by Kirby Hasseman
I recently made a whirlwind trip to Las Vegas for the annual PPAI Expo. (You can watch a video of me doing the whole trip in 3 minutes here). The PPAI Expo is the largest trade show for the Promotional and Marketing world. Tens of thousands of marketing professionals come from all over the world to descend on Las Vegas for a week of networking, parties, meetings and new products. I enjoy going out each year to reconnect with friends and to see what the latest and greatest new products are going to be.
At the PPAI Expo, you tend to see what the trends are going to be…before they are trends.
Usually the trend is a really cool product category, or a specific product that might be a fad. But the trend I noticed this year was not a product and (hopefully) not a fad. This year, the trend I saw was “Promotions with a Purpose.”
Promotions with a Purpose
Nearly every booth I attended had a product with a “give back” component to it. What does that mean? It means that many companies in the Promo industry are either creating products or partnering with brands that have created products that give back a portion of their proceeds to help others. I have often said that the Power of Promo is that it affects human behavior. Combining this “super power” with the idea of a giving component can have amazing impact.
Take for example Basecamp, a brand that partners with Promotional Products Supplier Sweda, to donate proceeds to help members of our Wounded Warrior Community heal. I had the opportunity to see Dan Nevins speak, and his story and his impact is powerful.
Or what about MIIR? Promotional Supplier Gemline is partnering with this brand that is dedicated to bringing clean water to areas in need. These are just a few…the give back component was everywhere.
This idea of Promotions with a Purpose is exciting to me because I think it highlights something that our media (and industry) does well. Promotional Products have a history of impacting the non-profit world. From fundraiser gifts to 5K’s, promo can help you grow the impact of a cause. With this newest trend with suppliers (and the PromoCares initiative) we are suddenly doing a much better job of telling that story.
So what does that mean for you? It’s simple. If you want to create a marketing campaign that has both an impact to your awareness AND to the community, you can. Let us know if we can help.
If you want to learn more about us, you can head here. And if you want to make sure you never miss any of our content, check out out blog page now.
by Kirby Hasseman
We all have “that voice” in our head. I have talked about it before. It’s the voice that says you are not smart enough, or that no one cares what you think. It’s a voice that we all have to overcome if we want to put ourselves out there and live our best life.
Trust me, when I say you can overcome it. It can be done. But even after you overcome the voice at one time, or in one area, it will come back.
When you put yourself out there again, or when you step into a new situation, or push yourself further than you are used to pushing yourself, “that voice” will come back…and be louder than ever.
This happened to me quite a few times with the release of my new book. Let me give you an example.
During the week of the book launch, I wanted to make a big splash. I am proud of the new book and wanted to get it into as many hands as I could. I had even read a book called “Book Launch” so I could be extra prepared with strategies and tactics. So I prepared a “launch date” of January 6th and worked hard to schedule posts, videos, podcasts and more to make sure the new book did a canon-ball in a small pool!
I felt like I was everywhere!
As a matter of fact, after the launch on Monday and a podcast with Commonsku on Tuesday, when Wednesday rolled around and I was posting ANOTHER podcast, “that voice” was screaming at me!
“You are getting over-exposed,” the voice was yelling.
“No one wants to see this much of you,” it continued.
“Who do you think you are?” it bellowed.
To be honest, I was a bit overwhelmed and was thinking of pulling back (3 days into a book launch). Was this all too much? Are people becoming annoyed? Am I overexposed?
Then something funny happened. On that Wednesday, Roger Burnett posted his “So You’re In Sales” podcast to the Promo Professionals Facebook group. I really felt like everyone in this group was tired of me! But in that comment stream a person who I know and respect commented “Oh…I had no idea Kirby had written a book! Thanks for sharing…I will check that out!”
I was totally convinced I was “over-exposed” and a person I know, who knows me, is in the same profession and in the same Facebook group had no idea I had written a book!
That was when I got a powerful reminder. “That voice” is a liar.
If you are on a path of creating something new or pushing yourself beyond your comfort zone, that voice will tell you to stop or that it’s not good enough. Don’t listen to it. Keep going. That voice is a liar.
Thanks so much to everyone that has helped me with the launch of the new book. I sincerely appreciate it. You can find the paperback and kindle version here.
by Kirby Hasseman
I saw a post recently from someone who was celebrating the fact that they had read over 230 books in the past year. They were, understandably proud. But the point of the post was not to be braggadocios, but to make book recommendations. In the lead up to the book list they said, “I’ve been told that I have to say 14 were novellas and 3 were audiobooks and apparently those don’t count but rather then get into a whole discussion of literary snobbery and reading discrimination I’m just going to tell you my favourites.”
