This Month at Lenser February 2007

Newsletter Archive

PRESIDENT'S CORNER
By John Lenser, President
In the last newsletter, I praised the efficiency of email communication that has allowed increased productivity, efficiency, accuracy, and, most importantly, our staff’s ability to work from any location on the globe.  I recently experienced the flip side of the coin—communication run amok.

FEATURE ARTICLE
Evolving Your Website
By Michelle Farabaugh, Partner
Has your website remained the same for the past year?  If it has, you are most likely missing out on an opportunity for an improved user interface and resulting improved sales.  By employing a combination of best practices and customer feedback, you can very quickly improve the site you have today.  Click here.

CASE STUDY
Too Much of a Good Thing?
By Todd Miller, Director of Business to Business Services
Often our initial observations of a cataloger’s housefile contact strategies reveal a distinct under-utilization, particularly among a company’s best, most recent buyers.  Occasionally, though, we encounter companies that buck this trend... Read more.

CIRCULATION TIP
By Anna-Lisa Ulbrich, Circulation and Marketing Manager
If you have specific co-op models that consistently perform well above your prospecting breakeven threshold, consider reusing unique names from those models in your next drop if your circulation plan calls for additional prospects.  Find out more!

CREATIVE TIP
Is Your Catalog Designed to Be “Politically Correct?”
By Carol Worthington-Levy, Creative Partner
Highly effective catalog layouts reflect three things: your merchandising, prioritization, and good marketing.  But often, in an attempt to be “balanced and fair”, catalogs will make all products the same size on each spread.  I refer to this as the “socialist” method of catalog design—everything is the same size, so nothing is important.  Read more.

multichannel TIP
Tailor Your Message to Your Channels
By Matt Morton, Circulation and Marketing Manager
The more you segment your housefile and prospects on your circulation plan, the more options you have to tailor your message to different channels.  Some examples...  Click here.

CLIENT HIGHLIGHT—MONTESSORI SERVICES
Montessori Services was founded 31 years ago after Jane Campbell, a former Montessori teacher, had realized how hard it was to find basic supplies for the Montessori classroom—natural baskets and trays to hold activities, and real child-size dishes, brooms, and kitchen tools. Today, the company's core line has expanded but Maria Montessori, founder of the philosophy of transformational education, still provides the inspiration for Jane’s vision...  Read story.

EMPLOYEE SPOTLIGHT—MICHELLE HOUSTON
Michelle Houston had no idea who John Lenser was when she responded to an ad for a seasoned circulation manager back in early 2000, but she immediately liked his calm manner and inquisitive nature.  “It was apparent from our first interview that John was approaching circulation planning and strategies from a whole different perspective, “ reminisces Michelle, “and it was apparent during this meeting that in order to grow as a professional and be part of a cutting-edge firm, I had to get on board quick.”  Read more...

AFFILIATE FOCUS—CATALOG VISION
When the merge/purge process emerged in 1968, it revolutionized our industry.  What is now Catalog Vision was one of the pioneer data processing companies that brought merge/purge to the catalog industry.  Even then, it was not just about data for the people at Catalog Vision, it was also about service.  Find out more...

NEWS BRIEF

• LENSER welcomes Golfsmith and Gooseberry Patch to our family of retained clients.

• In last July’s LENSER News Brief, Steve Reisman, our affiliate at BCN Telecom, kindly informed us about the pending repeal of the Long-Distance Phone Tax.  This month Steve called to remind everyone that it is a fait accompli and to remember to take that one-time refund on your 2006 federal income tax return.  "The IRS will refund to you the taxes on long-distance or bundled service billed to you for the period after Feb. 28, 2003 and before Aug. 1, 2006.  Taxpayers should request this refund when they file their 2006 tax returns," says Steve, “and remember, file for the refund on both your business and your personal taxes.”  For more information, go to http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=161506,00.html.

• Reminder!  Sign up now for the NEMOA Spring Conference March 21-23, Royal Sonesta Hotel, Cambridge, MA and “Unmask Your Business Potential.”   For more information or to register online, go to www.nemoa.org.

