Jim Corr

How to find a comfort level in the growing commercial printing industry. Commercial print products are so diverse in scope these days that it is tough to pinpoint a precise method for marketing them properly. "Commercial printing is such a broad category that it is difficult to describe a sales formula that works for everyone," said Lindsay Gray, vice president of AccuLink (formerly AccuCopy/Quicktabs), Greenville, N.C. "You might as well ask General Mills to state the best way to market food." Gray advised distributors in this industry to "divide and conquer" commercial print products. "They need to identify the products and services they can

Know-how is necessary to break into the direct mail market By Misty Byers When it comes to succeeding in the direct mail business, it's all in the approach. "Manufacturers and distributors don't just jump into direct mail," explained Allen Simon, president of Monaca, Pa.-based Datatel Resources. "It's a whole different in-dustry [from traditional business forms] that operates a completely different way. If you attack it like you attack the business forms industry, it won't work. "You don't just go out and install a four- or six-color press and say, 'I'm in the direct mail business.' You have to make a very strong commitment to do business the way