The Power of the Relationship

If you have been in our industry (Promotional Products) for any amount of time, this has happened to you.  You get contacted by a client or prospect saying "We found this (specific) product online and we wanted to buy it from you."  This can be very exciting because it means two things:

1)  Your competitors marketing has now provided you an opportunity!
2)  Your customer WANTS to do business with you (your relationship withe them matters).

But there is a caveat to this situation as well.  Because your client has randomly found this product (and thereby this supplier) online, you have no way to know what they are like.  Can this supplier meet the customer's date?  Is their imprinting process quality?  Will they keep their promises?  Who knows?  Additionally, by the time the client has called you, they are often very specifically interested in THAT product.  So it's tough to redirect them.  Most customers don't understand that every product online is NOT the same. 

This happened to us VERY recently.  Although we have a specific group of suppliers we try to focus our business with, the customer wanted THAT product.  So we sent the business to this new supplier.  As you might expect (since I have come this far in the story) the new supplier did NOT come through.  We were left on Thursday night, with an angry customer that would not be receiving their "marketing joy" for their Friday event.

That's when one of us suggested that we go to one of our tried and true suppliers (Gold Bond) and see if they had anything similar.  We found they had something "close enough" so we called, emailed and texted them...after hours on Thursday!  (Did we mention the event was the next day)? 

What happened next felt a little bit like a Christmas miracle!

Chase Thompson (VP of Sales at Gold Bond) worked with his internal team (until 10:30pm) to check stock of the item in question, worked to create the screens over night, and arranged for his production team to start on these at 7am the next morning.  Chase directed 3 way calls with the group involved on the project and worked relentlessly to put the details together.  His team worked to produce the order AND then DRIVE the order to the event (5 hours away!) so they would be in the customer's hands on FRIDAY!

Unbelievable.

No one wants to have to pull a miracle.  But there are lessons to be learned here.

1)  Buyer beware when you work with someone you DON'T have a relationship with...for someone you do.

2)  It is amazing what can happen when you focus your business with only your best suppliers...and leverage that partnership!

Thanks Chase and all the Gold Bond team!  All of us at Hasseman Marketing really do appreciate it!

Investing In Your Business

Recently, the Hasseman Marketing team went to a regional promotional products show at Put In Bay.  Our local OPPA group created the PAB (Promotions at the Bay) a few years ago.   This is a different kind of show for a few reasons. 

First, it is in Put In Bay!  It's a very fun atmosphere and a more laid back place to do business.  The other big difference is the investment it takes for distributors to attend the show.  There is travel, overnights, ferry tickets, food and more.   All in all, it takes a more dedicated kind of business person to "invest" the money to make this a priority.  At HMC, we are proud to be a consistent participant. 

*Let me be clear that I am NOT talking about our supplier partners here.  They spend money at all of these events and we (at Hasseman Marketing) appreciate that!  But for people on our side of the business, many of these regional shows are free.

I bring this up for two reasons.  First, if the people you are doing business are not investing their time and money to be the very best at what they do, how can they possibly be doing the best work for you?  Just something to consider!

Second, what are YOU doing (in any industry) to make sure you are on top of your game?  What trainings or events do you attend?  How are  you helping your overall industry?  It's something you (should) expect from your suppliers.  Are you doing the same for your customers?

Remember, unless you're the lead dog the view never changes.

Recognition IS KEY For A Successful Business

It's not rocket science, really.  Humans want to be recognized for the value they bring to a project, family or organization.  Whether they are a trusted confidant, customer or employee, a smart leader will take the time to recognize and appreciate the contributions of others.

It has long been said (on this very blog here and here) that studies show that 69% of customers that leave you will do so because of "perceived indifference."  This is one of those good news/bad news cases.  The bad news is, it's all your fault.  The good news is, you can fix it.  You do the little things (and sometimes big things) that let each of your customers know that you appreciate their business.

Ready?  Go!

But a new study says the same is true for employees!  A study conducted by Healthstream of 100,000 managers and employees revealed that 79% of people who quit their jobs cited “A lack of appreciation is a key reason for leaving.”  Wow.  8 in 10 of your employees and co-workers leave because they simply don't think anyone cares!

So what can you do to fix it?  A lot really. 

The simple things (that are true for your customers) are true for employees.  Just tell them.  Stop by their work station and (sincerely) thank them for their work.  Send them a card.  Call them out in a positive way in front of the team.  Show them appreciation. 

You can also create programs that will recognize them on work anniversaries and birthdays.  The fact is, there is a lot you can do.  Need more ideas?  Let us know! 

But get out there and say "thank you" today.  You will be glad you did!

Image Is Everything

On a recent trip out of the country, I was struck by how each facility we entered was "guarded" by "security."  I use the quotation marks only because these security personnel were armed only with a phone and a clipboard.  I mean no disrespect to security professionals here, but what was really stopping anyone?  Why did we all pay attention to what they said?  Why did we automatically stop and sign their sheet...or tell them where we were going?

In a word...branding.

We stopped because their attire looked the part.  They were dressed in what we deemed as "security" apparel.  (It didn't hurt that they had a clipboard!  Clipboards make everyone look official!).  That appearance was all it took to make us (and everyone who came to the facility) take them seriously.

Consider that the next time you look to outfit your team!  Think about the power of the right appearance.  Do you want your brand to be conservative?  Fun?  Hip?  Experts?  Whatever you want your team to portray, you have the ability to shape when you purchase their "outfits."

Be sure you are sending the message you want your customer to receive!

