A Tristan Communications Ltd. Publication Volume 19, Issue 6

Get caught up on the latest industry news 4

Mark Venit examines what types of names to avoid when

naming or renaming your company 6

Ted Stahl examines how to adapt to stay competitive today's

ever-competitive marketplace 8

We provide key tips to keep in mind when hiring a web

developer or agency for your company's website 10

WHAT'S INSIDE

The Toronto Imprint Canada Show

returns to Toronto for its 13th annual

event on January 11 & 12, 2013Canada's largest trade event of its kind will showcase the newest

promotional products and apparel to the industry. Also featured

will be the latest in decorating technologies, including embroidery,

digital printing, screen printing, embossing and more.

Nearly 3,000 buyers visited the 12th annual Toronto Imprint

Canada Show, which featured more than 100 leading exhibitors

from across the Canada. For 2013, there are already more than

100 exhibitors reserved and the event is shaping up once again to

be a great venue to kick off the new year.

Educational seminars are being fi nalized, but Imprint Canada

is proud to announce that among those sessions will be feature

presentations: "Social Media – Practical Tips for Securing Business!"

and "Google Demystifi ed – Tips for Better Rankings!" from four-time

Profi t 100 award-winning CEO Jeff Quipp, founder of Canada's

largest and most trusted Internet marketing company, Search Engine People.

As always, exciting contests and amazing giveaways will be

part of the 13th annual Toronto Imprint Canada Show. Among

the sponsors, Westmount Distributors once again returns with its

ever-popular Free Beer for a Year! contest, so be sure to submit

your ballot at Westmount's booth.

Twiga Industries also returns as a headline sponsor and will be

hosting its V.I.P. Draw where attendees will have a chance to win

a relaxing and fun-fi lled Niagara Falls getaway!Imprint Canada has negotiated special rates on fl ights with

WestJet and Air Canada, as well as great room rates at the Radisson

Suites Hotel Toronto Airport, and the Doubletree by Hilton Hotel

Toronto Airport.

Th e Toronto Imprint Canada Show takes place at the Toronto

Congress Centre, North Building. For more information, please

turn to our "Show Preview" on pages 12 & 14.

January 11-12, 2013Toronto Congress Centre

North Building

REGISTRATION NOW OPEN!visit www.imprintcanada.com

With the year end rush in mid-swing, perhaps you’ve noticed that customers are

becoming increasingly hostile. Case in point, recently

the highly-publicized incident where a patron in a fast

food restaurant became so enraged that he attacked the

restaurant manager. Th e customer spilled his coff ee on

his breakfast and when the manager refused to replace

the meal, the ensuing argument led to violence that ended

with the customer being arrested.

It seems that in our fast-paced frenetic world, custom-

ers are now more tired, rushed, stressed, and downright

fed-up than ever before. What’s more is that trend doesn’t

show any signs of slowing or reversing anytime soon.

Th at’s why in my customer service seminars, both man-

agers and frontline employees frequently ask me how to

handle the proverbial “customer from hell”.

In the following article, I’ve created a list of the Five Do’s and Don’ts for calming cranky customers.

How to Deal With Cranky CustomersFive Do’s and Don’ts for calming irate clientsBy Jeff Mowatt

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On the EdgeNow that the U.S. Federal election has been decided,

the fi scal cliff has become a topic of much discussion

south of the border, as well as up here in Canada.

Th e fi scal cliff refers to the fi nancial summit at which

American lawmakers must sit down and negotiate

various American tax rates which are set to expire,

unless the American Congress takes action before

December 31, 2012.

On January 1, 2013, unless there is further legislative

action, Americans will see the payroll tax rate jump

from 4.2 per cent to 6.2 per cent.

Individual income tax rates for six income brackets

taxed at rates of 10, 15, 25, 27, 33 and 35 per cent will

merge into fi ve income brackets taxed at increased

rates of 15, 28, 31, 36 and 39.6 per cent, respectively.

In addition, most capital gains that are currently taxed

at 15 per cent will jump to 20 per cent, and American

marriage taxes, child tax credits and estate taxes are

also scheduled to be altered dramatically.

Some economic observers are stating that odds range

from 15-to-1 to 35-to-1 that a deal won’t get done

before the deadline.

Striking a deal will be messy, but no one wants an

overnight recession, so the worst that will probably

happen is that a deal will be struck that will see cur-

rent policies extended.

How does this eff ect us here? Canada’s ambassador

to the United States in Washington, D.C., Gary Doer,

said it best recently when he was quoted, “It’s a lot bet-ter for the U.S. to come to an agreement on all of the challenges they have, it’s much better to have predict-ability in the economy for U.S. business because if there’s no predictability, there will be a reduction in demand. Even though we see lots of improvements in the U.S. economy, a short-term reduction in demand would be a short-term reduction in products from Canada.”Veering away from this cliff ’s edge means that a deal

gets done sooner rather than later. Let’s hope common

sense prevails and American lawmakers don’t take

things too close. When you get too close to the edge,

panic may set in and chances of making a wrong move

increase.

