Click here to download the catalog as a PDF file. To view this site you need Adobe Flash Player and your browser must allow javaScripts. Go here to get the latest Flash Player. The same goes for the Penn State Alumni Association, which needs jobs produced that can range anywhere from 8,400 to 259,000. It had almost 750,000 direct mail pieces printed last year. Megan Miller, production manager for the association, says convenience is key for queries. “Asking for the person’s time is most important,” she says. “If it’s more convenient, that person is more likely to be responsive.” Hot topics John Pritchard receives the same type of cold call from various print sales reps three or four times a year. Pritchard is the general manager of MDSI, a publishing and content company providing information, communication and educational services to providers, manufacturers and distributors involved in the business of healthcare. He works directly as the publisher of the Journal of Healthcare Contracting and Hospital COO, so he’s become used to these types of solicitations, and he even understands the need for sales reps to generate new leads (half of MDSI’s publications are geared toward healthcare salespeople). He just believes there needs to be some substance in the call besides a friendly greeting. “They’ll call up and say ‘Hey, we’d like to be your printer and if you’re interested in hearing more please let me know,” says Pritchard. “But they have no real message.” If a print sales rep has done a little more research on MDSI, they’ll talk shop about pricing. Pritchard says it’s eerie how frequently he’ll get sales calls where the print rep offers price quotes that may be 6 to 8 percent less than his current production costs, but it’s not nearly enough for him to consider moving his publications. Instead of hellos and small savings, he says he’d rather hear about a printer’s strengths and services. “I’d really rather have a printer call and say ‘We want to be your printer because we offer this service and this service,’” he says. CANVAS P31