Who Wears the Pants in This Family?

In 2008, when considering the direction for the future of API, management began contemplating some big changes. In turn, some great improvements began!  In the warm summer month of August, Cindy Brown was appointed the President and CEO making her the first female to run the company in its 43 year history.  

Before Cindy was offered the position, API was in search of someone to join the team and provide strength and leadership as well as management. In growing the company, having such people is a necessity and API knows that. “We were looking for outside input and advice because we had hit a ceiling and were having difficulty breaking through the $10 million revenue mark” per year, Cindy recalls. In the mean time, she was already facilitating the leadership role of the company.  From the finances to production, in her eighteen years with the company; she has pretty much done it all. In addition to this expansion, API determined the future goal of becoming a woman owned business. When you already have a woman at the wheel, why not? And when you already have one as acting President, why not make her President? So it all fell into place.

After the initial panic of assuming such responsibility, Brown’s reaction to the decision was one of absolute excitement and re-motivation. Since then API has been enjoying wonderful benefits. Once the position was official, Brown stepped into more of a sales leadership role, providing training, resources, and even bringing speakers in to address the sales team. She started daily meetings with the customer service staff that included training, role playing and other exercises. The results were overwhelming. In 2008 API was hitting a wall at $10 million in sales per year. In 2011, we exceeded $20 million dollars in combined division sales! That is an amazing impact and one that is hard to dispute. Cindy also likes to think that she helps bridge the gap between API “the company” and API “the people”. She feels like the culture here is one of the most important things we have.

With such a high mark already obtained, what is next for the President of API? She has big plans and a new set of goals for 2012. They include enhancing the efficiencies of each department through more targeted training, adding more activities such as contests, employee of the month recognition, company lunches and more events that will promote a happy work place. Cindy notes that it’s because of the staff here that “in a down economy where people are scared, we’ve experienced a 40% growth.” So the next goals for API are “to regroup, keep our eyes open for opportunities and partnerships, consider a new home to fit our ever expanding API family, continue to grow the culture within API, and determine how to hit the $25 million mark if that’s where we decide we want to be.” From the sounds of it, she’s got a busy year.

Someone with a list of such great successes could be arrogant, assuming or smug. But of her position Cindy says her absolute favorite thing is “being granted the opportunity to positively affect 120 people’s lives.” That’s the kind of remark a true leader should make.

There you have it. Big changes bring big results for us here at API. We refuse to be afraid of the downturned world around us. We refuse to give up. We stand strong behind a leader that encourages us to do so and we see great success for doing it. And that is why Cindy Brown wears the pants in this family.

A Reason To Celebrate

Hard work is its own reward, as the old proverb goes, but when the hard work of companies and employees delivers success and longevity, a little incentive for them can mean more rewards down the line for their clients.

Studies by the Incentive Federation and the Forum for People Performance Management have consistently shown that employee incentives foster better performance and stronger loyalty. The flip side of this coin comes up when companies and their employees reach milestone anniversaries. For such occasions, promotional products can serve as rewards for hard work, reminders of employee achievements and proof of the company's ongoing ability to serve clients and reward employees.

These moments are best commemorated with products that uniquely reflect the anniversary and the person or group celebrating it, says Dan Livengood, senior sales manager-western region for distributor Newton Manufacturing Co. (UPIC: NEWTON) in Newton, Iowa.

"Promotional products reinforce and stimulate the spirit of emotion for both the sender, the organization celebrating the milestone, and the recipient," says Livengood. "Even 25 years of being in business creates enthusiasm and excitement for organizations to celebrate and promote longevity, stability and vision. When a recipient is awarded or buys a promotional product, it becomes an intrinsic reminder of such a great accomplishment."

Help Your Clients Remember To Celebrate
While one company may plan its anniversary celebration months and even years ahead, others need a little encouragement, especially to celebrate employee milestones, says Jacque Martin, CAS, with distributor Adcentive Group (UPIC: ADCENTGP) in San Diego, California. "It is not usually something our clients ask for. We need to ask them, 'How do you celebrate your employee anniversaries?'"

Martin says the distributor's challenge is to inform and encourage clients to celebrate and appreciate their employees. Today's economic uncertainty can make employees uneasy about their future, and Martin says recognizing and celebrating long-time achievements can bolster feelings about a worker's value to the employer.

"Anytime we are celebrated, it boosts morale and gives one that feel-good attitude that we all need. With employees working harder and longer, and often for less money right now, recognition programs are important," she adds.

"People enjoy receiving gifts. That is what keeps us all in business. Make sure and celebrate your clients, too. Give gifts to them often so they remember how it feels."

Bill Schulte, vice president/owner of Cincinnati, Ohio-based supplier Late For The Sky Productions (UPIC: OPOLY), agrees that distributors need to be proactive about helping clients mark anniversaries with products.