Th e Canadian econ-

omy has had to

become more diverse

in its product off er-

ings and trade part-

nerships since the

economic downturn

we suff ered just a few

short years ago.

Th is diversity can

only help us deal

with what can be

called an interesting

and uncertain time

for our neighbours

down south.

1 DEALING WITH CRANKY CUSTOMERS CONTINUED ON PAGE 11

4 INDUSTRY NEWS

6 WHAT'S IN A NAME? (PART 2)8 HOW TO STAY COMPETITIVE IN TODAY'S COMPETITIVE MARKETPLACE

10 FINDING THE RIGHT PARTNER FOR YOUR WEBSITE REDESIGN

38 WICS COLLAGE

18 WEARABLES SHOWCASE

34 AD SPECIALTY SHOWCASE

39 SUPPLIES & EQUIPMENT SHOWCASE

36 CANADIAN APPAREL SALES AND STATS

Imprint Canada is published six times per year by Tristan

Communications Ltd. Th e contents of this publication may

not be reproduced either in part or in whole without the

consent of the copyright owner. Th e views expressed in this

publication are not necessarily those of the publisher. Request

for missing issues are not accepted aft er three months from the

date of publication.

TRISTAN COMMUNICATIONS LTD.Publications mail agreement no. 40025740Return undeliverable mail to:

190 Marycroft Avenue, Unit 16,

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Email: shows@imprintcanada.com

ISSN: 1480-1884 GST Registration #: RT892913294

IMPRINT CANADA

PUBLISHER Tony Muccilli : tony@imprintcanada.com

PRODUCTION MANAGEMENTAdriano Aldini : news@imprintcanada.com

CONTRIBUTING WRITERSMark L. Venit, Ted Stahl, Jeff Mowatt, Adriano Aldini

MARKETING COORDINATORSteve Silva: feedback@imprintcanada.com

OFFICE ADMINISTRATORMaria Natale: shows@imprintcanada.com

GENERAL INQUIRIESfeedback@imprintcanada.com, (905)856-2600

ADVERTISING SALESTony Muccilli (Toronto)

Tel: (905) 856-2600 Fax: (905) 856-2667

November/December 2012 - Volume 19, Number 6

IMPRINT CANADA

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2012Follow us: twitter.com/imprint_canada

TM

IMPRINT CANADA

Industry News

Technosport announces new director of sales for western Canada Trimark Sportswear appoints two new

national sales managersTechnosport is very pleased to announce the

appointment of Peter Herzog as the new director of

sales for Western Canada.

Peter has been with the Technosport family for

the last three years and has played an important role

in the success of that market. Prior to Technosport,

Peter brought with him over 10 years experience in

this industry both in a sales capacity and as a multi-

line agent.

“Peter will continue to play an important role in

developing future growth, and provide vision and dir-

ection to Western Canada” said Sylvain Beauchamp,

vice president of Sales.

Th is promotion is in conformity with Technosport’s

mission to surpass the industry’s highest standards

in customer service.

For more information, visit www.technosport.com

Trimark Sportswear announced three signifi cant changes to

its sales structure and organization. Th ese changes are designed to

enhance Trimark's management team and also provide additional

support to its fi eld representatives.

Mark Alexander has been promoted as Trimark Sportswear's

national sales manager – Corporate channel, eff ective January 1, 2013.

During the past two years, Mark has managed and developed the

golf and resort retail sales team, which has been the largest growth

areas for the company with sales increases over 25 per cent.

Mark's ability to execute strategic plans, plus his industry know-

ledge and experience will no doubt be an asset to Trimark's import-

ant corporate channel.

In addition, director of sales Diane Barrow has announced the

combination the Golf & Resort channel with the Team & University

channel, which consolidates and streamlines leadership.

"Th ese channels are signifi cant growth areas and I have therefore

promoted Rocky Dundas to become our national sales manager -

Retail division, eff ective January 1, 2013," said Barrow in an press

release on the company's website. For more information, please

visit www.trimarksportswear.com.

Redwood Classics Apparel partners with Sears CanadaAnnounces opening of new joint Alberta showroom with partners

Redwood Classics Apparel has confi rmed a

partnership with Sears Canada to distribute Th e

Heritage Collection in Stores across Ontario

On store shelves throughout Ontario since the end

of October 2012, Th e Heritage Collection, which is

Redwood Classics’ retail line, will feature a limited-

edition lineup of colours and styles for men and

women.

Redwood is also pleased to announce that this

special collection will be available to select promo-

tional distributors.

"We are thrilled that Sears Canada has selected

Redwood Classics as its choice for truly Canadian

apparel," says Kathy Cheng, director of sales & market-

ing. "Consumers deserve a choice between products

that are mass-produced off shore or garments made

by specialized artisans right here in Ontario. Th anks

to this agreement, quality Canadian pieces will be

available to the market at accessible price points."

All available styles will appear in the retail sec-

tion of next year’s catalogue, available January 2013.

New Alberta ShowroomRedwood Classics Apparel is happy to announce

the opening of its new joint showroom together with

Whiteridge Inc., Windmill Canada & Headwear Professionals.

