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March 2004 |
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 To view Kinko's Killer Part #1 click here, to view Kinko's Killer Part #2 click here. Beating Kinko’s – The Twelve Elements of Success In Kinko’s Killer #3 – I’ll review elements of success #2, #3, and #4. Element #2. A unique brand name and identity: The decision to choose the name “Kinko’s” was a stroke of creative genius. It’s odd, funny, and easy to remember. Just think about that for a minute – odd, funny, easy to remember. Kinko’s has a lot of positives in its name. I considered a lot of names for my new copy shop before settling on “The Unsloppy CopyShop.” When you say it, or see “The Unsloppy CopyShop” for the first time, it creates a similar “odd, funny, easy to remember” impression. Sometimes you can see our customers smile when they say it. It’s not original. I borrowed it from a long gone New York City copy shop owner named Monty Kaufmann. I couldn’t find Monty, or his copy shop, so I obtained a U.S. national trademark on the name – something I’d suggest you do to your print shop’s name, if you haven’t already (but that’s a whole different story.)  Our New Name and Logo I’d urge you to think of a good name for your copy shop – a totally separate identity and brand from your print shop. In my opinion, you need different signage, a unique logo, phone numbers, and other elements to “separate” your copy shop from your printing business. Here are actual names of three real printers: Aegean Offset Printers, Business Design Solutions, and The Source Forge Printing Foundry. Read those names again and then tell me…what’s easier to remember? Those names…or The Unsloppy CopyShop? Element #3. An impressive equipment list If you really want to compete with Kinko’s, you’ll probably need to update your equipment list. Even though I’d been in business for over twenty years, I was surprised to find out how many products and services Kinko’s offered that my old copy department didn’t. Many of my “missing” products and services were actually good little profit centers that I had overlooked through the years, (as in “asleep at the wheel”). Here’s what I added before we had our grand opening last November. I think I have just about everything my next-door neighbor, Kinko’s, has now, and it has been surprising how many sales we have generated as a result of these additions.
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With the above additions, we now have the same, or in many cases better, equipment than Kinko’s. Then, when you consider the list of print shop equipment and services we offer – we are way ahead of Kinko’s! I had previously left money on the table by not providing these services and having better equipment…and the acquisition of these popular products, services, and equipment has been one of the biggest reasons we’ve been able to convince customers to switch from Kinko’s and CopyMax to The Unsloppy CopyShop.  Element #4. A very good location To have a really hot copy shop, with big monthly sales, I am totally convinced that you need a really prime location. This is where Kinko’s and their big money are tough to compete with. Kinko’s can afford the same locations that McDonald’s or Starbucks would buy – most of us independent business owners can’t. In Fargo, the cost for being “on the strip” is almost 3 times as much per sq. ft. as the price for being one block off the strip. A local commercial property manager who lost the Kinko’s lease on his building “tried” to win the deal by offering a lower price on his property. He told me Kinko’s willingly paid $2,000 more a month for a slightly smaller location approximately 500 feet closer to traffic because “they’d end up spending more than the $2,000 a month on newspaper ads, direct mail, and signage to tell customers where the other property (his) was located.” What I did to compete was to buy my property one block off the strip. I do have a pretty good location because the street I’m on is on a curve, and the curve allows traffic on the strip to have a direct line of sight towards my print shop from two different angles. As they drive down the strip, they first see the front of my building and then the side/profile of my building. To attract more attention, I made our storefront very beautiful and classy looking, and then I installed 8’ tall giant neon back-lit “Express Press” signage on my building. My print shop building is pictured below:   In the next issue of the Kinko’s Killer (Part 4) I’ll be showing a lot of pictures inside The Unsloppy CopyShop lobby…be sure to watch for it in about two weeks. Kindest Regards and Happy Printing! Mike Stevens MarketingIdeasForPrinters.com Executive Suite 222 3137 32nd Avenue South Fargo, North Dakota 58103 800-736-0688 Ext. 132 MikeStevens@gutenblog.com |
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