• We are gearing up for the 2007 Annual Conference for Catalog & Multichannel Merchants (ACCM) taking place May 21-23, 2007 at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center.  For those of you who have not attended the ACCM, we strongly urge you to attend.  The conference is the event of the year for catalogers, providing three days of educational seminars and many opportunities for networking.  LENSER staff will present several sessions covering catalog circulation, channel integration, and creative issues.  I hope that you plan on joining us and look forward to seeing you in Boston.
  
  
• Remember to mark your calendar!  Next year’s LENSER Client Summit is scheduled for Wednesday through Friday, October 3-5, 2007 at the Embassy Suites in San Rafael, CA.  Make plans now to stay over the weekend in the beautiful San Francisco Bay Area.  October is one of our best weather months and should be just the right time to catch the harvest crush in the Napa-Sonoma-Mendocino wine region just to our north.
  
  

PRESIDENT'S CORNER
By John Lenser, President

In the last newsletter, I praised the efficiency of email communication that has allowed increased productivity, efficiency, accuracy, and, most importantly, our staff’s ability to work from any location on the globe.  I recently experienced the flip side of the coin—communication run amok.

I placed an order for two small lighting units from Costco on their website.  I was pleased when the order was confirmed via email with tracking numbers.  A week later a box arrived with only one unit even though the packing slip stated that two were shipped.  I promptly sent customer service an email indicating specifically that there must have been a picking mistake because my box only contained one unit, and asking if they could please ship the second unit. 

I received a form email in response indicating that they had received my complaint.  I then received another form email that they had placed a trace on the shipment and that a further response would take up to two weeks!  I immediately advised them that the trace would show that the box was delivered, and asked if they could perhaps check the weight of the box they shipped.  They would find that it was a bit light for two units.  I asked again if they could please send the second unit.  No response. 

After three weeks, I received another form email indicating they were refunding my money!  No apology—and no explanation. 

I consider the treatment I received a customer service disaster, aided and abetted by email run amok.  Not only was I frustrated, but I will not order the second unit and they lost a sale.  Far worse, they lost a customer.  I felt that I was dealing with a robot instead of real people who care about me as a customer. 

As we use technology in our marketing and customer service programs, I suggest that we all give extra thought to how we can restore the human touch to our contacts with our customers.  Think about the experience of your customers when they log onto your website to place an order and no longer get to speak to a real person with personality and warmth.  Make your communications personal and responsive to what your customers are really saying to you.

FEATURE ARTICLE
Evolving Your Website
By Michelle Farabaugh, Partner

Has your website remained the same for the past year?  If it has, you are most likely missing out on an opportunity for an improved user interface and resulting improved sales. 

Many companies believe their sites need upgrading, but they believe they cannot achieve improvement without a new platform.  While a new platform with fancy new functionality is great, don’t let that stop you from improving the site you currently have.  By utilizing a combination of best practices and customer feedback, you can very quickly improve the site you have today.

During the recent LENSER Summit, several live site reviews were conducted.  While each site had some real strengths, each had areas needing both immediate improvement and long-term enhancements relating to platform limitations.  One of those companies went right to work to improve the user interface within the limitations of the current site platform and using industry best practices.  While only half of the changes could be made with the in-house web team in the short two-week window before websites should be frozen for the big holiday season, this site experienced a 25% increase in weekly sales without even announcing the new site design. 

The following are just some of the areas that were focused on in the redesign discussed above that resulted in an immediate sales increase.

Navigation Header.  The navigational header should be optimized for shopping and ordering convenience.  Critical information should be contained in this area, as it will appear throughout the user experience—on every page of the site including the home page, product pages, and the shopping cart.

• Ordering phone number—Prominently include an internet ordering 800# right under the logo or in the top of the navigation header.  This should remain on the page header on every page where product is available to order.