Th e showroom is located at #11, 5918 5 St SE,

Calgary, AB. and is open daily from 9am - 4pm.

For more information, please contact Colleena,

Tel: (403) 294-1213. Her email address is:

calshowroom@whiteridgeinc.com.

Sylvie Chan, Redwood's western Canada sales sup-

port representative is also available to personally deliver

samples in the Calgary area. To arrange for this service,

please email: westerncanada@redwoodclassics.net.

Fuzion by Kobe Sportswear would like to welcome

the 2012 World Men's Curling Champions - Team Glenn Howard - to the Ambassador Program.

Team Glenn Howard is part of Fuzion's Athlete

Ambassador Program and will be featured in upcom-

ing media campaigns to promote its activewear and

lifestyle wear. 

Th e team has been outfi tted in sublimated apparel

from Fuzion featuring all new and exclusive Circul-Air

technology that off er athletes unsurpassed breathability

and mobility for curling, golfi ng, or any activity where

performance matters.

 For more information and details, please and visit

www.fuzionsportswear.com

Team Glenn Howard joins Fuzion's Athlete Ambassador Program

American Apparel Inc., announced in comparison to the third

quarter of 2011, net sales increased 15 per cent to $162.2 million (all

fi gures U.S.) on a 20 per cent increase in comparable store sales in

American Apparel announces third quarter

2012 fi nancial resultsDonates apparel to assist in relief of Hurricane Sandy

the retail business, a 6 per cent increase in net sales in the wholesale busi-

ness and a 1 per cent increase in the average number of stores.

"We are pleased with our third quarter results that again show solid

growth and continuing momentum in all business segments and major

geographies," stated Dov Charney, CEO and chairman of the board of

American Apparel Inc.

"Signifi cant sales growth allowed us to more than double our EBITDA

performance to $13 million for the third quarter of 2012 from $6 million

for the third quarter of 2011. Year-to-date our EBITDA performance has

improved to $19 million from $5 million for the corresponding period

last year. As we improve store productivity and aggressively grow our

online and wholesale businesses we expect operating expense leverage

will allow us to continue to signifi cantly grow EBITDA performance."

Th e chart below shows components of the net sales increase for the

quarterly period ended September 30, 2012 as compared to 2011:

Windmill Canada Acquires Deerfi eld

CalendarsWindmill Canada, a division of ADG Promo, has acquired

Deerfi eld Calendars, and is now off ering greeting cards and

desk and wall calendars, among other products.

"Th is acquisition was based on opportunity in terms of prod-

uct and location," says Eric Vachon, national sales manager, "as

well as the chance to join the Deerfi eld collection as part of the

ADG group of companies. We are eager to implement the same

Corporate Social Responsibility and sales tactics we used with

the success of Windmill, Saratoga, Adimages and Arlington

Keepsakes."

For more information, visit www.windmillcanada.ca.

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Industry News (continued )

What’s In a Name? - Part 2: Names to Avoid and What Qualifi es as a Dream Name?By Mark L. Venit, MBA

In Part I of this series - What’s In a Name?- Part 1: Criteria for Selecting a Company Name or Re-naming Your Company -

we looked at the realities of thinking about a name change,

considerations for determining whether a new name is in

order, and a list of 10 categories of variables to help you

open your search for your company name.

Th e list was designed for your retention and retrieval

for when you get serious about brainstorming the subject.

Now let’s turn our attention to some of the types of names

that you shouldn’t consider, as well as the types of company

names that have inherent limitations, evince little creativ-

ity, or are weak in developing a distinctive, diff erentiated

business name.

Once we’ve explored poor names, we’ll look at the ele-

ments of the direct opposite – aka “dream” names.

NAMES YOU SHOULD NOT CONSIDER1. Overused and Trite Names: Avoid company names that

are overused. Even though you probably don’t see indus-

try databases in the normal course of business, I however

do. Th at’s because, among other things, I’m engaged by

clients for marketing projects entailing the use of vend-

or databases as well as those for customers, subscribers,

attendees, website visitors, buyers, click-throughs, users

and former users, et cetera.

Having exposure to this information, I can tell you two

particular forms of company names in our industry guar-

antee your vendors and industry peers will yawn when they

see them: these include anything with the words “creative”

or “unique’ in the title.

While names with these words might seem attractive to

you at fi rst, (without intending to off end anyone) I can tell

you that companies with these words are usually neither

creative nor unique. While my admonition here may seem

counterintuitive to you, trust me on this one.

2. Local/ Cliché Names: If your business resides in Chicago,

New York, Toronto or Vancouver, do you want to join

thousands of other enterprises using Windy City, Big

Apple, T.Dot or Van City in their names? If you take these

easy cop-out solutions, you can count on getting lost in the

shuffl e and becoming just another gallon of water going

over Niagara Falls.

3. Letters, Initials, and Personal Names: Avoid wherever

possible resorting to using personal names (fi rst and/or

last), or your initials, or contractions of earlier names.

It creates no buzz and serves in most cases to devalue a

company when an owner decides to sell the business.

