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Monday
March 28, 2011 Tip of the Day - Build a Better WebsiteFiled under: Tip of the Day
From Wearables’ April-May 2011 issue.
Wednesday
March 23, 2011 Tip of the Day - Rid Your Workplace of the 8 Most Common Behaviors that Sap MotivationFiled under: Tip of the Day Great stuff from Jon Gordon this month in Counselor magazine. Just thought I’d share … As the economy turns and businesses in the U.S. look forward to a productive and growth-filled year in 2011, the last thing any workplace needs is an unmotivated workforce. Motivation matters right now, maybe more than ever. And, no workplace can afford to employ people who drain other people’s energy. It’s incumbent upon the manager of any business to identify these draining behaviors and make sure you rid your organization of them – before they end up hurting the bottom line. Here are eight draining behaviors (presented in Do and Don’t format to direct managers), as well as tips for how you can solve the problem. 1. The Energy-Vampire Attack DON’T: Let negativity become your go-to response. There’s nothing more draining than a boss or coworker who is constantly negative. I call these folks “energy vampires.” They are never happy, rarely supportive and constantly nay-saying any and all ideas and suggestions that aren’t their own. According to them, you might as well give up before you start. DO: Respond constructively when someone offers up an idea. Even if you know more about a particular project, hear them out. Let employees and coworkers know that when they come to you with their ideas, they’ll be heard with an open mind and received with respect. 2. The Out-of-Control Complain Train DON’T: Give in to the temptation to whine. It’s a well-known phenomenon that can have catastrophic consequences: One person’s complaint resonates with someone else, who then proceeds to add grievances to the pile, which prompts yet another individual to throw in her two cents … and so on. DO: Push for solutions. The next time a water-cooler conversation threatens to barrel out of control into Complaint Central, step in and ask the complainers how they would make things better. Better yet, ban complaints altogether. It’s tough love for sure, but it will also create and sustain a positive culture. 3. The Vicious Voicemail (or E-mail) DON’T: Leave critical messages by voicemail or e-mail. Nine times out of 10, these critiques seem much more vehement than they actually are. Plus, any communication you send via electronic methods can potentially last forever. Not only could your words come back to haunt you, they’ll also be a constant reminder to your coworker or employee of his or her supposed shortcomings. DO: Conduct the tough talks in person. If you need to have a stern talk with someone, or if you need to talk through a problem, do it in person. You’ll be able to ensure that your words and tone aren’t misinterpreted, and you’ll be able to immediately have a constructive dialogue with the other person. 4. The Busy-Bee Bamboozle DON’T: Confuse activity with progress. You know the person. He’s always so busy but doesn’t ever seem to meet deadlines or get anything done. He’s living proof of the fact that just because his day is full of things to do, doesn’t necessarily mean that he’s getting them done. DO: Set goals and hold employees accountable for results. These results should be ones that matter and that are visible and valuable to your team. It can be helpful to transition over to a day-to-day plan that will help everyone stay on the right track. Most importantly, don’t put your team in situations where the lines are blurred. If the goals are crystal clear, they’ll be easier to accomplish. 5. The Low-Performer Look-Away DON’T: Let subpar work slide. Simply put, low performers drag the rest of the team down. They are like a cancer inside your organization, creating resentment and generating more work for everyone else. And if you allow them to linger and thrive for too long, your best employees will move on to a more productive environment. DO: Institute a zero-tolerance policy for low performers. Hold your entire team accountable for meeting their goals and adhering to the same performance standards. If one person consistently misses the bar, then you need to take swift action. Let your employees know that you value their hard work and that you will not allow others to do less and get away with it. In support of this initiative, strive for complete transparency. When your team knows exactly what’s expected, they’ll know where they stand. 6. The Disorganization Drag-Down DON’T: Allow disorganization to impede productivity. If you’re managing or leading a company, it’s likely you’ve lost an e-mail, important paper or pie chart in your day. You’re busy, and that’s understandable. But constant disorganization can drain your employees and coworkers if they always have to cover your tracks. DO: Make a concerted effort to keep up with your tasks. And if you can’t immediately put your hands on something you need, don’t automatically ask others for help. Take a few minutes to try and find what you need on your own. And, remember that there’s no substitute for communication when you do drop the ball. If you are honest about it, they’ll be more likely to jump in and help you keep things organized. 7. The Chronic Deadline Dodge DON’T: Allow unmet deadlines to throw everything off-track. When people chronically miss deadlines, it’s a sure sign of a cultural issue. Either people aren’t giving it their all or they’re truly overburdened. DO: Set reasonable, clear deadlines. Once something gets off-track, nobody is willing to own it. Make sure you set reasonable deadlines that you and your teammates can meet in order to avoid setting folks up for failure. Even if it takes some extra elbow grease from time to time, make a conscious effort to meet every deadline every time. 8. The Blame Game DON’T: Point fingers at others in order to take the heat off of yourself. A mistake is made, the boss is mad, a deadline is missed. If all eyes are on your team and you start pointing fingers, you could be making a huge mistake. If your employees or your coworkers don’t think you shoulder your share of the blame or are unapproachable when it comes to constructive criticism, they’ll start to shut down toward you. DO: Accept responsibility for your actions. Nobody likes to be the one at fault. But owning up to your mistakes and learning from them are big parts of working together and being successful. From Counselor’s April 2011 issue.