• Shopping cart—A quick and easy checkout is one of the top three areas to focus on when evolving your site.  By including the shopping cart link in the header, it makes it quick and simple to go to the cart.  Improvements on this include showing the number of items and dollars that are currently in the shopping cart.  In most cases this enhancement may require a new platform or serious programming to the current site.

• Catalog quick shop—Catalogs are driving from 30% to 60% of their sales through the website.  By including a Catalog Quick Shop box in the header right under Search, you will be able to leverage the highest conversion rate areas of a website.  To remove unnecessary clicks, once item numbers are entered into the Catalog Quick Shop, the items should be automatically placed into the customer’s shopping cart when no further information is required to select a size or color.

• Thematic navigation bar—Utilize solutions- or needs-based categories for 40% higher conversion rates.  For example, use themes such as New, Sale, Best Sellers, Seasonal, Web Specials, Gifts, etc.

• Catalog requests—In most cases, catalog requests are one of the highest performing sources of prospecting names.  By prominently promoting Catalog Request in the navigational header on every page, you will collect more catalog requesters.  Make sure you code internet catalog requests separately from phone catalog requests to create and manage an appropriate contact strategy going forward.

• Email sign-up—Similar to catalog requests, email sign-up should be promoted on the home page and preferably in the header area.  By prominently featuring email sign-up you will be driving your email acquisition.

• Date (optional)—When placed in the upper right-hand corner, it tells customers that the site is up-to-date and contains the latest information.  This has proven to drive increased conversion.

• Please bookmark this site (optional)—Anyone can bookmark a site, but relatively few visitors do; by including a “please bookmark this site” link, it encourages people to add your site to their favorites.

Navigation Footer.  The navigational footer should be maximized for customer service.

• About your company—This should include company name, logo, address, phone number, and URL as well as any store locations you may have.

• Privacy policy—The privacy policy should always be included in the navigational footer.  In addition, this policy should cover all use of customer data including that collected from the internet and the phone.  Always include wording that explains that information will be shared with select third parties, so that you can leverage the cost-effectiveness and responsiveness of the cooperative database models.

• Organization of the footer—The organization of the navigational footer should be logical and take advantage of related areas.

Search.  A robust and accurate search is critical for a successful site, especially one with several hundreds or thousands of items.  Half of your visitors will use this function and they are twice as likely to purchase if they are able to locate the product they desire.

• Search—Matches should show results from item number searches even when the product/catalog three-digit prefix is not used.

• Sorting—Sort all results by best sellers.  Then offer to re-sort items from new to old, as well as the current best sellers, price and any other criteria that makes sense for your product.  Items should be displayed with no more than 10-15 per page.  Also include an option to “show all.”

• Reports—Review site search reports to identify highly searched words that result in “no results found” and redirect those search words to the appropriate area of the site.  In many cases, consumers do not think about products in the same way that a retailer or merchant does.

• Best sellers—Include best sellers or featured product on the “no results found” page to drive sales.  An entire page of search tips can help with customer service frustrations, but they cannot sell product at that moment.  The aforementioned left-hand navigation bar should for that reason be included on the “no results found” page.

Left-Hand Navigation.  The internet ‘standard’ in the U.S. has been established as left-hand navigation.  Some companies have decided to work against this standard; however, that puts the burden on the browser to understand your layout.

• Category breakdown—By listing the product categories in text on the site, customers will more easily be able to shop and spiders will be able to pick up the product categories sold.  If your list of categories is more than 10 categories long, consider conducting a “card sort,” or a paper usability study whereby each category and subcategory is listed on an index card.  You can quickly carry out market research with consumers and determine the best way to organize the categories, which categories or sub-categories consumers would expect to see, and in what order they would like them.  Categories should be limited to less than 20 to avoid overwhelming the consumer.

Home Page Body.  Utilize the main area of the home page to sell products, feature hot items, and communicate the brand proposition.

• Text—The first 250 words are critical for search engine ranking.  Make sure your primary search keywords are included in this section. 

• Image—Feature a relevant lifestyle or product image and items.  Ideally these items would be relevant to the browser’s prior visits or purchases. 

