VMA Connected Q4 2016

VISUAL MEDIA ALLIANCE

FALL 2016

Health Insurance 2017: What You Need to Know Now

THE CONTENTS

07 Feature: Keep Up to Date on Insurance

09 Strategic Sales More tips for success

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Expert Column: Government Affairs

Expert Column: Human Resources

Money Matters Can be Tricky

Keep a Bullying Free Workplace

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Showcase Awards and Luncheon 02

Bennys, Baseball and Basics VMA Events Member News New Members Find-An-Employee

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04 11

VMA Events Find-An-Employee

BOARD ROSTER: CHAIRMAN

John Crammer, Best Label Company

IMMEDIATE PAST CHAIRMAN

Frank Parks, The Parks Group

BOARD MEMBERS:

Gil Caravantes Commerce Printing Services John Crammer (Chairman) Best Label Chris Cullen API Group Ian Flynn (1st Vice Chairman) Direct Repsonse Imaging Dava Guthmiller Noise 13

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Jeff Jarvis Spicers Frank Parks (Immediate Past) The Parks Group

Fall is a season to hustle:

Chris Shadix Dome Print and Marketing Solutions San Francisco Division Cindy Sonnenberg K/P Corporation Stephen Sprinkel Sprinkel Media Network

STAFF ROSTER: PRESIDENT

Dan Nelson

DIRECTOR MEMBER SERVICES Jim Frey

DIRECTOR MEMBER PROGRAMS Laura Vargas

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DIRECTOR EDUCATION Barbara Silverman

DIRECTOR COMMUNICATIONS Todd Donahue

PROGRAM ADMINISTRATOR Gabrielle Disario

MEMBERSHIP SALES Shannon Wolford Alla Panchenko

Lunch & Learn - Sexual Harassment Prevention 1

FINANCIAL MANAGER Emily Gotladera

ACCOUNTING SPECIALIST Maria Salita

VMA’s Human Resources Director, Cheryl Chong shares some of the points on Sexual Harassment Prevention with employees of Folger Graphics and CohereOne.

Young & old enjoyed the game, including Mark Swingle of Watermark Press.

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Yes, they are dressed for the game.

Giants’ fans sport a sense of humor!

DIRECTOR SUPPLEMENTAL BENEFITS

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Best Label’s Travis Gilkey and family enjoy the tailgate party behind the VMA building.

DIRECTOR GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS

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Best Label brought over 80 of their employees to enjoy the tailgate party and final regular Giants game on Oct 2.

David Katz

INSURANCE CUSTOMER SERVICE REPS

Renee Prescott, Crystal Carlson, Lena Nelson, Sue Benavente, Jessica Clark, Diedra Lovan, Jimmy Thompson

Greg Golin

Gerry Bonetto

HUMAN RESOURCE SPECIALIST Cheryl Chong

EDITOR

Noel Jeffrey

ON THE COVER:

VMA’s traditional Health Insurance Fair each October gives members an opportunity to mix with vendors. Still, there are questions that need clarification.

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VMA sponsor Canon had the largest booth space and the crowds to go with it at Graph Expo in Orlando.

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(L to R) Jeff and Kathy Main, AMP Printing, and David Rosenfeld and Greg Boothroyd, Multi-Color Printing, pose with their Bennys next to a nearly life size Benjamin Franklin replica at an Orlando Hilton. Bennys are Best of Category awards in PIA International Premier Print Awards competition. It’s quite a coup!

VMA Baseball & Tailgate 2

VICE PRESIDENT INSURANCE SERVICES

Graph Expo - September Orlando

VMA Annual Health Fair 6

Members gather at the annual Health Fair.

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Kathy Main of AMP Printing reviews health plan options at the Health Fair.

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EFI’s H1625 is a mid-level production inkjet printer that handles flexible and rigid substrates up to 65” (165 cm) wide and 2” (5.08 cm) thick. Large format inkjet generated lots of interest at Graph Expo.

Thanks to VMA’s Jim Frey, Director of Member Services, for his terrific photos that keep VMA events memorable. Graph Expo images from Oscar & Associates’, Official Show Photographer.

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3

Baseball Rivals Clash

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Open enrollment, Awards, Galas, Showtime

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VISUAL MEDIA ALLIANCE

| CONNECTED | FALL 2016

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UPCOMING VMA EVENTS

Places to be. Things to do. People to see.

A Designer’s Intro to working in VR, AR and 360 Video

October 20 Presented by Steve Decker Maggiano’s Restaurant, San Jose, 11:30 – 1:30 pm $20 members; $45 non members

Mastering the Consultative Sale

November 15 Presented by Leslie Groene Maggiano’s Restaurant, San Jose, 11:30 – 1:30 pm $35 members; $60 non members

Mastering the Consultative Sale JOIN US AT SFMOMA

Women in Business Communications Social Event - view the Typeface to Interface Exhibit before it closes (October 22).

On October 13 at 6:00 pm the Women in Business Communications group will tour two SFMOMA Exhibits - The Fisher Collection and Typeface to Interface.

After a 3-year closure, the newly transformed and expanded SFMOMA opened its doors to the public last May. THE AGENDA FOR THE EVENING: 6:00 - 7:00 Tour departs from SFMOMA info desk; 7:00 - 8:00 pm Mixer - hosted wine and cheese at Café5. Attendees are free to continue exploring SFMOMA on their own until closing at 9 pm.

