From time to time you may be approached by other companies who claim to offer a service similar to Guide Book Publishing. They will make claims that they have copied our services and will do what we do. We take it as a compliment that they seek to copy us, but in reality rarely, if ever, will they provide you with our full-service program. If you should decide to compare their services to ours, we ask you to use the following checklist to compare the "Original" Guide Book & Directory service to whatever else is being offered to you.
It helps bring the whole congregation together.
The Guide Book & Directory serves as a reference point on all events, activities and functions of your church throughout the year.
It allows every member to know of all the various ministries, organizations, committees and activities at work in your congregation.
It encourages increased participation.
The Directory gives members an easy way to contact fellow members of their church. The congregation, especially the new members, will, through the advertisements, find businesses in the area that can handle their particular needs.
It serves as an excellent introductory book to pass out to new members.
Costs are underwritten by interested advertisers in the community who also derive benefit from this form of advertising.
| Quality of Graphic Design | GBP | Competitors |
| Multi-colored Cover Design | Yes |  |
| Custom Designed Cover | Yes | |
| Degreed Graphic Designers on Staff | Yes | |
| Cover Design and/or color changeable each year | Yes | |
| Cover type fonts match the headline type fonts | Yes | |
| Wide selection of cover paper stocks available made from recycled paper | Yes | |
| Inside Guide Section is in a consistent, easy to read format | Yes | |
| A guarantee of 20 typeset pages in the Guide Section | Yes | |
| Directory Section can include the entire family | Yes | |
| Directory Section uses large 10 point type for easy reading. (This is at least 25% larger print than any other directories we have seen.) | Yes | |
| The church receives for proof the book's layout and cover design | Yes | |
| Art cuts can be included in Guide Section | Yes | |
| Church staff photos can be put into Guide Section | Yes | |
| Distribution of the Books | GBP | Competitors |
| Direct mailed to every member's home | Yes | |
| Company pays to mail all the books to every church family | Yes | |
| Church controls who gets the book | Yes | |
| Envelope is custom designed to match cover design of the book | Yes | |
| Extra copies of books provided for distribution throughout the year | Yes | |
| Company uses own commercial bulk permit on envelope | Yes | |
| Advertisers...The People who make it all possible | GBP | Competitors |
| Graphic designers lay out the ad to customer's specifications | Yes | |
| Thousands of typefaces available | Yes | |
| Price discounts available for multiple book advertisers | Yes | |
| Price discounts available for larger ads | Yes | |
| To assure exposure, ads are distributed throughout directory section | Yes | |
| Index of Advertisers is in the front of the book | Yes | |
| Advertisers receive guaranteed distribution to every church family through direct mail | Yes | |
| Other Factors | GBP | Competitors |
| Specialist in Guide Book & Directories | Yes | |
| Emphasis on the use of the book for publishing the Time & Talents of Stewardship | Yes | |
| All Churches consistently receive the same full-service program no matter what size or potential ad revenue that may be derived | Yes | |
| Company devotes 100% of time to Guide Book & Directories | Yes | |
| Top management reviews your book before it goes to press | Yes | |
| The company uses local employees whenever possible | Yes | |
| The company pays taxes to your local economy | Yes | |
| The company keeps a copy of prior year's church copy (if church loses copy on their computer, it can save you hours of work) | Yes | |
| Have provided their Guide Book & Directory services to over 1400 churches | Yes | |