Just because Al and his brother Frank go into business

does not mandate that the company be named Al & Frank’s

Printing, or A-F Design, or A & F Embroidery, A-F Laser

Engraving, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. Two Brothers Screen

Printing isn’t much better. Get my drift ?

If your company name is a combination of anything like

this, congratulations, you have a snoozer on your hands.

Worst than that, names such as these also guarantees a

mom-and-pop connotation - deservedly or not - which

becomes an inhibiting factor when trying to sell to future

buyers, especially if the company grows big enough to war-

rant look-sees from corporate buyers.

Yes, there are some major exceptions to the admonition

against personal names. Perhaps the greatest being fashion

merchandising companies where the signature designer’s name

– be it a real person, perceived person or entirely fi ctitious

- is the single most infl uential element to the product line.

E.g., Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfi ger, Chip and Pepper,

Liz Claiborne, et cetera. Other notable exceptions are

names with huge marketplace recognition, usually

around for years, decades, or longer i.e John Deere, Ford,

Chevrolet, Zeller’s, and, well, for nostalgia’s sake, Eaton’s.

Oft entimes, letters or initials become an easy shortcut

to trimming existing company names because the name is

too long, it may no longer describe what the company does,

or has developed negative connotations as perhaps aft er a

scandal, a bankruptcy, or a crisis stemming from a lawsuit.

Letters and initials are used oft en when the company

name has evolved into a beast, such as when companies

keep adding to the names and end up as Mike Andrew’s

Signs, Screen Printing, Embroidery, Recognition, and Vinyl

Products. MASS-PERV Products. (Nice, eh!? I’ve seen

worse! Trust me?)

In research done on company names, the fi ndings on names

formed with abbreviations, initials, or hybrid-contraction

words have shown a range of inherent weaknesses, the biggest

of which include the loss of identity and loss of association

with the company’s core product or service.

Th ere is however, a huge exception to this general admon-

ition, which is that the use of initials to brand a company

works best for companies whose earlier and much longer

names had broad commercial awareness, positive con-

notations and economic success. Th at’s why using letters

has proven to be successful for re-branding fi rms such as

CN (derived from Canadian National Railway) Atlantic

Telephone & Telegraph (AT&T), International Business

Machines (IBM), American Broadcasting Company (ABC)

and their rivals Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) and

the National Broadcasting Company (NBC) in the US, and

the National Biscuit Company (Nabisco).

And then there are Dream Names: Th ough an elusive

undertaking, try - if you can - to achieve a “Dream Name.”

Th at’s what I call a name which provides the ultimate fl exibil-

ity in marketing; a name that can work as a company name

as well as a product line trademark, a label, as a retail store

name, a catalogue name, a domain name, a name that could

be extended to brand other businesses and product lines.

Finding a dream name isn’t an absolute necessity. In fact,

I’d rather discover a great name that gives the company

and product strength, staying power, and other wonderful

benefi ts, than a fi nd a dream name that’s already taken and

cannot be trademarked, or isn’t available as a domain name.

But don’t give up.

Th en, again, what’s getting more diffi cult every day is

fi nding great names and dream names that are able to merit

both trademark approval as well as a domain name that isn’t

yet taken or won’t cost you as much as much to secure as,

say, a powerful politician.

Does that mean the name solution is sometimes a second

name? Or more? Indeed! And we’ll be looking at that pos-

sibility, along with other mechanisms to help better position

your company name, in Part 3 of this articles series, which will

run in the January/February 2013 issue of Imprint Canada.

By the way, should you happen to come up with a name

that's so good that you’d like to protect the use of it throughout

North America (or globally) you should investigate trade-

Mark L. Venit, MBA, provides management and mar-keting consulting and proprietary research to apparel graphics companies throughout the Americas and Europe. He’s the author of several books and over 500 articles published in trade magazines and professional journals. His book, The Business of T-Shirts: A Textbook for Success in Marketing and Selling Decorated Apparel, released in March 2011, is available from Stahls' Canada and from the author.

Venit is engaged extensively as an expert witness, qualifi ed in all U.S. and Canadian jurisdic-tions in the areas of trademark and copyright applications, business conventions and trade practices in the apparel graphics industry. A former professor of advertising and market-ing, Venit earned his bachelors and masters degrees at Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Mark Venit can be reached at: markvenit@cs.com, 410.641.7300.

marking the name for your own protection and peace of mind.

You’ll need to do some research here to see if names and marks

might already belong to someone else. Try the resources avail-

able through the Canadian Intellectual Property Offi ce [www.

cipo.ic.gc.ca] and in the US, the Trademark Electronic Search

System (TESS) from the United States Patent and Trademark

Offi ce [www.uspto.gov].

I’ll venture that reading this article (and Part I) has been slow

going for you at times due to the several pauses you’ve probably

made in the course of being stuff ed with ideas, as one or two of

them might have hit home or stimulated further ideas and varia-

tions of names you’ve already had in mind.

Hopefully this series will have served up ample food for thought

so far. Stay tuned for Part 3!

