OCTOBER 23, 2002 - (with special comments from WTT contributing columnist Gail Nickel-Kailing) The e-LYNXX Corporation has announced that the Direct Marketing Association (The DMA), the leading and largest trade association for direct and interactive marketers will use its printLYNXX to handle its print procurement and job management projects.  The announcement was made during the 85th Annual DMA Conference in San Francisco.   "Over the past year, The DMA has investigated the adoption of a Web-based print procurement tool as an effective method to reduce costs," said David Smith, senior vice president, Marketing & Business Development, The DMA.  "We chose printLYNXX for its ease of use and the longstanding print procurement knowledge of the staff of the parent company, the e-LYNXX Corporation.  In addition, we were impressed by the guarantee to save at least 15 percent on our printing costs."   "The DMA recognized the challenges of  managing the often difficult and complex purchase of printing," said e-LYNXX Vice President Doug Harbach.  "The staff at The DMA, after investigating all available solutions, feels that printLYNXX is the right tool to help them better perform their jobs and allow The DMA to get the maximum for their expenditures for printed items."   printLYNXX is a Web-enabled e-management system for buyers of printing, publishing, marketing, packaging, labeling, and information products.  It's procurement program automates workflow, streamlines communication, and adds significantly to an organization's bottom line by guaranteeing at least a 15 percent out-of-pocket print cost savings on transactional procurements through managed competition among buyer chosen and preferred suppliers.  The solution is in use at companies and organizations in the U.S. and Canada. e-LYNXX Corporation has been in the print procurement consulting business since 1975. *****Special Comments from WTT Columnist Gail Kailing What better place to announce that the Direct Marketing Association (DMA) has selected the e-LYNXX print procurement and job management solution than at the DMA Annual Conference and Exhibition in San Francisco? WhatTheyThink.com tracked down e-LYNXX vice president, Doug Harbach between meetings and a wistful look through the fence around the stadium where the World Series is being played. It appears that while e-LYNXX was seeking a marketing relationship with the DMA, they gained a client. Not only is the DMA an ideal client, but the companies represented by the organization, such as direct mail firms and advertising agencies, would find the tool useful as well. Before you ask just how much print would a trade organization purchase, even one with thousands of members, it is interesting to look a little deeper at the Conference and Exhibition itself. The DMA is not just a sponsor of this event, but the event manager, event sales staff and event marketer. That means they must purchase all the signage, promotional material, advertising material, conference catalogs, exhibit guides, and miscellaneous items that are used in the course of a national event attended by thousands. No small matter! We asked Doug how long the sales cycle for a solution like this takes. Actually it can be as short as 60 days or as long as 9 months, he told us. But once the decision to move ahead is made, the application can be deployed in as little as 10 days or less. PrintLYNXX is "novice enabled" thus allowing the client to participate in the specification template development be up and running faster. The decision to acquire a sophisticated print procurement system involves very careful study. "The DMA did what every other client has done," Doug told us. "They looked carefully at all available solutions, did their due diligence, and selected the best system for their needs." Vendors of other print procurement alternatives, such as Noosh and httprint, also had a presence at this week’s Conference and Exposition. Companies like Xerox, HP and Nexpress are also there. After all, direct marketers buy lots of print! -- Gail Nickel-Kailing