Creative Leisure News

Technology issues that affect your business

An Invitation To Learn....

.... How CHA's Standards and Technology can help your business..

by Herb Langtinga (October 6, 2008)

(Note: This is a message sent by Notions Marketing to its customers. Notions' CEO, Herb Lantinga, is a member of the CHA board of directors and is Chair of CHA's Standards and Technology Task Force.)

The Standards and Technology Task Force (TF) of the Craft and Hobby industry has worked long and hard to bring into use standards that will benefit all CHA Members. The standard is simple, it works, and companies who are using it benefit from it!

The work of the TF (Task Force) results in a real member benefit to CHA by reducing the confusion about providing item information to retailers. We strongly encourage you to attend. We are limiting the number of companies in each of the three sessions so that those on the conference call can ask questions to find real but perhaps hidden benefits.

(Editor's note: The first session was already held.)

Here is what you will learn:

What are the problems that companies are experiencing with suppliers who do not use the CHA standard item record (SIR)?

How does using the CHA Standard Item Record (SIR) solve the problem?

How do companies quantify the benefits that result when a supplier uses the CHA SIR:

If staff time was saved, what did a company do with the "new" time available? If money was saved, what did that enable a company to do? If it enabled a company to bring items to market faster, how did that impact "turn and earn" or other bottom line metrics? What should be said to suppliers to encourage them to use the CHA SIR?

Information Sharing Teleconference

DATES:

Monday, October 6, 2008 ... Monday, October 20, 2008

TIME:

Just opened up to the retail store membership of CHA. Valuable information for FREE

Learn how to use a simple Excel Spreadsheet to meet data requirements which will improve inventory data management and save you money.

Go to: www.craftandhobby.org. Click on Industry Standards. Click on Register. Sign up.

Or register at: http://www.insightu.org/hobby/telcon0908.htm.

Effective Communications: CHA Best Practices That Benefit the Bottom Line

Hear it like it really is from other CHA members. This non-technical session is an interactive "workshop" limited to 20 companies at a time. The small focused group is designed to enable interactive Q & A. The topic is about USING the CHA Standard Item Record.

A panel of your peers includes Coats and Clark, Crafter�s Home Buying Group, Ben Franklin Stores, and Michael's Stores.

Who should attend?

This is a non-technical session and should be attended by the management of every CHA member who uses a computer in their business. This will affect sales, marketing and strategic planning. Although it deals with technology, it is about making the CHA supply chain and your store more efficient.

What will you learn?

The Class will cover:

How you can benefit internally if you use the CHA standard Item record format. It will simplify your inventory management and speed up new product introductions.

What item record information you can expect from Notions Marketing or other CHA member companies (A "Readers Digest" understanding of the CHA specifications, section 10.3)

How using the CHA standards provides internal benefits � Success stories from Manufacturers and Retailers.

How retailers can help a supplier to bring the item records of the supplier into compliance with the CHA specification.

Notions Marketing encourages your involvement.

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