First off – We want to thank you for your business. We truly appreciate our customers. We consider you our friends and partners and we work to help you become more profitable. Only when you are successful – are we successful.
Wow – 2021 has been exciting. Our collective volume was down for the first half of the year from 2019 (before COVID year). However, it was still encouraging as most events – including graduations – were beginning to ramp up.
The last 6 months have been wild. Many of our customers have acquired so many new accounts, it’s been amazing. Additionally, we have seen better sales from existing events. For the last four months our collective business has been up more than 50% from 2019. Our largest 30 customers have increased more than that.
SO – MERRY CHRISTMAS and Happy Hanukkah – 2021 has been more than any of us really expected! Hallelujah!!!
The large increase in business has been challenging for all of us to deal with. The labor market is tough. Our franchisees have had trouble getting enough photographers and office help. Fortunately, the systems we provide you, like PhotoMatch, eliminate many hours of labor (and cost) while offering great marketing tools to maximize sales. Many of you have had to pay photographers more than in the past. We also have had difficulty hiring people all fall even after raising pay rates this summer. That coupled with more business than we expected caused our delivery times to be longer than any of us would like. We apologize for that and are committed to being faster this spring.
While we are currently quite busy, our lab delivery time is only about one day. We will be open throughout the Holidays in order to provide you and your customers fast service.
With the additional business, we have had to really hustle to obtain needed materials. We have literally gone to the ends of the earth to be sure we could have what we needed to produce your products. We are using quality photo paper and chemicals from multiple sources for the first time to be sure we have safe inventory levels.
My hat is off to our management team of Alison, James, Bo, Christy, Clayton, Cristina, Dan, Demetri, Kim, Steve, and Tiffany. They have again worked very hard for you and proven to be very resourceful and innovative during a challenging time.
We have heard from many of our customers that took advantage of our PhotoMatch system in 2021. It has maximized their sales while improving data accuracy, saving labor cost, and delivering their products to their customers quickly. We strongly suggest using the new Surface Go 3 with LTE as it offers fast, reliable connectivity to upload images and sell at events.
Last December we outlined a plan for 2021 that worked well for many. We would suggest we all work for the same things in 2022. Book More – Earn More – Work Less
- We must all focus on what the retail buyers want and provide that more effectively.
- Your customers clearly want good photo choices – they want a selection to choose from before buying.
- They want things faster than ever before. They want to see their choices immediately and get what they order quickly.
- Find and train the best photographers you can get – at the end of the day, the pictures they take become the memories.
- All of us must recognize that others in the industry are realizing all this, too. Get the jump on your competition, now.
- Please take advantage of the tools CCS offers at no cost, like PhotoMatch, to provide what customers desire.
- Labor is expensive – take advantage of CCS tools that maximize profits while minimizing your office labor and costs.
- In order to grow – a serious sales effort must take place – minimizing office work allows you more time for booking.
- Realize that new events and organizations must be booked to grow – or stay even in a competitive environment.
- Participate in TSS seminars, webinars, and conferences to keep abreast of the latest developments.
As in the past, this Christmas we’re sending you a subscription to Consumers Reports for 2022. It is the best source of unbiased product information that I have found. They review electronics, cameras, computers, and even fine wines in just one place.
Happy Holidays,
Jack Counts Jr
