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Filed under: Tip of the Day
 Phew, 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
Filed under: Tip of the Day
 If the social media marketing pundits are correct and the wave of the future really is mobile — listen to what former Facebook employee Randi Zuckerberg had to say to ASI Radio about the future of social media — then it’s time to get up to speed with your smartphone.
This month’s Advantages magazine has an entire section devoted mastering mobile marketing, including 10 tips on building your knowledge of QR codes. Check out this month’s Advantages University section, and in the meantime here are the 10 tips to whet your appetite!
- Creating a QR code doesn’t cost any money. There are several free sites – QR Stuff, Kaywa and Mobilefish, to name just a few – that will turn your URL into a QR code in a matter of seconds.
- No licenses are required to use QR codes.
- Currently, most smartphones can scan codes as small as .75 inches.
- While QR codes are usually printed in black and white, other color combinations can work as well.
- Roughly 62% of people have scanned a QR code two or more times.
- QR-code usage is highest among people between the ages of 25 and 54. Early data shows women scan more QR codes than men by a two-to-one margin.
- Phones developed by Apple currently scan the majority of QR codes (68%), followed by Android and then BlackBerry devices.
- Linking a QR code to a Flash site is something to avoid. Most smartphones can’t display Flash animations.
- If your goal is to link someone to a URL and you want to track the number of scans, using Web service bit.ly may be the best option. After someone scans a QR code, bit.ly can redirect a visitor to a target URL. The reporting tool offered by bit.ly then allows you to track visits via your QR code.
- Explain what the QR code is, how to read it and where it will take the user. Use a directive like, “Scan this QR code with your smartphone using a tag reader to be entered for a chance to win $500 in promotional merchandise.” If room allows, provide a backup URL in case the recipient has problems scanning.
Filed under: Tip of the Day
 Now that it’s December and we’re finally experiencing seasonable temps here in the Northeast (I sure was getting tired of those beautiful, September-like 70-degree November days), I suppose it’s time to get that good ol’ “‘Tis the Season” feeling going and start thinking about the holidays.
This month’s issue of Supplier Global Resource has a great Sales & Marketing column by Kenneth Hein that takes a look five creative ways to celebrate the holidays. Want some ideas for motivating and building a foundation for a solid 2012? Then you should check out this column now! In the meantime, here are the five ideas:
- Celebrate Diversity
- Give the Gift of Time
- The Gift of Helping
- Remind Clients You Appreciate Them
- Give an Idea During the Holidays
Thursday
November 10, 2011
Filed under: Tip of the Day
 Whoops. Uh-oh. Sorry. My bad.
Everyone makes mistakes, it’s part of who we are. But it’s how you deal with mistakes that can ultimately leave a lasting impression to a client. This month’s Counselor Blueprint newsletter not only has some great advice on how to ramp up repeat business, but some good tips on how to apologize for an error:
The key to keeping a customer happy and expanding a relationship can sometimes be determined by how your company acts when something goes wrong. Indeed, an apology can even be used as a way to grow your business with current clients.
So, when an error happens, the first thing you want to do is own up to the mistake. “You don’t want to place blame and try to immediately find the root of the problem,” says Kyle Traylor, principal with consulting firm Klay Consulting, in New York City. “Call the client, explain what happened and, most importantly, explain your plan to fix it.”
Traylor says too many distributors try to blame a supplier or the shipping company or the embroiderer, when really what they should be doing is figuring out a plan. “The time for blame is later,” he says. “All your client wants to hear is that the right items are going to arrive in time for their event. The key is to make that happen, and then you’ll look like a star.”
Clients end up remembering the vendors who always act on their behalf. If a mistake is made, it’s your time to show them the lengths you’ll go to make it right. “Once the error was made, you can’t go back and change it,” Traylor says. “What you can do is apologize and explain how the situation is going to be made right – immediately. Timeliness counts. A vendor needs to repair a bad situation very quickly or the client will only remember the error.”
Filed under: Tip of the Day
 For some employers, just the thought of hiring part-time help can be cringeworthy. The perception that part-timers aren’t as committed and loyal as full-timers seems to be the popular concensus among employers, but why?
This month’s Wearables‘ Business Toolkit item titled “Manning the Clock” explains the stigma of part-time help, but also shows how it can be used strategically to reap benefits. So don’t miss this month’s edition, and in the meantime here are 3 great tips to managing part-timers:
Nancy Mobley, CEO of Dedham, MA-based Insight Performance Inc., an HR consulting firm, offers tips for managing part-timers:
- Establish A Policy: “Your policy should address things like how you handle sick time, paid time off, jury leave and telecommuting for your part-timers,” says Mobley, noting this policy should comply with state laws, which vary. “It’s important to be consistent and treat all your part-timers the same.”
- Write A Job Description: This ADA-compliant job description should cover expected hours, number of days the employee will be in the office and position requirements/duties.
- Be Inclusive: To keep part-timers feeling like a part of the team, include them in company-wide communications, have them attend company meetings and keep them informed of decisions that will affect them.
Filed under: Tip of the Day
 Just because “non-profit” organizations sound like they have no money, doesn’t mean it’s true.
This month’s Advantages magazine has a feature titled “Sweet Charity” that gives distributor sales reps the inside scoop on how to strike up profitable relationships with non-profit organizations. Full of tips and expert analysis from those who’ve had success in this market, this article is a must-read for distributors looking to branch out during tough times.
