.”
Rep. Nita Lowey, D-NY

“An investment of $3.5 billion in critical ecosystem restoration is anticipated to create 50-75,000 jobs in industries like construction and engineering, while restoring tens of thousands of acres of habitat and protecting hundreds of species.”
April H. G. Smith, National Audubon Society

“If the objective is to create jobs, we should focus on projects that are ready to go. But, within a year, we’ll start to see demands for a comprehensive national approach to infrastructure.”
Richard Little, USC’s Kenton Institute

“The meat-and-potatoes buyers are coming out right now.”
New York realtor Kristina Leonetti

Webinar Brings Global PEiR Membership Together

By Shaun Meany

The PEiR Group

Last week I hosted a webinar on document management. The turn out was exceptional with over 40 attendees signing in.

Webinars are a great way for the PEiR Group to share best practices with our members who are now located all across the globe. The goal of this particular session was to help members understand the basic components of document management, identify which industries, departments and applications can benefit from document management services and to share ideas on how reprographers can position their businesses as document management solutions providers.

If you could not attend this session we have posted the complete presentation (with presentation notes) on the PEiR Group’s intranet library; under the category of webinars.

If you are interested in having a repeat of this webinar please let us know!

Thanks!


Shaun

This Isn't Your Dad’s Blueprint Business Anymore...

By Rick Ysunza

PEiR Group Sales Consultant

When I started selling in this business eight years ago, I had never heard the term “reprographics.” With a background in construction I certainly knew what blueprints were. I felt I was well qualified to sell blueprint services and had the ability to connect with architects, engineers and contractors. I figured I was a natural.

I learned all about how prints were reproduced. I could tell my prospects about our impressive capabilities with those eight blueline machines humming away all day. Being a rookie, I was happy to go out on a few sales calls with some real business veterans. I was eager to learn from those with over 10 year’s experience in "the biz."

I soon developed a fool-proof sales approach with only two simple probing questions and one good closing question:

· Who is your current vendor?
· How much are you currently paying per square foot?
· If I could give you a better price, could we earn your business?

That seemed to work for a while, until my prices went lower in order to stay competitive. Unfortunately, there was a corresponding reduction in the size of my commission checks.

Sometimes it takes a real hit to our wallets before we wise up.

The point I am trying to make is that even though your company name may contain the word “blueprint,” or some derivative thereof, we can no longer remain sustainable in the blueprint business. All you need to do is take a look at your monthly print volume, multiplied by your average unit price to know what I’m talking about.

I joined the team here at The PEiR Group because I want to see our industry not only survive, but thrive. Let’s make sure the reprographics industry remains meaningful, and functions as a critical supplier to the construction industry. The old blueprinting revenue model is no longer applicable in this digital era. The reprographics business is now about providing digital services and document management, as well as printing on paper. So don’t be afraid to sell, and get paid for all that “behind the scenes” work you do.

Let us show you how!

Rick

CREST Foundation Scholars Announced…

Ten deserving “children of our industry” received CREST Foundation scholarships sure to take the sting out of their college tuition payment this year, the student scholars splitting $100,000 between them in the first ever CREST scholarship offering. The ten are the sons and daughters of peers working within our industry at various shops around the country.

This year’s student scholars were identified as: Giang Chau; Anna Goodrich; Hannah Dean-Wood; Amanda Race; Kate Borghgraef; Delane Bass; Andrea Clabaugh; Jonathan Corrigan, Michael Hamman, and Samantha Pye. Their parents (with shop names listed in random order) work at San JoseBlue/Inprint; CADCopy & Supply; City Blue Print; Veenstra Repro; BHFX LLC; Duncan-Parnell, Inc.; Print-O-Stat, Inc.; Blair Graphics; Reprographic Consultants and Air Graphics.

We are very pleased to note that Anna, Hannah, and Samantha are the daughters of PEiR members and we pass our heartiest congratulations on to them - and to their parents! Well done.

CREST Foundation (Children of Reprographics Employees Scholarship Trust) awards are funded by the generous donations of individuals, reprographic companies, industry vendors and financial institutions. This year’s recipients were chosen by the CREST Foundation’s Selection Committee, whose members include industry veterans Bill Thomas, Mike Carter, Cathleen Cushing Duff, John Deermount, and Miguel Garcia.

Information on the 2009/2010 application process will be distributed this month to industry associations and posted to the CREST web site, which can be found by clicking HERE. The next application season will be open in the next few months. You can find everything you’ll need to apply for a scholarship at the foundation's web site.