Happy Holidays to All.........& End of the Year Tips

Happy Holidays to everyone who has taken the time to follow this blog throughout 2015. I am happy to report over 11,000 views on the site. I really appreciate the interest and the following.

If you are interested in contributing content to the site, feel free to reach out to me and we can put something together.

John

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Here are some year-end tips for your business to help make the New Year a prosperous one:

Review and Reflect - Taking stock of your business now will provide you with a good opportunity to improve your chances of prosperity next year. Do a post-mortem of your year. Write out a list of your company’s accomplishments and areas in which expectations were not met.  Which problem areas need refining? Are your procedures and systems efficient, or can they be improved? Would you benefit from adding new hires?

Set Goals for Next Year - Set specific, challenging but achievable goals for your business this year. Set a bar for you and your team to aim for, one that while realistic is still ambitious. Then, create strategies to help your team reach these goals.

Reach Out to your Best Customers – Contact your best customers and thank them for their business over the past year. In addition, ask them for feedback on how you can improve and serve them even better next year. Letting them know they are appreciated is a way to keep them in the fold for future.

Give Employees a Pat on the Back – Share your company’s accomplishments with your employees to help ensure their pride in what they do. Recognition is essential to engaged employees; show your appreciation for their hard work and contributions to your success. Your staff will really appreciate gestures such as gift cards they can use to buy gifts and letting them leave a couple of hours early one day to get some of their shopping done.

Refine Your Online Presence – Review your website and look for areas that are in need of an update. Replace old, stale content with fresh, new material. Update your team’s bios to give them a new look. Make sure all of the links on your site are still active. Are you effectively utilizing your company’s accounts on social media platforms?

The end the year can be a hectic time, but it’s a great opportunity to make sure you start the New Year on the right foot.

Terry Nevins: Office Product Excellence

By John Fullerton,

Last week I attended the annual COPA "Stars Gala" - the Canadian Office Product Associations annual salute to the Canadian OP industry. As usual, COPA provided a great night of camaraderie, as attendees were able to connect with old friends and new acquaintances in a fun and friendly setting.

The event was held at the "Vue", an excellent banquet facility that overlooks the Royal Woodbine Golf Course in Toronto.  COPA provided an excellent setting for networking opportunities for all who attended the Gala in this spacious, informal setting.

The highlight of the night was the tribute paid to long-time OP veteran, Terry Nevins, my friend and former COPA board colleague. Terry was awarded with COPA's highest honour, the "Individual Award of Excellence" for his 40 year career in the Canadian office products industry. Could there be a more deserving recipient for this award?

Peggy and Terry Nevins with the COPA Individual Award of Excellence

"Terry Nevins" - now that is a house-hold name in our industry.

Terry joined TOPS Office Products of Oshawa, Ontario in 1976, - his first role in the industry as a sales person. By 1985, Terry was a full partner in the company, driving sales and marketing initiatives. He left TOPS to work for Canadian Independent Stationers (now Office Plus) to become their general manager and marketing director. In 1988, Terry joined Global Total Office as their director of marketing, until becoming the company’s vice-president of national accounts marketing in 2004. Terry spent 26 years with Global, helping them expand their business and grow their market. Terry retired from Global last year. “Global became the right place to be as the industry reinvented itself many times over the last 40 years,” says Terry. “I was part of that reinvention, driving change and creating products and delivering marketing programs to fit the needs of the day. It was very exciting and satisfying.”

While it is difficult to predict exactly what office environments will look like in five or 10 years, Terry says there are a few givens; people will always require digital or physical writing instruments, coffee, and places to sit and work. Thinking like your customer and moving with technology trends are important aspects for success in the office of the future. “You need to be aware of all technologies and how they will impact your own market niche and your own personal life,” says Terry. “These technology revolutions will become evolutions and the office products industry is best at evolutions — evolving product categories.”

Glen Jackson, Mark Weiler, Steve Murphy, Peggy and Terry Nevins of the Global Group

Terry is an industry visionary who was always there for his customers and colleagues with a helping hand, a kind word and straight-forward advice. For myself, I am glad that I got to know Terry during my time on the COPA board and consider him a true friend. The Canadian Office Product industry will miss Terry Nevins.