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!

Stop Saying Busy

It is easy to be busy.  As a matter of fact, I have found the "b" word the most overused in the current English language.  When you ask--literally anyone--how they are doing, the answer comes back, "I'm busy."  The ironic thing is, that answer has become the lazy response.  We say it whether we are or we are not, actually busy.  It's like it excuses us from things we don't want to do.  "Sorry, I'm really busy." 

I am guilty of it too.

In our business (and I am sure in yours) it is EASY to be busy.  We hurriedly head from meeting to meeting or from office to office and get to the end of the day and say "Wow, I was busy all day today." 

Great.  But what did you accomplish?

What I have found is that "busy" is an awful measurement for our day and our life.  It means totally different things to different people.  And it doesn't actually measure the accomplishment of anything. 

So two thoughts for the day:

1)  Stop telling people you're busy.  No one cares.  We are all "busy." 

2)  Start judging your day by asking yourself "What did I sell, create, achieve?" 

That's way more important...and probably more interesting too.

Finding Perspective

I always say that I know when I need a "vacation" because little things start to really bug me.  You probably know what I mean.  The things that normally just roll of your back start to suddenly really make you angry.  Silly stuff.

For example, last weekend I went through McDonald's Drive Thru to get my family a surprise breakfast.  It seems everyone had the same idea.  That long line in the drive thru was fine until the person two cars in front of me spent 10 minutes trying to order.  I could hear her saying "I was 5 hashbrowns...no, wait...6 hashbrowns...no wait...4."

I wanted to scream, "It's McDonalds!  If you have waited in a long line and don't know what you want, you are actually trying to be annoying!"

I know that it's silly to get annoyed or angry about that.  And when those things start to mount up, I tell my wife that I need a "vacation."

The fact is, I think it's more about just finding some perspective.  Vacation really just represents the idea of re-charging and re-gaining goals, drive and perspective.  The good news is, I don't really have to go anywhere to do that.  (Though if someone wants to take me to Hawaii I will go!).

We can find that perspective where ever we are.  We just have to take the time to breath in, breath out, and look for it.

3 Steps To A Better Frame of Mind

Though I am a positive person, not every day starts with a a smile.  Some days you wake up with a foul dream in your head, a bad taste in your mouth and a harsh thought in your brain.

Some days you feel like you are not going to hit the mark.  Everyone feels like that sometimes.  But there are lots of things that you can (pro-actively) do to get you on the right track.  Here are just three.

1.  Read something that inspires you.  When I wake up in the wrong frame of mind, I make sure I don't wallow in the negativity that surrounds us.  I actively seek out some things to read to get me going.

2.  Do some exercise.  Just 20 to 30 minutes of some exercise can and will improve your brain function and your mood.

3.  Keep swinging.  Nothing helps you get in the right frame of mind like taking action.  Sitting and doing nothing will help keep the negativity going.  Figure out the next right step...do that.  Repeat.

Good luck peeps.  Let's make this day a great one!

The Give First Economy

We have entered into a new phase of business.  It is just the beginning of this phase.  It is what I called the "Give First Economy." 

This is good news if you are the customer.  We know this because we have lived through the "Automation Economy."  This stage was (and in some cases still is) when companies do everything they can to automate everything from the phone systems, to customer service and everything in between.  This phase left the customer frustrated and annoyed much of the time.

This is also good news if you are a company that has always focused on service.  You want to provide a great customer experience all the way through.  This is great news for you because you are already ahead of the curve.

This is bad news for "the automators."  The large companies that are clearly more focused on the customer's dollar than the customer will struggle.  These companies are not only not concerned with the customer's experience, they seem annoyed the customer has an opinion about it at all!

This is happening because of the shift to the "Give First Economy."  Social Media has truly given power back to the Customer.  And it has just begun.  Customers have more information than ever before at their fingertips.  They have more options.  And because of that third group, customers have more cynicism. 

So as a business, we need to (you guessed it) Give First.  We need to provide value to the customer.  We need to show integrity, credibility, honesty, personality. 

Here's the funny thing: this has been brought about by newer technology but this is old fashioned business.  Get back to shaking a customer's hand and looking them in the eye.  Provide THEM a referral before you ask for one.  Share an article that helps them.  Send a thank you or a birthday card.  Be sincere.

Give First.  You will be thrilled with what happens next.

5 Reasons Why Mark Cuban is Wrong...about SWAG

Let me start this post by saying that I am a fan of Mark Cuban.  I am a sports fan, and by all accounts, he is an aggressive, progressive owner of the Dallas Mavericks.  He is a serial entrepreneur (love that).  And he is great on Shark Tank!  I love that show!