November 16 Presented by Leslie Groene Veritiv, Pleasanton, 11:30 – 1:30 pm $35 members; $60 non members

CrabFest

January 28 Colombo Club, Oakland 5:30 – 11:00 pm Event information and registration at www.vma.bz

Healthcare Complexity, Simplified!

Let VMA simplify your life with: Choice, Proven Cost-lowering Strategies, Exceptional Customer Service, Time-saving Simplicity, Time-saving Technology, Premium Human Resource Support Shannon Wolford 415.710.0568 shannon@vma.bz

David Katz 415.489.7614 david@vma.bz

VMA Insurance Services (800) 659-3363 • insurance.vma.bz VMA Insurance Services has been ensuring business success since 1986.

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VISUAL MEDIA ALLIANCE

| CONNECTED | FALL 2016

MEMBER NEWS

WINNING WAYS

Members Collect Gold Ink Awards

VMA Members Take Premier Print Honors

Hearty congratulations to VMA member companies AMP Printing and Multi-Color Corporation, Napa, both of whom won Benny awards in PIA’s Premier Print Award Competition.

These 2016 Premier Print Award Best of Category winners were presented at a gala award dinner held in Orlando on the opening night of Graph Expo. In addition, AMP earned a Certificate of Merit (CM); Multi-Color garnered four Awards of Recognition (AR) and six Certificates of Merit (CM). Premier Print recognizes the highest quality printed pieces in various categories from around the world. In addition to AMP and Multi-Color, the following VMA members were honored with an AR or a CM: Bay Area Graphics, LLC; Best Label; Moquin Press; Multi-Color Label Sonoma; RG Creations Inc.; Time Printing Solutions Provider; Vintage 99 Label; Watermark Press and Western Web, Inc. These companies were also Gold Award winners in VMA’s showcase competition and AMP Printing took Best of Show.

VMA automatically submits Gold Award winners to the Premier Print Awards.

WORTH A CELEBRATION

More to Celebrate Central Valley Business Forms, Visalia, developed a special logo to celebrate its 35 years in business. Be sure to check out their specials. www.cvbf.com

Collotype Labels USA, Napa and Multi-Color Corporation North American Wine and Spirits captured Gold in the Gold Ink Awards this year.

Calitho, Concord; Direct Printing Impressions, San Francisco; and Multi-Color Corporation North American Wine and Spirits, all were Pewter Award winners in the 2016 competition sponsored by Printing Impressions as well.

Congratulations!

Anniversary Party American Bookbinders Museum celebrated its first year in its new San Francisco facility with a party for friends and supporters. The gallery at 355 Clementina Street is open 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Tours are scheduled at 10 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.

The American Bookbinders Museum is the only museum of its kind in North America, celebrating and exploring the culture and tools of bookbinding, from its earliest forms to the changes and innovations of the industrial revolution. In addition to the craft and artistry of binding, they focus on the stories of the men, women and children who worked in binderies.

Project6 Design Honored With Website Awards Last spring, San Francisco Bay Area graphic design firm, Project6 Design, was awarded three Silver Communicator website awards in the 22nd Annual Competition. The winning projects include: California Maternal Quality Care Collaborative (CMQCC) in the Health Care Services category; Lighting Services Inc. in the Manufacturing category and Career Girls in the Charitable Organizations / Non-Profit category.

Project6 Design also captured four 2016 Horizon website awards. One silver award was given to Biscoff for the Restaurant/Food Industry category. Bronze awards were given to both Lighting Services Inc. and Rosendin Electric for the Corporate & B2B category and Leisure Sports Inc. for the Health/Human Services category.

Always Active The Color Management Group, Morgan Hill, was in booth 2577 at the SGIA Expo in Las Vegas. They demonstrated workflow automation solutions from Tucanna Software at this show. In September, Aleyant, Wheaton, IL, an innovative leader in providing robust software services to the graphic communications industry at valuedriven prices, acquired Tucanna, a software company dedicated to building software for humans (user-friendly production software). It was founded in 2006 and is headquartered in Carlsbad, CA. www.colormagement.com.

VISUAL MEDIA ALLIANCE

| CONNECTED | FALL 2016

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MEMBER NEWS

CASE STUDY

JLM Energy Project Label Impressions, a commercial printing facility in Orange, CA, experienced increasing utility bills comprised of more than 50% demand charges, tariffs based on peak energy use. JLM Energy, Rocklin, designed a custom, demand shaving energy storage system that enables Label Impressions to pull energy from the grid and store it during off-peak times. The company can then use that stored energy during expensive peak hours to lower bills, or feed excess energy back to the grid at a constant rate over the course of the day. This optimization helps Label Impressions avoid excessive utility tariffs and enables them to maintain very competitive printing prices. JLM is unique because it provides a portfolio of energy products that can grow and shift with business needs, all managed with cloud-based software. For more information about the company and its services watch a Video Testimonial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFXO5dcjgfU or visit https:// jlmenergyinc.com/.

VMA Education.

The Choice is Yours.

Stay ahead of the game by learning new skills.

We’re here for you. Because of you. Visual Media Alliance is a trade association helping the careers and businesses of our members to be successful. We offer over 100 public classes, delivered to you in-person, online and through customized training solutions.

