Brenda Harper's Albums Chat

OK Folks, You Asked for ‘em and Now We’ve Got ’em!

2008-12-04T10:00:00.000-08:00

Design service for finished albums through Ellipse Album Design
Album Epoca
ProCraft Photobooks
Improved Fine Art albums from Renaissance the Book
Cool cover materials—including the absolute best brushed aluminum –with Eclipse from Maxima
FREE software from both Epoca and ProCraft Photobook

All this, plus the best customer service available. Albums Inc. is your one stop shop for everything. Whatever you need, Albums Inc and I are here to help however we can.

With the holidays quickly approaching and trade show season right around the corner, now is the time to start thinking about what you are going to offer your clients in 2009. Fortunately, we have some pretty exciting things going on that should make your decisions easy. We have new cover materials and options from all our manufacturers and I gotta tell you, I am really excited about it all. In fact, between Ellipse Album Design and our excellent manufacturers, I promise both you and your clients are going to LOVE what we have to offer!

My advice? Start placing your orders now for your studio samples so you have them ready to show come January. Did you know we offer a 50% discount on custom flush studio samples? They’re definitely worth the investment. Too busy during the holiday season to design your albums? Let Ellipse Album Design do it for you. The design team there is incredible!! Not only are they talented, they’re fast and reasonable. Check them out at www.ellipsealbumdesign.com. (embedded link) Don’t know which album line to choose? Give me a call and I will help guide you to the album line that will best fit your needs.

By the way, I will be at the following trade shows in the coming months:

PPA in Phoenix, January 2009
WPPI in Las Vegas, February 2009
Western States Convention in Pasadena, March 2009

As always, please know that Albums Inc. and I are here to help your business grow. Feel free to contact me anytime. I can be reached at 714-465-6582 or you can e-mail me at bharper@albumsinc.com

Happy Holidays,

2008-09-26T05:30:00.000-07:00

When: Sept 28 9-5pm
Where: Double Tree Hotel in Sacramento Ca. 2001 Point West Way,

Hanson Fong will be doing the PPSV Symposium program which I will be attending...for more info on the event you can visit www.ppsv.org.

2008-07-28T09:02:00.000-07:00

I will be in Burlingam, California for the Ferro program and would like to invite you to come by and see me while I'm there...

Aug 5 from 1 p.m. - 5 p.m.
Aug 6 from 10 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.

DoubleTree Hotel 835 Airport Bl Burlingame, Ca. 94010

I will have new product for you to see. You will find me in the hotel library. I hope to see you there!

HELLO, MY FRIENDS …

2008-07-16T10:53:00.000-07:00

… Hope all is well.

With PPA, Western States, WPPI, Ed Pierce, the Ferro tour, WCS and GGS behind me, I can now say …what a year so far!!! Thank you everyone for all your support. I absolutely love meeting face-to-face with all my customers, putting faces to voices, and meeting with those whose names I have known for years and never met
With rising gas prices and a very soft economy, we are all feeling the pain. But, not to fret…there is light at the end of the tunnel.

So many of the photographers I’ve met with these past few months have told me that brides today are looking for a deal. Well, in most cases, when I have sat down and compared apples to apples with some of our competitors’ prices, photographers are surprised that our prices are coming in below what they are currently paying. Yes, we have some really “high-end” products that are high-end in cost, but we also have products that are not.

For example, take our new Epoca line. Where else can you get a set of 10 albums printed, mounted and bound for $1000 or less (depending on the size and number of pages, of course)? This new line just launched in March has already got photographers re-thinking their current supplier. Check it out; you’ll be amazed.

Renaissance the Book’s Fine Art albums have been the rage for me lately. With new cover materials, tight gutters and the stitch top box that comes standard, you can’t beat the quality and price on these “fine” books. Now, many photographers have told me recently that I can’t beat the pricing they are currently paying. Yes, there are some companies out there with cheaper knock-offs, but you can bet they are just that, “KNOCK- OFFS”. I’ve seen them, and have had people tell me they are just as good. But a month later many are calling back to tell me we need to meet again because they are not happy with the quality of their knock-off. By the way, when you are pricing a RTB book, don’t be confused by the price guide. If you are looking at Option B, which many are, DO NOT ADD THE PRINT COST to the already priced out cost in the chart. The little box at the bottom of the page is a guide to let you know what print cost would be. It is already included in the Option B chart for you. Now for metallic prints, you do have to add an extra cost. Metallic prints are a little more expensive, so you would have to add anywhere from .75 to $1.25, depending on the print size. Here’s an example: If you order a 10×10, 15- page, 30-side Fine Art album with standard material (see page 70 for list of materials), it will cost you just $300.00 for printing, mounting and binding. And YES, that includes the cover and a stitch top box. Not bad, huh? If you’re interested, give me a call and I will be happy to walk you through your order. It’s as easy as that.