• Freshness of site—Rotate images with every visit to make the site look fresh throughout the day or week.  Two or three items can be identified for weekly features and randomly rotated—or intentionally rotated through cookie tracking.

• Products—Display top performing categories and top selling items above the fold.  By featuring products above the fold and including the product name and price, or price range, as well as a buy now/info button, consumers can more quickly see product and start to buy.  If the featured item is representing a category, be sure that the image links to the category and then features that home page product as the first item in the category.

• Secure site—Include confirmation that the site is secure by including a logo such as VeriSign or Hacker Safe on the home page as well as the cart page.  Reassurance from third party security companies like Hacker Safe can increase sales and help differentiate the site from other competitive sites.

Checkout.  Keep checkout as easy and fast as possible by requiring as few steps and clicks as possible.  The best current checkout processes include four to five steps/clicks.  The maximum number of clicks should be eight for a new customer to make a purchase.  Review your checkout process and see if you can combine steps such as shipping method and shipping address to make the process more efficient.

CASE STUDY
Too Much of a Good Thing?
By Todd Miller, Director of Business to Business Services

Often our initial observations of a cataloger’s housefile contact strategies reveal a distinct under-utilization, particularly among a company’s best, most recent buyers.  Our recommendation, especially for those operating highly seasonal businesses, has been to maximize the number of contacts to the housefile, mailing separately versioned catalogs every four weeks and perhaps even every three weeks.

Occasionally, though, we encounter companies that buck this trend.  One such company, a multichannel retailer specializing in school supplies, will be the subject of today’s case study.

As one might expect, the core buying season for parents purchasing school supplies is roughly July through September, with August being, by far and away, the best month.  Using this logic, we conducted a test whereby our best, most recent buyers were mailed three and four times within the core season:

Control Contact Strategy:  In-homes roughly 6 Jul, 2 Aug and 7 Sep 06 (27-35 day gaps between mailings)

Test Contact Strategy:  In-homes roughly 27 Jun, 18 Jul, 8 Aug and 6 Sep 06 (20-23 day gaps between mailings, a shortening of about a week for each contact)

Theoretically, we believed that the buyers mailed four times would supply incremental sales above and beyond what those mailed just three times would generate—enough to justify the additional contact.  The results, however, suggest there is, in fact, a limited effectiveness to mailing a fourth book.

Clearly, our test shows that we have reached the point of diminishing returns—the additional contact, in fact, produced a slight decline in total orders and sales generated in the back-to-school season.  Contributing factors include:

1. School supplies are a planned purchase with distinct utility.  Unlike fashion apparel or toy catalogs, which thrive on parents spontaneously spending disposable income, customers buying specific necessary supplies are more deliberate and are likely using non-disposable monies.  The failure of the test suggests that there is a pre-determined and finite amount of money customers will spend in the merchandise category during the core season.

2. In comparison to July and September, August, the middle month of the core three-month buying season, accounts for 60-65% of the ordering activity.  Perhaps for most customers the buying cycle is even tighter than three months.  Next year, we will test reducing the number of contacts to two from the usual three.

CIRCULATION TIP
By Anna-Lisa Ulbrich, Circulation and Marketing Manager

If you have specific co-op models that consistently perform well above your prospecting breakeven threshold, consider reusing unique names from those models in your next drop if your circulation plan calls for additional prospects.

Whichever co-op the names you decide to reuse names come from, these should be your very best first-round models—your best performing prospects, in other words.  Just as your best buyers can handle receiving back-to-back drops, these prospects should, as well.  Remember, these prospects are some of the best mail order buyers out there.

The performance of a reused unique name will generally decrease 20-40% depending on 3 factors:  1) a cover change and/or repagination between the first and second drops; 2) time between the first and second drops; and 3) the strength of the season in which you’re mailing.  On rare occasions, a unique reuse in the second drop can outperform the first drop.  If that is the case, LENSER typically would recommend saving these unique names for the stronger, second drop rather than using them twice.  An additional bonus to a reuse is that they are usually priced 20% cheaper than standard, pre-merge modeled names.