"I'm afraid distributors miss the anniversary opportunity pretty often," he says. "[As a supplier] we don't get a great deal of inquiries specifically about anniversary ideas, but when we do, those presentations tend to be the most well-received options. Many companies don't budget a great deal of money to celebrate their anniversary, often they are 'late to the party,' and whatever can be done quickly is usually what happens."

Tips For Choosing Commemorative Products
Whether clients are facing time or budget restraints, a well-researched product can still become a perfect anniversary gift. Schulte says personal items with pictures make the best company anniversary-related items, and many distributors agree that including personalization is always the best first step in creating an appropriate gift.

Schulte says his company's board games allow for the ultimate customization. "The layout of the game allows for a significant opportunity for using groups' language, images and actual photos of the people and things that employees and members interact with every day. Lots of these subjects and icons are funny to fellow workers, they share an inside joke or a sense of pride and accomplishment," he says.

"For example, it may not mean anything to the outside world to draw a card that says 'Go directly to Jim's office,' but it might be a really big deal to someone [within the company]," he explains. "Maybe Jim's office is where something bad happens,­ you wouldn't know that unless you worked there every day."

Schulte says the closer a gift relates to someone' personal interest, the better. "Our feeling is that anniversary celebrations using promotional products have great value to employees and organization members because they are connected to a large part of someone's life."

The right product can also encourage new and repeat business by cementing customer loyalty. Livengood and Jay Donlin, senior vice president of sales and marketing for Newton, agree that company anniversaries are a great resource for cultivating reoccurring business.

Once the importance of the anniversary is acknowledged, the next step is finding the right product. So what makes a great anniversary gift or commemorative piece? Livengood and Donlin say gift-related items with a custom or value-added twist are a good start. "Including a romance card or certificate of authenticity adds a nice touch," says Livengood.

Past keepsakes developed by Newton include die-cast replicas, custom medallions and ornaments. "Functional, desktop, symbolic and coveted collectibles that can be displayed tend to work best," he says. "It is important to remember that you are celebrating a milestone, so the perceived quality of the product should match the value and honor of the accomplishment."

Livengood says no matter the product or the recipient, "the important thing is to make certain to do your due diligence to research the organization's history, industry, culture, etc. The proposed target recipient's demographic should be thoughtfully considered as well."

Schulte believes company anniversaries are an ideal time to use promotional products because they allow recipients to remember the good times and recall accomplishments together. "Shared personal experiences connect people like nothing else," he says.

For employee anniversaries, Livengood believes offering choices can bring gift-giving to another level as well. Though attaching a dollar amount to a year of service is a good start, letting employees choose commemorative gifts that display a high-perceived value can make a lasting impression."If the product has a high perceived value, it then becomes a keepsake or collectible for generations," he says.

Martin's programs for employee anniversaries include products ranging from picnic baskets to leather jackets to bicycles to barbecue grills. Electronics are a consistent favorite, too, she adds.

Some products Martin finds more suitable to certain employee milestones such as 10- and 20-year anniversaries include luggage sets and high-end accessories. "For 10-year anniversaries, I've offered Swiss Army watches, a Victorinox luggage set, a Canon camera and a custom fire pit," she says. To mark 15-years, recipients may indulge in an upgraded watch, Weber barbecue grill, Howard Miller clock or iPod Touch.

One of Martin's clients has been offering an employee points program for five years, with branded items to celebrate employee anniversaries; Martin updates her offerings for clients each year after attending The PPAI Expo in Las Vegas.

Choosing Your Audience For A Company Anniversary Gift
Who benefits best from being included on the recipient gift list? Just about anyone with a connection to the celebrating company, says Livengood. "The target recipient could be anyone with a direct or indirect connection to the organization, such as community and chamber of commerce members, current and retired employees, dignitaries, customers and alumni. It's really anyone who feels an emotional tie to the organization through the product."

Get The Celebration Started With These Do's And Don'ts 

Do aggressively research the product selection and intended recipient.

Do consider adding a custom twist on the product.

Do listen carefully and consider the client's desires, needs, budget and deadline.

Don't assume your preferences will match the client's or intended recipient's preferences.

Don't choose dated or gimmicky products. Be creative.

Don't give cash or a gift card to recognize employee anniversaries. It disappears.

Do look at the many ways to add a subtle logo to the product so the event is remembered and the product is retained.

Do consider purchasing a branded product from one of the many brand. Pavilion suppliers at The PPAI Expo, and use a pad printer or engraver to decorate the product or the case.

Don't wait until the last minute to start assembling the ideas and message for anniversary gifts. 


 Jen Alexander McCall

Happy Thanksgiving from the API family to yours!

Thanksgiving Day is one of those joyous events we celebrate with lots of love and gratitude. Its a very significant day in United States and the world over. TheHolidaySpot (our source) is happy to bring you facts associated to the Thanksgiving celebrations. These include Thanksgiving turkey trivia, pilgrims, thanksgiving proclamation, thanksgiving as a national holiday and other things. These facts and trivia will not only enhance your knowledge about Thanksgiving Day, but also, let you share them with everyone who would like to enjoy the Day with more zeal and enjoyment. And this is the season for sharing! Happy Thanksgiving!.

