PrintMEMO TO MAILERS - JANUARY 2006(text)
UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE
VOLUME 41 NUMBER 1
JANUARY 2006
WHAT'S INSIDE
ONLINE MAILING RESOURCES
NATIONAL POSTAL FORUM
NPF REGISTRATION FORM
ANNUAL REPORT
KEEPING POSTED
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"BRAND" NEW YEAR
Business is booming these days for online entrepreneurs. The percentage of U.S. households shopping online is growing, and international online sales are increasing as well. Emerging companies looking to tap into the growing demand for direct-to-consumer purchasing are eager for name recognition. That’s why they’re partnering with the trusted brand of the U.S. Postal Service in the form of distinctive co-branded packaging.
Priority Mail co-branded boxes have been featured in national advertising by some of the country’s largest direct-to-consumer shippers. The co-branded box — with company logo, website and messaging — makes great point-of-contact advertising.
One company that is taking advantage of USPS Priority Mail co-branded packaging is Costa Mesa, CA-based QuikDrop, a chain of stores where people can drop off items to be sold on eBay®. Starting with one store in August 2003, QuikDrop has grown to 100 stores nationwide — and that’s just the beginning.
“QuikDrop customers love the convenience of selling on eBay through a brick-and-mortar storefront,” says co-founder Jack Reynolds. Before merchandise is accepted by the company, the item is researched on eBay to make sure it will sell for $50 or more. The customer is notified of the status of an auctioned item by e-mail and is paid at the time of sale.
QuikDrop does a “huge amount” of international shipping, says Reynolds. “Forty percent of our bidders are international. Anyone who isn’t selling to the international market is leaving money on the table.”
QuikDrop also credits USPS Web Tools for helping to build the platform for its business operations. USPS Web Tools can be integrated into a company’s website, shipping operation or customer service center — providing information about USPS rates, shipping labels and more.
“We are very impressed with the quality of the service for both domestic and international shipping,” says Reynolds. ”From the technical support to the packaging supplies to the customer contact staff — the Postal Service has really helped us make our business a success.”
Go to www.usps.com/business/shippingtools for more information about USPS shipping and Web Tools. For information on Priority Mail co-branded packaging for your business, e-mail us at: packageservices@usps.com.
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ONLINE MAILING RESOURCES FOR ELECTION OFFICIALS
As more states turn to the mailbox for help with the ballot box, the U.S. Postal Service has developed an online resource to help election officials navigate rules and regulations that allow citizens to vote by mail.
“Mailing Resources for Election Officials” on USPS.com was developed after consulting with election officials across the country and executives at the Election Center to determine the best documents and guides to explain clearly and concisely those rules that govern sending election materials through the mail.
“The Postal Service has a proud history of working with election officials nationwide to suggest mailing options, assist with address databases and support proper handling of election materials,” said Nick Barranca, vice president of USPS Product Development. “The development of the resource center is one more way the Postal Service is reaching out to better meet the needs of our customers.”
The non-partisan “Mailing Resources for Election Officials” focuses on the definition of “election mail” and walks users through a series of documents, fact sheets and frequently asked questions on how to plan, address and design election mail. There are templates that can be downloaded and related links to other sources of information and websites. The Postal Service designed a special logo to be used exclusively on election mail.
The Postal Service plays no role in how elections are carried out in the United States, although it is authorized to inform and educate election officials about USPS products and services available.
The Houston-based Election Center worked with the Postal Service to develop the website resource center. Also known as the National Association of Election Officials, its members are almost exclusively government employees whose profession is to serve in voter registration and elections administration.
Go to www.usps.com/electionmail to view “Mailing Resources for Election Officials.”
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INFO@USPS
SMALL BUSINESS TOOLS
Get new customers.
Meet customer demands.
Around town or around the world.
www.usps.com
SIMPLE FORMULAS
Use the mail to grow your business.
Order a Simple Formulas kit.
800-THE-USPS, ext. AD4433
SEND MAIL FROM YOUR PC
Send postcards, letters,
flyers, booklets or greeting cards.
www.usps.com/netpost
THE POSTAL STORE ONLINE
Open 24/7. Stamps.
Subscription services.
Digital scales.
www.usps.com/shop
SHIPPING INFORMATION
Express Mail, Priority Mail
and package support line.
800-222-1811
PRINT POSTAGE ONLINE
Your shipping label is just
a Click-N-Ship away.
www.usps.com/clicknship
CARRIER PICKUP ONLINE NOTIFICATION
From your home or office
at no extra charge.
www.usps.com/pickup
QUESTIONS?
Rates and mailing information.
ZIP Codes. Post Office locations.
Much, much more.
800-ASK-USPS
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RIDE THE FAST TRACK TO SUCCESS IN 2006
Listen, Learn and Lead | NPF • April 2-5, 2006
The 2006 National Postal Forum kicks off on Sunday, April 2 at the magnificent Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center in Orlando, Florida. The non-stop knowledge-building and networking continues for four valuable days.