Very soon Albums Inc. will be launching a whole new line of press printed books. The differences between us and some of the others?

1. Higher quality
2. Lower cost
3. AVAILABLE ONLY TO THE PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHER

This last point is probably the most important. Why does your client need you if they can get professional packaging on his or her own? Albums Inc has always strived to help the professional photographer. We know how important it is to package the prints right so they last a lifetime.

If you need help, call me. I’m happy to meet with you and see what I can do.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Have a great summer!!

714-465-6582 bharper@albumsinc.com

Gotta say it…TIME SURE FLIES WHEN YOU’RE HAVING FUN!!!

2008-04-07T09:39:00.000-07:00

Sorry it’s been such a long time since my last blog update. Trade show season just seems to never end – at least for the first three months of the year. They are the craziest! Now that I have had a week to regroup and re-introduce myself to my family and cadre of pets, I figured I’d better sit down and put some of my thoughts about these past few months in writing. (After all, for a brief moment in my life I thought I wanted to be a writer … until Nancy Minter got hold of my blogs and showed me how really bad I am. Thanks, Nancy, for helping me look better!)

First and foremost, I want to send a great big “THANK YOU” to PPC and all the affiliates for presenting me with the “INDIVIDUAL VENDOR OF THE YEAR AWARD 2008.” What an honor and a privilege. Thank you from the bottom of my heart—you have no idea how special this award is to me!!!

As many of you know by now, I have worked in this industry for over 19 years, and I have seen a lot of changes. Right now, many of you are concerned about your livelihood. Many don’t know what the future will bring. There are so many companies out there offering services to you. It’s got to be very difficult to decide which direction to go. Well, here at Albums Inc., we are aware of the struggles many of you are going through, and we are here to help.

Albums Inc is “Everything after the Photography”—and then some! We’ve got everything you need to make a professionally packaged presentation to your client: From paper bags, cloth frame bags, folders, custom framing, boxes, tissue paper, and traditional matted albums, all the way up to your high end flush/magazine albums. At times, all these options can be confusing to some; but that’s where I come in, along with our team of knowledgeable staff members. We can help you sort it all out and choose what’s best for your business. Our goal is not to “sell” you, but to help you. Many of us have been in the industry for years and we truly care about you and your business.

Here are a FEW examples of the lines we offer (click the picture for a closer look):

Fine Art: Nice tight gutters, new cover materials including some awesome acrylics, and the same great quality you have grown to expect.

Equinox: Again, beautiful new acrylics and a large variety of new cover materials, including some leathers. Looking for peel and stick albums, aka self mount albums? We’ve got lots of those in new sizes, colors, page capacities and – wait—we have some horizontal sizes, too.

Last but not least!!! Our new line, Albums Epoca. WOW!! This is a great new line that will help you sell a whole new concept to the bride-to-be. You can now offer an entire affordable package to her that will allow her to give both albums and photobooks to some of her closest family members and friends.

PLUS- -New frame moldings have been added, and our newly designed 2008 AI catalog is a definite must! Call to get your free copy today. You will be blown away at the changes that have been made to not only what we offer, but to the look and ease of the catalog.

Whatever your need is, be it product or pricing and packaging advice, know that Albums Inc. and I are willing to do whatever we can to help.

I will be updating where you can find me once I get dates in place. If you need my help or just want to chat, I’m here for you. Call or e-mail me if you would like to get together.

Have a great day,

714-465-6582 bharper@albumsinc.com

Happy Holidays!!

2007-12-18T12:00:00.000-08:00

I would like to wish you all a very Happy Holiday Season!!

Thank you all for your support throughout 2007, we truly appreciate your business and support!!

As we round the corner to 2008 many have been asking what is in store for the New Year. Well I can’t tell you how excited I am for the trade show season to begin. We have new golf folders, cd cases, new colors and sizes in the Superior peel n stick books, new colors and sizes in the Ventura albums. Renaissance the book has added new cover materials including acrylic, and let me tell you they are the best I have ever seen. There are new sizes coming out in many of our lines.

Be sure to attend at least one of the shows this year so you can see what is going for 2008. I believe you will very happy to see some of the new cover options.

Until then, I would like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

See you in 2008.