DESIGN

PRINT

MARKETING

OFFICE

PROGRAMMING

View Website For Education Listings (800) 659-3363 • education.vma.bz Workshops • Seminars • Webinars • One-on-One • Customized Training Solutions

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VISUAL MEDIA ALLIANCE

| CONNECTED | FALL 2016

STRAIGHT TALK On health Insurance

What you need to know now to offer your employees the best choices COMPILED BY NOEL JEFFREY

C

onnected asked VMA’s President, Dan Nelson and Vice President Insurance, David Katz, to bring members up to date on accurate health insurance information. Here’s what they had to say.

Q: What are the top benefits we as members gain by purchasing our health insurance coverage through VMA and the Printing Industry Benefit Trust?

Advantages you won’t get through brokers: • Our members participate in our special statesanctioned trust, PIBT, owned by our members, just for our industry. This structure allows us to set our own rates that are often slightly below the street rates available to other brokers.

• We have world class customer service, provided by a staff of 20 located right here in San Francisco and LA. • We offer choice of 120 plans from all the major

carriers, in a nearly unlimited way. You can offer your employees multiple plans from each one of these carriers: Kaiser, Blue Shield and HealthNet if you’d like. (No other broker can do this as extensively as we can.)

• We have time-saving technology. Our members receive a single consolidated invoice payable with a single check. And now we have a new PIBT portal that will be introduced this year for those who elect it (no charge) that will cut down on the paper work for your benefits person. And we also are introducing a more sophisticated “EaseCental” portal for our members that will make it easier for folks to enroll and manage all HR functions. It also provides special ACA 1095c compliance for our larger members.

• Two HR programs for our members, provided by our own Cheryl Chong and a newer program by

VISUAL MEDIA ALLIANCE

| CONNECTED | FALL 2016

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Think HR. (Few brokers have their own full time HR specialist.)

• We have six strategies to lower your costs, which most brokers won’t always explore: Base plan buy up, HRAs and HSAs, Cafeteria and Section 125 Plans. And the sixth cost-lowering item is our trust rates that can often be lower than those that are available on the street. Our special rates aren’t available to other brokers.

Q: What’s the most important thing I need to know for 2017?

Here are three: • The huge increases you’ve read about in the press are for individual coverage on certain state exchanges, nationally. These aren’t what we’re seeing in California which are generally less than 10 percent this year.

• We introduced automated online administrations this year. The automation saves time for our members’ benefit administration, particularly with open enrollment that can now be quickly completed by employees on their desktops and phones.

• We can now provide Anthem to our members with over 10 employees.

Do you expect premiums to rise substantially or reasonably for 2017?

The rate increases for companies will be less than what you have read about for individuals under Covered California. Those will rise by double digits, whereas company plans will rise by more reasonable single digits. For participants in VMA’s Health Program, the percentage increase will often be less than the market because of our unique structure.

Will I still be able to offer my employees affordable choices?

There are always affordable choices for less rich plans in the marketplace. Over time, most employers have chosen to offer less rich plans as one method for surviving year after year premium increases that continue to out-strip inflation. (A second way is covered in the next question.)

Will I need to ask employees to contribute more to their insurance coverage? For their families?

Another way to address the affordability problem is asking your employees to pay more by changing the contribution formula.

Are there new elements of the Affordable Care Act that will activate this year? More rules to comply with? More taxes?

The few members with 50 to 100 lives covered will now 8

VISUAL MEDIA ALLIANCE

| CONNECTED | FALL 2016

be included in a small group, community rate for plans effective January 1, 2017. In the past, those employers have been rated on their own claims history. Some of our members’ employees in this employee range will generally see a larger rate increase as a result.

Would my employees save money by purchasing insurance through Covered California?

While employers with less than 50 employees can send them to Covered California ACA exchange, very few have because in general subsidies are not available for most of our industry’s salary ranges, which are, on average, too high. (Unlike retail and restaurant, for example.) Plans on the exchange tend to be less rich with more limited provider networks.

Would my business bottom line be better off if I told my employees to use Covered California?

Again, very few employers in our industry have found any benefit in sending their employees directly to the state exchange (Covered California). Those that have tried to eliminate health care coverage for their company have found it hard to attract and maintain their workforce. For really large companies in fast food and retail who have tried to eliminate or minimize coverage, there is actually a trend to add back employer-based coverage.

Will VMA still offer a “cafeteria” style assortment of plans to choose from so that we can offer employees choices that suit their needs?

One of our strengths is the ability to provide a nearly unlimited choice of plans for our members to offer their employees. Additionally, we excel in allowing our members flexibility in premium contributions from their employees, including percentage and fixed-dollar contributions, IRAs and flex-spending/cafeteria plans.

Typically, our employers contribute 50 to 100 percent of the employee’s premium and typically zero to 50 percent of the dependent premium.

Will the presidential election results impact coverage for 2017?

Trump has stated his desire to eliminate the Affordable Care Act. That might be harder than he thinks.

Clinton has stated her desire to fix its deficiencies.

That might be harder than she thinks.

I wasn’t able to attend the Health Fair this year. Are there vendor messages I need to know about? New Offerings? New vendors?

More affordable dental options from Standard insurance. New portal administrative options covered above. Our major carriers announce their new programs that are often of interest to those that attend.

