Emma McPherson - former minilab and digital manager in Mansfield Victoria.

I guess I am now here under false pretenses as I no longer work in the industry directly, just taking images and processing them instore. PLEASE DON'T MAKE ME GIVE UP MY REGULAR UPDATES!!

Ever since PMA 07 in Melbourne I have been addicted.

However, I am happy to supply you with a tip or two from the other side of the counter.

I am a student in a Diploma of Photography. We had an exhibition recently of 30cm x 30cm prints. (about 11.8 inches square).

We found it very difficult to find processors in both box chain stores and independent dealerships willing to listen. They were not interested in anything out of the ordinary without quoting excessive prices for "special" size.

We knew that this size could be supplied colour corrected on the one CD so it was simply a case of insert and press print and be printed easily on larger paper and cut down (by the art students themselves) but we could not get past the special size nonsense from the imaging staff.

The people who did win our business listened to make sure they understood what we were going to provide to them: A photoshop canvas size that was standard print size with an image size of 27cm x 27 so that we achieved a border.

As a result of their interest in our project and their willingness to talk about it with us over the phone, print FOC samples (free proofs?) to ensure we were happy with the paper choice, colour and image size etc. the original order of 60 prints has now been increased to well over 300!

So I guess my tip would be LISTEN and LEARN/TEACH and you will profit.

If you canvas local colleges and schools with a photography course and offer to assist, perhaps even come and talk to them about what you can do.

Sometimes it is better to walk away from your store than make appointments for out of hours session instore.

Learn their exhibition timetable and requirements and volunteer your services.

Teachers will have more time to teach, students will have more time to prepare notes etc and the quality of the work should be unsurpassed simply because of professionalism provided by your store

Thanks

editor's note: As lab operators we've found it very easy to fill customer requests for odd size prints just by taking the image size and in Photo Shop expanding the canvas size to the next largest machine size. Since we're lazy, we leave the desired image in the corner of the paper to reduce the number of cuts necessary.

Gary Grinaker - The Photo Express - Cleverly Hidden in Kirkwood Mall - Bismarck, ND, USA - http://www.CleverlyHidden.com

We're all tight for time and creativity. There just isn't enough time in my day to create super promotions. That's why I look for free or cheap readymade promotions.

This weekend PRO and IPI members (including the brand-new members from Town and Country) have a terrific promotional opportunity that has been an annual favorite of mine. It's a perfect example of how independent retailers work together on a promotional activity. PRO and Bob Hanson are to be commended for pulling this program together.

It doesn't cost much to participate (the exact amount is available to IPI and PRO members only.) Participating members receive a case of folded full-color brochures. The brochures can be used for direct mail, point of sale materials, order inserts, etc. I haven't the time to create such a good looking brochure, much less have them printed. The entire case of full-color brochures costs less than the setup charge would be at my local printer.

The brochures have an imprint space unique to each retailer. Many use the space for their bulk mail addressing. I use mine for advertising. Some leave it blank for later personalization. The key is that the brochure is a promotional item that can be personalized at the store level. I've attached a jpg of my personalized panel.

Participating members also receive over 130 Christmas Card templates. Offering the same templates is important because product consistency allows everyone to share promotional materials showing those card designs. (Besides, the cheap side of me loves getting over $4,000 of templates for free.)

Deadline for signing up is MONDAY - That's Monday August 4.

When the stuff is delivered the following month, something wonderful happens. The templates are delivered in .psd format. Suddenly, PRO and IPI members are reformatting them for the many different kiosks and minilab configurations and sharing them with each other (often for a small fee to cover labor). Members are sharing promotional signage, letters, POP and other stuff - all possible because they are selling the same product. It's a win-win for everyone.

I don't see how any independent retailer can survive without a buying group, or would want to go it alone. The value of this Christmas Card promotion alone covers my annual IPI dues.

If you're on the cusp of the decision to join IPI - do it right now so you can take advantage of this deal!

Stephanie A. Fisher - Education Director - PMA - www.pmai.org

We at PMA have moved all of our video content to one, easily accessible spot www.pmai.tv.

The site hosts free videos from PMA events, ideas to promote your digital services, training videos for your staff, and practical how-to clips.

Available content:

• Keynote addresses and select sessions from PMA 07, PMA 08, 6Sight, and other PMA events
• Sample television spots from PMA AdMaker and various photo retailers
• Marketing presentations from Bill McCurry, Dr. Glenn Omura, and more
• Digital Quickstart training videos
• Practical, how-to clips that demonstrate various imaging techniques

August 10-14 - IPI Convention, Las Vegas, NV, USA

August 12, 2008 - August 13, 2008 - PMA Latin America Imaging Conference Lima, Peru Sheraton Lima Hotel & Convention Center

August 18, 2008 - Annual Golf Outing of the NY/NJ Metro Division of PMA. Cherry Valley Club, Garden City NY. Contact Joel Paymer for details 212-753-5128

September 11, 2008 - September 13, 2008 - PMA Canada Exposition 2008 Palais des Congres de Montreal Montreal, Quebec Canada

September 13-14, 2008 PMA Northern California Division Annual Meeting and Tabletop Show "Veni, Vidi, Visa" (I Came, I Saw, I Shopped!) Cache Creek Casino Resort, Brooks, CA

September 23-29, 2008 - Photokina Koln (Cologne) Germany

October 3-4, 2008 PMA North Central Division Annual Meeting Riverwood Inn, Otsego, MN

October 10-11, 2008 PMA Pacific Northwest Division Annual Meeting Seattle, WA

October 23-25, 2008 PDN PhotoPlus Expo Jacob Javits Center, New York, NY - website

March 1 - March 4, 2009 - DIMA 2009 Las Vegas, NV, USA

March 3 - March 5, 2009 - PMA 2009 Las Vegas, NV, USA

Did you know that every single issue of the McCurry Marketing Idea Exchange is archived on line - going all the way back to Issue 1?