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News

As we go rushing headlong into the future, sometimes it pays to refl ect back on the past.

William Durant (1861–1947) was a leading U.S. automobile industry pioneer and creator

of General Motors. Within three years, he went from running the country’s largest carriage

manufacturer to being the world’s largest automobile manufacturer.

So what’s that got to do with custom garments? Nothing specifi cally; it’s more of a big

picture concept that can be applied to any business. For example, when Durant predicted

there would come a time when they would manufacturer 500,000 automobiles a year, people

thought he was nuts. But Durant understood that customers would want more than one

style, colour or brand of car.

Durant had a vision, he understood the market and he made it happen - quickly!

He changed his business to adapt to the way

customers wanted to do business.

Is that a lesson you can learn from?

You’ve probably thought about unrealized poten-

tial in growing your business. A question that should

have come up in the process is: What are the mar-kets you’re not going aft er? More importantly, what limitations are you placing on yourself that prevent you from new growth in new markets?

Sometimes even successful businesses with high

volume sales become consumed with what they’re

currently doing and stop thinking about what’s

left out there. Meanwhile, competitors are joining

the fray.

Th is is what is happening in the custom garment

decoration business today. Th ere are more and more new business start-ups getting into

the industry than we’ve seen in recent decades.

As we head into 2013, I don’t expect this trend to stop. Th e economy is demanding it

and heat printing is one of the fastest, easiest ways to start a new custom printing business.

What Do Your Customers Really Want? My point is basically that you CANNOT be seduced by complacency. Th ere might be

new competitors in your market who are going aft er the customers you have been serving

for a long time. Why are they succeeding in what should be your own “backyard?”

Like author Jeremy Gutsche writes in his book, Exploiting Chaos, “One of the most diffi cult

barriers to customer observation is the belief that you already understand your customer.”

Today’s customers have more options than ever when it comes to ordering custom gar-

ments. Th ey want custom decorating on demand, they want custom artwork, and they

want it now. In addition, today’s customers want to be able to see what their shirts will

look like before they order them. Th ere are hundreds of internet companies that can make

this happen. Can you?

As time consuming as it might seem, before

heading into the new year, you may want to set

aside some time to fi gure out where your busi-

ness services and practices currently stand with

your customers.

One way to do this is to ask your customers. You

could ask them to fi ll out a satisfaction survey,

or you could just make it a policy to ask them

directly when they pick up their order - “Were you satisfi ed with the way we handled your order?”

- or - “Is there anything we could have done dif-ferently to better meet your needs?”

Getting feedback from customers is not an easy task, but the more oft en you attempt

to get feedback, the more of it you will have. What you ultimately decide to do with that

feedback is another story.

Make Buying from Your Company Less StressfulIn addition to custom shops on the internet, another trend we’ve seen is garment manu-

facturers off ering low-volume personalization directly to their customers, essentially cutting

out a layer of business for many. Th is means that everyone is looking for ways to make the

buying experience easier and less stressful on the purchaser. What is your company doing

to make your buying experience less stressful?

Refl ect and ThinkNow we have to ask ourselves these hard questions:

1. What can I change about my customers’ buying experience? 2. How can I make it easier to order custom apparel?

3. What other complementary products can I off er the same customers? (i.e. Signs, banners, bumper stickers).

4. How can I keep customers from going to newer, price-busting competitors?In order to succeed, you need to know that you will need cutting-edge art and innovative

garment decoration ideas for your customers. You will need to remain strong in providing

the products your customers need, want and are willing to pay for.

Don’t DelayAnother thing about Billy Durant; he was always in a hurry. He went from being the

largest, vertically integrated, carriage manufacturer to the largest automobile manufac-

turer in just three years. He really got it. He saw the writing on the wall when it came to

customer’s needs changing, he wasted little time in doing what he felt he needed to do in

order to be ready to serve them.

It’s time to take a hard look at your business and understand what it is that you are

NOT doing to increase market share. Because, if you’re not increasing market share every

month, your competitors are!

REMEMBER: Opportunity is where you fi nd it, not where it fi nds you.

Ted Stahl is the Executive Chairman of the Board of GroupeSTAHL, an international group of com-

panies specializing in heat printing methods.

Stahl is a well-known industry veteran with more than 40 years’ experience in all aspects of

apparel graphics, from manufacturing and marketing, to product design and retail operations.

Stahl has played a major role in bringing sportswear graphics into the computer era, with the

introduction of high-tech digital imprinting products, including Stahls’ CAD-CUT® materials,

Drawmate™ software and CADWorxlive.com, a free online art creation website.

In 2010, Stahl was inducted into the National Sporting Goods Association Hall of Fame. You can

follow Ted on his blog: www.tedstahl.com

Author Jeremy Gutsche, Exploiting Chaos

What Are You Doing to Adapt for Success in Today'sCompetitive Marketplace?By Ted Stahl

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www.StitchesCreation.com

It's needless to say that websites are an absolutely vital component for almost any busi-

ness, small or large. Websites don't just build themselves; undertaking the endeavour of

building a new web presence - or redesigning your current one - can be a daunting task

to say the least.