Rooted in Tradition – Growing Toward the Future

Lawson Drayage, Inc. Machinery Moving, Rigging & Heavy Transportation for Any Industry

Join us for Career Day Looking for new employees or planning for the future?

You won’t want to miss Career Day on October 20.

Industry trusted PrIntIng & LabeLIng equIPment mover for over 50 years! > Machinery Moving and Rigging > Facility Relocation > Storage and Warehousing > Pier Pick Up and Delivery > Crating & Special Packaging of Machinery & Equipment san francIsco bay area

sacramento & san JoaquIn vaLLeys

3402 Enterprise Avenue Hayward, CA 94545 Phone: 510-785-5100 Fax: 510-785-8156

9900 Kent Street Elk Grove, CA 95624 Phone: 916-686-2600 Fax: 916-686-2601

Cal Poly Graphic Communication (GrC) graduates hit the ground running!

Post on the GrC Job Board Reach soon-to-be graduates and seasoned alumni. www.grc.calpoly.edu/ job-database-submission

Learn More

Visit www.grc.calpoly.edu Call 805.756.2645

CAREER DAY DATES

Fall October 20, 2016 Winter January 27, 2017 Spring April 20, 2017

Online: www.lawsoninc.com | Email: sales@lawsoninc.com

AD Form PhoNe

CoNtaCt

Fax date magazine

authoRized sigNatuRe

CheCk eaCh box as a guide: ❑ Name correct? ❑ address correct? ❑

Phone # correct?

❑ ad copy correct?

NEW! Spot and Flood UV Specialty Finishes 1 and 2 Side Laminating ❑ offer correct, if any?

• look over your project and check for errors; spelling, address, telephone number’s, copy or content.

Process magazine is not responsible for typos or incorrect information.

ad aPPRoval:

• sign this page and email it back to Process magazine.

❑ ad approved as is

magazine

• any changes from this point forward may cost you in time and materials.

• Process magazine cannot process your job until receipt of sign-off.

magazine

magazine email baCk to: process@switchstudio.com

© 2013 sWitCh studio, all Rights Reserved

ClieNt

On Line Bindery, Inc.

❑ ad approved with Family corrections indicated ❑ Re-proof after corrections are made

owned and operated since 1990

High speed bindings

Perfect/Saddle Stitch-Loop and Standard Wire-O/Plastic Spiral/Metal Spiral/Comb

Gluing brochures & gluefold envelopes

Remoist/Fugitive/Cold/Hot Melt

15 folders

From ¾ inch panels to 40" wide All folds, double gates, maps etc.

Other capabilities and services

Die Cutting/ Carton folding and gluing Shrink wrapping/Round cornering Kleenstick taping/High speed tipping items to each other/Eyeletting/Drilling Padding/ Index tabbing/ Pick up & delivery

Contact

510.234.7707 TEL 510.235.6606 FAX info@onlinebindery.com- QUOTES ONLY PLEASE

Also own paper shredding company, discounts to bindery customers. Look us up at shreddefense.com

“Think Green, Think Clean, Think Prudential.”

PRUD E N T I AL I S DE DI C AT E D T O SUS TA I NA BI L I TY

Prudential Overall Supply is a uniform provider with solutions for businesses requiring uniforms and textile rental programs.

We offer a variety of types and sizes of towels. All our printers towels are manufactured for maximum absorbency with egyptian cotton, sized to fit the job. Our cleaning systems are designed to clean towels soiled with solvents and inks in order to create a safe, economical and ecologically friendly working environment.

Reusable textiles offer a clean green solution compared to home wash and disposable products.

Uniform programs include uniform rental, uniform lease and uniform purchase. We also offer businesses facility products such as floor mats, restroom supplies, paper products, linen supplies, reusable towels, mops and microfiber products.

CAREER & CASUAL

FACILITY PRODUCTS

APPARELagreement NAPKINS To sign upPand start saving our preferred R UDE NT I AL IS . . . throughCULINARY RESTROOM PRODUCTS CLEANROOM

contact Ashley Carroll, Key Account Manager AshleyC@pos-clean.com 800-767-5536 PrudentialUniforms.com

THE RIGHT

CHOICE

PROTECTIVE APPAREL

MEDICAL APPAREL

TOWELS

MOPS & BUCKETS

MATS

Uniform Rental - Lease - Purchase

Linen Supplies - Paper Products - Floor Mats - Reusable Towels - Mops - Microfiber Products - Restroom Supplies

We have the tools

so you can get there faster, better, cheaper

At Rods and Cones, we never stop looking for ideas to make work easier, cheaper, and better. We find tools all over the world and we evaluate and test them until they meet the highest standards.

With twenty years in the field, we are the best color management, automation, job management, press control consultants in the industry.

We can simplify your life. Give us a call today.

Clockwise, from top left, pressSIGN-Pro is a G7-certified system that measures, controls, monitors and evaluates the color printing process for litho, digital, flexo and gravure.

Twixl Media, the best solution for digital publishing, will replace DPS easily. iC3D is the first real-time package design software that lets you generate live 3D digital mockups and in-store visualization. Boost productivity dramatically with a custom Enfocus Switch automated workflow.

