November / December 2005

Welcome to our holiday edition of Nutraceutical News from IFS

As we reflect on the holiday season, we want to take a few moments to thank the loyal and growing family of nutraceutical companies with whom we work. It is a pleasure to contribute to your success!

In what is usually our Client Profile article, we'll instead take a look at some of the things that are important to all of our nutraceutical clients throughout the year. As for our other columns, in Fulfillment Notes you'll read about the importance of a good inventory management system. In our Marketing column we'll tell you about the importance of developing your company's 30-second commercial. And in this issue's Customer Service Corner, you'll learn some new ways to say Thank You to your customers at the holidays.

Also, with the holidays upon us, we are pleased to make a donation to the Vitamin Angel Alliance on behalf of our clients and business partners. This non-profit, non-sectarian organization was created more than ten years ago to fight malnutrition and childhood blindness around the world. To find out how you, too, can support this organization, we encourage you to visit www.vitaminangel.org.

For more information about the content found here or about any of our products and services, you can always visit our website, www.ifssolutions.com. To share your feedback about this newsletter, please click here. To unsubscribe, please use the link at the end of this issue.

In this issue:

• Client Profile: What Nutraceutical Companies Value in a Fulfillment System
• Fulfillment Notes: The Challenge of Inventory Management
• Maximize Your Marketing Effectiveness: What's Your 30-second Commercial?
• Customer Service Corner: Saying Thank You at the Holidays
• About IFS: For More Information, Contact Us

At IFS, we have been fortunate to grow steadily thanks to the many nutraceutical and other clients with whom we work. So for this year-end issue, we thought you might find it helpful to know what successful nutraceutical companies value as the critical components in their fulfillment operations, whether managed in-house or out-sourced.

Here are five key things:

• Knowledgeable representatives to answer your phones - having well-trained people with a thorough understanding of the company's product line is crucial to your long-term success.
• An auto-refill (subscription) program - implementing an automated shipping process ensures customers consistently receive their orders when needed, while helping you anticipate your inventory levels.
• A well-maintained database - a clean, regularly updated database of customers and potential customers helps you spend your marketing dollars wisely.
• Detailed reporting - having access to reports related to customer orders, shipment records and inventory levels are instrumental to running a good day-to-day operation.
• Upsell opportunities - professional call center staffers who are well versed in suggesting additional related products can increase your average order size overnight.

If you have questions about how to improve your company's fulfillment process, give us a call at 888-275-3000.

Staying in stock on your products - especially best sellers - can be a real challenge. And being out of stock frequently can quickly kill a successful nutraceutical business. Plus, tracking "lot" numbers to ensure a proper rotation of your inventory is something that may become increasingly important as increased regulation takes place.

If you don't already have a good inventory management system in place, you should seriously consider implementing one. That way, not only will you operate more efficiently, if you should ever experience difficulties with your product, you will know which customers received which lot numbers.

Plus, a good inventory management system won't just help you keep SKUs in stock. It will help you stay on top of all your shipping materials as well. Running out of the right size boxes, packaging materials, labels and/or any other shipping related items can mean major shipping delays as well as gigantic hassles.

At IFS, we have a state-of-the-art inventory management system in place to ensure our clients are always aware of inventory levels. If you'd like to visit about our system or have questions about your system, be sure to give us a call.

When someone you meet says, "Tell me about your business," are you like many of us who describe our work or our companies differently every time? Then you should think about writing your own 30-second commercial.

Writing down a brief snapshot of your business in such a way that it can be easily stated within 30 seconds - or repeated on a brief elevator ride (which is why you'll also hear the term "elevator speech") - is one of the best brand marketing efforts you can put into place.

Here's another way to use your new 30-second commercial - consider putting it on the back of your business card. If your business is difficult to describe, a brief description on the back of your card can be a huge plus when someone you meet goes back to your card. Since you describe your business there, they can quickly recall the exact products and services you offer.

So write down your 30-second commercial, then polish it up with a little practice. The next time you're at a business function and meeting new people, you'll be glad you did!

How do you thank your customers for their business? For larger customers, do you send a greeting card or drop off a festive holiday tin? For individual consumers, do you enclose a holiday message in your packages?

Here are ten things you can do to say Happy Holidays and Thank You to your customers in the coming weeks:

• Have your phones answered with a special holiday greeting;
• Include a holiday message on your phone system for calls received after hours;
• Use a special holiday-designed shipping label that sends a "thank you" message;
• Pack your boxes with red or green tissue paper or use colorful holiday packing peanuts;
• Include a holiday-themed certificate in your customers' November or December shipments, good for a percentage off their next order;
• Include an inexpensive "gift" at no charge by packing a free sample of another product in with your customers' orders - you'll surprise and delight them with the unexpected gift;
• Put a festive thank you message on your website;
• Mail a greeting card to customers who have spent more than a certain dollar level telling them how much you appreciate their business;
• Send a festive holiday email message for other customers under that dollar level thanking them for their business; and
• Make a donation to a favorite charity on behalf of your customers and business partners.

IFS is a world class, full service fulfillment operation with a track record of success. A woman-owned business, we proudly serve some of the country's most respected corporations. With a special expertise in the fulfillment of nutraceuticals, we can help you run your nutraceuticals business more efficiently and more cost effectively.