As summer takes off, school is closed or closing soon, it is time for production schedules to be confirmed and executed. Below is a little mini tutorial on production schedules in the world of printing and production. This is how it looks in a normal (non-Covid) year.
Jan - May
Merchant signing is underway
New Merchants signed for the coupon books
Returning Merchants renewed or offers updated
National offers are confirmed (new and returning)
Cover design finalized for 2022 books
This period of time also includes design proofs, correspondence with the merchants, and obtaining approval for the printed coupons in the book.
May - June - July
Production schedule finalized
Files uploaded to the printer
Blue lines are returned to review and approve (final check)
Once approved the electronic flipbooks are loaded to the savearound.com website
Individual markets are printed and bound with the national section of the book
July - August - September - October
Books come off the press and are delivered to the warehouse
Samples are shipped to the ICs for their personal inventory to show and share with potential customers
Initial book orders (traditional sales) are sent out to the schools and groups
The remaining inventory received at the warehouse
While book markets can be run in a “gang run” fashion (print 2 or 4 books at a time) there are individual processes such as the binding process, printing covers on the markets, and then boxing those books into their specific cartons for shipping. Remember it’s just like going to the grocery store and checking out when you have your purchases in your cart - someone goes first, someone is next and someone is last.
So what can you do to affect the production schedule?
1.Send In Your Contracts Markets with contracts in house for committed groups with a specific number of books requested will be printed before markets with zero contracts. If your group is new or a re-sign get the necessary paperwork completed ASAP and email it to grouprelations@savearound.com to get your contract set up in the system.
2.Be flexible with your kickoff dates Production is a moving target - presses can go down, the truck can break down, or a delivery can be delayed. BE FLEXIBLE! Send in the contract with the Needed By date, but if you have some wiggle room (by perhaps a week or two) please note that on your contract agreement. Until books actually arrive in the warehouse and gone through their final quality control checks, it’s imperative that you and your groups remain flexible if at all possible.
3.Communication is Key Notes on the contract agreements are vital. Call the office and have a conversation with the team to let us know what is going on and what you need. We’ll do everything possible to make it happen, but if you don’t communicate we don’t know how to help or what is needed. You can always send an email to sales@savearound.com, too.
As production schedules are finalized and books are sent to the printer, the team will do their best to communicate with you and also to get your sample numbers logged in so we are ready to ship those orders when the books do arrive on site. A timely response from the ICs is much appreciated as we are trying to line up a lot of orders and deliveries at one time.
This month SaveAround will be sending out NEW IC PAPERWORK. It is imperative that you get these forms filled out and returned ASAP. This is a great time to update any mailing information, phone numbers, email addresses, etc. The IC agreement needs to be completed along with the W-9 to be sure we have updated information on file when it comes time to send out 1099s. If your banking information has changed please let us know so we can update that information as well. We will also contact you regarding samples and how many of each market you need to get started with for Fall 2021. Any questions regarding paperwork or samples, send an email to sales@savearound.com.
The SaveAround Apparel Division (SAink) provides a great opportunity for you to find a different solution for groups looking to raise funds as well as local establishments looking for custom apparel. Summer sports teams are always looking for apparel on and off the field. With a lot of options available in the apparel industry SAink prides itself on providing a premium product at an extremely competitive cost. We have also been seeing a lot of success by reaching out to local restaurants and businesses who have been placing orders for their employees! For more information on SAink and all the great apparel solutions, please contact sales@savearound.com today!
Closeouts and Commissions
As you know, the end of the fiscal year at SaveAround is June 30, 2021. It is imperative that all of the Fall 2020 and Spring 2021 groups are closed out and paid on or before that date. Just a reminder of the rules regarding closeouts and commissions:
Groups need to be closed out before Wednesday, June 30, 2021.
Commissions will be paid to the ICs when invoices are paid in full and returned books are received in the warehouse (if applicable)
Keep the office informed if you are having trouble collecting payment from a group
If you need assistance contacting the group please contact sales@savearound.com.
Most administrators and coaches are in the buildings before noon whether the secretary is answering the phone or not. Make a point to stop by if possible to see them (as long as you can enter the building or get on campus)
IDEAS, SUGGESTIONS, OR RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE NEWSLETTER?
Do you have an idea or topic that you would like to see covered in the Community Conversation newsletter? If so, please send it to sales@savearound.com and we’ll get right on it. Remember if it is something that you would like to know more about or learn about then chances are someone else needs to know it, too.