The Forum – which has moved to its new annual spring date – will feature several newly enhanced symposiums, special sessions, 100+ workshops, (70% totally new), nine certificate programs (2 that are new) and world-class speakers, including the eagerly anticipated keynote address by Postmaster General Jack Potter. The event will feature main-stage presentations by USPS Deputy Postmaster General and Chief Operating Officer Pat Donahoe and Chief Marketing Officer and Executive Vice President Anita Bizzotto as they discuss crucial elements of the Postal Service’s Transformation Plan. For the Wednesday general-session luncheon – baseball’s most consecutive games played legend – Cal Ripken!
You can take advantage of the Forum’s early registration and other discount pricing options by going online to www.npf.org/reg16 or by using the registration form included here, on page 6.
Networking highlights will include a special Tuesday night gathering sponsored by the region’s Postal Customer Councils, and a gala closing concert featuring Little Feat, a freewheeling fusion of California rock and Dixie-inflected funk-boogie band. Time has loved these musical heroes for more than three decades, and we are sure you will too.
Innovative products and services – all in one place at the National Postal Forum Exhibition. Visit with the vendors and see the latest, most innovative products and services in the mailing industry. Be sure to stay through Wednesday, when NPF will award an exciting new automobile to one very lucky attendee in the Exhibit Hall Drawing.
To get more information on the 2006 National Postal Forum – and to register for the Forum online – visit www.npf.org/reg16 or call the Forum at 703-218-5015.
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POSTAL NEWS BRIEFS
CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES
Postmaster General John E. Potter told the Board of Governors that while 2005 was a good year for the mailing industry and the Postal Service, 2006 will be a complex year filled with challenges, opportunities and uncertainties.
Despite the challenges and unknowns, Potter says he remains optimistic about the future of affordable, universal service for the nation. “We have made significant strides in the past five years and we will build on them. The overriding challenge is to avoid the tendency to sit back, pause and feel good about the recent years’ growth and performance.”
Potter said he was especially proud of the work of all employees during the recent holiday mailing season. “We moved more than 16 million pounds of holiday mail to our Armed Forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. Those packages from home were a great morale booster.”
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KEEPING POSTED
News from and for Postal Customer Councils | www.usps.com/nationalpcc
HURRICANE DOESN'T STOP MIAMI-DADE COUNTY PCC FROM MOVING FORWARD
Hurricane Wilma hit South Florida the day before the Miami-Dade County Postal Customer Council (PCC) planned to hold its “Direct Mail by the Numbers” seminar, forcing a cancellation. It took a few weeks for the region to bounce back from the storm but the Miami-Dade County PCC was determined to move forward. A rescheduled PCC seminar was held recently, bringing customers together from a variety of professions with the goal of showing them how Direct Mail could help grow their business.
After the seminar, seminar participants toured the Mailing Requirements office in Miami and opened bulk mailing permits, eager to start doing business with the Postal Service! The Miami-Dade County PCC continues to offer business customers the tools they need to succeed.
DIRECT MAIL MARKETING SESSIONS A BIG HIT IN SAN DIEGO
The San Diego PCC hosted a series of six sessions aimed at helping customers learn more about the effective use of Direct Mail. Karen Marchetti, senior vice president of Strategic Marketing and Advertising Inc., conducted sessions on testing/return on investment, copywriting, creative and “offers that sell.” In addition, Spectrum Data President Ruben Leon provided insight about list selections and list management, including what makes a good database. The sessions also included speeches by President and CEO Terry Fyffe of Electronic Output Solutions Inc. and Modern Postcard’s Mailing and Finishing Services Manager Arnie Cohen.
Twenty mailing industry professionals who completed all six sessions were awarded a Direct Mail Marketing Professional Certificate. Sessions averaged 75 participants each month and total attendance reached 420. The demand for the classes has been so great that the San Diego PCC will repeat them. New sessions will begin again in February. For more information, go to www.sdpcc.org or contact Les Ford at les.ford@usps.com.
GOVERNMENT MAIL CENTER MANAGERS GET TRAINING
About two dozen government and mailing industry managers from the Washington, DC, area earned their Executive Mail Center Manager (EMCM) credentials at training sessions offered through a partnership between the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) and the Government Mailers Advisory Council. The EMCM training program helps mailing industry professionals manage more effectively, improve mail center safety and security, boost productivity and enhance operating efficiency.
EMCM training is typically conducted at the National Center for Employee Development (NCED) in Norman, OK, but it also can be offered locally through PCCs. In order to make it convenient for government mail center managers, NCED instructors taught the courses at a centrally located GSA training site in Washington, DC. The EMCM graduates were recognized Dec. 7 at a quarterly Interagency Mail Policy Council meeting held at GSA.
EMCM GOES TO TEXAS
Eleven mail managers from some of the nation’s leading companies and organizations got their Executive Mail Center Manager credentials through training sessions brought to Texas by the Houston PCC. The graduates included employees of InnoSource Business Solutions, Houston Chronicle, Burlington Resources, AIG VALIC and Rice University. “The class is a positive, informative, recommendable course,” said Abe Hudson, site manager for InnoSource Business Solutions of Atlanta, GA.
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MEMO TO MAILERS
Volume 41 Number 1
Ilze Sella
Editorial Services
David Ostroff
Designer
Betty Shelton
Purchasing Specialist
John E. Potter
Postmaster General and CEO
Thomas G. Day
Senior Vice President, Government Relations
Azeezaly S. Jaffer
Vice President, Public Affairs and Communications
MEMO TO MAILERS
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