The Competitive Edge
About The Competitive Edge
The Competitive Edge is AIM North America’s monthly, quick-read e-newsletter. Our purpose, as the title suggests, is to help you maintain your competitive edge and grow your business by putting you in touch with key information. Inside you’ll find highlights on current reseller, integrator, distributor, or manufacturer issues and market trends (a feature titled Headline AIM), along with member-specific news and information. As good as The Competitive Edge is, we’re open to new ways of making it even better, so your comments and suggestions are welcomed.
Missing Out On the Best This Newsletter Has to Offer? Join AIM NA Today!
From sales leads to market trends to discounts on training, products, and services, membership in AIM NA delivers access to growth opportunities you won’t find anywhere else.
What’s more, AIM NA offers membership levels tailored to you. So whether your business is large or small, there’s room to grow with AIM NA. Learn more.
New Members
CYBRA Corporation
Join Date: June 15, 2008
CYBRA is the developer of award-winning MarkMagic™ Bar Code Labels, RFID Tags, and Electronic Forms Software, and EdgeMagic™ Integrated RFID Control Software for the IBM System i, MS Windows, and Linux platforms. Learn more.
ALL-PACK
Join Date: July 3, 2008
Learn more.
For a complete list of AIM North America Members, visit http://www.aim-na.org/memberlist.php or to join, visit http://www.aim-na.org/membership.php.
Channel Bytes - Writing White Paper Copy That Converts
By John Burnell, Principal, Burnell Reports
Part 2 of a 2 Part Series
In my previous installment I covered the reasons AIDC companies should use white papers in their marketing (reason #1: technology buyers use white papers more than any other information source; reason #2: 90% of executives say white papers are helpful in decision making) and explained why VARs, integrators and other channel companies are not too small to develop their own content. This article focuses on how to write a quality, effective white paper.
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White papers have something fundamentally in common with AIDC channel businesses: the most successful ones are focused. Like a business, a white paper can be focused on an industry, application or technology. You don't prospect to every business that owns a computer, neither should your white paper. Lack of focus is the second-most common problem I've seen in the hundreds of white papers I've reviewed for my work. |
"Professionals commit time to read
white papers because they want to
be educated, not pitched."
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AIM NA Members: Login to read the full article.
Non-Members: Join now for as little as $495!
John Burnell is principal of Burnell Reports, which develops customer education and marketing communication materials for technology companies. Burnell Reports has published more than 90 white papers and won numerous writing awards. As a free service, Burnell Reports will provide a critique of the content and organization of your white papers, case studies or other marketing materials. Contact John at john@burnell.com or 216.571.2319, or visit www.BurnellReports.com for more information.
The tools and products listed in this article are for reference purposes only and should be not taken as an endorsement.
Is It “barcode” Or “bar code”?
Why do some articles say “barcode” and others “bar code?” Which is correct? Is “arfid” a real industry term? Did you know that there are international standards that define words related to optical media (bar code), RFID, locating systems, radio communications, and general AIDC terms?
At AIM, we are always looking for ways to help our members succeed in the automatic identification and mobility industry and we alert you to the publication and availability of the most current vocabulary standards for your industry. Only through AIM can your organization purchase the complete set at a significant discount.
Whether you are writing a magazine article, responding to a sales lead, writing up product specifications or drafting a contract, this set of standards can be an invaluable resource for you and your colleagues. The vast majority of technical standards produced for the Automatic Identification and Mobility technology reference these standards as THE source of common terms. If you produce equipment to any international bar code, RFID, or AIDC technical standards you should own this set of documents.
BONUS: This month only, members can save 25% off the purchase of the complete set of Vocabulary Standards at a discounted price of $365 (when compared to the purchase price to buy the documents separately).
Visit the AIM Store now to read more and purchase an electronic, searchable set of these standards.
For Members Only—The AIM NA Advantage
Hiring in 2008 and Beyond…Webinar Available for Download
Don’t be unprepared for the Millennial’s arrival in your workplace. Members can download this audio recorded session and accompanying PowerPoint presentation by visiting AIM Member Services.
Event Discounts Are Just a Click Away
With the increasing cost to drive or fly to your upcoming industry events, AIM NA is pleased to provide you the following members-only registration discounts. Simply login and use the links and/or discounts codes mentioned and SAVE!
SAVE $400 2008 Automatic Identification and Data Capture Technical Institute
July 20 - 25
Ohio University, Athens, OH
This week-long summer program has been running since 1986. Whether you offer some of these technologies to your customers and you want to brush up, or if you have only seen bar codes at the store, this technical institute has something for everyone.
http://www.ohio.edu/industrialtech/aidc/aidcti/index.cfm.
SAVE 10 – 20% RFID World
Sept 8 - 10
Las Vegas
AIM members receive a 10% - 20% registration discount for either the Deluxe 3-Day Conference Pass, 2-Day Conference pass or 1-Day Conference pass.
Integrator members save 20%. Non-Integrators members save 10%.
http://www.cmp-egevents.com/web/rfid/home.
SAVE 20% Product Authentication & Brand Security Conference
Sept 11 - 12
Chicago
AIM members receive a 20% registration discount.
http://www.awa-bv.com/?c=event&t=register&id=40.
SAVE 50% Evolution of an RFID Revolution
October 15
Andover, MA
This event will feature a balanced message from users, technology providers, analysts and academia about the potential of RFID and its benefits and future enterprises.
http://www.aidc100.org/08meeting.htm
AIM RFP Postings
For complete details and how to respond to these and other recent RFPs, members can login.
- We are a supplier of rental material to the concrete forming contractors. Currently the industry standard is to hand count all items in conjunction with weighing them. I would like to investigate a RFID system for inventory control.
- Looking to buy RSS Limited Composite Codes or software.
- We are developing a product for use in a variety of industries, we need an EEx RFID reader/writer- we envisage needing around 200 of these units over the next five years.
- We would like to have a bar code reader system as part of the manufacturing process to rapidly collect data and store it in an electronic data base.
- We currently have Bar Codes that identify our assets but would like a sophisticated way of tracking them, since we have lots of losses in this area.
- We have a pilot project spread over 4 floors handling the storage and recall of approx 1,000 files. We would like to receive information that would allow RFID plan to be implemented over the whole building with the ability of handling up to 6,000 new filed per year.
Industry Events
Submit your events to AIM NA. Include your contact information, event name, dates, location, and website.
THE FINE PRINT
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AIM North America
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Phone: +1 724 934 5688 ● http://www.aim-na.org
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