by Kirby Hasseman
Recently I joined a team of “Swag Warriors” to take on the first every PromoXperience with Dana Zezzo and Imagen Brands. We had an amazing team of runners to take on the Ragnar Trail Run in Arizona. Read more about the entire experience here. But if you want to take on a challenge like this, you are going to need two things. The first is an amazing team. We had that (watch the video here). But the second necessity is the right gear! Thanks to Crown Products, Vitronic and S & S Activewear, we were ready to go. Here is a list of the “Essential Ragnar Swag!” Coleman 60 Quart Cooler: When it comes to the Ragnar Relay, you are camping. So you need a place to keep food and drinks! The Coleman 60 Quart Cooler was a must. We stored our cold cuts, other food, Gatorade, and yes, beer, in this spacious beast. And with the wheels, it was not too much to move around. Click here for more information. Coleman Mesh Quad Chair: Yes you want a nice comfy place to sit. But we were in the desert! That mesh back was wonderful to keep cool. And with the ability to quickly breakdown and set up, it was great when we had to “claim our spot” or get ready to pack up! Click here to learn more. Jersey Mesh Cap: One of my unexpected favorites was the Jersey Mesh Cap (click here to learn more). The lightweight comfy cap was perfect for to keep the sun out of your eyes in the bright mid day sun! Click here for pricing. 18 oz. Viking Water Bottle: I was really surprised at how perfect and versatile this piece was when you are on a campsite. We all know the Viking is great for keeping coffee hot for hours…and this will do that. But it’s also great for keeping your water cold in the desert sun! Oh…and that lid is great for carrying (and keeping dirt out of the water!). Click here for more information. Athletic Cool Down Collar: Have I mentioned that we were running in the desert? Yeah. So we needed to work to keep cool. I put this cool down collar in the ice from the Coleman Cooler and wore this as a headband. This collar was awesome for those runs in the middle of the day! Click here for more info. Polyester Sport T-Shirt: So what shirt do you wear on the Ragnar? S & S Activewear provided these great performance t-shirts! Affordable and comfortable, you need something that will breathe when you are running over 15 miles of trails! This shirt did the trick for sure! Colorblock Hooded Fleece: Yes it is hot during the day. But the desert gets cool in the evening (especially after a long run). So I was super happy to have this comfy (and great looking) hooded fleece piece. Great to take the edge off the cool (or to get ready and warm up), this hoodie was a home run! This was an amazing experience…and I am glad I was able to be a part of it. But it would NOT have been the same without the great gear! Want to create an adventure? This list is a great place to start when you outfit your team! Never miss an update! Sign up for our VIP list here!
by Kirby Hasseman
Each week Kirby will dig into a word that will help in personal development, sales, and growth. The weekly word is designed to be short and sweet, and provide a quick lesson that will help you grow each week.
The Hasseman Marketing weekly word this week is SCOREBOARD. In this video Kirby asks us this questions….If or when you walk up to a park and see a group of kids playing basketball, can you tell if they are keeping score or not? The fact is, you probably can. You can tell this because people act differently when a score is being kept. The effort is higher. The action is more intense. At Hasseman Marketing, we like to have a SCOREBOARD. We like the power of challenge. We keep track of the things that are most important to us and to our team. We got this concept from The Four Disciplines of Execution: Achieving Your Wildly Important Goal. This is a great book you can check out for yourself here. This week Kirby encourages us to measure the things that matter to you and to keep a compelling SCOREBOARD that everybody can see. Want to keep up all the time? Make sure to join our VIP List! Our VIP’s get an email with the latest content…and other special offers as well. Join here.
by Kirby Hasseman
What an adventure! What an experience! What a team! Wow…was I ever out of my comfort zone! On November 2-4, I was honored to be a part of a group of 8 promotional products professionals that gathered together to take on the Ragnar Relay Trail run. Dana Zezzo from Imagen Brands headed up this amazing effort that put the idea of a true “Field Test” for Promo Premiums to the test. Watch the video here. The team consisted of Dana Zezzo and Ryan Meulemans from Imagen Brands (Crown and Vitronic), Joe Durham from Halo Branded Solutions, William Adair and Les Edwards from Proforma, Jimmy Visney RLK & Associates, David Schultz from Distributor Central and yours truly. In order to complete the Ragnar Relay challenge, each member of the group needed to run 3 different challenging loops, of 4.1, 4.7 and 6.7 miles respectively. The terrain was rocky, steep and challenging. And once the group started running (I kicked us off at 10am on November 3), someone on the team was running non-stop until we finished them all! I was so impressed with the team. From the very beginning of setting up camp, everyone pitched in. As we pulled into the drop off area, we had to drop our gear and then go “claim a camp spot.” Once claimed, we had to set up camp and get ready to rest, sleep and live in this 20 x 20 spot. Lots needed to be done in a short period of time and it was amazing how everyone worked together. And let’s face it…I was no help. At one point I looked at Dana and said, “I have never set up a tent before.” You could tell by the look on his face, he was wondering why he invited me. And speaking of gear, Dana and Ryan really hooked the group up! Not only were we prepared with tech shirts, sweatshirts and flannels from S & S Activewear, but the Imagen Brands group came through with water bottles, Viking tumblers and all the Coleman camping gear we needed. It was amazing (and I will outline those in a future blog post). 
