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Tuesday
January 24, 2012

Tip of the Day - Combatting Price-Cutters

Filed under: Tip of the Day

Price CuttersI’ve been one of the engineers of the ASI Radio Show for almost three years now and one of the most common questions we get during our call-in segment from our listeners is how to combat price-cutters.

A common problem for many, price-cutters can have an immediate effect on your margins, but, according to Marily Landis, CEO of Basic Business Concepts Inc., it’s important not to push the panic button.

This month’s Counselor Blueprint section is all about combatting price-cutters and how you can beat those competitors that are too willing to cut prices. Chock full of tips and advice — including 4 steps to successfully combatting price-cutters — it’s definitely worth a few mintutes of your time, so check it out here. And in the meantime, here are the 4 steps to pique your interest!

  1. Step 1 - Scout The Competition
  2. Step 2 - Have Honest Conversations With Clients
  3. Step 3 - Analyze The Impact
  4. Step 4 - Negotiate Terms
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Thursday
January 19, 2012

Save the Date - Exclusive ASI Radio Interview with Michael J. Fox!

Filed under: asi radio show

Michael J. FoxIf you’re like me and grew up in the ’80s, one of the most indelible actors of the time was Michael J. Fox, who not only made a huge impact on the small screen playing the young Republican Alex P. Keaton in “Family Ties,” but also dazzled on the big screen as Marty McFly in “Back to the Future.” Short of calling him my idol, I gotta say Fox was the inspiration for a lot of my ’80s interests, including skateboarding, Pepsi-Free and cool, jigowatt-powered cars whose doors open skyward.

Back to the present …

Fox, who will be the keynote speaker at the ASI Show San Diego in April, will be doing an exclusive interview with ASI Radio on Jan. 24 at 10:30 a.m. EST.

According to the ASI Show website:

“Actor and activist Michael J. Fox will share the remarkable life lessons he has learned from his struggle with Parkinson’s disease – and the hard-won perspective that helped him to see challenges as opportunities.”

So join us on Tuesday for what promises to be a great radio show!

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Wednesday
January 11, 2012

Everything Old Is New Again

Filed under: Fun, General

Blues BrothersI guess the old saying “Everything Old Is New Again” really is true, especially when dealing with promotional apparel. In fact, this month’s Counselor magazine has an article titled exactly that, with seven examples of iconic images from yesteryear tied back to some current fashion trends. For example, remember:

  •  James Dean’s T-shirt in Rebel Without A Cause?
  • Olivia Newton-John’s leg warmers in the video “Let’s Get Physical”?
  • Jennifer Beals’ off-the-shoulder sweatshirt in “Flashdance”?
  • Mr. Rogers’ cardigan?
  • Michael Jackson’s sequined glove?
  • The Blues Brothers’ Ray-Ban sunglasses?

Well, of course you do! And yes, they’re all coming back into fashion again! Read this article to find out more, and don’t be afraid to hold onto those parachute pants a little longer!

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Friday
January 6, 2012

Tip of the Day - Six Steps to Blogging Success

Filed under: Tip of the Day

6 steps to blogging successBelieve it or not, this year marks my tenth year as a blogger. (10?! OMG, where does the time go!) From breaking news and high school sports updates as a professional journalist, to penning reviews of records for independent artists, I’m pretty familiar with the whole blogosphere and have a pretty good idea what makes a blog successful.

But this month’s “Technology Today” article for Supplier Global Resource by Unmana Datta really nails home the steps you need to take to create a very effective blog. It’s a quick read and very insightful, so check it out here. And in the meantime, here are the basic six steps to whet your appetite - enjoy!

