If you have decided to add mailing and/or fulfillment services to your offerings, remember that you will not be alone in this dynamic market. Mailing and fulfillment service providers have been around for years, some producing the same types of work they always have, while others recognize the changes wrought by the digital age. Your closest competitors will be:

The task ahead: How can you differentiate your services from those of your competitors? Your first stop might be the Mailing & Fulfillment Services Center at this year’s Print ’09 show in Chicago, Sept. 11-16 (www.print09.com), where you can view the latest equipment, meet with other mailing professionals, and determine how you can position your service offerings for maximum effectiveness.

Selling to prospects who have a choice requires your sales force to have compelling selling points to anticipate and respond to the approaches taken by each type of competitor. As part of your marketing plan, you should have conducted a value analysis comparing your company’s strengths and weaknesses to those of the competition. NAPL’s eKG™ customer competitive analysis is an excellent tool for assessing how customers view you vs. your competitors. (For information, email [email protected] or call 800-642-6275, Ext. 6307.)