(831) 421-0131 : : info@rodsandcones.com : : www.rodsandcones.com

BEYOND BREAKTHROUGHS

EXPLORE LIMITLESS The impact of production inkjet is undeniable — it’s taking businesses to the next level, and giving printers a competitive edge. The Océ VarioPrint® i300 press, featuring iQuarius inks with ColorGrip technology, is the first sheetfed inkjet press on the market, and it’s shattering traditional barriers.

SEE WHAT THE FIRST USERS HAD TO SAY!

“We ran for an entire month straight without opening any covers or seeing a single paper jam.”

— Martin Koebel, Production Manager, pii

See what else direct mail printer Progressive Impressions International (pii) revealed about their experience!

PPS.CSA.CANON.COM/BREAKTHROUGHS

100 PAGES

MILLION

IN JUST 6 MONTHS!

DAY TO DAY, DOT TO DOT CONSISTENT

COLOR

97 % uptime For more information, call or visit: 877-623-4969 CSA.CANON.COM

Canon is a registered trademark of Canon Inc. in the United States and elsewhere. Océ and Océ VarioPrint are registered trademarks of Océ-Technologies B.V. in the United States and elsewhere. All other referenced product names and marks are trademarks of their respective owners and are hereby acknowledged. © 2016 Canon Solutions America, Inc. All rights reserved.

•

STRATEGIC SELLING

•

STORY | LESLIE GROENE

Tips to Make You Even More Successful!

LESLIE GROENE Leslie Groene is one of the coaching superstars in the world of corporate sales as well as a business development trainer, executive consultant and author.

Her background is in the paper and printing industries as a sales rep and sales manager. She helps her clients focus on revenue generation and profit growth. She authored the business strategy book “Picture Yourself & the Life You Want” and is a nationallyrenowned motivational speaker.

To purchase her book or contact her please go to www.GroeneConsulting.com.

Here is the link to her e-newsletter, http://www. groeneconsulting.com/ Newsletter/2014.12/

Here are some tips that will make you even more successful!

• Learn the Customer: Every time you’re with a customer, make it a point to learn something personal and professional about them. Don’t allow your time together to be so focused on the immediate business opportunity that you miss out on additional, long-term information. It’s the long-term information you gain that will help you retain the customer. And the longer you have a customer, the more likely they are to refer others to you.

• Opening the Sales Call: Always start off a sales call by covering three things: 1. Gain a clear understanding of the amount of time the call will take. 2. Make sure the customer knows what the objective of the call is. 3. Relate the reason for the current sales call to the previous sales call you had with the person, or to information you may have sent them. Connecting the current sales call to something previous gives the customer the comfort of knowing you remember fully everything that may have already occurred.

• “Your Price is Not High Enough”: OK, so you’ve never heard that line, but wouldn’t it be great to hear it? A price can never be too high!

It’s only too high when we haven’t taken the time

•

•

•

to find out what the true benefits are of the item we’re selling. Remember, there is no such thing as “too expensive.” There is only the belief that the potential gain from something is not worth the cost. When it comes right down to it, there is nothing that is too expensive ... it only lacks sufficient benefits to warrant the price.

Celebrate Your Customer’s Anniversary: For salespeople who have retained customers for a period of years, it’s special to recognize them and their relationship with you. It’s also a great way for your customers to realize how much you think of them and a great way for you to take the relationship to an even higher level through this personalized type of communication.

Hand-Written Business Cards: Next time you’re about to give someone your business card; take a moment to personalize it.

If you take a moment to jot on the card your cell number, a home phone number, or some other piece of information that is not already on the card, you will suddenly make the person to whom you’re talking feel very special. Chances are the person will never call you on the handwritten phone numbers, but simply writing them on the card gives the person the feeling that you are placing them in high regard compared with others who you meet.

Speak With Your Face: I’m constantly amazed at the number of times I run across salespeople who clearly don’t believe what they’re saying. It is easy to spot in the person’s face and body language. They take on a whole host of non-verbal clues, ranging from non-expressive smiles with tight lips to eyes that lack any sense of direction. When we’re selling to a customer in person or on the phone, we have to make sure our entire face reflects the enthusiasm and excitement of our words.

Open Ended Questions: Don’t forget to use “umbrella questions” on every sales call. Umbrella questions are questions that work in any selling situation and are designed to provide you with additional information. Umbrella questions are ones that get the customer talking more about what they’re looking for. On your next sales call, challenge yourself to ask at least 5 umbrella questions.

Customer’s Goals and Objectives: Do you know what goals your customers have?

Just think how much more effective you could be if you knew the goals of the person to whom you are selling. Find out what their personal and business goals are for the current and upcoming year by asking questions and listening to their answers.

Explain your belief that it is essential for you to help your customers achieve their goals in order for you to achieve your own.

VISUAL MEDIA ALLIANCE

| CONNECTED | FALL 2016

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GOVERNMENT

AFFAIRS STORY | BY GERRY BONETTO

Avoid Providing Lawsuit Opportunities Sales Tax on Proofs

GERRY BONETTO Gerry Bonetto is the government affairs director for Visual Media Alliance. If you have questions about any of these items, call 800-6593363 or 415-243-8126.

You may also email him at Gerry@VMA.bz

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VISUAL MEDIA ALLIANCE

There has been confusion regarding the Board of Equalization’s position as to the basis for determining the value of a printed (“hard”) proof that is to be taxed.

PIC reached out to the Board of Equalization (BOE) to help clarify the issue.