Facts

1.     Thanksgiving Day is celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November in the United States.

2.     By the fall of 1621 only half of the pilgrims, who had sailed on the Mayflower survived. The survivors, thankful to be alive, decided to have a thanksgiving feast. 

3.     Thanksgiving Day is celebrated on the second Monday in October in Canada. 

4.     The Plymouth Pilgrims were the first to celebrate the Thanksgiving. 

5.     The pilgrims arrived in North America in December 1620.

6.     The Pilgrims sailed across the Atlantic Ocean to reach North America. 

7.     The pilgrims sailed on the ship, which was known by the name of 'Mayflower'. 

8.     They celebrated the first Thanksgiving Day in the fall of 1621. 

9.     They celebrated the first Thanksgiving Day at Plymouth, Massachusetts. 

10.   The drink that the Puritans brought with them in the Mayflower was beer. 

11.   The Wampanoag Indians were the people who taught the Pilgrims how to cultivate the land. 

12.   The Pilgrim leader, Governor William Bradford, had organized the first Thanksgiving feast in the year 1621 and invited the neighboring Wampanoag Indians also to the feast. 

13.   The first Thanksgiving feast was held in the presence of around ninety Wampanoag Indians and the Wampanoag chief, Massasoit, was also invited there. 

14.   The first Thanksgiving celebration lasted three days. 

15.   President George Washington issued the first national Thanksgiving Day Proclamation in the year 1789 and again in 1795. 

16.   The state of New York officially made Thanksgiving Day an annual custom in 1817. 

17.   Sarah Josepha Hale, an editor with a magazine, started a Thanksgiving campaign in 1827, and it was result of her efforts that in 1863 Thanksgiving was observed as a day for national thanksgiving and prayer. 

18.   Abraham Lincoln issued a 'Thanksgiving Proclamation' on third October 1863 and officially set aside the last Thursday of November as the national day for Thanksgiving. Whereas earlier the presidents used to make an annual proclamation to specify the day when Thanksgiving was to be held.

19. President Franklin D. Roosevelt restored theThursday before the last of November as Thanksgiving Day in the year 1939. He did so to make the Christmas shopping season longer and stimulate the economy of the state. 

        20. Congress passed an official proclamation in 1941 and declared that now onwards Thanksgiving will be              observed as a legal holiday on the fourth Thursday of November every year. 

Coping Strategies For Less-Than-Best Bosses

It’s no wonder bad bosses often make it to the big screen: Many workers can relate. Nearly half (46 percent) of employees surveyed by Office Team, a leading staffing service, said they have worked for an unreasonable manager. OfficeTeam identified five common types of challenging bosses and tips for working with them: 

Boss Type: The micromanager has trouble delegating tasks. This boss looks over your shoulder to make sure you complete a project exactly as told. 
Coping Strategy: Trust is usually the issue here, so make sure you build it. Don’t miss deadlines, pay attention to details and keep your supervisor apprised of all the steps you’ve taken to ensure quality work. 

Boss Type: The poor communicator provides little or no direction. Your assignments often have to be completed at the last minute or redone because goals and deadlines weren’t clearly explained.
Coping Strategy: At the outset of a project, ask for any information your boss has not yet provided. Diplomatically point out that these details are necessary to ensure you meet his or her expectations. Seek clarification when confused and arrange regular check-ins. 

Boss Type: The bully wants to do things his or her way, or no way at all. Bosses like this also tend to be gruff with others and easily frustrated.
Coping Strategy: Stand up for yourself. The next time your supervisor shoots down your proposal, for example, calmly explain your rationale. Often, this type of manager will relent when presented with a voice of reason. 

Boss Type: The saboteur undermines the efforts of others and rarely recognizes individuals for a job well done. This supervisor takes credit for employees’ ideas but places blame on others when projects go awry.
Coping Strategy: Your job is to make your boss look good, but not at the expense of your own career advancement. Ensure your contributions are more visible to others, especially senior management. Get information in writing from this person so you have a chain of communications to refer to, if needed. 


Boss Type: The mixed bag is always a surprise. This manager’s moods are unpredictable: He or she may confide in you one day and turn a cold shoulder the next. 
Coping Strategy: Try not to take this boss’s disposition personally. Stay calm and composed when dealing with this supervisor. When he or she is on edge, try to limit communication to urgent matters. 

PPB Announces The 2010 Best Bosses

PPB recently asked readers to let us know who they think are the best bosses in the promotional products industry. Considering the difficult economic year we’ve just been through and the stresses it placed on companies and relationships, staff wasn’t sure how many people would still be praising their bosses. So, the team was really surprised by the landslide of responses from readers who said their bosses made coming to work each day a true joy.

