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The Anti-VistaPrint

Growll.com caters to resellers only

By Andy Brown

Type the word “printing” in an internet search engine, and scores of ads offer end users rock-bottom prices.
That is, all but one.

“Even our Google and Yahoo ads say not to click on our ad unless you’re a reseller,” says Lou DiBridge, vice president of sales and marketing at Growll.com, Greenville, S.C. “If you’re not, I don’t even want to pay for the click.”

Growll.com, a division of commercial printer Indexx Printing Inc., started in 2003 by selling to anyone who found them through the internet. “I had the idea to go on the web and take on the world by selling gang printing to everybody,” says DiBridge. Their clients included distributors, direct mail marketers, ad agencies and all sorts of end users.

Growll.com chose a German shepherd as its mascot to
convey a sense of security to resellers. The printer’s
website is inaccessible to end users. Standing with the dog
are Customer Service Manager Jeff Bartee (left) and Lou
DiBridge, vice president of sales and marketing.

In 2005, DiBridge reevaluated his strategy. Working with end users produced more problems than he anticipated. “We had problems getting files that were printable,” he says. Solving basic problems for end users took more time than they were worth, and the company noticed that its best clients were designers, printers and resellers. DiBridge grandfathered existing end users, but stopped accepting new ones to the program. Today, Growll.com serves approximately 2,400 unique customers, only 100 of which are leftover end users. “I tried it from both sides, and there was a conflict of interest with my clients,” says DiBridge. “You can’t ride both sides of the street. You have to choose.”

Growll.com aimed its marketing to resellers and designed a website that makes it clear who’s allowed to use it. “We sell to resellers only, period,” says DiBridge. A list of who the company considers to be resellers appears on the home page. To qualify for an account with Growll.com, prospective customers first fill out an application. Employees at Growll.com immediately contact the applicant to verify the form’s accuracy. “We actually call the customers. That’s one of the first things we do,” says DiBridge. “We find out immediately if it’s someone working from home, a beauty salon, et cetera. If we call and still don’t feel safe with what they’re saying, we’ll ask for a business license. If they can’t provide one, then we say, ‘Sorry.’”

After going through the sign-up process, applicants receive a note that they’ve been accepted or turned down. If they’re accepted, they place an order by selecting products they want, using a shopping cart interface. After entering credit card information, a purchase order is generated. The customer then uploads artwork and connects it to the purchase order. Within 24 hours, Growll.com emails a proof, even for repeat orders. Customers can also order a hard copy, which is shipped overnight. “We have a philosophy to proof everything,” says DiBridge. The customer approves the proof or uploads new artwork. Once customers sign off on a proof, the order is shipped in five days or fewer. If customers need the products faster than that, Growll.com offers rush order service. With other online print vendors, coordinating rush orders can be a trying process. “A lot of sites don’t answer the phone,” says DiBridge. “If you call, we’ll answer the phone. We try to build a personal relationship.”

Margaret Felts, sales representative at Sir Speedy, Winston-Salem, N.C., backs that claim: “It’s easy to get a quote using the online service, but if you ever need to talk to someone, they’re available,” she says. “I used another vendor for a client who orders brochures, and I wasn’t getting the customer service that I needed, so I switched to Growll.com.”

About Growll.com

Growll.com functions as the online counterpart to printer Indexx Printing Inc., a local printing company in Greenville, S.C., with nearly $11 million in annual sales revenue and 80 employees. To distinguish between its reseller activities and its direct-selling arm, Growll.com doesn’t advertise in South Carolina. Still, even some local printers continue to outsource work to Growll.com, because if work comes through Growll.com, Indexx honors the customer’s relationship. “They know we won’t go after their accounts,” says DiBridge. “In my model, we support the reseller. That makes our brand strong, which is what we want.”
Felts’ company is one of the top ten Sir Speedy franchises in the United States in terms of annual revenue. She outsources long-run, 4-color work to Growll.com and has never worried about them going directly to her customers. “They quickly realized that their customers needed to feel confident in their honesty and integrity,” she says. “So they’ve taken tremendous pains to make us feel comfortable about that.” In addition to Growll.com’s screening process, the company also ships blind to end users if the reseller requires it. “They’ll ship directly to customers, and there will be nothing indicating that it came from Growll.com,” says Felts. Kerri Smith, CEO of CU Exceed, Simpsonville, S.C., also vouches for Growll.com.

“[Selling to our clients] has never been an issue. The staff’s integrity is impeccable,” she says.
Not every job is appropriate for Growll.com. “We are still a gang printer,” DiBridge says. “We’re not a critical-color job house, where you’re going to match up shirts. “It’s important to say who you are.” The company specializes in 4-color business cards, letterhead, brochures, postcards, booklets, catalogs, envelopes and notecards. Products are available on various stocks and with different finishes. Growll.com utilizes offset and digital presses, depending on the product, quantity and turnaround time the customer requires.

Growll.com also offers design services to resellers who need it. However, you won’t find templates on the web site. When the company decided to focus on resellers, it also decided to avoid templates. The idea is that real designers use professional software to create artwork. “If you’re a true designer and reseller of print, that’s why Publisher, Illustrator and other programs were developed,” say DiBridge. “I’ve seen templates, and they look good, but if you know how to design, you wouldn’t use them.” Resellers expect to work with professional designers. Templates, on the other hand, are suited more to end users.

Andy Brown is managing editor of Print Solutions magazine. Email comments to abrown@PSDA.org.