The eight page response to our inquiry can be distilled to the following points: • Completed Jobs. When the completed job is transferred electronically, the completed job is not taxable since no tangible personal property was sold. When the completed job is sold in tangible form—either on substrate or on electronic media, it is a taxable transaction.

• Soft Proofs. Proofs sent electronically to a client are not taxable since no tangible personal property was sold, no matter whether the completed job is transferred to the client electronically or in tangible form.

• Hard Proofs. Printed proofs may or may not be taxable depending on who owns the proof, no matter if the completed job is transferred electronically or in tangible form.

Hard proofs are not taxable if the printer or prepress house claims to gives the proofs to the client to review but ultimately retains possession of the proofs. In this instance, the printer or prepress house would owe tax on the paper for the proofs at the time of purchase of the paper. | CONNECTED | FALL 2016

Hard proofs are taxable if the proofs are given to the customer to review and the customer ultimately keeps the proofs. The printer or prepress house can buy the proofing paper on resale. The taxable amount of the proofs would be the cost of the paper on which the proofs are printed, any charge for retrieving the proofs from archives and printing the proofs and additional markup on the proofs. These charges do not have to be broken out on the invoice—that is, they can be lump summed and stated as “proofs” or some other identifying term.

Background Checks Employers Choice Screening provided us with a guide on the five most important things an employer should know when screening potential employees.

Employment background checks, also known as Consumer Reports, can include information from a variety of sources (e.g., credit reports and criminal records). Recently, there has been an increase in class action lawsuits brought against employers for violating such laws, specifically the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). It is therefore important that the employers are aware of the specific federal and state laws when conducting employment background checks.

The Act itself runs some 108 pages, and creates a number of items for which employers can be cited and sued by plaintiff attorneys. The Employer Choice Screening report cuts through the regulation and discusses different ways employers can fall victim to such lawsuits.

You can get the report at the following link: http:// submain.vma.bz/vault/FairCreditReportingAct_ VMA_2016.pdf

Reminder: Overtime Rule The U.S. Department of Labor has finalized its new overtime rule to ensure, in the Department’s words, that extra work means extra pay. The rule is expected to make an additional 4.2 million salaried employees eligible for overtime pay. The rule goes into effect December 1, 2016, so don’t be caught off guard in implementing the rule since there will be a bevy of attorneys looking to bring suit against employers who violate it. The rule raises the salary threshold at which white-collar workers are exempt from overtime pay from $23,660 to $47,476 (approximately $921 per week).

As a reminder, in the printing industry, customer service representatives and estimators are not considered “exempt” employees; therefore they must be paid overtime after 8 hours worked in a day— whether they are hourly or salaried employees.

Respect and Tolerance Go a Long Way

HUMAN RESOURCES STORY | BY CHERYL CHONG

New Electronic Mandates, Suggestions for Workplace Behavior Employers Required to E-File Paperwork with EDD

CHERYL CHONG Cheryl Chong is VMA’s Human Resources Director and your #1 source for assistance responsible for counseling on HR matters like family leave, discrimination, sexual harassment and wage and hour compliance. She has a Bachelors and Masters degree from Chapman University in Orange, CA, along with 20+ years of HR experience in the trenches. Think of her as an extension of your HR department, courtesy of VMA. Please feel free to reach out for answers or introduce your organization by calling 800659-3363 or cheryl@vma.bz.

Beginning January 1, 2017, employers with 10 or more employees will be required to electronically submit employment tax returns, wage reports and payroll tax deposits to the Employment Development Department (EDD). Employers can request a waiver, which is valid for one year. This requirement will expand to all employers beginning January 1, 2018.

Unemployment Insurance and Electronic Reporting In addition, AB 1245 requires electronic reporting for unemployment insurance reports submitted to the EDD. It also requires employers to remit contributions for unemployment insurance taxes by electronic funds transfer.

Any employer required under existing law to electronically submit wage reports and/or electronic funds transfer to the EDD will remain subject to those requirements. For more information, visit FAQs – E-file and E-pay Mandate for Employers. The EDD encourages employers to enroll now in e-Services for Business so they can start reporting online before this mandate begins. The urls below get your there.

• http://www.edd.ca.gov/Payroll_Taxes/FAQ_-_E-file_ and_E-pay_Mandate_for_Employers.htm • http://www.edd.ca.gov/Payroll_Taxes/e-Services_ for_Business.htm

Here are some of the suggestions I make when I provide training to member companies.

1. Keep political discussions to a minimum. While we all have a right to voice our opinions, we should keep the workplace environment professional and business like and not take or make this personal.

Respect everyone’s viewpoints and excuse yourself or avoid discussions when they take a political route.

2. Keep discussions of religion or creeds also to a minimum. This may include proselytizing, overly religious propaganda, overly religious displays, visuals, posters, or creeds that may offend the average employee.

3. And lastly, if employees subscribe to some sort of overtly affectionate or affinity to certain sports, I would also suggest to keep those discussions to a minimum. Many employees or fans have suffered some horrible effects of bad sports behavior.

The advice is to remain as neutral and civil as possible and work on the positive aspects of teamwork, respect and tolerance.