Many praised their bosses for creating an environment where people were trusted, encouraged, empowered and rewarded, not necessarily monetarily, but with things money can’t buy. The bosses who make the biggest impressions with subordinates are those who regularly demonstrate these practices according to PPB readers:

• Leads by example
• Creates an environment of collaboration through good listening
• Manages through empowerment; doesn’t micromanage, allows me to learn through my own mistakes
• Acts as a mentor; looks for the potential in all and encourages success
• Challenges me with new projects and opportunities
• Communicates good news and bad news effectively
• Celebrates successes
• Embraces education, new technologies and out-of-the-box thinking
• Promotes a work environment with balance between work and personal/family life
• Advocates social responsibility, volunteerism, community and/or industry commitment
• Is a creative problem-solver
• Coaches me without taking over
• Provides on-going performance coaching
• Doesn’t begrudge me my earnings, bonuses or raises

On The Ball

You can take the player out of the ball game, but you can’t take the ball game out of the player.

A former professional baseball player turned business pro, Jason Miller has seamlessly moved from opportunity to opportunity with the energy and fortitude characteristic of any true athlete. His latest play is heading up Largo, Florida-based supplier Camsing Global, LLC, as president. During the past year, Miller has been instrumental in building the company’s dream team with the acquisition of seven major supplier lines: Senator, Dart, Advalite, Toppers, It’s All Greek To Me, Falcon and Avaline. Camsing’s website proclaims that the company operates in six countries, runs seven factories, maintains 14 offices and employs 3,000 individuals worldwide.

Miller says these companies make more sense together than individually. “When you put them together and leverage the operational efficiencies, one management team, one infrastructure … it looks pretty good,” he says. “All of these brands mean something to distributors in the industry. You had Toppers, Avaline, It’s All Greek To Me, Senator writing instruments, Dart business accessories, Avaline lapel pins—they all tell their own little story.”

Last year, Camsing began acquiring Dallas, Texas-based Senator Promotional Group USA, Inc. (UPIC: DART) and Largo, Florida-based supplier Corvest. The Senator deal was completed in January 2011, with Corvest following two months later. Parsippany, New Jersey-based Avaline (UPIC: AVALINE) was acquired in July.

“Looking back to August and September of last year, not knowing week to week if we were going to be able to keep the doors open here, literally, and where we are today—hiring, growing our sales and starting to make a little bit of money—it’s been quite a success story. Not for a lack of effort, I can tell you.”

Before the acquisitions began, Miller was president of Corvest, and the business was on shaky ground. “It wasn’t three months into the gig at Corvest that I realized the new owner (Siglo Holdings, Corvest Acquisition, Inc.) had some financial constraints as it related to being able to grow the company,” Miller recalls. “Corvest is an inventory-driven company, which requires a lot of cash out of pocket to secure the inventory and bring it in before you sell it. It was tough.”

Worried about the future of the company, Miller reached out to Billy Dolan, owner and CEO of Camsing and a long-time industry colleague, for help.

“I said, ‘Hey, I could use you from a supply-chain perspective. I need terms, I need good quality and I need the right price,” Miller says.

The rest is now industry history. The only remaining question is how Miller was able to get all the players in position.

“For the past few years, I’ve said jokingly that I’ve done a good job of being number two,” Miller says. “I was never the guy in the spotlight. I was the guy who would put the pieces together.”

Yet putting all the pieces together is one of the most important parts. “Jason has a fantastic organizational mind coupled with an entrepreneurial edge that rivals any business owner,” says Billy Dolan. “His fantastic hold on the day-to-day business operations allows me to focus on rounding out and improving our global business.”

His work in the day-to-day helped Miller get to know industry players. “When a deal was struck, what people would appreciate with me is that I would tell them like it is, and I would do what I say. People appreciate bad news as much as good news as long as you’re to the point, and they understand where you stand and where they stand with you. Relationships are key, especially in this industry.”

Miller started building industry relationships in the mid-’90s when he went to work for Amsterdam Printing, which had recently been acquired by Eagan, Minnesota-based Taylor Corporation—which owns both supplier and distributor companies. The job had him sourcing products from overseas factories. “I had no experience in that whatsoever. I had to get my passport for the job,” Miller recalls.

Prior to Amsterdam, Miller’s experience included earning a communications degree from The College of Saint Rose in upstate New York, a few seasons with the Texas Rangers and founding a community newspaper.

At Amsterdam, Miller continued to build relationships. “It was pre-web and pre-e-mail, so everything was done via fax machine. I faxed all my meeting requests to a bunch of factories I’d never heard of, say, on a Tuesday, and I would come in Wednesday and get responses along with their addresses in Chinese so I could give them to a taxi driver when I got over there,” Miller recalls. “Most didn’t materialize into a whole lot, but the ones that did are still to this day vendors that I use here and for different companies I’ve worked for in the industry.”

After Amsterdam, Miller worked for St. Petersburg, Florida-based supplier Hit Promotional Products (UPIC: HITP0001) before moving on to work in marketing for Hagaman, New York-based distributor Union Pen—which did a lot of work in direct mail.

“In the midst of 2001, with the anthrax scare … the direct-mail industry was hit with a major setback, so our business model was significantly impacted by those events,” Miller explains. “There were large mail campaigns sent out that were never responded to—they were either quarantined at a holding area by the post office or just not delivered.”