Monday
March 21, 2011 Counselor Best Places to Work 2011Filed under: Survey
Do you get up in the morning excited to go to work? Do you high-five your co-workers as you pass them in the hall? Does your company’s work environment foster positive energy? Then it’s time for you to nominate them for the Counselor Best Places to Work in the ad specialty industry! The survey is simple, brief and must be filled out before April 29, 2011. Click here to learn more and to nominate your company now!
Wednesday
March 16, 2011 State of the Industry SurveysFiled under: Survey Industry people, we need your feedback! Our fine Research Department is currently investigating the overall health of the industry for our annual Counselor State of the Industry report. Take a few minutes to fill out our survey and you could win some great prizes, including:
Distributors, click here for the survey.
Suppliers, click here for the survey. So what are you waiting for!? Take our survey now!
Wednesday
March 9, 2011 Vote Now For The Best-Designed ProductsFiled under: Awards
And now it’s your turn to pick the winners. Simply go to www.asicentral.com/productdesign (you must be a distributor member) and check out images and descriptions from all 14 categories (see below). Once you see the product design you like best, vote for it and move on to the next category. It’s that simple!
Thanks for voting!
Tuesday
March 8, 2011 Tip of the Day - Eight Steps to Generate More Visitors to Your WebsiteFiled under: Tip of the Day
For more, go to Counselor’s Blueprint newsletter.
Friday
March 4, 2011 Tip of the Day - 20 Common Promotional Errors (and How to Avoid Them)Filed under: Tip of the Day
From Advantages University, March 2011.
Thursday
March 3, 2011 Tip of the Day - Write A Good E-Mail Subject LineFiled under: Tip of the Day
The key is to make people open your e-mail marketing efforts. Here are four tips to make sure that your subject line stops them from just hitting delete.
From Counselor magazine’s March 2011 issue.
Wednesday
March 2, 2011 It’s a Dirty Job, But …Filed under: Wearables
Of course, unless you’re Mike Rowe and you work for the Discovery Channel’s aptly named “Dirty Jobs” TV show, nobody really *wants* a dirty job. The allure, I suppose, is the same as passing a car wreck - you just can’t turn away. Or, maybe, it helps one feel good about the boring-yet-squeaky-clean desk job they do for 40 hours a week. Whatever the case, dirty jobs are so cool these days that Wearables magazine did a feature story this month on a handful of tough men and women who get good and grimy every day — and the apparel they wear during their working hours. Introducing Dirty Jobs: Uniforms Edition! In this article, Wearables spends the day at the following dirty jobs and learns a few things about the apparel worn to combat all kinds of nastiness:
Ugh, now I have an urge to take a shower! – DirtyD
Wednesday
March 2, 2011 Tip of the Day - Fun Things to Do for Your PresentationFiled under: Tip of the Day
From Advantagesmag.com March 2011 issue. |
Getting potential customers to click on your website will be for naught if you have a shoddy site that fails to communicate reliability, expertise and trustworthiness, says Josh Summerhays, head of conversion optimization at SEO.com. He says effective sites:
Listen up, ad specialty folks.
Each year, Counselor magazine chooses finalists in a multitude of promotional product categories and asks distributor members to vote on the best designs. From desk accessories and apparel to writing instruments and housewares, this year’s finalists offer everything from innovation and function to pure fun!
Here are eight building blocks to consider for your new Web traffic strategy.
Don’t rely on good luck this St. Patrick’s Day for the best promotional results. Avoid making these common campaign errors and you’ll set your clients up for success all year round.
Most distributors today are doing some kind of e-mail marketing, either through direct promotions or e-mail newsletters. But they often don’t spend enough time on the one thing that just about every e-mail recipient sees: the subject line.
What is it about dirty jobs that makes them so revolting, yet so interesting at the same time?
Everyone loves samples, so take a minute to come up with some creative giveaways for your presentations. Not only will your prospects hear what you have to say, but they’ll also have a tangible item to help them remember you. Here are eight great ideas.