But Mark Cuban is wrong about SWAG. 

Now you might be thinking, "What did Mark Cuban even say about SWAG?"  Good question!  Cuban wrote a post for Entrepreneur magazine where he outlined his 12 Rules for Startups.  I read it and was really surprised by number 10:  Never Buy SWAG.

Cuban's point was that startups should not send people embroidered polos because they are not using their money wisely.  But...wait...what?  Well sure.  It seems like Cuban has run across a few startups that have not used SWAG (or promotional products) wisely.  Obviously you want to be smart.  But throwing out the entire advertising medium is pretty small minded for such a big thinker.

It's like saying "I knew a guy who wrecked a Ferrari, so you should never buy a car."

So here are some reasons why Mark Cuban is wrong about SWAG:

1)  Promo (or SWAG) Creates RECALL:  Studies show that between 80% and 90% of people that receive a promotional product RECALL the company that gave it to them.  When your customer wants to buy, you want them to RECALL your brand.  Promotional products have great success with this!

2)  Promo Creates REACTION:  Other than recall, you want your advertising to create action.  You want your customers or prospects to contact you.  Another study shows that 15% of people who receive a promotional item will actually reach out to that company.  Incidentally, that number is 5 times higher than other media.  Ignore those numbers at your own risk!

3)  Promo is Targeted:  So many businesses (startups too) have a shotgun approach to marketing.  By using promotional products as a part of the mix, your company can reach out and touch exactly the market you want to reach.  More targeting = less waste!

4)  Promo is Cost Effective:  If you choose wisely (very important as Cuban points out) you can expect long term impact from a great promotional campaign.  This long term benefit means you get a lot of "impressions" for a one time advertising buy.  This creates great value for your advertising dollar!

5)  Humans Like Valuable Gifts:  Put simply, the Rule of Reciprocity is real.  If you provide customers and prospects value (or valuable gifts) they feel the need to do business with you.  And if you do this over time, the more inclined they will be to give you business.  I don't tell you this to manipulate.  I tell you this because it's true. 

The fact is, Promo (or SWAG) is a powerful advertising tool that you would be unwise to ignore.  As a matter of fact, I would bet that if you go to a Dallas Mavericks game, you would see Promotional Advertising everywhere!  From the banners, to beer cups, to uniforms of employees, all great brands use promotional products to leverage their business. 

So if it's good enough for the Dallas Mavericks, why shouldn't you use it to promote your business.  Short answer...you should.

Want more common sense business tips on Promotional Products?  Check out the new book "Delivering Marketing Joy!"

HASSEMAN DELIVERS “MARKETING JOY” WITH NEW BOOK

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(Coshocton, OH)—Owner of promotional products distributor, Hasseman Marketing, Kirby Hasseman has written a new marketing book called “Delivering Marketing Joy.”  The new book, Hasseman’s third, focuses on how businesses and organizations can use promotional products to grow their business and increase customer loyalty. 

“I think we are living through a shift in the way that marketing is done,” says Hasseman.  “We have been in a “push” marketing world forever.  Now we are moving into an era of “pull” marketing.  The customer has more power than ever.”

Hasseman argues in his book that though promotional products are a medium that has been around for over 100 years, they are a perfect advertising piece to use in this new era.

“We are entering a “give first” business economy.  Business owners need to provide value first.  Promotional products are perfect for this. “

Hasseman wrote “Delivering Marketing Joy” in order to showcase promotional products as an important piece of any organizations marketing budget.  The book includes chapters on: increasing customer loyalty, trade show success, increasing sales, non-profits and more.  In addition the book also includes many “case studies” from both national suppliers AND distributors in order to showcase how organizations all over the country are using promotional products to impact their business in a positive way!

“The goal was to explain why organizations should be using promo to grow their business,” says Hasseman.  “But it was also important to me to show them how!  In addition, I want both suppliers and distributors to be comfortable sharing this book.”

Some of the companies featured in case studies include: Jetline, Vitronic, Gold Bond, Commonsku, Brand Fuel, Halo, IpromoteU and more. PPAI President Paul Bellantone even agreed to write the forward to the book.

“As an industry we need to work together to educate the public on the power of promo,” says Hasseman.  “Paul has done a great job of reminding us of that!”

Delivering Marketing Joy is available for sale on Amazon in both a paperback and Kindle edition.  You can learn more about Hasseman at www.kirbyhasseman.com. 

Hasseman is the owner of Hasseman Marketing & Communications in Coshocton, Ohio.  Hasseman Marketing is a marketing firm specializing in promotional products, video, social media and more.  You can learn more at www.HMCpromos.com.