AB 2053 is a new rule mandated in 2015 to be added to the AB 1825 compliance training mandate in California. It is called Prevention of Abusive Conduct in workplace settings (workplace bullying). Bullying is usually considered to be a pattern of behavior where one or more incidents will show that bullying is occurring or where a person or group of people are targeted or singled out. I’ve included some examples of workplace bullying (this is not an exhaustive list): • Spreading malicious rumors, gossip, lies, innuendos which are unfounded.

• Deliberately excluding, isolating or ignoring someone socially.

• Intimidating a person.

• Undermining or deliberately impeding or undermining a person’s work.

• Physically abusing or threatening abuse.

• Removing or changing areas of responsibilities without cause.

• Constantly changing work guidelines.

• Establishing impossible or unrealistic deadlines that will set up the individual to fail.

• Withholding necessary information or purposefully giving the wrong information.

• Making jokes that are ‘obviously offensive’ by spoken word or e-mail.

• Intruding on a person’s privacy by pestering, spying or stalking.

• Unwarranted (or undeserved) punishment.

• Blocking applications for training, leave or promotion.

• Tampering with or removing a person’s personal belongings or work equipment.

When you are unsure if an action, behavior or statement could be considered bullying, you can use the “average or reasonable person” test.

VISUAL MEDIA ALLIANCE

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NEW MEMBERS Foug Design Black Flag Creative

Black Flag Creative, Sacramento, leads companies on an adventure through the digital seas to craft innovative designs & applications that center around the user experience. We specialize in UX/UI, responsive design, website development, mobile first platforms, branding, email marketing and native iOS & Android applications.

Corey Lewis 916-491-0607 corey@sailblackflag.com www.sailblackflag.com

Data Forms

Data Forms Inc., Reno, NV, is an independent, family owned and operated business. Since 1963 Data Forms has been a Trade Business Forms Manufacturer providing Custom Continuous Forms, Unit Set Forms, Cut Sheets, Checks, Commercial Printing, Envelopes and Digital Print-to-Mail Services.

Mike Elliott 800- 648-5404 melliott@dataforms.org www.dataforms.org

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VISUAL MEDIA ALLIANCE

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Located in Palo Alto, Foug Design specializes in development of branding, websites, collateral, templates, annual reports and presentations.

Julia Foug 650-561-3193 Julia@fougdesign.com www.fougdesign.com

Monolith Press Monolith Press in Alameda specializes in printing silkscreened posters, fine art prints and short-run record covers with Eco-friendly water-based inks.

Matt Parrillo 510-282-5242 monolithpress@gmail.com www.monolithpress.net

Marc Friedland Couture Communication

Marc Friedland, Los Angeles, is today’s premier luxury developer of personal brands. In an increasingly digital world, he strives to bring his passion for craftsmanship, wit and beauty to any medium you may desire. More than an invitation designer, more than an event planner, Marc is ready to make sure the biggest moments of your life are infused with all that makes you you.

Thomas Swiech 323-936-9009 Thomas@marcfriedlandinc.com www.marcfriedlandinc.com

Minuteman Press of Petaluma Minuteman Press of Petaluma has been serving the print and document needs of the North Bay since 1933. We offer a broad range of solutions for your printing needs with consistent quality and competitive prices.

Mike Maddalena 707-763-4188 mike@minutemanpetaluma.com www.petaluma.minutemanpress.com

New Direction Partners

Investment Banking Services exclusively for the Printing and Packaging Industry. We work on the Buy/Sell side of transactions as well as provide valuations, assist with refinancing and strategic planning consulting.

Paul Reilly 610-230-0635 preilly@newdirectionpartners.com www.newdirectionpartners.com

Shepherd Lithograph

Shepherd Lithograph Inc., South San Francisco, a dependable mid-sized commercial printer with over 40 years experience in the offset printing industry. We have the knowledge and skills to help get your printing needs accomplished smoothly and efficiently. We offer quality printing, quick turnaround and competitive pricing. Looking forward to serving you.

Bruce Dollinger (650) 873-0224 shepherdlitho@speakeasy.net

The Graphic Element

Tev Lee Photography

Tev Lee Photography, San Francisco, is a 360degree virtual tour of your business on Google, 360-degree photos for your Facebook page, 360-degree videos for your website, product or service photography, portraits for social media, videos for YouTube, time-lapse video and all other forms of photography.

Steven Lee (415) 690-8008 info@tevlee.com www.tevlee.com

The Graphic Element, Manhattan Beach, is a full-service design and marketing agency that can handle everything your business needs to attract more clients. We can design and develop your new website or effectively market your business or product in print.

Laura Missioreck 310-798-2711 laura@thegraphicelement.com www.thegraphicelement.com

Visual Media Alliance (VMA) is a nonprofit trade association dedicated to providing a variety of benefits and money saving programs to creative, web media, marketing and print businesses in Northern and Central California and Northern Nevada. Our purpose is to deliver what it takes to help our members become more successful and profitable in their businesses. To accomplish that goal, we provide personal and professional development programs for both owners and employees. Dues are based on each company’s employee count. The Alliance also brings Business Services to small and medium media companies and even individual creatives who are typically underserved in insurance and discounted business services.

FSC Certification giving you a headache?

Let us be your certification partner.

RACG provides FSC® Chain of Custody Certification for Graphic Communications companies with wood products sales of up to $100 million.

