- Catalog Production, whether in print, or a CD or on the web, has one purpose–to increase sales. Distributors must decide whether the potential increase in sales will justify the expense of resources and time involved in the production of a catalog.
- The production of your catalog depends on your investment of time and money. The second decision you must make is how to allocate your resources: the more time you spent, the less it will cost. On the other hand, the higher the burden on your budget, the less it will impinge on the time of your staff.
- Defines the type of clients you have which help determine whether you need a printed catalog, a CD catalog, your catalog on the web, or a combination of these. Each approach involves different costs and time commitments.
- The fourth decision is the extent and breadth of your base of clients, which will determine the size of your catalog. Usually 20% to 30% of your inventory represents the core of your sales. Do you restrict your catalog to that percentage or make it more extensive? Likewise the number of catalogs required, whether in print or on a CD, is determined both by the number of clients and the size of each client, some should not get any and others may get several catalogs.
- Selecting the right products for your catalog. That procedure can be eased by the professionalism and experience of your catalog builder. A related issue is does your builder of catalogs have the background to deal with print, CDs and a web site. That is crucial even if you decide to acquire a catalog in one venue only. You may want the option to expand the range of your services in the future.
- Do you want to include pricing in your catalog? Different considerations apply for a print, a CD, or a web catalog. The life of a print catalog with pricing obviously will be shorter, but its usefulness for your clients will be greatly enhanced. In order to have the catalog be as up-to-date as possible, be sure that your catalog supplier has a database program which enables them to input your prices as close to the printing date as possible.
The same considerations apply to a CD catalog. The cost of a CD being so much less than a printed catalog, enables you to update information more often and produce new CDs. The CD also permits you to install different price grids and discounts for different clients that would be accessible via passwords.
A catalog on the web can be updated nearly daily or whenever required at very little cost. Again, different price schedules and discounts can be installed and made accessible by passwords.
The seventh decision requires some research. Do you call references provided by your catalog builder, preferably more than one? Review catalogs done, both in print and on the CD. Remember that the quality and design of your catalog will depend upon the expertise of the graphics personnel at your catalog supplier's company; it does not depend on their representative's salesmanship. How long have they been in business and how long have they specifically built catalogs?