The financial impact was devastating, so the owner of Union Pen began looking for a buyer, and Taylor Corp., Miller’s past employer, scooped it up.

Miller, however, opted to not to stay on and instead went to work for Tampa, Florida-based supplier BIC Graphic USA (UPIC: BIC). The job had him working in a senior-level marketing role, with launching a new product line as one of his first projects. Miller’s work on the Solis By BIC line, among other things, earned him a spot as the company’s marketing manager for North America. Before long he was overseeing marketing worldwide for the company and working on major BIC acquisitions such as Atchison Products, Norwood and Antalis (Europe).

“The sourcing aspect wasn’t new at that point; it was understanding the BIC philosophy and culture,” Miller says. “BIC was a great company to work for. They had a lot of resources and surrounded themselves with really good people.”

After eight years at BIC, Miller picked up and moved down the street to Corvest. “It was a pretty low-risk decision for me to leave. I didn’t need to relocate my family anywhere; it was literally down the street from BIC.”

As it turns out, the move to Corvest wasn’t entirely easy, Miller says, due to fewer resources under Siglo Holdings than Miller expected, but it paid off in the acquisition of seven major lines and the partnership with Camsing Global.

“We have a few other strategic partnerships and acquisitions that we’re continuing to look at, so by no stretch are we finished,” Miller says. “Our intention when we put this together was to be one of the largest, easiest to do business with suppliers in the industry.”

---

Get To Know Jason Miller

His Favorite Non-Work Activity
Karaoke. “My wife’s humiliated by it, I’m humiliated by it. It’s not good. I think I’m back on the wagon with that. I try to tailor it now, or pick random-enough cities where I know no one will know me. I wish I were kidding.”

His Secret To Success
“I don’t know. I’ve been so entrenched in everything I’ve done that I’ve never looked at it as being successful. You need to enjoy what you do. If you don’t it becomes a job, and that’s not fun.”

His Biggest Regret
“My biggest regret is probably giving up on my professional baseball career before it gave up on me. But I’ve got two small boys and a daughter now, and I can live vicariously through their sports and activities.”

Tama Underwood

Promoting Change

Hoping to bring the same feelings of camaraderie and brotherhood found in the military to the legal profession, the State Bar of South Dakota enlisted Terri Phelps, owner of Rapid City, South Dakota-based distributor Phelps Ad Specialties, to help bridge the gap between the state’s young and veteran lawyers. How did they want to achieve this? Promotional products.

“Historically there has been a disconnect between the young lawyers section and the general bar association,” Phelps explains. “The state bar president and the young lawyer president wanted to do something that would foster a relationship and close the gap—real or perceived—between them.”

The association was also looking to address concerns over the dwindling numbers of lawyers in South Dakota’s rural areas. “If you can get a job at a law firm that has 15 other lawyers, as opposed to being on your own in rural, isolated South Dakota, most young lawyers will choose this option because they are hesitant to start their own business,” Phelps says.

To combat these problems, the state bar implemented a new mentorship program, and it asked Phelps to help produce military-style challenge coins as a way to promote it.

Upon induction into the state bar, young lawyers receive two round, bronze coins decorated with the scales of justice, the state bar association’s seal and the words“Scientia et Amicitia” (knowledge and friendship) on one side, and the design found on the minted South Dakota quarter on the other. The coins were packaged in black velvet presentation bags.

“We used the South Dakota quarter on the back so the program would be unique to South Dakota,” Phelps says, adding that this was her favorite part of the project. “They had no idea that they would be able to do something like that, but the South Dakota quarter is public domain.”

Young lawyers were instructed to keep one coin and give the other coin to their mentor—matches were made by a committee. By accepting a coin, recipients agreed to encourage, support and foster mentorship within the legal community. The exchange between mentee and mentor was done separately from the initial presentation of the coins, either privately or at receptions hosted by participating law firms.

“The program is intended to promote goodwill and dedication to core values of the law among them, getting veteran lawyers to share their good, bad and ugly with young lawyers so they didn’t feel so isolated,” Phelps says.

The mentoring program was a hit with young lawyers, or those with less than 10 years’ experience as defined by the state bar association. The program is credited with generating a lot of buzz among members of the association and producing true-life success stories in which young lawyers were able to start their own practices more easily with the guidance of more experienced mentors.

After an initial mint of 500 bronze challenge coins, the association recently ordered 250 more. Phelps also worked with the bar association to produce 20 pure silver coins for it to award to dignitaries, judges and law professors in recognition of their professional guidance of others; a deep-etched glass award to recognize the efforts of the mentoring program’s co-founder, Sarah Sharp Theophilus, 2009-2010 young lawyer president for the association; and 1,000 two-inch gold-foil coin stickers for the program’s correspondence.