To that clarification I have one thing to say, “Says who?”
Who is this person or persons that have been elected the Grand Pubah of “what counts as reading?” This sort of thing makes me crazy, and it is so counter-productive to developing yourself.
Audiobooks Don’t Count: Why not? Are you saying that you don’t learn and grow from listening to a book? If that’s the case, then I can assume we should never attend a lecture again. We should never watch a tech talk or watch a video. There is simply no way we could learn anything, right? That is absurd.
Novellas Don’t Count: Great. Where can I submit my books to make sure they are the proper length? Who decides?
The point is, we need to stop worrying about these unwritten and made up rules. If you are able to grow from an audiobook, do that. If you enjoy reading a novella, go get it. It’s this type of silly rule-making that (I think) hold people back from setting goals to grow. Because of silly rules like this, people are afraid to write down their goals because they think they “will do it wrong.” You will not do it wrong. Your goals and your accomplishments are very personal. They are your own.
So the next time you start down a path and someone brings up one of these rules, simply ask them.
“Says who?”
You can find all of our content in one place on our blog page here. Oh, and if you want to check out my new book “The Give First Economy,” you can find that here.
by Kirby Hasseman
It’s time for Episode 31 of the He Said/She Said Podcast with Hasseman Marketing! This podcast is designed to give an inside look at being married and being entrepreneurs and the projects we are working on and the challenges we are facing! We talk about business, family, community and more. So listen in and let us know what you think!
On this episode we talk about…
Trending Topic
This week Kirby and Amy talk about that post holiday time. We jump in and learn whether they have the post holiday blues or if they are excited to tackle the new year. Listen in to find out!
Weekly Whirlwind
This week in the Weekly Whirlwind Amy gives an update on the building and she is starting to see a bit of progress. That is motivating her to keep rolling. Kirby is gearing up for the PPAI Expo in Vegas and more travel. In addition, he is working to promote his brand new book “The Give First Economy.” You can find that book here.
Lesson In Life
This week in the “lesson in life” Kirby and Amy discuss the concept of “being brave.” As Amy points out, every new venture can be scary. But if you can be brave for a short period of time, you can really create some exciting things. Listen in more here.
Shout Outs
Each week we want to give a shout out to an organization or an individual doing good work. This week Kirby and Amy point out the Township Room, a new location in Roscoe Village that provides meeting space. It’s a cool new venue that is garnering positive attention. Learn more here.
So that’s a wrap! Thanks for listening to Episode 31 of the He Said She Said Podcast! Any feedback will be welcome as we try to provide you value! If you want to subscribe you can do that where you normally get podcasts…or you can head here to follow on Soundcloud.
Thanks so much for listening! If you have any topics you want Kirby and Amy to cover, please comment and let us know! Oh…and if you like this content, check out this page where you can find all of the content we create!
by Kirby Hasseman
I have been talking about the idea of “giving first” in your sales and marketing strategy on this blog for a while. It’s a concept I am passionate about. I believe in it. I have written blog posts about it and I have spoken about it.
As of today, I have written a book about it too! The Give First Economy (and how to succeed in it) is officially available for sale and I would love it if you would check it out. The simple concept behind the book is this, in today’s world I believe the entrepreneurs, sales professionals, companies and organizations that provide value upfront will win. Why? It’s simple. In this “give first economy” we have the ability to build relationships with our prospects and customers. When we do that, we create the chance for long-term success.
And…as a side note…the Audiobook is now available too!
But make no mistake, this path is not easy.
Creating a business that “gives first” will take time and hard work. That is why the 2nd half of the book focuses on the art of getting more done. This part of the book is based on the science of the brain and studies that back it up.
So if you are interested in creating a business or organization that grows by doing business (and life) “the right way,” the first part of the book is for you. If you want to have science based principles that will help you get more accomplished, part two of the book should help you!
Want to get your own copy of the new book? You can get it here!
Are you a person that would rather listen than read? We have you covered. The audiobook is HERE!
And if you want to get your digital copy, the ebook is here (and for this week you can get it for free)
Thanks so much for continually reading this blog and supporting us as we try to spread #MarketingJoy! We really do try to “give first” and hope to help you do the same.
Want to learn more about Hasseman Marketing? Great! Head over to our About us page here!