After my initial run at 10am, I had some time to rest as my teammates picked up the torch (or actually the belt). The next time I was called onto run was around 5pm. At that time I did the challenging Red loop, which was a 6.7 mile run with a big climb near the beginning. The views were amazing at the top of the mountains. My only complaint is that I could not take too much time to take them in! I was too afraid I would fall. My final run came just after midnight. I took nearly an hour to complete this 4.7 mile run. Then I had time to rest a bit as I waited for my team to complete their legs. After the run was completed, we got our finisher medals and tore down camp as quickly as we could. Again, I was so impressed with the teamwork. 
Not bad for a team of guys that (for the most part) had never really met before this trail run. After the race we all headed to a hotel where we took a (long overdue) shower and soaked our tired bodies in a pool and hot tub. While we all enjoyed a cold beer and shared stories, we recovered as best we could. I can say that through this “PromoXperience” I not only gained some valuable memories, but I connected with members of the industry in an event like no other. A huge thank you to Dana Zezzo, Ryan Meullmans and the entire Imagen Brands team for making it happen! Thanks for reading this! If you want to keep up with all of the adventures of Hasseman Marketing (and join our VIP list) please feel free to sign up here.
by Kirby Hasseman
What a SUPER Show! Each year, all of us at Hasseman Marketing work hard to create a Trade Show for our customers and prospects that is fun, festive and adds value. This year was no different! On October 12th, 2017 we had our annual Hasseman Marketing Customer Trade Show. This year’s theme was Superheros. We had many in attendance who seemed to gain some ideas for their employees, clients, customers, etc. This years show had many amazing products and was tons of fun!! We welcomed everyone with a special bag of goodies. Here is what we gave as our Thank you for attending. 
String A Sling Backpack – 210d polyester cinch sack backpack. Recommended weight tolerance: 24 lbs. String shoulder straps on the backpack loop for quick-close drawstring top. This item is part of the Awareness by Prime collection. 
District Made Mens Perfect Tri Crew Tee – Three yarns form the perfect blending of softness and an easygoing look. 4.5-ounce 50/25/25 poly/ring spun cotton/rayon 32 singles Tear-away tagTri-Blend fabric infuses each garment with unique character. Please allow for slight color variations. 
Dye Sublimated Microfiber Cleaning Cloth – Achieve stellar cleaning with a dynamic design. Two pieces of fabric are stitched together, giving the cloth a nice feel. Hemmed edge for polished look. Gorgeous four-color imprint. 
Festival Pen – Multi color imprint available. Plastic, colored or silver barrel with chrome tip and plunger. Clip to match accent color on grip. Retractable mechanism. Medium point super smooth black refill. 
Chap Ice® Cherry SPF 04 Lip Balm – Tried and true, our most popular lip balms make any first time user become a lip balm enthusiast. 
Baxter Plush Stuffed Animal – Plush Pricing includes either a Small T-Shirt or a Bandana. We look forward to next year’s show…..Wonder what we will surprise you with? This is just one way we Deliver Marketing Joy to our prospects and clients! If you want more information on any of these products, or if you need more ideas, email us here. And make sure you never miss an update by signing up for our VIP list here.
by Kirby Hasseman
It’s time for a tradition like no other! Each week, our very own Jeff Wickerham takes the time to highlight a specific promotional product that he thinks YOU should know about! 
This week’s pick is the Polypro Notebook. This notebook is polypropylene plastic spiral bound notebook with an angled clear front pocket. Great for coupons for the grocery store. This notebook includes 70 lined sheets and an elastic pen loop. Again great for your grocery list. You can also add your logo to the front cover. This is a great deal…and one worth considering for your next promotion. If you need more information, please email us here.
Stay tuned for next Friday’s Jeff’s Pick!
Oh…and don’t forget to sign up for our VIP Newsletter here.