  1. Get the Right Blogger - (”The person you want managing your blog is someone who is passionate about both business and blogging …”)
  2. Get Started - (”Ideally, you want a custom domain - blog.yourcompany.com or yourcompany.com/blog - rather than a generic domain …”)
  3. Blog Regularly - (”It’s no use having your blog featured prominently on your website if the last post is from August 2010 …”)
  4. Be Relevant - (”By now you might be asking what to write about every week …”)
  5. Use Different Media - (”Use interesting images to break the monotony of text and to reinforce your point …”)
  6. Pay Attention to SEO & Sharing - (”With all the effort you’re putting into your blog, you want it to be read by more people than your boss and your mother …”)

BloggDogg

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Wednesday
January 4, 2012

Save the Date - Exclusive ASI Radio Interview with Biz Stone

Filed under: Fun, asi radio show

Biz StoneLISTEN UP! On Tuesday, January 10 at 10:30 a.m. EST, ASI Radio will be doing a live interview with Biz Stone, one of the co-founders of the enormously popular social network Twitter. Stone, who will be a keynote speaker at the ASI Show Dallas in February, has been developing large-scale systems that facilitate the open exchange of information for more than a decade and will be discussing everything from his vision for Twitter to the “Fail Whale”!

If you’re like me and have been “tweeting” updates in 140 characters or less for years, or are completely new to the technology, you simply cannot miss this show!

More about Stone from the ASI Show website:

“Biz Stone, an American entrepreneur and author, is best known for co-founding Twitter. Stone has been named Entrepreneur of the Decade by Inc magazine, one of the most influential people in the world by TIME magazine, Nerd of the Year by GQ and one of Vanity Fair’s Top Ten Most Influential People of the Information Age.”

So in honor of Biz and his Twitter fame, here’s my 140-character Tweet about this show:

Save the date!! Twitter co-founder and author Biz Stone to be live on ASI Radio, Tuesday, January 10 at 10:30 a.m. EST. http://bit.ly/GHash

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Wednesday
December 28, 2011

6 Tips to Succeed with LinkedIn

Filed under: Tip of the Day

LinkedInI gotta admit, of all the social networks that I’m part of, LinkedIn is the one I engage in the least. Sure, I check it from time to time, have over 100 connections (most of whom I’m not even sure how I know), but I’ve never really scratched the surface of this social network.

And according to Counselor’s January edition of “Tech Tactics,” that’s a huge missed opportunity.

Because not only is LinkedIn a powerful resource for connecting and networking with peers, but it’s also apparently a vast repository for sales leads. So don’t miss next month’s “Tech Tactics” on Counselormag.com, and in the meantime, here are six expert-recommended steps to maximizing the networking and selling power of LinkedIn.

  • Step #1 - Complete & Optimize Your Profile
  • Step #2 - Get Recommendations
  • Step #3 - Search & Connect
  • Step #4 - Create & Join Groups
  • Step #5 - Explore Applications
  • Step #6 - Upgrade Your Account

Now, excuse me while I go re-familiarize myself with my own LinkedIn account.

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Thursday
December 22, 2011

Vote - Ugliest Holiday Sweater

Filed under: Fun

‘Tis the season for mirth and merryment, gift shopping and crammed malls, endless cookie consumption and spiked egg nog, expanding waistlines, and, of course, holiday parties!

For this year’s annual ASI Editorial Department party, we added a new twist: wear your ugliest holiday sweater, win a prize! As you can see from the pics below, the department didn’t disappoint. The winner shall remain nameless for now … we wanted to know from you which sweater you believe is the ugliest. Simply comment below and let us know!

Chris

Sweater #1 - Chris

Mark

Sweater #2 - Mark

Carole

Sweater #3 - Carole

Patty

Sweater #4 - Patty

Diane

Sweater #5 - Diane

Larry

Sweater #6 - Larry

Jen

Sweater #7 - Jen

Joan

Sweater #8 - Joan

Chuck

Sweater #9 - Chuck

Laura

Sweater #10 - Laura

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Monday
December 19, 2011

Poll Results - Best-Selling T-Shirt Color for 2012

Filed under: Poll Results

Michael Jackson wrote a song about them, television began in this way, and there’s even a famous cookie named after them? What am I talking about? It’s the colors black and white! And not only are they famous for these reasons, but apparently those are the colors our users believe will be the best-selling for T-shirts in 2012.