Th e conundrum for the business owner is that there are a host of important choices to

make with regards to look, feel and design of what will be your company's web presence.

To overlook the importance of these decisions is a common mistake that far too many

business owners have later come to regret. Th e choices you make regarding the design and

development of your site will determine not only how your clients interact with your busi-

ness, but also your level of online business activity.

A few critical initial questions a business owner needs to ask themselves include: "What kind of website do I want for my business?" "Do I need outside help building my site?" "If I need help, how do I go about selecting a website developer?"

Once you and your team have a developed a rough outline of the fundamental features

you want your site to contain - i.e. will it feature an e-commerce component; will there be

an online catalogue; what social media integration features will it contain; will you incor-

porate online customer service support, et cetera - you will most likely need to outsource

a design company or hire a developer to build it.

If your company already employs a design team that is web savvy, then you may decide

that you want to keep this project in-house. Oft entimes however, the need to outsource a

project of this scale is required as work of this nature may be too time consuming to have

your artists devoted to it during business hours, or conversely, the programming required

may very well be outside their skill set.

So assuming you do need help, how do you best go about fi nding the right person or team

for the job? While there is no one right way to go about this task, the tips provided below

may help you navigate this important process more eff ectively and effi ciently.

Research:Before you begin your recruitment process, ask yourself these questions:

How complex does my website need to be? Does my website require a one-of-a-kind design, or would a pre-made template work just as well? Do I have the technical capability to do any of this?

Studying your competitors' websites or other sites that contain features you would like to

incorporate is not a bad place to start. Th e more detail you have regarding the functionality

you want your site to feature, the easier the process will be when trying to select the right

developer or team to build it.

Have a plan: You need to know what your goals are and how to convey them to a developer

BEFORE you hire anyone. If you aren't sure of your goals – WAIT. Do not hire anyone

unless you are completely sure that they have a solid understanding of your needs and

objectives. And if YOU can't tell them, who will?

Details like how many pages you need and what kind of functionality you require, will

help you eff ectively convey the project scope to a potential hire and get a more accurate

idea of the work and time involved.

Finding TalentWhether you're looking to hire a part-time freelancer or a full-time web developer to

join your staff - or you're looking to contract a web design agency - the decision regarding

who will be responsible for building your business' web presence is not one which should

be taken lightly.

An important thing to keep in mind is that it is rare to fi nd one person who is both a

savvy web designer and a brilliant developer. So if your site will require a great deal of com-

plex elements, then you should know going into the project that you may very well need a

programmer (who will develop the structure and back end functionality of the site) as well

as a designer (who will create the visuals). E-commerce, in particular, can require a high

degree of technical knowledge and experience to develop and maintain; complex elements

such as these are where it's shrewd to fi nd a programmer who is experienced in this fi eld.

Look for Experience & Reputation: Th ese are THE attributes to consider when engaging

any professional. Ask for references and for a list of sites they have already worked on.

Th is is the type of the industry where poor workmanship is very evident, so the longer

a designer or fi rm has been in business, the more likely that they will bring with them a

track record of satisfi ed clients (especially ones that you can talk to fi rst hand). Don't be

afraid to ask for referrals; getting real feedback from people that have already worked with

this person or fi rm can help you determine the candidate's professionalism, work ethic,

understanding and overall fi t.

Be sure to also take the time to analyze the developer's or fi rm's own website, as well as

a good chunk of their portfolio; this should give you a good idea as to where their skill set

lies. In your research, ask yourself: does their work look professional? Do the sites they've

created deliver seamless functionality across diff erent browsers? What features have they

incorporated that I would like incorporated into my site?

Don't allow price to be the only factor: Establishing an initial budgetary

estimate that you are comfortable with for the entire project is a good

thing to have to refer back to you. It's important to keep in mind that

if you have not had very much experience in this fi eld, your budgetary

expectations may be unrealistic.

Th ink of it this way: imagine someone who knows very little about

cars is looking for a new vehicle with a budget of $10,000. If they liked

the look of BMW's, they'd be in for a rude awakening when he or she

eventually goes shopping.

While budgets are extremely important for any business, your online

presence is not the place you want to cut corners. Going with the cheap-

est possible solution you can fi nd is not going to be your best on most

occasions.

How to Find the Right Partner for Your Website Redesign Thinking of a website redesign but don't know where to start? Here are some tips to fi nd the right talent for your companyBy Adriano Aldini, Imprint Canada

IMPRINT CANADA

News

1. Do consider the big picture; Don’t focus on the single

transactionTh e fast food fi sticuff s could have been avoided if the

restaurant manager (or better yet, the frontline employee)

would have cheerfully replaced the patron’s meal for free.

Th e incremental cost to the restaurant would have been

nominal, and the loyalty and subsequent return on invest-

ment would have been substantial. Instead, the manager

took the low road and focused on the cost of the meal and

the fact that it wasn’t the restaurant’s fault. Th e manager

should have probably been a litigator as he certainly wasn’t

a business person.

