Tips, Insights & Tactics
Easy, effective cost-saving ideas.
Value is the right combination of quality
and price. Whether you’re a business owner
or an employee, when you seek value in
everything you do, you’ll nearly always be
in sync with your company’s key priorities.
Choose from these cost-savings ideas to
get started.
Operations
• Share your cost-saving goals with your suppliers and ask for
their help. Challenge each supplier to provide three ideas to
reduce costs, then use them all, or the best of the lot.
• Tap local business associations and professional organizations
for partnership opportunities, preferential insurance rates,
special pricing for members and other cost-saving benefits. Get
involved and initiate discounts with new suppliers in exchange
for access to associations’ memberships.
• Use purchasing cards instead of petty cash for small purchases.
They’ll help you track and control all your expenditures.
• Consider trading services or merchandise, like excess inventory,
with your suppliers to reduce cash outlay.
• Stick to a three-quote policy on large purchases. Implement
annual reviews—including pricing—with key suppliers.
• Pay invoices when due to avoid penalty fees. Negotiate
discounts for early payment of invoices, then use them when
your cash flow accommodates.
• Create an emergency plan with a business partner across town.
If disaster strikes, each partner agrees to provide temporary
space for the other to keep the business up and running during
recovery mode.
Temporary Staffing
• Temporary or part-time workers are a great way to staff
temporary workload fluctuations, particularly for work best
done on-site. However, be aware the more complex the job, the
more training will be required.
• For more extreme workload peaks consider hiring a specialty
agency that can handle work on a project-by-project basis.
Tips, Insights & Tactics
Easy, effective cost-saving ideas.
Energy
Personal
• When purchasing new equipment or systems buy only ENERGY
STAR® qualified products.
• Consider commute options —carpool, bus, bike or work
from home one day a week, to cut transportation costs.
• Purchase an annual maintenance contract for your heating,
ventilating and cooling system —one that includes new
filters as recommended by the manufacturer—to ensure
energy efficiency.
• Pack your lunch or eat in.
• Turn off equipment or set it for sleep mode when not in use.
Some electronics include an intelligent-ready feature that
“learns” use routines to automatically enter sleep mode during
periods of downtime.
• Replace incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs
that save energy and last considerably longer.
• Install light switches with occupancy sensors in appropriate
areas like conference rooms.
• AC power adapters draw power continuously. Plug them into
power strips you can turn off when electronics are not in use.
• Use rechargeable batteries instead of disposables.
• Print cards, calendars, invitations, etc. as needed on your
desktop printer, instead of driving to a store.
• Drink regular coffee or tea that you brew yourself instead
of buying specialty coffee shop drinks.
• Use employee discount programs, if available, through
your company.
• Start a 401K plan or an IRA account to save on your
annual income tax. Match your savings to your spending
on non-essentials and luxury items.
Related Tips
• Take control of hidden costs at the office
• Cost-saving business travel tips
Marketing and Promotion
• 10 cost-saving marketing tips
• Whether you send invoices or statements via email or postal
mail, add coupons or promotional flyers with a specific call to
action, so you can measure results.
xerox.com/tips
• Consider cost-sharing your next marketing campaign with
a complementary or neighboring business. Your combined
strength could lift response.
• Leverage your existing customers to reduce the cost of
lead generation. Start a referral program. Feature your best
customers in case studies and/or customer testimonials.
• For low-cost video promotion, consider use of a cable access
television studio to create and air an infomercial about your
products and services, then repurpose it for use in social media.
• Leverage your in-house expertise, instead of hiring outside
speakers, to generate interest in your business through
presentations, workshops and articles in print or online.
• Test market new products to gauge interest through
eCommerce sites like eBay.
• Combine direct mail campaigns with partners to qualify for
bulk postage rates.
Related Templates
• Direct mailers
• Greeting cards
• Trifold brochures
xerox.com/templates
Tips, Insights & Tactics
Easy, effective cost-saving ideas.
Master Multitasking
Increase your workgroup’s productivity and save space, cost
and energy by consolidating the functions of a standalone
printer, copier, scanner and fax machine into a single device,
with our award-winning line of multifunction printers.
Save up to 75%
With the Xerox Loyalty Rebate Program, exclusively
for Xerox customers, you can save up to 75% on a new
Xerox® color printer or color multifunction printer.
There’s a long list of qualifying Xerox® products. And
depending on the number of pages printed on your
existing printer, you’re eligible for a rebate of 10%,
50%, or 75% off the price of your new printer, including
its optional equipment. See how much you can save:
shop.xerox.com/loyalty
Free Lifetime Service Coverage
Ask your Xerox provider about free lifetime service
coverage* through the Xerox eConcierge® program.
Let the free Supplies Assistant desktop app help you
keep track of printing supplies’ levels and reorders
quickly and easily, for network printers from Xerox,
Brother, HP, Lexmark and other leading brands.
xerox.com/eConcierge
Genuine Xerox Rewards
Get rewarded for buying genuine Xerox® supplies.
Join the Genuine Xerox Rewards program online.
xerox.com/rewards
Visit us on the web or ask your local Xerox provider
about our award-winning line of products, solutions
and services. xerox.com/office
Click an icon below to automatically share this tip sheet with your social media networks:
*After 30 days and your second supplies order through the program, Xerox will provide free extended
service coverage over the normal supported life of eligible Xerox® products, as long as you continuously
place your supplies orders through the Xerox eConcierge service. The average cost of extended service
coverage for four years when purchased separately is $1,280. Prices vary per model. The coverage will
be the same as what was provided when the device originally shipped—quick exchange, depot repair or
onsite. Xerox reserves the right to discontinue the service reward for a specific model at any time.
©2014 Xerox Corporation. All rights reserved. Xerox®, Xerox and Design® and Xerox eConcierge® are
trademarks of Xerox Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. Xerox Canada Ltd. is a
licensee of all Xerox trademarks. BR10773 XOAFL-33UA