CREATIVE TIP
Is Your Catalog Designed to Be “Politically Correct?”
By Carol Worthington-Levy, Creative Partner

Highly effective catalog layouts reflect three things: your merchandising, prioritization, and good marketing.  But often, in an attempt to be “fair and balanced,” catalogs will make all products the same size on each spread.  I refer to this as the “socialist” method of catalog design—everything is the same size, so nothing is important.

Studies show that when all products on a spread are the same size, customers truly just breeze past and very quickly put the catalog down unless they are looking for something they specifically know you have.  However, when a catalog is designed so the product anticipated as a best seller is the largest on the spread, it creates a strong dynamic that grabs a customer’s attention and keeps them on the spread.

Why is this kind of design and strategy so powerful?

1. If your guess is good—and this means you need to be an expert in your merchandise and projections—then the biggest product on the spread will be the one most people are interested in, or it will at least have the strongest call for attention.  So you’re leveraging this strong appeal to pull the customer in and keep them focused on a spread, giving them a chance to consider the merchandise on that spread.

2. It’s simply a physiological fact that contrast in dynamics will get more attention than same-size images.  The human brain is wired to notice contrast in size, color, color value, and typography size.  This is also a great reason for using large copy for headlines and subheads—contrast them to the body copy so they pop out and “tell the story” without the customer even reading the body copy.

Another way to design the spread that will make it even more interesting is to choose a largest image, a second largest image, and then show the remainder as smaller images.  This “Papa-Mama-Baby” approach is a staple in good catalog design.

I can already hear the cry: “There is not enough room on a spread to make one product larger!”  However, if that is REALLY the case, then your spread is too crowded and your sales are suffering.  I suspect, based on the hundreds of catalogs I’ve directed and critiques I’ve done through the years, that if the page has an effective grid, there will be ways to put products closer together in order to accommodate an enlarged image.

Another place to look for space is in reducing your copy word count.  Most catalogs I see today have copy that’s not particularly efficient, and sometimes the writer is so in love with their own words that they fill the copy with empty hyperbole or clever phrases that show us how smart they are—but don’t sell the product.  Hire a good writer or a strong marketing-trained editor to run through your catalog copy and call out and remove all the “junk.”  You’ll be amazed how much more smoothly the catalog reads, and how much space you have for that larger photo.

All of this takes dedication to make it work.  It means having the discipline to be decisive about which will be the strongest products.  It requires you to communicate very clearly with your designer to give them instruction on what product is the “hero” and setting rules like, “the hero is more than a quarter inch wider and taller than the other products on the spread.”

multichannel TIP
Tailor Your Message to Your Channels
By Matt Morton, Circulation and Marketing Manager

The more you break out and segment your housefile and prospects on your circulation plan, the more options you have to tailor your message to different channels.  Some examples:

1. Inkjet messages on the catalog to drive traffic to retail stores.  By using a zip code range, you can create localized inkjet messages to promote a sale or feature merchandise available only in the store.
2. If you produce an annual or large ‘Resource Guide’ type of catalog, think about adding a specific inkjet message to your trade or B2B segments to call out items of interest.  Also consider three-hole punching those catalogs to imply that they should be saved and bound for reference.
3. Do you segment and mail your giftees?  This is a good opportunity to welcome these prospects with a targeted message.
4. Multichannel names on your buyer file—those who shop at the retail stores and also purchase via the catalog or web—should be flagged on your database and segmented separately.  These customers are prime candidates for specific offers.
5. Try testing segments with a message that references specific landing pages on your website.
6. If you segment buyers by product category, you can create messages that note new items in the current catalog.

CLIENT HIGHLIGHT—MONTESSORI SERVICES

Montessori Services was founded 31 years ago after Jane Campbell, a former Montessori teacher, had realized how hard it was to find basic supplies for the Montessori classroom—natural baskets and trays to hold activities, and real child-size dishes, brooms, and kitchen tools. Today, the company's core line has expanded to include items for use in the home and a range of curriculum materials for the classroom.