After winning both a PPAI Pyramid Award and an AIA Mastermind Award, Phelps was invited to attend an annual meeting of South Dakota’s state bar and present a second PPAI Pyramid Award to its then president, Rob Morris, with whom she worked closely on the project.

“PPAI sent a smaller version for him that looked just like mine,” Phelps says. “I surprised him with the award. He had no idea.” 


Tama Underwood

Tradeshow Payoff

Whether your company is a distributor exhibiting at a buyer show or a supplier exhibiting at an industry show, tradeshows are a big investment. To maximize your opportunities for sales, you must be proactive in your marketing, training and follow-up.

Too many companies believe it’s the show management’s sole responsibility to get people to their booth. Even if people show up, there’s no guarantee they will find you if you don’t give them a good reason to seek you out. Through pre-show marketing, you cut through the clutter and ensure that your company’s name and booth number are at the top of attendees’ must-see lists.

Get The Word Out
The best way to be successful at a show is to tell people you are going to be there and give them a reason to come see you. With social media, this is easy to do. You want to convince new customers why you are the supplier of choice, and you want to show current customers what’s new.

Remember to split your messaging into these two categories on your blog, Facebook page and Twitter feed. To attract prospects, consider a promotion or a giveaway. For existing customers, give them a chance to see the new products, colors or technologies.

If your employees have a business Facebook or Twitter account, encourage them to post that they will be at the show, and maybe include a teaser about why show visitors should stop by.

Approximately two weeks before your next tradeshow, ask all staff to include a “Come see us at the show” message with the dates and a link for more information at the bottom of e-mails and other e-communications. Make sure there’s an up-to-date events page on your website that lists your upcoming show schedule. You want to create as many impressions as possible of where you will be exhibiting.

Also, leading up to the show, send a series of e-communications to your customer base and the list of pre-registered attendees. It’s important that pre-show promotion is assigned to a specific person or group of people. We have a team that creates a calendar of events and decides how to promote them. Everything is scheduled, and staff is assigned to do the blogs, tweets, etc. A supervisor oversees that it gets done. Even small companies must make sure it’s someone’s job to look at the calendar and make a plan.

Don’t stop promoting once the show starts. We often provide live information from the show floor. We’ve done live tweets and posted a daily blog report. We’ve conducted seminars from our booth as well as demonstrations and fashion shows. Sometimes we bring a videographer with us to record events as they happen. If you are doing any type of daily event in your booth, be sure to have signage detailing the days and times.

Live coverage reminds potential attendees that they ought to come out, and it’s also a way to generate publicity to customers who can’t come. They still get to see the show specials, the new ideas and the latest products.

Show Specials
Always offer a show special; it is expected. We offer show specials that are available for 15 days after the event. This practice has dramatically increased our e-communication open rate. Across all of our companies, we consistently see a 60-percent open rate for any show e-communication we send. People are looking for the deal.

Be aware of what specials your competition is offering. Sometimes when you find out what a competitor is offering, you may want to change what you are doing. Flexibility is important.

Avoid Creating A Barrier

A common faux pas is when companies put tables or counters along the aisle keeping attendees out of the booth. Instead, make your booth inviting. Make it easy for people to walk right up to the back wall and touch what you have on display.

Another great technique for attracting attendees is to have booth personnel stand in the aisle. Make it easy for customers to get in. It’s also important that your booth be well lit and professional. Simply having a white table with a drape around it signals to attendees that you’re not going to be there next year.

Giveaways
When the right product is used properly, a giveaway can be an effective tool for getting someone to your booth. The same isn’t true with refreshments. People tend to take more than their reasonable share.

Because our companies sell products used to decorate apparel and accessories, we like to choose products on which we can put our logo. These items become idea generators for our customers as well as reminders about our company.

Staff Training
Another important area that is sometimes overlooked is staff training. The worst thing is when staff members come to a show and look bored or talk among themselves while an attendee waits.

While this may be infeasible for some small companies, we have intensive tradeshow training, and an employee must be tradeshow certified to attend a show and work a booth. This type of training becomes more important as a company increases in size and the owner no longer works the booth.

Customer Feedback
One of the greatest advantages of exhibiting in a tradeshow is the one-on-one opportunity for customer feedback. This is the perfect time to find out what your customers think, what the market wants and about hot items. You should never return from a tradeshow without requiring booth staff to write a report about their observations.

Ideally, you want booth staff to ask for feedback in a non-intrusive way. Find out what customers think about price points, customer service, delivery, how your products compare to the competition, packaging—just about any aspect on anything you sell. Over time, you’ll see patterns emerge, and this will provide valuable insights into what changes need to be made to improve. You also may learn some unique points to sell against your competitors.

Catalogs/Brochures/Handouts
Many attendees like to be reminded that they came to your booth and what products or services your company offers. At the same time, there is a great awareness about being eco-friendly and avoiding big catalogs. Plus, people who are flying do not want the added weight of extra paper in their luggage.

The best solution to this challenge is to make sure that you correctly collect their contact information during the show and that, within a week after the show, you send an e-communication with a PDF or link to your website where they can easily view your products and get additional information. A flier is a smart way to remind them that they stopped by your booth without weighing them down.