On Dec. 2, we posed the following poll question on ASI Central: What do you think will be the best-selling T-shirt color in 2012?

Winning by a mere 15 votes, black was voted on most by our users (36%, 96 votes) with white coming in second (31%, 81 votes). Blue, the color I believed would be the top vote-getter, came in third (12%, 31 votes). Here’s the complete breakdown, including chart: (TOTAL VOTES: 265)

  • Black (96 votes, 36%)
  • White (81 votes, 31%)
  • Blue (31 votes, 12%)
  • Green (26 votes, 10%)
  • Red (19 votes, 7%)
  • Yellow (12 votes, 5%)

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Monday
December 12, 2011

5 Trends for 2012

Filed under: Tip of the Day

What to Watch ForPhew, where did 2011 go? It seems just like yesterday that I was making (and breaking) my new year’s resolution!

Anyway, 2012 is right around the corner and we’re gearing up for a great year. This month’s Counselor magazine has a great article by Betsy Cummings titled “What To Watch For” where she breaks out her crystal ball and predicts the five trends that will impact our industry the most. Check out the article now, and here are the 5 trends:

  • Elections Are Local
  • Changing Buying Habits
  • All About The Brand
  • Competition And Pricing Are Fierce
  • Customer Service Is King
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Thursday
December 8, 2011

Seven Cool Things to Do With a T-Shirt

Filed under: Uncategorized

Wearables in the WorksThis month’s Advantages magazine has a terrific article titled “Wearables in the Works” that showcases four distributor case studies and their successful apparel-based promotions. From baseball battles to horror movies, there are some pretty creative ideas in this article, so check it out. And in the meantime, here are 7 cool things to do with a T-shirt, compliments of Advantages magazine!

  1. Queue Some QR: “I suggested a client put a QR code on the back of a T-shirt we were designing and printing for a community walk they were sponsoring,” says Jay W. Vandervort, owner of Proforma Nextidea Marketing (asi/300094).  “The code would link the walkers to the website the company was trying to promote. After testing it successfully, we went ahead and printed the T-shirts with the QR code on the backs, and the promotion worked very well.”
  2. Now You See it, Now You Don’t: “We called upon a nudist association and sold them T-shirts with an imprint of Michelangelo’s David,” says Mark Ziskind, COO of Caliendo Savio Enterprises (asi/155807). “We used light-sensitive ink to put a fig leaf over his private parts. So, inside you would see the naked statue, and outside he would be covered.”

And here are 5 more clever ideas from Marsha Londe, owner of industry consulting firm Tango Partners:

  1. Flip the Script: “Print the graphic upside down so when wearers hang their heads, they see the art. It’ll make everyone else look, too,” she says. “I saw such a shirt recently: On the back, printed upside down, it said, ‘If you can read this, pull me into the boat.’ And, because it was upside down, I focused on it to read it.”
  2. Fold and Roll: “Take the shirt, fold and roll it, and stand it on end to turn it into a figure. As a display at a convention, shirts were rolled and put into a standing position,” Londe explains. “Sunglasses were put at eye level, and they were topped with a hat as the giveaway. It was a great presentation of gifts to attendees or trip winners, and a fun use of a shirt gets everyone in the mood to party, celebrate and enjoy.”
  3. Supersize It: Londe suggests making T-shirts oversized for wearers to use when sleeping, or as a beach or pool cover-up. “A comfortable cotton tee could be a hit with a sleepy recipient,” she says.
  4. That’s a Wrap: “Use a wraparound imprint to attract attention,” she says. “People can’t help themselves; they have to walk around the wearer to capture the full message.”
  5. Bright Idea: This concept is perfect for kids on a field trip, adult groups on a hike, or a club. Suit up everyone in the same bright color – think neon pink or squint-inducing yellow. “It makes it easy to spot another member of the group. You can even add a number on the back of the shirt, so it’s easy to know who’s missing,” Londe says.

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