B-to-B Cataloging: CLIMB Into System Fundamentals
Inventory: Pull a sample record layout and walk through a data inventory with your database manager. Ask questions, and make sure you know what every field means.
Once, while conducting this exercise with a client, we had a lively debate about a heading labeled “quantity.” No one in the company knew whether it meant number of orders or number of products. This type of discovery is not an isolated incident.
A columnist for Retail Online Integration, George founded HAGUEdirect, a marketing agency. Previously he was a member of the Shawnee Mission, Kan.-based consulting and creative agency J. Schmid & Assoc. He has more than 10 years of experience in circulation, advertising, consulting and financial strategy in the catalog/retail industry. George's expertise includes circulation strategy, mailing execution, response analysis and financial planning. Before joining J. Schmid, George worked as catalog marketing director at Dynamic Resource Group, where he was responsible for marketing and merchandising for the Annie's Attic Needlecraft catalog, the Clotilde Sewing Notions catalog, the House of White Birches Quilter's catalog and three book clubs. George also worked on corporate acquisitions.