Happy Holidays,

Brenda Harper

A Special Note to All Affected By the California Fires

2007-10-26T07:34:00.000-07:00

Dear Photographers and Friends,

As I sit here thinking about our family and friends in Southern California, I am reminded of how quickly everything we have worked so hard for can be gone in a matter of minutes. At the same time I am also reminded to be thankful for what we do have, the most important of which is our lives. Homes can always be rebuilt, businesses can be reopened, and new possessions can be bought. But lives can’t ever be replaced.

I don’t know how many of you have suffered losses due to the fires—I pray that none of you have. But as we all know, many people have lost everything. Yet I have seen many people offer a hand to help those who have suffered. It’s important to know that part of overcoming tragic events in life is to mourn our losses. Then it’s what we do after that counts. As a human race, it’s in our nature to want to do whatever we can to help one another. It’s part of the healing process. I want you all to know that I, and the entire AI family, extend our thoughts and prayers to everyone in Southern California.

May God bless you all.

So much has happened since I last updated my blog…where do I begin??

2007-10-18T09:57:00.000-07:00

West Coast Schools:
Great time had by all. Kudos to all that helped with this week long program. How about Disco night…looks like many of you still got the groove going on!!! How about our PPC President, Mr. Collins…hope the hand is better, love the new look.

My Trip to Monterey and San Luis Obispo…thank you Chris Gage and David Pascolla, I could not have done it without your help!!! Thank you both very much. And a BIG THANK you to all of you who attended. These group meetings allow me to meet with groups of photographers in areas that are several hours from my home office. I truly appreciate anyone who takes the time out of their day to meet with me. If you are interested in hosting a product presentation please call me and I will be happy to arrange a group meeting in your area.

And there is the acquisition of WN Albums and Frames…this is by far the most exciting event of the year. In case you didn’t know, Albums Inc. and I are thrilled to have you part of the Albums Inc Family. No matter how big or small your studio is we are here to help. I have spoken to several photographers thus far that have expressed their satisfaction…they are getting their orders quick and as expected. I for one can tell you that Albums Inc is a great company to work with…I know this because I have worked for them for over 18 years now. First as the west coast operations manager for 15 years and now 3 years strong as an outside sales consultant. This company really cares about your future…since your future also affects ours. We pride ourselves with the best customer service available and high quality products that not only last but represents you as a professional photographer. Don’t be fooled by some of our competitiors…I have seen first hand some of the packing products that are being sold out there, and let me tell you…I wouldn’t want some of this “stuff” representing you and your work.

I have seen a lot of changes in this industry over the years and have worked with hundreds if not thousands of photographers. Many of them are still current active customers with Albums Inc. They know when they have found a company that really does care about your image. I for one have many Albums Inc products in my home and I can tell you that they still look as good as the day I bought them. When someone asked to see my wedding album (12+ years old now, took me a few years to finally put on together) they marvel at the quality of the album and how nice it still looks.

I know many of you are struggling to keep up with all the changes and want to know what direction this industry is going. I for one, feel that this industry is going to improve. It is so important that you continue to offer your clients the best that you can, not only by capturing their day as though it was your own, but by delivering it to them in products you can trust. We offer a lifetime guarantee on workmanship of all the products we sell, because like you, it matters to us that our products represent us as well as it represents you.

I am available by appointment to come visit with you and show you what we have to
offer.

I can be reached on my cell 714-465-6582 or you can e-mail me at bharper@albumsinc.com.

Until then, I wish you all the best life has to offer.

Sincerely,

Brenda Harper
Albums Inc.
Sales Consultant

How can Albums Inc and I help you?

2007-07-10T12:05:00.000-07:00

Looking for something new? Not sure what you need? Look no further…we have it all at Albums Inc..

Need flush albums? YES, we have flush! We offer flush in our Equinox, Orion, Jorgensen, Renaissance the Book, Leather Album Design and ProCraft Designer lines. After all, we were one of the first companies to offer flush albums. In fact for your lower end packages all the way to your higher end, we’ve got flush. Just ask.

Need custom framing, boxes, folders, plaques? We have those, too. This is why we’re “Everything after the photography”.

Albums Inc has been in business for over 30 years. We have worked very hard over the years to bring you some of the finest professional products in the industry. We distribute products from over 7 different companies. We stock products that get to you fast, when you need them, and we offer custom made albums that take 3-6 weeks for delivery. Whatever it is you are looking for we have it. We pride ourselves not only on carrying the finest products, but the most importantly, delivering premier customer service. I have been with Albums for over 18 years now; many of you may know me from when I was the Operations Manger for the West Coast locations. Our inside sales reps know their stuff, too. Many have been with Albums Inc. about as long as I have. We are here waiting to help.