What is Vector Art?

What is Vector Art?

There is often confusion around Art files and what types we can accept.  Terms like Vector Art, Camera Ready, etc... get thrown around.  Most people, unless they are graphic artists, do not understand the differences. So, what is vector art and why does my logo or artwork need to be vector?  Vector art is created using vector illustration software programs, such as Adobe Illustrator, Freehand, and Corel Draw, among others.  The art created with these programs can be blown up in size infinitely without any loss of quality.  (Think of zooming into a picture and it becomes blurry.)

Raster Graphics, such as photographs, and graphics files created in Adobe Photoshop, Paint Shop Pro, and other Raster editing programs, in most cases cannot be used.  Notice how in the example picture that the edges of the art become blurry rigid and not smooth?  With Vector Art you can blow up the image to any size with no loss of quality.

How Can I tell if what I have is Vector?

Vector art is usually created in Adobe Illustrator, and is commonly saved as a particular file type: .ai   Vector art can be saved in other file formats (such as .eps, .svg, or .pdf). But, it is important to remember that just because a file is saved in one of these formats, that does not mean that it is truly vector art. Only art originally created in a vector editing program, such as Adobe Illustrator, is truly vector art.

Also, you can identify vector art by process of elimination. There are some file formats that can only be Raster art, and therefore cannot be Vector art. The most common examples are .jpeg, .png, .bmp, .gif, .psd, .tif. These files cannot be vector art.

Art Charges

There are art charges that are incurred on some orders if Vector art is not able to be provided.  In this case, we must send the provided art off to a designer that can re-create your artwork in a Vector-based program.  If you see an art charge on your bill, this is most likely what has happened.

There are also art charges, sometimes, for layouts and formatting even if you already have the vector file.  For Example:  If you have your logo in Vector format but you want to add specific text under it for a promotion.  The text needs to be added in a Vector Based Program and sized appropriately for the item that it will be imprinted on.  This would incur an art charge too.

Ask your Designer

Keep in mind that if a professional design created your art for you, chances are they may have your artwork saved as vector art, even if they have not sent that file to you. Some designers do not provide their clients with vector art, as they assume that the client will not be able to open the file. So, if you had a professional logo designed for you, but all you have is a JPEG, or something similar, contact your artist, and ask them for vector art.

Warning...Production Times Might Not Be What They Appear!

We get one particular question all the time when it comes to promo.  "How long will it take for me to get my (fill in the blank)?"  It's a great question.  It's one that you should ask...and it's tough to answer.  So many times, the answer is "It depends."

Not what you (or any customer) wants to hear.  But let's discuss why that is...and what you can do to improve it.

The first reason this is tough to answer is that each supplier is different.  Some specialize in low prices.  Some specialize in speedy delivery.  Some specialize in meticulous detail.  That's all good.  But as I have said many times in sales calls, "You can have them:

1) right
2) fast or
3) cheap.

You get to pick 2 out of 3!

So we feel it's the distributor's job to guide the customer to a supplier that can best meet their needs.  That's good for everyone!

The other reason production times can be confusing is the simple understanding of what "production time" really means.  Most of the time, "production time" means how long it will take to produce the item.  This sounds simple enough.  But the actual production does not start until:

1)  The supplier has "good" art.
2)  The proof has been approved.

Often these steps take the longest.  So if it takes 2 weeks to get these steps complete, then a 10 day production time starts.  So the order will take a month.

The final caveat in the delivery of goods has to do with shipping.  Most of the time there will be shipping involved in the delivery of your promotional products.  So where are the good shipping from?  That's a huge factor in cost and in delivery.

So what can you do to help improve delivery?  Simple.

1)  Provide good clean "vector" art.  Most people don't.
2)  Approve your proofs quickly.
3)  Be smart and order early!

That removes the stress from everyone!  Good luck!

Answering Questions about Promo

At Hasseman Marketing, we want to be your resource for Promotional Products...of course.  But we also want to help you become a better, more efficient and smarter buyer of promo.  We want you to better understand the "in's and out's" of our industry.  We think that will allow you to create better promotions that have better results. 

So with that in mind, please give us your questions.  What questions do you have about purchasing promotional products?  We will do our best to answer them!  Let us know!  In order to start us off, we will address questions that we get sometimes.

Here we go:

I ordered 250 mugs at $1 per mug.  How come my order came to $350?

Great question!  No one likes surprises on an invoice.  For those that are new to purchasing promotional products, there are some "additional" charges that you should be aware of with many (but not all) products.  You will want to be aware of these charges and know to ask about them before the purchase so there are no surprises!

Setup Charges:  Often this is fee in addition to the "per piece" price of an item.  This is the charge that it costs to set the run up.  This can run anywhere from $20 to $145 just depending on the item.  There is not always a setup fee, but most of the time there is.  So be sure and understand that!

Shipping:  In addition, you need to get the items to you.  Most of the time your distributor is not printing all of these items in house.  There is no way they could.  There are nearly 1 Million promotional products, so it's tough to stock all of them!  So that being said, there will be freight to get the items to your place of business.  As you know, there are tons of factors on shipping (enough for another blog actually), but just make sure you consider this cost when making your budget. 

Tax:  Yep...we will have to pay Uncle Sam. 

Running charges:  Sometimes additional colors in your logo will incur additional charges.  Hopefully, your promotional partner shares these up front.  But if not, they can really change the cost of your order!

Okay...these are just a few!  Hopefully this helps you understand the cost of your order...and some questions to ask on your next purchase!