Post-Show Evaluation
Tradeshows are an invaluable tool for reaching customers; few can afford to go knocking on doors anymore. However, there are a lot of tradeshows and they can be costly, so it’s important to choose your regions and events carefully to make sure you maximize the investment.

A post-show review is a great way to do this. Measure the number of leads you collected and how many of these turned into sales. Evaluate how effective your pre-show and post-show e-communications performed. If your company is large enough, hold a post-show wrap-up and discuss with staff what they thought of the show and the quality of its attendees. You may also want to discuss how things went and what could be done better next time in terms of displays, products, in-booth events, etc.

Tradeshows offer a unique opportunity for reaching new customers and educating existing ones about your products. The more planning you put into preparing for an event, the greater your return. I hope that some of these tips and ideas will inspire you to improve on what you are currently doing and help your company reap even more profits from your next tradeshow. 


Carleen Gray

High Tech Leads To High Touch

If you are planning to make a presentation to a large corporate prospect or you have been referred to a different department within a current client, one thing is for sure: Your contact is researching you on the web and more specifically on LinkedIn.

The old adage that “You never get a second chance to make a first impression” has now gone from face-to-face to the internet. In today’s business world, you are being researched before you even walk through the door to make your presentation. The modern buyer wants to know everything about you and, just as they research their purchases, they are also researching you.

Consider a free LinkedIn account as your online resume, billboard, marketing tool and calling card. As such, you need to treat your profile as your personal online brochure and one that you must update periodically. Let your current clients know what you are up to in terms of education and tradeshows, and give them a peek at some of the more creative programs you have put together for other clients. Your LinkedIn profile is a professional way to advertise who you are, what you have done and what you are able to do for your clients.

Keep in mind that LinkedIn is a two-way tool. While clients are researching you, you can do your own research on potential prospects. Better yet, LinkedIn allows you to seek out referrals and introductions to buyers from friends or current clients.

You might be surprised to find out how you are connected to someone to whom you are going to be presenting. It might be a friend of a friend, someone who attended your school or even worked with you at a former employer. No matter what the connection, what you learn from a LinkedIn profile can be a great ice breaker during your introduction. The air in a meeting changes when you say to a new acquaintance: “I see that you went to Notre Dame. Great school, and I love to watch their home football games. In fact, my CEO went there, and the school pride is everything they say it is. I also saw that you were on the swim team—my daughter is a college swimmer as well.”

Your conversation might not be detailed or your connections as strong, but you get the point. Commonalities definitely help break the ice on a first meeting.

These examples show some of the basic benefits of setting up and maintaining a LinkedIn profile. If you don’t yet have a profile, setting one up is easy. Just go to www.linkedin.com and follow the instructions. Below are some tips to help you create a profile that will improve your image and your brand.

Once your profile is set up, start with these nine steps and you will be light years ahead of your peers and competition. While these steps might seem basic, the challenge for most people will be to carve out the time to do them. My tip is what I call my Friday Five; I block out a minimum of five minutes every Friday and work on my profile.
1. Fill out your profile completely and with detail. Your attention to detail says a lot about you and how you do business. It also allows viewers to learn more about you and your past accomplishments. Spend the time to go through each section and fill it out. Show viewers that you pay attention to detail and are someone who has a long list of accomplishments that you can put to use to benefit them.

2. Include a professional photo. Spend the time and money to have a professional photo taken. For some viewers, this photo will be the first time they see you. If you do not have a professional photo, a good headshot will work. Again, this is part of your first impression.

3. Include your web address on your profile. This allows your viewers to see what you and your company have to offer online. In today’s business climate, your technological presence is important. Let people see what you are all about via your website.

4. Get recommendations. Ask your clients and friends to recommend you and mention some of the projects you have done for them. The minimum number of recommendations is 10. By having at least 10, your viewers know that your list of clients and contacts is deep.

5. Use the applications to upload PowerPoint presentations and PDFs. Allow viewers to see some of your previous projects and campaigns. This follows the old saying: “Show, don’t tell.”

6. Join relevant groups. Expand your network and join groups that are related to the promotional products industry. It’s easy to search for them under Groups in the navigation bar. Also, find out what types of groups your clients are joining, and look for opportunities to share your expertise within those groups. This not only helps you expand your network, it helps you demonstrate your professional expertise by networking and learning from people in related industries.

7. Spend time each week expanding your network. Invite both clients and peers to join you on LinkedIn. Schedule time each week on your calendar to continually build your network and improve your profile. The search process can take some time, but it is well worth the effort, especially when you are able to find a connection or referral at an account you have been trying to break into.

8. Gather tips from various sources. Besides all the great tips on the LinkedIn site, you can also find information at www.LinkedIntelligence, the unofficial source for all things LinkedIn, and on other websites to help enrich your profile. Keep in mind that Rome was not built in a day; your profile won’t be either. It is an ongoing endeavor that requires persistence and information from various sources.

