Sandy Horner

Educate customers about value-added features for profit-boosting results. One product that distributors know will be in constant de-mand from customers is checks. Although there may be fluctuations in the type of check products (continuous vs. laser, for instance), the product itself is still a necessity, say manufacturers. "Checks are growing every year," said Sandy Horner, president of Diversiform Software Compatible Checks, Alexandria, Va. Despite the economy's ups and downs, businesses still need to pay employees and suppliers, she said. "The dollar amount on the checks might change, but they still need the checks." Product niches within the category reflect customers' desire for

Distributors can help customers battle check fraud through education and innovation. Asked for the latest statistics concerning check fraud, Barbara Hurst, executive editor of the newsletter Bankers' Hotline, editor/moderator for BankersOnline.com, and president of Pennsylvania-based Hurst Associates—security and compliance training specialists—responded, "You can get as many guesstimates as there are experts guessing." Hurst said it's a given within the industry that FBI and American Bankers Association (ABA) figures on the subject are "way, way low," since many losses are not reported but simply charged off. However, she cited an in-depth study conducted approximately five years ago by U.S. News and World Report

Tips to boost your software-compatible forms and checks sales By Stacey Wenzel Opportunities are becoming more plentiful in the software-compatible forms and checks market. According to industry experts, as growing technology continues to strengthen this niche of the forms industry, there are strong profits to be made for distributors entering the arena. "You won't make big sales, but lots of small sales add up to some nice profits," said Sandy Horner, president of DiversiForm Software Compatible Checks, Alexandria, Va. She added that it's a lot easier to get involved with software-compatible checks than one might think. "You don't need to know all about computers," noted Horner. All