Check this article out now! And here’s a list of the top 10 states that feature the most registered nonprofit organizations (August 1995-July 2011):
- California (161,833 registered organizations as of July 2011)
- New York (103,654)
- Texas (99,192)
- Florida (77,288)
- Pennsylvania (72,847)
- Ohio (67,533)
- Illinois (66,192)
- Michigan (48,819)
- New Jersey (45,314)
- North Carolina (44,394)
Source: National Center for Charitable Statistics
Thursday
September 29, 2011
Filed under: Tip of the Day
 I remember when I first saw the movie Catch Me If You Can, the story about the world’s most prolific check forger Frank Abagnale, and thought that he was just a crook ahead of his time, taking advantage of a system that just wasn’t technologically capable of keeping up with him. Surely, I thought, things were different in the new millennium, right?
Then I read this month’s Counselor magazine article on check fraud.
Not only was I wrong, but it turns out that millions of Americans are victims of check fraud each year. Millions! But thanks to a new generation of pens — like Sanford’s uni-ball 107 — it’s becoming a lot easier to combat this nightmarish crime. If you have a few minutes, take the time to read this great article called “Fraud Fighters” - definitely worth the time to read. And in the meantime, here are 5 forms of check fraud:
- Check-Washing. Here, a legitimate check is altered, changing the name of the payee and often increasing the amount. Ink on checks is easily erased with common chemicals like acetone. However, some pens – which are available in the promotional market – can prevent this kind of fraud.
- Forged Signatures. This is the easiest form of check fraud because banks don’t often verify signatures until a problem arises that requires them to assign liability.
- Forged Endorsements. This occurs when someone steals a check written to someone else.
- Counterfeit Checks. These can be created with a desktop scanner and printer, creating a way for a thief to pay himself.
- Check Kiting. This process usually involves two bank accounts. Money is transferred back and forth so the accounts can appear to contain a balance, which can then be withdrawn.
Source: Robert Siciliano, Identity Theft Expert
Filed under: Tip of the Day
Back in 1992, my good friend Bill thought he had what it took to start up his own produce company. A year and nearly $10,000 of lost savings later, he threw in the towel - the tiny customer base just wasn’t offsetting the unforeseen overhead costs like rent.
 In this month’s installment of “Second Act“, Counselor magazine examines another ad specialty startup and what they did right and wrong. Here are three classic mistakes to avoid during your first year of a startup company:
- Don’t Mix Personal And Business Finances. Too many small-business owners dip into personal accounts to cover business costs or slap down their business credit cards to buy a new couch for their living room. For distributors, working out of their home and funding the entire startup themselves – like Terri and Jim Brooks – it may seem fine to mix finances, since they’re likely coming from the same pool. Don’t do it, experts say. Why? It makes tracking finances (i.e. separating personal and business expenses) down the road a nightmare.
- Commute Every Day, Even If The Office Is At Home. If your daily commute involves walking from the living room to the den to set up shop, consider yourself lucky. But don’t forget about the doldrums that can set in from never leaving home. Get out and create a commute, advises Jeff Huckaby, CEO of rackAID LLC, an IT management firm in Jacksonville, FL. A quick, 10-minute walk around the block or to a local coffee shop is enough to create the sensation that you’re leaving home to go to work. The same should be done at the end of the day as well, he says.
- Know When To Quit. For many startup distributors, the office is tucked away in a corner of the house. That means work is always accessible and often a gnawing presence, making it hard to ignore. But it’s important to shut off the computer and step away from the home office at the end of the day, experts say. To do that, Huckaby suggests distributors set time limits for working after hours at home.
And for those of you who are wondering, Bill is doing well these days - he’s a regional produce manager for Whole Foods Market. Not the entrepreneur he’d hope to be 20 years ago, but not a bad gig I’d say.
Tuesday
September 13, 2011
Filed under: Tip of the Day
 Fifteen years ago in college I read a book called “Being Digital” in which the author, Nicholas Negroponte, foretold of a digital world, one in which you could literally do everything from your computer or TV, and that some modern conveniences of the day — like, for instance, Blockbuster Video — would soon be obsolete.
I scoffed. How could we exist without the convenience of Blockbuster, I thought, as I contemplated a 10-block trek to the nearest video store to return overdue movies.
Of course, 15 years later Blockbuster stores are going out of business in droves and, yes, we are doing almost everything from our computers and TVs. So Mr. Negroponte was right … and had the foresight to not only know that, but to write a book about it. very impressive.
But most of us don’t have the foresight which is why we have to be constantly vigilant with research and survey data to try to come up with the best business plans as possible. This month’s Counselor Marketwise section has a great article on five fastest-growing industries to watch for the next five years, and why you should target them. Check it out, and in the meantime, here are the industries:
- Testing & Educational Support
- Internet & Technology
- Green
- Residential & Commercial Construction
- Health Care
Source: IBISWorld
Thursday
September 8, 2011
Filed under: Tip of the Day
 This month’s Stitches magazine has a great article called “Social Media Smarts” that is rife with great online networking tips and marketing strategies that can help you find new leads and build your brand. What I find most helpful about this read is that it touches upon all the social networks, and not just the two big hitters Facebook and Twitter.
Advice on how to succeed with everything from LinkedIn and YouTube to Skype, blogs, QR codes and even mobile apps is included in the article. So do yourself a favor and take a few minutes to read this article — it’s definitely worth it especially if you’re just starting out with social media.
In the meantime, here are 5 quick social networking tips to whet your appettite:
- Update Twitter and Facebook regularly. “Once a day, or every other day, you should post new and interesting things,” says Dana Zezzo, vice president of sales and marketing at Pro Towels Etc. (asi/79750).
- Explore the social media pages of potential clients. Then, engage these people in discussions. Share information that would be useful to them.
- Integrate your website. Use social media pages to direct traffic to your website by posting links back to your main site. Also, embed Twitter and Facebook feeds into your website.
- Include photos and videos in your blog posts. This creates more interest and engagement.
- Connect with remote customers. Use Skype to impress far-off clients by giving them a tour of your shop, demonstrating efficient production methods and the like.
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