Several years ago, I ordered a box of 500 envelopes from VistaPrint. The design called for a teal stripe across the top — to match my business cards and letterhead.
For some reason, the company’s printing process couldn’t accommodate adding this stripe. (I forget why.) I ended up with plain envelopes with my logo and address. I didn’t like them, but I thought, “Well, I don’t send out all that much mail.”
Except when I do. On top of the low-class envelopes, the letterhead they sent me was just as bad. It felt like printer paper. I cringe every time I send a letter.
I decided to give MOO a try when a client needed new business cards designed for the sales and marketing team. MOO provides a free paper sample pack, so the client had one delivered and was able to choose the card stock.
You can also choose from several design options — e.g. rounded corners, a colored seam between the front and back, etc. The client loved the final product and everyone was happy, including me.
When it came time for me to give my business cards and letterhead a refresh, I went straight to MOO.
The cards and letterhead were easy enough to order from the website. The envelopes, however, were a custom order that required I work with my MOO account rep.
Our designer, Rachel Cunliffe, used their template to create the design, which I sent to my rep. The ordering process was super easy; in fact, the envelopes arrived before the cards and letterhead even though I ordered those first.
As soon as I opened the box, I immediately saw and felt the difference between MOO and VistaPrint.
The high-grade (or Luxe) paper feels good and the printing is superb. And, I love that I have the teal stripe across the top, just the way Rachel designed them.
“It’s just letterhead. Who cares?”
When I asked Bugeye Technologies for a testimonial after we completed the redesign of the company’s website, Aaron Lackman said we delivered “flawless execution.”
No one had said that before of our work, and the phrase made me stop and think. I began reassessing everything — from business processes to how I dressed for work.
I realized I wanted my team to deliver “flawless execution” in everything we did — no easy feat.
“What you bring to the world, you get back,” I read in a book somewhere. If I want to attract the people who value and appreciate the type of attention to detail we give our work, then I need to to ensure how I live and work incorporates this mindset.
To that end, I’ve been improving my own processes, such as:
- Keeping my office tidy; I now dust and vacuum every Sunday. It makes a huge difference coming into a clean office on Monday.
- Keeping my desk free of clutter so that I stay focused and don’t lose things.
- Training myself to add tasks to Basecamp at the end of each day versus trying to keep everything in my head and forgetting stuff.
- Improving our conversion reporting process to eliminate redundancies and to give clients more timely and better info.
- Buying new clothes (with a focus on Made in USA) and looking professional during work hours, whether or not I have video calls. A number of people have commented on this change.
- Slowly expanding this “flawless execution” mindset to the house, car, and even the garage.
So, while my new envelopes may simply be paper with some printing on them, I know they’re sending the right message about Huff Industrial Marketing.
I also know I can count on MOO to deliver the goods. In fact, the same client that wanted business cards later wanted envelopes and opted to go with VistaPrint because of price.
When the envelopes arrived, he said, “The logo is crooked.”
What I learned in that instant is that if I’m stressing to clients and prospects that we deliver flawless execution or are striving to be the gold standard, then I have to make sure EVERYTHING adheres to it, even my lowly envelopes.
Filed under: Behind the Scenes
Rocky Update
“Repetition, repetition, repetition will lead to success with your dog,” said the trainer at obedience class a few weeks ago.
Rocky LOVES visiting the children at the bus stop each morning. Early on, these visits were fraught with anxiety: the moms were anxious because here’s this biggish dog with teeth and claws that liked to jump on people. “Hi! I’m here!”
I was anxious because I wanted to keep him and the children safe.
So, we worked the same routine each morning. He had to walk nicely by my side versus pulling me down the street.
He had to wait until I said, “Cross over!” instead of lunging into the middle the road and pulling me along with him to get to the kids.
Then we had to practice sitting and waiting; the moms worked with the children to teach them not to get excited or wiggly and to stand still while he sniffed their hands.
And I had to learn to relax and trust him. It’s amazing how energy travels between you and a dog.
The photo you see is the result of months of “repetition, repetition, repetition.” The moms no longer hover nervously; Rocky eats up all the love and attention.
I feel like someone has given me an A+ on my report card. 😊