The child is endowed with unknown powers, which can guide us to a radiant future.  If what we really want is a new world, then education must take as its aim the development of these hidden possibilities.
                                                                     —Maria Montessori

As a company, Montessori Services is committed to the Montessori mission of transformational education for all children. By offering a comprehensive line of products that helps adults provide their children with an enriching environment, the company continues to assist educators and parents in supporting the growth and development of generations of children. "We collaborate with Montessori educators to find products and create activities best-suited to the specific needs of home and classroom," says Jane, "The child is served best when the home and classroom environments work together. Our products make that possible."

In 2003, Jane reached out to John Lenser to assist her company with their continued growth in both business-to-education with Montessori Services and business-to-consumer with their For Small Hands title.  “Jane had this great vision that served a wonderful niche,” notes John.  “But she also understood, as a small business owner, that she lacked the infrastructure and expertise that a larger company could lean on as they grew.  They have had tremendous success leveraging their knowledge from Montessori Services into the growth of their parent-family catalog, For Small Hands.” 

Geoff Wolf, LENSER Partner, was assigned to assist with marketing, operations, and infrastructure to help Montessori Services achieve that next level of growth and service.  Based on small but significant changes, that next level came with a clap of thunder.  Geoff marvels, “They actually considered shutting down the website because holiday sales from For Small Hands surged way beyond expectations!”

Needless to say, expectations have been adjusted! Jane plans to continue expanding the Montessori Services collection, as well as delving deeper into the education and consumer markets. According to Geoff, "They are poised for significant growth, and we look forward to helping them get there."

Jane mentions that 2007 marks the 100th anniversary of Dr. Montessori's first classroom, the Casa dei Bambini in Rome. "The Montessori approach to learning informs all our product decisions," says Jane, "We are delighted to find that parents and teachers continue to respond best to those items most closely in line with Dr. Montessori's vision of transforming the world through education."

EMPLOYEE SPOTLIGHT—MICHELLE HOUSTON

Michelle Houston had no idea who John Lenser was when she responded to an ad for a seasoned circulation manager back in early 2000, but she immediately liked his calm manner and inquisitive nature.  “It was apparent from our first interview that John was approaching circulation planning and strategies from a whole different perspective, “ reminisces Michelle, “and it was during this meeting that I realized that in order to grow as a professional and be part of a cutting-edge firm, I had to get on board quick.  Seven years later I can resoundingly say this has been by far the most enjoyable and rewarding environment in my career.”

As soon as Michelle’s tenure at LENSER started, she found it immensely fulfilling to work with so many different and varied catalog titles.  “Since many of these companies are owned by entrepreneurial spirits, they tend to be fascinating people who share similar behaviors of inquisitiveness, openness to new thoughts, and pushing the experimental envelope.”

As LENSER grew, Michelle’s natural leadership ability, combined with her superior circulation skills and uncanny savvy with co-op models, led John to promote Michelle first to Director and two years ago to Vice President.  No longer working on the day-to-day circ work for more than a handful of clients, Michelle is now responsible for all of LENSER’s clients—and the LENSER staff who work with them.  “Later, as I migrated to management, I found immense satisfaction in training and mentoring staff.  Without a doubt, we work with exceptional clients and we have exceptional staff, too!”

“Recently, I had the honor of selecting the LENSER top Employee of the Year,” says John Lenser.  “And my choice was easy.  Since Michelle Houston was promoted to VP two years ago, she has taken LENSER to a whole new level of superb service for our clients.  Thanks to Michelle, we have a very well-trained and highly motivated team.  That translates to happy and satisfied clients!”

Michelle is by no means ‘all work and no play.’  Moving to Northern California introduced her to the joys of kayaking.  She loves paddling the endless bays and estuaries around Marin and Sonoma counties and plans to kayak and hike in Costa Rica next year with her longtime partner.  Michelle also enjoys cooking, golfing, birdwatching, and walking with her best buddy Reilly, a 20-pound Boston terrier who can sometimes be found romping around LENSER.

