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Filed under: Tip of the Day
Here are the top 10 phrases that kill creativity:
- Yes, but …
- The boss will never go for it
- I don’t have time
- Get a committee to look into it
- We tried that before
- It’s not in the budget
- It’ll never work
- No!
- We’ve always done it this way
- It’s not my job
Source: Chic Thompson
Filed 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.”
 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.”
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“
Filed under: Tip of the Day
Three tips on how to be a top seller:
- Find a hot-selling product. Joe Stile, the national account executive at Halo/Lee Wayne (asi/356000), calls himself the calendar king, with good reason, since his annual calendar sales alone total $600,000. “My best-selling product has been an African-American history calendar, which features sports figures, singers, scientists and other notable individuals,” he says. In 1969, Stile sold his first order of 500 calendars to a Brooklyn, NY, independent funeral home for $17,500; today, that client buys 80,000 a year for $170,000.
- Be a little off the wall. Write a unique tagline for your business and use it on all your collateral. Or, take it one step further and compose a rap song. Keith Wilson, an account executive for PromoShop (asi/300446), starts out his video series to show off products with a catchy rap: “I grant three wishes ’cause I’m Promogenie./ My competition’s played out like Sergio Tacchini./ If you’re lookin’ for the best – and I’m not just in the West –/ Put me to the test, ’cause the Genie never rests./ I’ve been takin’ care of clients for a decade and half./ Livin’ off referrals. Now you do the math.”
- Network like crazy. As many times as you’ve heard it, you should network in person (think local business meetings or charity events) and online (use Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn). Plus, have your elevator pitch down cold, and use it all the time. Patrick Doyle, owner of Proforma Synergy (asi/300094), has a great pitch: “I’m not the ‘promotional products guy.’ I sell promotional programs and campaigns. I have four services: print, promotional products, multimedia and graphic design. I put all those together by creating effective programs and promo campaigns that get measurable results for my clients.” He also gives out unique business cards, like a chocolate bar with his contact info on the wrapper or a desk game that people tend to keep.
From Counselor magazine.
Wednesday
February 3, 2010
Filed 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.
Filed 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.
Filed 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
Filed 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.
Filed 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.
Thursday
December 31, 2009
Filed under: Tip of the Day
Like most customers, government agencies seek vendors that can clearly define why they are a better choice than the competition. The ability to articulate a value proposition is an important element to success in government contracting, and with an annual budget of $500 billion and an additional $787 billion in stimulus funds, no business owner can write off the opportunity to capitalize on government spending.
We talked to Lourdes Martin-Rosa, American Express OPEN advisor on government contracting, to learn about her three strategies that companies can implement in order to stand out:
- Rebrand to promote a specialty. Perform a self-audit and figure out what makes your business better than others. “Find out how you can improve your business,” Martin-Rosa says. “Your best source to find this out is a customer. Ask them what they liked and disliked about their most recent purchase from you. If there are no complaints, you can ask them to write up a testimonial to post online about something specific they enjoyed about your services.”
- Look beyond existing core competencies. Monitor www.fbo.gov for trends in government spending. As the government shifts focus from one area to another, figure out how your business can fit in. “You have to get your company ‘contract-ready,’ ” Martin-Rosa says. “F.B.O. stands for federal business opportunity and that’s exactly what it is – an opportunity for your business. The Web site is great because it will post any contract over $20,000. And if a contract is posted over $100,000, a federal agent will award you a no-bid simplified acquisition.”
- Seek ways to solve customers’ emerging challenges. Keep in tune with key issues and propose a new solution. “If you have a critical problem at your business, discover a way to solve it,” Martin-Rosa says. “Let’s say there’s a management problem or someone is not operating your machine properly; hire someone that can execute that job the right way and it will increase your revenue. By having a shift in focus, you’ll leap ahead of your competitors.”
From Wearables Style
Filed under: Tip of the Day
Five steps to build your business:
- Through client referrals. Referrals aren’t just a passive business-building technique where you’re at the mercy of your customer, according to Gino Ventresca, general manager of National Embroidery & Transfer Services Ltd. (asi/299298). “Start with your own customers and ask them for referrals directly,” he says. “The best way to grow your business is building through referrals from your present customers and developing a strong bond with them.” You can ask your clients to refer you informally, or, consider developing a client loyalty program that offers some minor incentives to your clients who bring in referrals. Either way, client referrals are one great way to help your business grow.
- Through service professional referrals. “I think about who the companies are that can send potential clients to me,” says Don Tillquist, owner of Coastal Embroidery. “Before they come to me, they need a logo and signage for their business, so I develop relationships with graphic artists and sign vendors in town to establish a referral relationship.” According to Tillquist, the beauty of these relationships is that they aren’t just one-way. “They refer their clients over to me, and I send clients over to them,” he says. “You work symbiotically.” Take a look at the artists and other vendors your clients work with and develop a relationship with those other vendors; then watch the referrals come in.
- Through groups and organizations. “We’ve done very well from the networking we get to do from belonging to the chamber of commerce,” McGinn says. “I also belong to the local home builders association. We try to partner with other groups or organizations that will promote us.” It may seem like a been-there, done-that idea to join your chamber of commerce, but people do it because it works. Today there are more networking opportunities available than ever before, from Business Networking International to groups that are specific to your community. If you’re looking to add a new networking group to your schedule, consider the American Marketing Association or a Small Business Association-type group. These are great places to meet prospective clients.
- Through local events. “One way that we market and expand our business is that we’re involved in a yearly convention of sorts,” says Meredith Kowalsky, owner of Prestige Monogram. The event is a bluegrass festival that serves as a homecoming event for the town, with people coming from across the nation and overseas. Every year Kowalsky designs an event graphic and embroiders it on blankets and other items. “People collect the blankets to show that they’ve attended every year,” she says. Participating allows Kowalsky to show her capabilities and make numerous connections, such as the connection she made with her biggest client, who is located many hundreds of miles away. “We never would have connected with that client, except through the festival,” she says. Local events and expos (business or otherwise) can be a great place to build your business. Scope out some of your local events and consider offering to design the logo each year. This puts you in a unique position to meet new business and support your community.
- Through the Internet. How do you go about finding a service professional if you need one? Generally, and especially in this economy, you might start by trying to get a referral from friends, family and coworkers. If you can’t find anyone via word of mouth, where’s your next stop? Google (or www.yahoo.com or www.msn.com). The Internet is definitely the new Yellow Pages. Does your business have a Web site? If not, you could be missing out on a number of clients who are searching the Web to find a decorator. Starting a Web site can be as easy as getting a free site from Google or starting a free blog on www.blogspot.com, or as sophisticated as hiring a Web developer to build the site of your dreams. Regardless of how you approach it, getting your name on the Web is a great way to grow your business and connect with new customers.
From Stitches’ 2009 State of the Industry
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