Need help with creativity, Photoshop, studio photography? Just ask us …

Albums Inc and I are committed to help you anyway we can. I have heard from so many photographers that they struggle with all the changes happening in this industry, and that education is key. Many photographers are willing to share their knowledge and have been so gracious to help us put together some workshops that will make your lives a little bit easier. You may not recognize some of the names as big speakers on the circuit, but trust me when I tell you these hands-on programs are worth every penny, every second you put into them. I have come to admire these photographers who talk the time to teach., both past ones and present. They are not only excellent sources of information, but are so willing to help their fellow photographers. Don’t miss these next WOW programs from Albums Inc. You won’t get this much information for so little money again.

There are only two more Wow events left in 2007 -- July 16th with Lisa Smith, and David White on the 17th in Camarillo. Then in August we’ll have David White on August 20th, and on the 21st Terri and Donna Reinbold, location TBD. For more information visit us at www.albumsinc.com and click on the Wow Tour.

I have been fortunate to have developed so many relationships over the years, but it still amazes me when scenarios like the following happen. This past March at WPPI, several people came up to me and said they were told I was the one they needed to talk to. One gal in particular came rushing up to me and told me every time she came by the booth I was buried in people waiting to talk to me so when she finally saw her moment she rushed over and grabbed my hand. She said I was famous, that everyone she knew told her to come see me!!! I love it!!! I am also very flattered that so many of you refer me to other photographers. Bring it on, I am ready. You may call me, e-mail or check out my rep page on the web to see if I am coming to a city near by. If you would like to put together a group and have me meet with you, let me know, I’m happy to do it. I live in the L.A. area and make every effort to meet as many photographers as I can. You may e-mail me at bharper@albumsinc.com or call me on my cell, 714-465-6582. I will reply to your message as quickly as possible.

Need help right now? Call 1-800-662-1000 and you can speak to one of our very friendly, helpful sales reps.

I hope I can help you soon.

Have a great summer everyone!

What a year it has been so far!

2007-04-27T06:46:00.000-07:00

So many trade shows, so many photographers to meet, so little time...
With all the changes in our industry, how do you keep up? I can’t imagine what it must be like for photographers having to decide where to go next! Rest assured, Albums Inc. is here to help. Whether you’re looking for folders, frames, boxes, matted albums or flush mount, we have it all. Most importantly, we have a team of customer care experts who are ready, willing, and able to help – and that includes me. With 18+ years in the industry, I’ve seen a lot of changes. There are so many album companies to choose from these days … how do you know if you’re making the right choice? Some companies have gone so far as to offer huge discounts to rope you in. As tempting as that is, I have to wonder about the quality of those discounted products. It would be like buying a knockoff Coach bag or Rolex watch. When was the last time you saw those companies offering deep discounts? You know from the cheap price you’re not getting the real deal, and the same is true with discounted albums. Is the product defective? Is it going to wear out more quickly? How long will you have to wait to get it? You may save a few bucks today, but what’s a cheap album going to cost you a year or so down the road when your customers come back and tell you their album is falling apart and the pages are warping? And what about the customers who won’t say anything? They may not be telling you about the problem, but you can be sure they’re telling friends and family … who are telling other friends and family. With each negative remark a potential referral is lost. Remember, the finishing products you use today are the extra sales of tomorrow. So why would you risk the future growth of your business to save a few dollars on an inferior album?

Here at Albums Inc., we feel it’s critical to start with the best and stay with the best. That way you’ll have a lifetime of referrals coming from customers who are happy not just with the quality of your photography, but the quality of the packaging it is in.

Our commitment to your success doesn’t end there.

At Albums Inc., we’ve put together a group of photographers who want to help. Our California Wow Tour is about giving back to the industry by giving photographers a chance to share knowledge on how to keep up with the constant changes going on in our business today. We started off our Wow Tour in February at Calumet in Beverly Hills with Curt Littlecott and Oscar Afsahi, and then in April we had Curt, Hanson Fong and Kavan Lee at the Calumet in San Francisco. Everyone who attended these events walked away with new knowledge and said that it was money well spent. Need help with Photoshop, branding and marketing, creativity or studio photography? We have more Wow Tour sessions coming to a California city near you. Want to know more? Visit us at www.albumsinc.com and click on the Wow Tour graphic for a list of dates, cities, and topics. We’d love to have you join us!
By the way, even if you can’t make it to our next Wow Tour, please feel free to contact me. I am definitely here to help!

Have a great day,

Brenda Harper
714-465-6582
bharper@albumsinc.com