• Fixed Annual All Inclusive Fee • No consulting fees for system setup • Easy On-Boarding Process • Streamlined Audit and Annual Review • Experienced Guidance for On Product Logo Usage • Continuous and Prompt Customer Service • Training and Webinar Instruction

Visit www.racgus.org or contact Jim Frey at VMA, (415) 489-7615, jfrey@vma.bz.

VISUAL MEDIA ALLIANCE

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FIND-AN-EMPLOYEE

PROGRAM CREATIVE

Creative Production – Production Artist/Illustrators

Creative Production – Graphic Designer I am a print professional and designer with over 17 years of industry experience in a variety of printing techniques. I am seeking a challenging position in a dynamic environment that focuses on building strategic relationships with clients and promotes customer satisfaction while achieving personal and company goals.

Sacramento Valley – Flores 4163

I have over 25 years of experience in digital prepress and as a production artist in the SF Bay Area.

Adobe Illustrator, InDesign and Photoshop are my main tools, and I am also familiar with a variety of Esko products. I thrive on working with the elements of color, text and design. I consider myself a dependable, considerate and hardworking graphics professional.

Building press ready graphic files is a skill that I have honed over my many years in the industry, and I would like to share my knowledge and experience with your company.

East Bay – Drake 4162

VM Access Goes Mobile!

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VISUAL MEDIA ALLIANCE

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2016

All PPI States and N. California – Engdahl 4158 Print Production-Flexo/ Packaging-Specialty Press Operator

PRINT PRODUCTION Print Management – Production Management I am a highly motivated and organized manager with extensive knowledge of commercial print and production. My experience over 34 years in the industry has given me strong decision-making capabilities, the ability to react quickly to everchanging situations and a desire to grow and be challenged by the right opportunity.

South Bay – Garland 4156 Print Management – General Management I am experienced in all phases of running a label house, from customer service and order entry to managing litho stock and ink or specialty papers inventory, as well as cost accounting and billing. I am also experienced in all phases of prepress, as well as proofing on press and press checks including CMYK plus PMS spot colors to meet customer specifications. I am knowledgeable in NLEA standards and regulations in addition to FDA rules for labeling of can, beverage and wine products. I enjoy working with customers on new label projects by interfacing with their packer to ensure accuracy of nutritional information so that the end product will have optimum shelf impact.

Peninsula – Esteves 4164

Now Visual Media Access is available on all your mobile devices from smart phones to tablets. Try it out today at vmaccess.org.

NOW FEATURING: • Location based search • Single search box • Easy to use category search • 12,000 impression a month • As a member, your company is listed. Make sure your company information is up-to-date!

conducting trainings in letterpress printing and design.

Print Production – Large Press Operator I have extensive knowledge of both small and large sheetfed letterpresses. My printing experience includes imposition, die-cutting, makeready, press repair (for platen and cylinder presses), and ink making. Additionally, I have proficiency feeding 4-color offset presses. I also have experience

I am experienced in operating both Flexo and Specialty Presses with an emphasis on safety and supervision.

I have interests and experience in Color Management, Auditing, 5S, Continuous Improvement (I am White Belt Trained), HACCP, GMP, SAP Visio, Word, Excel, and Flexographic as well as Rotogravure Printing. I hold certifications in both CPR and Forklift operation.

Northern California – Villegas 4157 Print Management – Internships I have graphic design experience across a variety of mediums, including marketing materials, logos, photography and web design. My primary proficiencies are in Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign, Flash, Final Cut Pro, After Effects, Microsoft Word, Excel and Power Point. I am looking for work in Graphic Design, Marketing or Motion Graphics.

East Bay – Ejaz 4159 Marketing – Writers I am a writer, content creator and branding strategist with a passion for business and marketing. I have worked with a growing array of clients that range from boutique businesses to international corporations. I am a zealous learner and I would love to continue to build up my knowledge and experience.

San Francisco – Damer 4161

LUNCH AND LEARN

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ARE YOU AHEAD OR BEHIND THE TREND? We are now

firmly in the solution selling paradigm. Old school transactional selling

is fading by the wayside being replaced by comprehensive solution selling strategies. We need to understand HOW to help our clients and prospects meet their objectives. We will discuss how you and your sales team can execute a client needs assessment to determine how your company can fit into their business needs; ask better questions; use the right marketing tools; develop new sales cycles and more!

KEY TAKEAWAYS: HOW TO UNDERSTAND YOUR CLIENTS’ OBJECTIVES BEST PRACTICES FOR DELIVERING AN EFFECTIVE CLIENT NEEDS ASSESSMENT KEY COMPONENTS FOR CASE STUDIES

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LEARN TO BE SKILLED AT UNDERSTANDING HOW TO FOCUS ON ROI FOR

$45/MEMBER

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11:30AM - 1:30PM $65/NON-MEMBER

(lunch included)

LESLIE GROENE one of the coaching superstars in

President, Groene Consulting, is

the world of corporate sales as well as a business consultant and author. Her background is in the paper and printing industries as a sales rep and sales manager.

She has been featured in many PIA affiliate markets and as a speaker and business development trainer including the upcoming 2017 President’s Conference.

She helps her clients focus on revenue generation and profit growth.

She authored the business strategy book Picture Yourself & the Life You Want and is a nationally renowned motivational speaker.

TO REGISTER: Contact Laura Vargas at 415.489.7625 laura@vma.bz

or visit our Upcoming Events page on www.vma.bz

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