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Friday
March 12, 2010 Tip of the Day: Quality Pays OffFiled under: Tip of the Day When it comes to selecting ad specialties, marketing communications firm Pinckney Hugo Group is very selective. “You need to really think about what might I need, use or really wear,” says partner Aaron Hugo. “I wouldn’t pick anything I wouldn’t use or wear myself.”
From Advantages’ magazine Success Stories.
Wednesday
March 10, 2010 Tip of the Day - Create More Selling TimeFiled under: Tip of the Day Ad specialty distributors often spend so much time on tasks that don’t involve selling – fulfilling orders, following up on invoices and talking to suppliers, just to name a few – that they neglect their main objectives. Yes, you need to create as much time in your day as possible for dealing directly with clients. Carving out time for prospecting, cold-calling, following up on sales proposals and crafting new promotional programs for current clients is vital for distributors. You can’t get so caught up in other administrative tasks that you forget the thing that’s most important to your business: bringing in revenue.
From Counselor’s Game Changer: How To Craft A Creative Sales Approach
Tuesday
March 9, 2010 Tip of the Day - Top 10 Phrases That Kill CreativityFiled under: Tip of the Day Here are the top 10 phrases that kill creativity:
Source: Chic Thompson
Monday
February 15, 2010 Tip of the Day - 7 Niche Markets to Target SwimwearFiled under: Tip of the Day Stitches magazine found seven cool niche markets that want decorated swim gear now. 1. Pro sports. Lori Coulter, president and CEO of Lori Coulter LLC (asi/46771), says professional sports teams in the NFL and Major League Baseball are buying bikinis – but fortunately, not for the players. “We get a lot of requests from cheerleading teams, particularly for professional teams,” she says. “They may do a calendar and need everybody in the same swimsuit.”
3. Fishing. Stan Rudman, a principal owner of Sportailor Inc. (asi/88796), has taken advantage of the fishing industry’s newfound interest in swimwear via one of its brands, Hook and Tackle Outfitters. “The fishing guys are wearing boardshorts,” he says. “My company came out with boardshorts for the fishing industry, but added features to make it fit into that industry, like utility pockets. They can also be sold to beach stores.” 4. High schools. John Amsterdam, president of Neet Feet Inc. (asi/73525), says flip-flops have come a long way in terms of popularity, both in swimwear and in general fashion. “At first they started as a novelty,” he says. “They’ve become more mainstream and visible, from celebrities wearing them to the Northwestern University championship women’s lacrosse team showing up at the White House with flip-flops.” 5. High fashion. Who knew that flip-flops are high fashion? “We do private-label projects for retail customers,” Amsterdam says. “One of our biggest customers is a top New York City fashion designer and we do flip-flops for his retail stores.” 6. Lifeguards. At municipal swimming pools, lifeguards have always been a popular target in terms of swimwear, but Gulbenkian says business is picking up in this area. “This has been a growing market,” he says. “Drownings are up, and people are a lot more safety-conscious. What’s the first safety item at a pool? It’s the lifeguard, just as the policeman is the first safety item downtown.” 7. Swim teams. “The competitive swim-team market grew a little bit after the Olympics and Michael Phelps, no question,” Gulbenkian says. “What is growing is a solid swimsuit with the individual team logo on it.” From Stitches’ February 2010 cover story, “Suit Up“
Friday
February 12, 2010 Tip of the Day - Be A Top SellerFiled under: Tip of the Day Three tips on how to be a top seller:
From Counselor magazine.
Wednesday
February 3, 2010 Tip of the Day - Cold CallingFiled under: Tip of the Day Make your cold calls brief, no more than two to three minutes and be focused on understanding the prospect’s needs at a high level so you can provide them with a compelling reason to spend some time with you, and most importantly, getting the appointment.
Monday
January 25, 2010 Tip of the Day - Take Your Prospect’s Point of ViewFiled under: Tip of the Day Don’t be caught off-guard the next time you have a chance encounter with a potential client. In your elevator pitch you should take your prospect’s point of view. Instead of reciting a list of your products and services, address an issue the prospect has that you can help them with. Also adapt your pitch to the listener. A small businessperson may be concerned about cost, while a larger corporation may be more impressed by an example of your creativity.
Monday
January 18, 2010 Tip of the Day - Give Customers A Reason To Read Your BlogFiled under: Tip of the Day Give customers more of a reason to read your blog than just witty charm and expert insights. Slip them a special only for blog readers every so often. For example, maybe you’ve just written a blog about a fabulous new travel mug. Extend a discount to those readers who mention the blog post when they place an order with you for the featured item.
Wednesday
January 13, 2010 Tip of the Day - Profile Top ClientsFiled under: Tip of the Day Profile your top 20% of clients and then strategically pinpoint prospects that have the same characteristics. For example, maybe your top 20% are regional financial institutions and you work with their community outreach coordinators. What other kinds of financial organizations might have a similar need in your area? Think of credit unions, banks, accountants, financial aid offices at universities. Look for commonalities that will allow you to present yourself as the expert in that area.
Tuesday
January 12, 2010 Tip of the Day - Zero In On Growth IndustriesFiled under: Tip of the Day Read your local business journal and newspaper religiously. When you see a certain segment of the local economy thriving, consider this an opportunity. These companies may need extra marketing to keep ahead of new competition. They may be hiring more employees; therefore their human resources department could use some assistance with welcoming, training and motivating the troops. |
2. Car and boat dealerships. Coulter also sells some of her skimpier swimwear to high-end auto and boat dealers for what she calls the “age-old image” of an attractive woman standing next to a shiny new car or boat to add appeal for the consumer. “The dealerships are very interested,” she says. “If a decorator has a relationship with a dealer, it’s an easy add-on to the account – so decorate a branded Lexus or Porsche bikini that models can wear for an event.”