If you are like most businesses and organizations today, there is a very good possibility that you are in an ongoing search to find new ways to save money and make your bottom line healthier. Look no further than the United States Postal Service.
As a former owner of a small mailing business and now the mailing services coordinator for XPress Printing & Mailing in Sisters, I propose that you take a look at your mailing needs. Now you are probably thinking the USPS is losing money and on the verge of going out of business. Didn’t the internet kill them a few years back? This is far from the truth. The delivery of marketing samples, newsletters, catalogs, postcards — just to name a few, can effectively work in conjunction with online marketing to maximize the effectiveness of your company or organization.
To help their bottom line, the Postal Service now requires professional mailers to learn and adhere to very strict guidelines which aide in their ability to process mailings more efficiently and to better work with their existing machinery.
In return this has given mailing professionals the ability to pass along the postal savings to clients who not only get the very best rates available but professional consulting and peace of mind. Essentially creating a relationship where business mail is handled more efficiently from conception to mailbox, creating savings for all involved in the process.
Over my years in the industry, I have too often witnessed new and established clients create and produce their piece, without seeking any professional advice in advance, only to find that what they have prepared did not meet postal requirements.
As you can imagine it is never very comfortable explaining why they may need to start over or pay higher than first —
class rates delaying their time sensitive materials for as much as a week or more. This could easily amount to paying three times the standard postal rate! This can equate to big, big bucks when we all work off budgets and need to be profitable.
Navigating through the Postal Explorer can be a nightmare for businesses and organizations that send only a few mailings a year and purchase their own permit. With all of the changes and updates it is time consuming and can be nerve wracking hoping the final piece qualifies. Not only is a permit $220 annually but it takes thousands of pieces to make that permit pay for itself. A mailing professional can take care of this process for you and will have the correct permit required for any job sparing you the additional cost.
Working with a printing and mailing professional streamlines the process and there will be no need to wade through the maze of postal regulations. There are numerous postal requirements dealing with design including aspect ratios, folding and tabbing, thickness and weight, plus you must also process your mailing list.
Remember the lowest rates are realized only when you cut back on the work that the Post Office needs to perform.
XPress Printing, 664 W Hood Ave., Sisters, 541-549-9321