9. Post and update your status. If you have something new to share, such as an exclusive product or a hot item you just saw at a tradeshow, share it as a PDF on your applications section. Also, if you are heading off to a tradeshow or education session, let your contacts know by posting it on your Status Line. If you return from education with some interesting material, share it. Be careful to post only what is important, new and useful. Your contacts will appreciate this.

Building your LinkedIn profile to make it an effective personal marketing tool will take some effort, but it is well worth the time invested. 


Peter Zeiger, MAS

Gift Rap

You expect to find free-gift-with-purchase promotions in the retail market, but are they really necessary in the promotional products world?

“Many of our Canadian suppliers offer an item with the purchase of another—i.e., buy a golf shirt and receive a sleeve of three name-brand golf balls, buy a shirt and receive a cap, buy 300 pens and receive 150 free,” says Ted Polish, president of Winnipeg, Manitoba-based distributor T.N.M. Promotions (UPIC: tnmpromo). “Our clients love them, and they prove successful for our account managers.”

Polish says these promotions are aimed directly at end buyers, who are hopefully enticed into selecting these products over others. In the end, it’s up to each distributor’s client to decide whether to keep the bonus merchandise or use it to add another dimension to their promotional campaign.

Still other suppliers are taking the buy-one, get-one tactic to another level by partnering with outside service suppliers to offer purchase incentives and product add-ons. Last summer, a major industry supplier partnered with a continuing education website to offer online classes to end users who receive products. (Due to a contractual obligation not to promote the offer, the supplier offering this gift with purchase couldn’t disclose more details.)

Other offers, however, are meant to directly benefit the distributor. For three years, Champlain, New York-based supplier Fersten Worldwide (UPIC: FERST723) has targeted incentive-based promotions to distributors. “We find that it gets distributorship sales reps more committed to doing business with us, as they are personally rewarded for partnering with Fersten Worldwide,” says Helene Bashalani, marketing manager.

Bashalani says gifting sales reps with products for choosing to buy from Fersten rewards the people on the front lines, not just the distributorship. “Targeting promotions to the individual sales rep encourages them to show our products in meetings with end users knowing they will get a reward for doing so,” she says. 


Tama Underwood

Obama Campaign Sues Washington Promotions & Printing for Trademark Infringement

 By Kyle Richardson

multipage

The re-election campaign for president Barack Obama is suing a Washington-based promotional products company for trademark violations, according to Reuters. The campaign, Obama for America (OFA), has filed a lawsuit in Chicago against Washington Promotions & Printing Inc. for selling unauthorized merchandise on its website, www.demstore.com.


According to the lawsuit, Washington Promotions & Printing offered products featuring the "Rising Sun" logo used in Obama's campaigns without consent from Obama for America. The president's campaign company owns the trademark on the logo and design of both the Rising Sun logo and the 2012 logo incorporating the Rising Sun motif.

The complaint claims that "in an effort to trade on the enormous popularity of the Rising Sun logos and trademarks, defendants operate a website, Demstore.com, at which merchandise bearing the Rising Sun logos and trademarks is sold or offered for sale in an unauthorized manner. In so doing, defendants are willfully violating OFA's intellectual property rights in a deliberate effort to trade on OFA's hard-earned reputation and goodwill. Defendants' actions are thus creating consumer confusion, competing unfairly with OFA, and infringing OFA's trademark rights."

If the campaign's claims are accurate, damages to the promotional products company could be substantial. "A trademark owner can collect the infringer's profits, any actual damages the owner sustains (such as lost profits where potential customers have been diverted to the infringer's items in lieu of the trademark owner's product) and costs of the action, including attorney fees," said Lisa Lori, Esq., a partner in the litigation department at law firm Klehr, Harrison, Harvey, Branzburg & Ellers LLP. "Alternately, the trademark owner may elect to recover statutory damages of up to $1,000,000 per trademark in the case of counterfeiting."

Such trademark disputes can have a cascading effect for both the item manufacturer as well as the distributor. "Some distributors think they won't have a problem because they're selling someone else's product," Lori said. "Under the law, contributory infringement may make them equally liable, if they had a reason to think the products infringed someone else's mark." As a result, if a supplier creates a counterfeit item or item bearing an unauthorized trademark, any distributor knowingly selling it would have equal culpability.

The lawsuit states that Demstore.com has been selling merchandise with the Rising Sun logo since 2007, and the 2012 Rising Sun logo since earlier this year. A cease and desist letter was sent in April 2011, and a follow-up in July 2011. Obama for America claims that Demstore and Washington Promotions & Printing have made no indication that they are willing to comply with the demands of the letters "and consequently, continue to engage in trademark infringement and unfair competition."

As of the time of print, items with the Rising Sun logo were available to purchase on Demstore.com. Washington Promotions & Printing and Demstore.com did not respond to Promo Marketing's requests for comment.

The company has 20 days from date of service to respond to the lawsuit's claims. As more on this story unfolds, we'll keep you posted.