2. Do acknowledge feelings; Don’t say, “Calm down” Ever!Can you think of a single example in the history of the

world when telling somebody to “Calm down” did anything

other than make things worse? Right. Me neither. It’s never

appropriate to tell someone how they should feel. On the

contrary, you’ll improve their demeanor by validating their

feelings with empathic statements like, “Th at sounds frus-

trating.” - or - “I understand your concerns.”

3. Do ask the four W's; Don’t ask “Why” When a customer has a problem and you need the

pertinent details, ask Th e Four W's: who, what, where, and

when. But avoid asking Why. Generally, the response to

‘why something went wrong’ is that the product or service

was inept. Imagine asking a customer, “Why didn’t you check

the decorated samples before sending them to your client?”

Th is is not constructive and will almost always make the

situation worse.

By asking the other W’s, you will be able to gain com-

prehensive insight into the overall specifi cs of the issue,

all the while making the client feel better by allowing their

frustrations to be heard.

4. Do apologize for errors; Don’t over explainOver the 20 years that I’ve written and delivered custom-

ized customer service seminars, I’ve discovered that the

main reason that customers become irritated is simple - the

organization broke a promise, either one that was either

expressed or implied.

Telling a customer, “I’ll call you back”, then neglecting to

do so is lying. Conversely, if you normally complete a project

in three days, but this time it takes three weeks, you have

broken an implied promise.

In both cases, the customer didn’t receive what they were

expected, so the real need for an apology exists. It’s also

helpful to give them something extra to make up for the

inconvenience factor. If there are extenuating circumstances,

then give the customer a brief explanation. But keep it short.

Going into lengthy details about why you couldn’t keep your

end of the bargain sounds like trying to rationalize poor

service. It only makes matters worse. Th e KISS principle

applies here; keep it simple and move on.

5. Do be respectful; Don’t become a doormatSome customers are not at their best when they get angry.

Th ey’ll shout, swear, cry, and/or even become abusive.

PLEASE NOTE: this does not give you permission to react

in kind. We do need to be respectful, however you don’t

need to be a doormat.

Imagine a customer, upset about a late delivery, is swearing

at a supplier on the phone. In that case the supplier would

do well to respond with something like, “Sir/Madam, I want

to help you. Using that language however, is preventing me

from focusing on resolving this issue. So I’m going to ask

you to stop using that language so we can focus on fi xing

the problem.”

If the customer continues with the verbal abuse, close the

conversation with, “Sir/Madam, as I explained earlier I want

to help you, but I cannot do so you when you’re using that

kind of language. I’m going to hang up now, but please call

back when you can talk to me without using that language.

Goodbye.” Th en go immediately to your supervisor and

give them the details of the conversation. Th at way, they’ll

be forewarned when the customer calls back demanding to

talk with the manager.

Bottom line: Have empathy and exude understandingWho among us can claim that - as a customer - we’ve never

been terse or worse with a service representative who was

in no way responsible for the foul-up? Some customers are

cranky because stuff happens in their lives that has nothing

to do with you. Other customer have more than reason to be

unhappy. So, before becoming too self-righteous or casting

proverbial stones at those miserable customers, we’d do well

to put ourselves in their shoes before reacting in any way.

It’s also worth remembering that if work was supposed to

be fun they wouldn’t need to pay us.

Dealing with upset customers sometimes comes with

the territory. Fortunately, by learning to handle diffi cult

customers well, you’ll make them even more loyal than

before the foul-up. Th at makes the job less stressful and

more rewarding for everyone.

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This article is based on the bestselling book, Infl uence

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professional speaker Jeff Mowatt.

To obtain your own copy of his book or to inquire about

engaging Jeff for your team, visit www.jeff mowatt.com or

call toll free 1-800-JMowatt (566-9288).

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Th ink long and hard about what you are buying: your website is essentially the global

face of your business in the virtual world. It will also be the vehicle that is going to gener-

ate revenue for your business, so your website is the last thing you want nickel and dime.

While you don't want to go with the cheapest possible option, this doesn't necessarily mean

you that need go with the most expensive option either. As is the case with many things

in life: expensive doesn't always equal better. Th e key is to fi nd the solution that delivers

the most features to meet the requirements your business needs at the best possible price.

Be sure to compile suffi cient Requests For Quotes (RFQs) as this will allow you to examine

and compare a healthy cross section of options being presented to you by bidding candi-

dates. By collecting a good number of quotes, you will be able to dissect the RFQs to see

what elements the various bidders have included, and how comprehensive each quote is

with respect to their competition. You will quickly realize that many web developers will

have developed diff erent solutions to address the same requirements. Asking questions

regarding RFQs is also a good way to get a gauge of the customer service you can expect

to receive if you choose a given candidate.

Trust Your Decision: Remember that what you are looking for is talent and expertise. When

you visit your doctor, dentist, lawyer or accountant, you listen to them because you trust

that they're the professionals. Now apply this thinking to your website development project

when you decide that you think you know better than the web developer you hired (or are

thinking of hiring). If you made the choice to contract a developer or team, then listen to

what he or she or they are telling you. If you're not willing to listen to their recommenda-

tions and trust their judgment, then save your money and try building the thing yourself.