AFFILIATE FOCUS—CATALOG VISION

When the merge/purge process emerged in 1968, it revolutionized our industry.  What is now infoUSA’s Catalog Vision was one of the pioneer data processing companies that brought merge/purge to the catalog industry.  Originally born out of Figis’ Data Center in the late 1960s, by the mid 1980s Catalog Vision, then known as FDC, Inc., was already the preeminent service bureau serving large and small mailers alike.

Even then, it was not just about data for the people at Catalog Vision; it was also about service.  The evolution to bring more “service” to service bureaus began with this company’s customer survey back in 1986.  “Even back then, when our customers told us that we needed to augment our processing, we hired statisticians, systems analysts, and programmers to develop modeling, research, analytic tools and of course, customer databases,” says Dan Gust, 20+ year company veteran and now President of Catalog Vision.

This dedicated group in Marshfield, WI has weathered many changes of ownership in the last 30 years but their guiding principles have never wavered.  “Better service for our customers through better technology combined with meticulous care for their business—this is the key to our longevity and our success,” says Dan.  “With each succeeding change, we have been able to absorb the best practices, technology, and knowledge and convert that to real-time strategic advantages for our clients.  We’ve been an infoUSA company since 1999 and the wealth of resources that infoUSA brings to the table for our clients gives them a phenomenal edge in a very competitive data-driven industry.”

One area where LENSER finds Catalog Vision heads and tails above the competition is in their business-to-business merge.  “I feel that the key to a successful merge/purge is the data converts, and Catalog Vision’s synergistic merge conversion program is specifically designed for the complex needs of combined business/consumer information and identification.  Incorporating their proprietary 100,000+ keyword tables, it interrogates the name and address fields to correctly identify personal names, businesses, titles, and address information and then formats them accordingly.  That gives you a huge jump up even before their sophisticated address integrity and merge processing,” says Michele Salmon of LENSER.

“We continue to refine and improve our basic processes, we have a company-wide initiative to even further expand our marketing analytics in response to our customer needs, we are staying on the cutting edge of technology, and we never waver in our commitment to meticulous service for our clients.  So, what’s in a name?” asks Dan Gust.  “The vision in Catalog Vision remains the same.”

NEWS BRIEF

• LENSER welcomes Golfsmith and Gooseberry Patch to our family of retained clients.

• In last July’s LENSER News Brief, Steve Reisman, our affiliate at BCN Telecom, kindly informed us about the pending repeal of the Long-Distance Phone Tax.  This month Steve called to remind everyone that it is a fait accompli and to remember to take that one-time refund on your 2006 federal income tax return.  "The IRS will refund to you the taxes on long-distance or bundled service billed to you for the period after Feb. 28, 2003 and before Aug. 1, 2006.  Taxpayers should request this refund when they file their 2006 tax returns," says Steve, “and remember, file for the refund on both your business and your personal taxes.”  For more information, go to http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=161506,00.html.

• Reminder!  Sign up now for the NEMOA Spring Conference March 21-23, Royal Sonesta Hotel, Cambridge, MA and “Unmask Your Business Potential.”   For more information or to register online, go to www.nemoa.org.

• We are gearing up for the 2007 Annual Conference for Catalog & Multichannel Merchants (ACCM) taking place May 21-23, 2007 at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center.  For those of you who have not attended the ACCM, we strongly urge you to attend.  The conference is the event of the year for catalogers, providing three days of educational seminars and many opportunities for networking.  LENSER staff will present several sessions covering catalog circulation, channel integration, and creative issues.  I hope that you plan on joining us and look forward to seeing you in Boston.
  
  
• Remember to mark your calendar!  Next year’s LENSER Client Summit is scheduled for Wednesday through Friday, October 3-5, 2007 at the Embassy Suites in San Rafael, CA.  Make plans now to stay over the weekend in the beautiful San Francisco Bay Area.  October is one of our best weather months and should be just the right time to catch the harvest crush in the Napa-Sonoma-Mendocino wine region just to our north.