Avoid packages: You've probably seen these types of packages on the internet when looking

for a web designer. You'll fi nd sites that off er a Gold, Silver,and Bronze package (or some

version of good / better / best options). Typically these pre-designed packages off er hourly

rates and come loaded with additional fees.

Avoid these packages at all costs. Th ere's very little chance that a developer can provide

a customized website of any kind - especially one which meets the complete requirements

of your business - based on some random pre-determined package rate. Any programmer,

developer or designer worth their salt should tell you that they cannot give you an accurate

quote if they are not given a project brief, at the very least. Any professional developer WILL

tell you that he or she needs to know what exactly is being developing before providing an

accurate estimate or proposal.

If you fi nd yourself looking for a package deal, just make sure it's for your vaca-

tion and not your company's online presence.

Know how to request a quote: Refrain from ever contacting a developer and saying,

"Can you have a look at my site and tell me how much you would charge to redesign it?"

If you do this, you are just asking for trouble, and here's why: a) You are telling

the developer you have no idea what you need. b) If a developer sends back an

email that says, "I looked at your site and it would cost $X to redesign it or to fi x

it" – RUN, don't walk.

Never hire a developer who doesn't want to talk to you fi rst. A developer worth

hiring is the one who wants to know the in's and out's of your project, your com-

pany, your competition and where you fi t in your respective industry.

When asking for a quote, provide a project outline which breaks down the

fundamental elements your business requires, and then include the elements you

would "like to" have. Segregating the needs from the wants will be vital when it

comes time to make tough budgetary decisions.

When requesting a quote, another good idea is to ask the developer or development

team to outline the project into a time-framed approached that breaks the overall

project into smaller incremental tasks. Th is will allow you to see how a developer

would tackle the project step-by-step, as well as giving you the leverage and abil-

ity to adaptively monitor the evolutionary development of your site according to

this outline. Th is will avoid the common issue of lengthy and expensive revisions.

Say you hired an agency to build your website for which they have stated will

take 3 months to complete and 2 months into it, they present a rough working

model that is not at all what you had envisioned or asked for. Th is has now cost

you two-thirds of your timeline and who knows how much in revisionary work.

By having the project broken into smaller time-frames, you are facilitating

constant collaboration and dialogue between you and the developer which will

encourage rapid and fl exible response to change. Th is will save you time, money

and a lot of stress over the long run.

Don't Forget to Inquire About Ongoing SupportOnce you are satisfi ed that you have found the right candidate for your site's build,

your relationship with the developer shouldn't end once the project is completed.

You will undoubtedly need support to maintain and update your site (unless you

want to try to handle that in-house).

Looking for a long-term development partner is a wise move because it's more

than likely that you'll need tweaks to your site or tech support down the road. Th e

security of having the developer who actually built the site to answer questions, fi x

problems, or even to upgrade the site at a later date will be enormous. You could

always hire a freelancer to maintain and update your site, but the familiarity that

the original developer will have with your site's code and functionality will go a

long way in helping to resolve any unforeseen issues or fi xes that potentially need

to made when your site is live.

By keeping these recommendations in mind when looking for the right solution

to your company's online presence, you'll be better armed to navigate the tricky

technical waters that come with looking for the right partner to build your site.

Best of Luck!!

News

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ter of  2011. Clothing and accessories, footwear, and luggage and jewellery all registered

sales growth. Sales of men’s clothing and accessories grew 3.6 per cent while sales of women’s

clothing and accessories edged up 0.3 per cent. Year-over-year sales growth of men’s clothing

and accessories has been stronger than for women’s clothing and accessories in each quarter

since the beginning of 2010.

According to Trendex North America’s Canadian Apparel Insights - October 2012 edition,

apparel infl ation is on the rise as the Consumer Price Index increased by 6.1 per cent during

September 2012 (for total apparel) over the previous month. The report also cited that the

value of Canadian clothing manufacturing shipments in August 2012 decreased by 15.9 per

cent compared to the same month a year ago, with year to date clothing manufacturing ship-

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©2012 Fruit of the Loom, Inc.

Now, fresh comes with a choice. The new Heavy Cotton

HD™ Collection from Fruit of the Loom® Activewear is

available in 6 different styles. And with increased fabric density, you’ll get vibrant

prints for a truly great value.

NEWYOUTH

ADULTNEW

LADIES

ADULT

YOUTH

ADULT

©2012

Fru

it o

f the

Loo

m, I

nc.

Our new Heavy Cotton HD™ Collection offers choices that are fresher than ever. Take, for instance, the new Youth Long-Sleeve T-Shirt or the new Ladies’ T-Shirt.

There’s also our overall expanded color offering. Any way you slice it, we now offer more styles, sizes and colors to meet your decorating needs. Best of all, the collection offers one

of our densest fabrics yet for incredible consistency and a superior decorating surface.

FruitActivewear.com | 888.378.4829

fresh C H O I C E S

www.canadasportswear.com